216 



staminodes, and by others as disc-processes. The ovary is 

 unilocular with three (rarely two) parietal placentae, and bears 



a single style. 



The genus lias been divided into several sections based on the 

 nature of the style and the disc-processes. The section Crateria, 

 to which Casearia fvaecox belongs, is characterised by a trifid style 

 with capitate stigmas, and by the disc-processes being free, and 

 inserted in the same circle as the stamens. Three other species 

 of this section are known: one, C. syhestris, Sw., very widely 

 distributed in tropical America, and two, C. inaequilatera^ Camb., 

 and C. Selloana, Eichl., natives of Brazil. 



C. fvaecox may be distinguished by its ash-coloured branches 

 and twigs, leaves hairy on the midrib beneath and without obvious 

 marldnj^s in a dried state, and well marked '*' spurs " (short 



a ?? 



shoots), which bear the fascicles of flowers. These ^' spurs 

 have the shape of a shallow stalked cup, the stalk being much 

 flattened parallel to the branchlet which bears it. Combs, who 

 collected the species in the Cienfuegos district of Cuba, described 

 it as a shrub 2-3 m. high.* In Maracaibo it attains the dimen- 

 sions of a tree; its height is not stated, but a section of a trunk 

 received from Mr. Schroder is about 25 cm. in diameter. 



The bibliography and geographical distribution of 6'. praecox 

 are as follows : — 



C. praecox, Griseh., Cat. PI. Cub. p. 10 (1866); Warb. in Engl, 

 u. Prantl, Nat. Pflanzenfam. vol. iii, 6. A. p. 52; Combs in Trans, 

 Acad. Sc. St. Louis, vol. iii. p. 423. 



Cuba. Western part of the island, Wright 1889; Matanzas, 

 Rugel 206; district of Cienfuegos, in rocky woods, on fertile soil at 

 Oienaguita, fl. Feb., Combs 704. Colombia, Santa Marta, 45 m., 

 fl. March, H. H. Smith 789. Venezuela. Maracaibo district, 

 fl. March-April, per F. /. Schroder, 



The geographical distribution, Cuba and South America, is 

 interesting. It is an additional illustration of Engler's state- 

 ment that most of the plants common to the West Indies and 

 cisequatorial South America occur on the Greater Antilles.f 

 According to Urban+ the flora of Puerto Rico exhibits very strong 

 relationships with that of South America ; and by far the greatest 

 part of the high mountain flora of Santo Domingo consists half of 

 new species, and half of continental species which occur nowhere 

 in the AVest Indies except at higb levels in Santo Domingo. 



It may be useful to mention some minor differences which have 

 been noticed in the specimens of C praecox from different 

 localities. 



Cuba (Combs 704) . Pedicels 4-5 mm. long ; staminodes 

 0-8 mm. long; style altogether 1 mm, long, the undivided part 

 twice as long as the arras; ovules 13-15; leaves long and 

 gradually acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base. 



Venezuela (Schroder). Pedicels 4-5 mm. long; staminodes 



* Trans. Acad. Sc. St. Louis, vol. vii. p. 423 (1897). 



t Versuch einer Entwicklungsgeschichte der Florengebiete, vol. ii. p. 212. 

 I Symbolae Antillanae, voL iv. p. 681. 



Symbolae Antillanae, vol. vi. p. 291. 



