COLOMBIAN EUPATORIUMS. 265 



plants to confine the presentation to a bibliographic and synonymic 

 enumeration of such previously described species, together with 

 diagnoses of such novelties, as ma^^ have been found in a particular 

 collection. Remarks on habit, habitat, dates of flowering, collectors' 

 numbers, altitudinal ranges, etc., are usually added. Such papers are 

 highly useful in large botanical establishments where numl)ered 

 exsiccatae and copious literature ate available, but apart from these 

 aids they are exceedingly*- sterile. They fail signally to give assistance 

 or encouragement to botanists resident in the tropics and to those 

 collectors who are so situated as to be able to carry forward the all 

 important field-work in the area treated. On this account it has 

 seemed worth while to incorporate in the present paper not merely 

 keys to sections and species, but at least brief descriptions of each 

 species and variety enumerated. 



As to the plants included, Colombian specimens of nearly all have 

 been seen by the writer. A very few, however, have been included on 

 the basis of past published records of their occurrence in Colombia or 

 as it was formerly called New Grenada. Happily these reports rest 

 in all cases upon work of such well known writers on the Compositae 

 as the eldest DeCandolle, J. G. Baker, Weddell, Hieronymus, and 

 Heering. In every instance in which no material has been personally 

 seen, the authority for the occurrence in Colombia is duly cited. It 

 is unfortunate that many specimens of marked character and con- 

 siderable scientific interest, such as those of Triana in the herbarium 

 of the Royal Gardens at Kew, are quite unaccompanied by data other 

 than that they came from Colombia (New Grenada). It is possible 

 that such specimens of Triana, Lobb, Moritz, and others, here recorded 

 as lacking data of collection, may be present under corresponding 

 numbers and Avith more complete labels in other herbaria. In case 

 any such are found, the writer would welcome further information 

 regarding them. 



As the genus Eupatorium is of large size and extends from temperate 

 North America to temperate South America; as it includes species 

 of much diversity of habit from delicate annuals to small trees; and 

 as it ranges from the seashore and tropical lowlands to alpine regions 

 and areas of considerable aridity, it may be fairly regarded as an 

 average sample from which to infer the relative endemism of particular 

 regions. On this account it is believed that the following statistical 

 memoranda will have a certain interest. 



Of the 93 species of the genus, here presented as occurring within 

 the limits of Colombia, no less than 53 or about 57 per cent are, so 



