17,8 Merrill: Noteworthy Philippine Plants, XVI 245 



in length, sparingly pubescent. Bracts peltate, about 1 mm in 

 diameter. Anthers apparently 2. 



Samar, Catubig River, Bur. Sci. 24278 Ramos, March 13, 1916, 

 on trees in damp forests at low altitudes. 



A species belonging in the group with Piper penninerve C. 

 DC. and most closely allied to Piper longilimbum C. DC, from 

 which it is distinguished by its smaller, caudate-acuminate 

 leaves and by its staminate spikes being but half as long as in 

 the latter species. 



PIPER ELMERI sp, nov. § Eupiper. 



Frutex dioicus, scandens, ramis circiter 1 cm diametro; foliis 

 chartaceis ad subcoriaceis, late ovatis, aequilateralibus, basi 

 profunde cordatis, 10- vel 12-plinerviis, apice acutis vel acumi- 

 natis, usque ad 30 cm longis, subtus molliter pubescens; spicis 

 $ usque ad 25 cm longis, circiter 4 mm diametro, bracteis pu- 

 bescens, peltatis, 2.5 ad 3.5 mm longis ; spicis 5 usque ad 25 cm 

 longis, cylindricis, densis; fructibus pedicellatis, ovoideis, 7 ad 

 9 mm longis, pedicellis usque ad 1.5 cm longis. 



A coarso', woody, dioecious vine, the branches up to 1 cm in 

 diameter, the older ones somewhat angled, rugose and brown- 

 ish when dry. Leaves chartaceous to subcoriaceous, broadly 

 ovate, 15 to 30 cm long, 11 to 23 cm wide, equilateral or nearly 

 so, the base deeply cordate, 10- or 12-plinerved, the sinus rather 

 narrow up to 4 cm deep, the basal lobes broadly rounded, apex 

 acute or somewhat acuminate, the upper surface glabrous, shin- 

 ing, olivaceous, the lower surface softly pubescent ; nerves prom- 

 inent, the reticulations distinct; petioles up to 6 cm in length. 

 Inflorescences simple, leaf-opposed, the staminate ones up to 25 

 cm long, about 4 mm in diameter, their peduncles 1.5 to 2 cm 

 long. Staminate flowers numerous, the stamens 2, about 2 mm 

 long, the bracts peltate, oblong-ovate, obtuse, pubescent, 2.5 to 

 3.5 mm long. Pistillate inflorescences up to 20 cm long or in 

 fruit up to 25 cm in length, the rachis rather stout, cylindrlc, 

 about 5 mm in diameter, the flowers numerous, crowded, sessile 

 or subsessile, the ovary ovoid to elliptic, glabrous, about 2 mm 

 long, the stigmas 3 or 4, sessile, the pedicels increasing in length 

 immediately after anthesis and in fruit up to 1.5 cm long, 

 spreading, the fruits ovoid, yellowish-red when fresh, somewhat 

 wrinkled and usually black when dry, 7 to 9 mm long, the rachis 

 with numerous unfertilized flowers in addition to those which 

 develop into fruits. 



Samar, Catubig River, Bur. Sci. 24256 Ramos (type), Feb- 

 ruary 10, 1916. Luzon, Sorsogon Province, Mount Pokdal, 



