264 MERRILL. 



acuminatis; floribus in triadibus fasciculatis in radicibus vel in 

 ramulis specialibus, inflorescentiis brevibus, puberulis; floribus 

 4-meris, circiter 3 cm longis, tenuibus, extus puberulis. 



A parasitic shrub glabrous except the inflorescence, the 

 branches and branchlets smooth, grayish or brownish, terete, 

 stout, smooth, the apparently specialized flower-bearing branches 

 (roots?) with a brown scaly bark. Leaves in whorls of three 

 or four, the internodes 10 to 12 cm long, petioled, usually brown 

 when dry, scarcely shining, thickly coriaceous, brittle, oblong to 

 narrowly oblong-ovate, acute or somewhat acuminate, 12 to 15 

 cm long, 4 to 8 cm wide; petioles stout, 1 to 1.5 cm long; lateral 

 nerves 4 to 6 on each side of the midrib, not prominent, the 

 reticulations obsolete. Flowers in fascicled triads, the fascicles 

 scattered, brown-puberulent, the inflorescences, excluding the 

 corollas, less than 1 cm long. Bracteoles oblong-ovate, obtuse, 

 puberulent, about 1.5 mm long. Calyx urceolate-campanulate, 

 brown-puberulent, about 3 mm long, the limb somewhat spread- 

 ing, about 1 mm long, truncate. Corolla slender, about 28 mm 

 long, outside slightly puberulent, the lobes united for the lower 

 2 to 3 mm into a short tube, the free parts slender, about 1.5 

 mm wide, the reflexed part above the insertion of the stamen 

 narrowly oblong, about 5 mm long, 1.3 mm wide, acute or obtuse. 

 Anthers erect, continuous, narrowly oblong, about 3 mm long, 

 the filaments 2 mm long. 



Luzon, Province of Laguna, near Paete, For. B\ir. 13086 Curran, De- 

 cember 17, 1911, in forests. 



A very characteristic species, distinguishable by its v^horled, thickly 

 coriaceous, petioled leaves, and its flowers puberulent externally and borne 

 in fascicled short triads on the roots or on special leafless branches. In 

 the scattered character of its inflorescences it resembles Loranthus mira- 

 bilis Muell.-Arg. & Van Huerck, but is not, however, at all allied to that 

 species. 



LORANTHUS CAPITULI FERUS sp. nov. § Lepiostegeres. 



Ramulis brunneo-furfuraceis exceptis glaber; foliis oppositis 

 vel suboppositis, oblongo-ellipticis ad oblongo-ovatis, coriaceis, 

 utrinque angustatis, petiolatis, usque ad 12 cm longis; capitulis 

 axillaribus, solitariis, sessilibus, paucifloris; floribus circiter 1.8 

 cm longis, 6-meris. 



A glabrous parasitic shrub, the branches and branchlets stout, 

 brown, the younger parts furfuraceous, more or less rugose 

 when dry. Leaves opposite or subopposite, coriaceous, oblong- 

 elliptic to oblong-ovate, olivaceous and slightly shining when 

 dry, 7 to 12 cm long, 2.5 to 5 cm wide, obtuse, base narrowed, 



