338 Britton: Studies of West Indian plants 



does credit it to Jamaica, and cites P. Browne, although, as he 

 omits an exclamation mark, it is evident that he did not see a 

 specimen, nor does his herbarium, now at the New York Botan- 

 ical Garden, contain any Hernandia from Jamaica ; Meissner re- 

 fers the record of P. Browne to the species Hernandia sonora L., 

 native of the Windward Islands and Porto Rico, and perhaps also 

 of the East Indies. 



Hernandia sonora is readily distinguishable from the other spe- 

 cies by its peltate, long-pointed leaves, and the only other West 

 Indian species known is the Cuban Hernandia cubensis Griseb., 

 which has narrow long-acuminate leaves. Under H. sonora, 



Meiss 



guadeloup 



Guadeloupe Island, which has leaves rounded at the apex and 

 base, or slightly cordate. It is possible but not probable that 



this is the same as the Jamai 

 ficient to make this certain. 



ent, the Jamaica 

 H. sonora. or H. 



is 



Hernandia. H. 





but not much is known of it other than the plate of Aublet, PI. 

 Guian. pi. 329, which shows that this must be quite different from 

 the plant here to be described. 



Hernandia jamaicensis Britton & Harris 



A tree 30 m. high or less, with spreading and ascending stout 



branches, the trunk becoming at least a meter in diameter, the 



young twigs more or less flattened and angled. Leaves subcori- 



aceous sometimes 2.5 dm. long ; petioles stout, somewhat shorter 



tlian the blade, but sometimes 1 dm. in length, the blades elliptic 



to elliptic-obovate, obtuse at the apex, obtuse or subcuneate at the 



base, 3-nerved or faintly 5-nerved, not at all peltate ; inflorescence 



as long as the leaves or longer, racemose or racemose-paniculate; 



calyx of the pistillate flowers turbinate, about 5 mm. long, its 



margin truncate ; fruiting calyx subglobose, yellow, fleshy. 3"4 



cm. long and about as thick as long, its wall about 1 mm. thick, 



us onnce 1 5-2 cm. wide with a slightly raised margin; drupe 



ovoid nearly 2 cm. long, 1.5 cm. in diameter, rounded at the 



case, bluntly pointed, bluntly 8-ribbed and rugose between the ribs. 



On wooded hill, at about 400 meters altitude, near Dolphin 



Head, Jamaica {Britton 2321, type- Harris 10312); Woodstock, 



Westmoreland, Jamaica {Harris 0833). 



