272 . A NEW GENUS OF THE COMMELINACEAE 
implied by the following statement: “stamens 6, unequal, the 
longer with filiform filaments bearded in the middle (or one 
naked) and broadly oblong anthers, the shorter filaments densely 
bearded in the middle with green gland-tipped hairs, the anthers 
or bicular; anther cells contiguous.’’ The stamen corresponding 
to the posterior stamen in 7. anomala might, by casual examina- 
tion, have been counted as being like the postero-lateral ones. 
But 7. Pringlei has the following characters in conflict with 
T. anomala: plant green, not glaucous; cauline leaves uni- 
formly ovate, abruptly acuminate, none modified to form a 
definite “‘spathe’’ (though the slender peduncles of T. Pringlei 
frequently have one or more much reduced sheathes below the 
inflorescence), inflorescence axillary, petals uniform, all blue 
(“‘purple” ?). Though 7. Pringlei thus shows such strong 
resemblance to 7. anomala in certain characteristics, yet 
because of these important points of dissimilarity and because 
of insufficient material for critical study I feel constrained to be 
content with pointing to it as perhaps the closest existing relative 
of 7. anomala, leaving the question of its assignment to the 
proper genus to be settled by a more critical study of more 
abundant material. Certainly it can not properly belong in 
the genus Tradescantia! 
Confining my attention, therefore, in the present paper to 
the placing of T. anomala, it seems not only justifiable but 
necessary to make it the type of a new genus.* Following the 
suggestion of Torrey that the species has certain characteristics 
which ally it to Tradescantia and Commelina and recognizing 
the fact that it was assigned to Tinantia more than forty years 
ago, I propose a sort of hybridization of these names, giving the 
new genus the name Commelinantia. The generic description 
which follows is made broad enough to include some of the dis- 
tinctive characters of T. Pringlei, acting on the probability that 
this species will ultimately be assigned to the new genus. 
COMMELINAN TIA gen nov. 
Annual succulent plants, somewhat resembling species 24 
Commelina: stems 2-8 dm. long, erect, ascending, or decumben 
*Since I began the study of this species with the view of determining the 
propriety of retaining it in Tinantia, I have learned that Dr. J. K. Small had 
decided to segregate it as a distinct genus in the next edition of his Flora of 
the Southeastern United States. 
