OF ARTS AND SCIENCES. 



167 



ovute-oblong or elliiJtic in outline, papery, almost entirely superior, 

 2-valved at the apex. — Shaded bauks near Guadalajara; September, 

 1S89 (u. 2985) ; also near Cardeuas, Sau Luis Potosi, 1890 (u. 3302). 

 This plant, which was distributed under the name of Laurentia Michoa- 

 caiia, var. ovatifolia, appears ou further examination to be distinct from 

 n. 3337, of which it was at first regarded as a variety. It has the 

 habit of a Lobelia, but the corolla is split behind only part way to the 

 base. While in the limb of the corolla and the insertion of" the sta- 

 mens it agrees rather closely with Palmerella, the corolla-tube is short, 

 as in Laurentia. The plant thus furnishes additional evidence that 

 Sclionland is right in uniting the two genera. 



Mr. Pringle's n. 3337, the plant which was distributed as Laurentia 

 Michoacana, Robinson, is without doubt closely related to the species 

 just described, but is distinguished by its sessile leaves of considerably 

 different form and toothing. It appears to be identical with Parry & 

 Palmer's n. 557, which Hemsley refers to Lobelia micrantha, HBK., 

 and with Mr. J. Donnell Smith's n. 22, the Lobelia Turckhelmii of 

 Vatke (unedited?). The corolla in all these plants, however, is cleft 

 only from one third to half-way to the base, a character which should 

 certainly exclude them ft'om Lobelia, as at present defined by Ben- 

 tham & Hooker, Baillon, Schonlaud, and others. While the speci- 

 mens in question agree in most points with Laurentia ramosissima, 

 Benth. &; Plook. {Lobelia ramosissima^ Mart. & Gal.), they are dis- 

 tinguished by their much smaller flowers. Unfortunately, however, 

 Martens and Galeotti have characterized, under the name of Lobelia 

 farvijiura, a plant which also appears from their rather unsatisfac- 

 tory description to differ from their Lobelia ramosissima chiefly in the 

 same respect, namely the shorter corolla. This being the case, it seems 

 best that all three of the numbers just cited siiould be for the present 

 doubtfully referred to Lobelia parvijiora, JMart. & Gal., since it is 

 highly probable that the type of this species will be found ou investi- 

 gation to be a Laurentia, just as the Lobelia ■*'amosissima of the same 

 authors has already proved. 



Lobelia novella. Stem a foot high, branching, with a few rather 

 large leaves near the base, almost naked above : leaves petiolate, 

 broadly ovate, acute or obtusish, rounded or subcordate at base, un- 

 dulate and finely raucronate-denticulate, hispid on both sides, scarcely 

 })aler beneath, 2^ to 3 inches long, 2 inches in breadth ; upper leaves 

 few, much smaller, sharply and doubly denticulate ; racemes long, se- 

 cund ; bractlets minute, scarcely exceeding a line in length ; pedicels 6 to 

 9 lines long : calyx-tube turbinate, in fruit equalling or surpassing the 



