2 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL, 56 



alata and Querciis lyrata. These trees were fomierly abundant in 

 the surrounding region but the utihzation of the land for agricul- 

 tural purposes has greatly lessened their numbers. 



Most interesting, perhaps, of the woody plants from this locality 

 is a member of the genus Viorna, a group best developed in the 

 southern United States, of which Dr. J. K. Small has named a num- 

 ber of well marked species within the past few years. This plant 

 whose description appears here seems to be undescribed. It is a 

 near allv of the most common species, V^iorna viorna, a plant not rare 

 in rich woods as far north as Pennsylvania. Probably our species 

 will be found to occur elsewhere in southern Illinois and Indiana and 

 adjacent Kentucky, So far it has been collected only at Bird Haven 

 and the number of specimens here is limited. The plants from which 

 the type was taken grow along- or near the south bank of the " East 

 Fork " of the Fox River in a flat bottom land that is overflowed for 

 short periods many times annually. Associated with it are such 

 species as Ccphalanthiis occidcntalis, Syniphoricarpos symplwricar- 

 pos, Sambucus, Ptelea trifoliata, Evonymns atropiirpurcits, Amorpha 

 friiticosa, Rubus (nigrobaccns ?), Menispcniiitin canadcnse , Psedera 

 qninqnefoUa, Tecoma radicans, and Rhus toxicodendron radicans. 

 This plant may be known as 



VIORNA RIDGWAYI Standley, sp. nov. 



Plate i 

 A slender vine ; stems striate, somewhat swollen at the nodes, 

 brown, rather densely silky pubescent when young, in age glabrous 

 or sparingly pubescent ; leaves pinnate, with 3 or 4 pairs of leaflets, 

 commonly ending in a tendril ; petioles 4 to 5 cm, long, striate, spar- 

 ingly pubescent or glabrous ; leaflets 3-parted or 3-cleft, on petiolules 

 30 to 35 mm. long ; segments of the leaflets thin, finely reticulate- 

 veined, bright green, glabrous on the upper surface, with a few 

 scattered appressed hairs beneath, entire, the lateral ones ingequilat- 

 eral, rhombic-ovate or rhombic-oval or oblong, 25 to 45 mm. long, 

 10 to 20 mm. wide, abruptly acute or attenuate, the terminal seg- 

 ment broadly elliptic or oval, 30 to 50 mm. long and 15 to 25 mm. 

 wide, abruptly long-acuminate, the nearly linear tip 4 or 5 or even 

 6 mm. long ; secondary petiolules 5 mm. long or less ; leaflets when 

 entire deltoid-ovate, abruptly short-acuminate, subcordate ; peduncles 

 slender, appressed pubescent, 5 to 10 cm. long ; sepals thick and 

 leathery, 20 mm. long and 10 mm. wide or smaller, ovate or ovate- 

 lanceolate, abruptly acuminate and with long subulate tips, silky 



