416 The Philippine Journal of Science i9i9 



Samar, Catubig River at Pinipisakan, Bur. Sci. 24-557 Ramos, 

 March 21, 1916, in damp forests near the river at low altitudes, 

 with the Visayan name malaampipi, distributed as an uniden- 

 tified representative of the Menispermaceae. 



The type of the genus Villaresia is a tropical American plant, 

 and after a critical study of the two Philippine forms I am in 

 entire agreement with Bentham and with Valeton in reducing 

 to it the genus Char-iessa Miquel, which was based on Pleurope- 

 talon Blume (non Pleuropetalum Hook.), the type of which was 

 a Javan specimen. Engler maintains Cimriessa as a genus dis- 

 tinct from Villaresia chiefly on the basis that the petals of the 

 latter are imbricate and those of the latter are valvate. Blume 

 described the petals of the Javan form as imbricate, while in 

 Villaresia philippinensis the petals are distinctly although not 

 prominently imbricate throughout. There appears to be no other 

 character by which the two genera can be distinguished. The 

 genus Villaresia has about ten known species in tropical America, 

 one in tropical Africa, one in Java, two in Australia, one in 

 Polynesia, and two in the Philippines. 



MIQUELIA Meissner 

 MIQUELIA PHILIPPINENSIS sp. nov. 



Frutex scandens, ramulis junioribus hirsutis; foliis membra- 

 naceis, ovatis, 7 ad 11 cm longis, basi late rotundatis et plus 

 minusve cordatis, apice acuminatis, margine integris vel repan- 

 dis; inflorescentiis $ axillaribus, pedunculatis, floribus umbella- 

 tim dispositis; fructibus immaturis oblongo-ellipsoideis, 1 ad 1.3 

 cm longis, longe stipitatis. 



A scandent shrub, the young branchlets hirsute. Leaves mem- 

 branaceous, ovate, olivaceous, 7 to 11 cm long, 5 to 9 cm wide, 

 base broadly rounded and usually shallowly cordate, apex some- 

 what acuminate, margins entire or somewhat repand; lateral 

 nei^es 5 or 6 on each side of the midrib, slender, distinct, the 

 basal ones scarcely distinguishable from the others, reticulations 

 lax; petioles pubescent when young, soon becoming glabrous, 3 

 to 7 cm long. Pistillate inflorescences axillary, their peduncles 

 about 3 cm long, each bearing usually about 7 umbellately ar- 

 ranged flowers, their pedicels 5 mm long, each subtended by a 

 lanceolate, acuminate, sparingly hirsute bracteole, 1 to 1.5 mm 

 long. Sepals oblong, obtuse, 2.5 mm long. Fruits (immature) 

 slightly pubescent, oblong-ellipsoid, 1 to 1.3 cm long, narrowed 

 below into a pseudostalk as long as the fruit proper. 



Luzon, Ilocos Norte Province, Burgos, Bur. Sci. 32885 Ramos, 

 August 6, 1918, in rocky forests at low altitudes. 



