20 BrITTON: STUDIES OF WeEsT INDIAN PLANTS 
above, rather prominent beneath, the lateral veins obscure; 
peduncles solitary in the upper axils, stout, ancipital, 3-5 cm. 
long, 2-bracted at the top; bracts oblong, obtuse, about I cm. 
long; fruiting pedicels stout, subterete, I-2.5 cm. long; sepals 
narrowly oblong, obtuse, 1.5 cm. long, entire; capsule about as 
long as the sepals, tapering into a stout-subulate beak about 6 
mm. long. 
Mountains of northern Oriente, Cuba. Type, Shafer 8121, 
from Camp La Gloria, south of Sierra Moa, December 1910. The 
genus is hitherto known only from South America. The Cuban 
species most resembles Bonnetia anceps Mart., of Brazil. The 
generic name Kieseria Nees, has priority over Bonnetia Mart., 
which is a homonym of Bonnetia Schreb. 
33. A HYBRID PALM 
On the sterile ‘‘savannas’’ north and east of Camagiiey, Cuba, 
palms of two species of Copernicia abound. ‘The one, C. hospita, 
has grey-green, thin foliage with spiny-toothed petioles about as 
long as the blades, and elongated, slender panicles; the other, C. 
macroglossa, has bright green, rigid foliage with very short, broad, 
unarmed petioles, the blades spiny-toothed on the margins of the 
outermost segments and on the upper surface of the ribs of the 
undivided part, the stout panicles not much longer than the 
leaves and the inflorescence with large bracts. 
Of the two, C. hospita is the more abundant, C. macroglossa 
‘growing in colonies, more or less surrounded by it. At many 
places where the two grow together, plants intermediate in foliage 
‘characters occur, their leaves with spiny-toothed petioles of various 
‘lengths, the blades with sparingly spiny-toothed margins, other- 
‘wise smooth, and in color varying from green to grey, the panicles 
‘short and the inflorescence lacking the characteristic large bracts 
of C. macroglossa. 
Field observations during four days with Mr. John F. Cowell, 
led us to the conclusion that these intermediate plants are of 
hybrid origin rather than a third species, as was first suggested. 
