STANDLEY TREES AjSTD SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 279 



Z. Sapranthus campechianus (H. B. K.) Standi. 



Asimia campechiaiia H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 5: 61. 1821. 



Asimdna msularis Hemsl. in Hook. Icon. PI. 16: j)l. 151.). 38S6. 



Canipeche (type locality) and Yucatan. 



Tree, 6 meters high ; leaves elliptic-oblong, 6.5 to 8.5 cm. long, acuminate, 

 pubescent. 



Asimina insularis is perhaps distinct but, judging from the description, the 

 species are very closely related. 



3. Sapranthus microcarpus (Donn. Smith) Fries, Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. 

 34^:12. 1900. 



Porcelia microcarpa Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 20:1. 1895. 



Asimina purpusii T. S. Brandeg. Univ. Calif. Publ. Bot. 4: 375. 1913. 



Veracruz and Oaxaca. Guatemala ; type from Ocosito. 



Shrub, 1.8 to 2.7 meters high ; leaves obovate or oval-oblong, mostly 5 to 8 

 cm. long, obtuse or acute ; carpels 2.5 to 4.5 cm. long. 



DOUBTFUL SPECIES. 



Unona violacba Dunal, Monogr. Anon. 105. pi. 25. 1817. This plant, described 

 from Mexico, is probably the same as one of the species listed above, perhaps 

 S. foetidus. 



3. TRIDIMERIS Baill. Adansonia 9: 219. 1869. 

 1. Tridimeris hahniana * Baill. Adansonia 9:219. 1869. 



Type from the forests of San Cristobal (Oaxaca?). 



A small tree. 



4. CYMBOPETALTJM Benth. Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. 5:69. 186L 



K Cymbopetalum penduliflorum (Dunal) Baill. Adansonia 8:268. 1868. 



Unona penci till flora Dunal, Monogr. Anon. 100. pi. 28. 1817. 



Veracruz and Oaxaca. Guatemala. 



Tree or large shrub with long narrow leaves ; petals purplish within, greenish 

 outside. " Guineillo," " guineillo prieto " (Oaxaca) ; " xochinacaztli " (Nahuatl). 



The aromatic petals were used in preconquest days for flavoring chocolate 

 and are still so used in some localities. The flowers were used also as a remedy 

 for asthma and other diseases.^ This plant was highly esteemed by the early 

 inhabitants of Mexico, having been brought from the south to be grown in the 

 gardens of the emperor. It is first mentioned by Sahagun (1509), under tlie name 

 " teunacaztli," " the sacred ear." He states that the flowers were valuefl for 

 their odor and for flavoring cliocolate. Hernandez describes and figures ' tlie 

 plant in a chapter entitled " De Xochinacaztli, sen flore auriculae." The Nahuatl 

 term xoclwnacaztli signifies " ear-flower." Hernandez states that the plant is a 

 native of the tierra caliente, and that in the tiangues or markets of the Indians 

 there is nothing more frequently found or more highly prized than this flower, 

 "which is wont to give the greatest charm and taste, together with a very fragrant 



'Ludwig Hahn spent "nearly 20 years in Mexico as a teacher of music, and 

 made extensive collections of plants and animals, most of which were sent to 

 Berlin. He was a member of the French Scientific Commission, and an associate 

 of Bourgeau. He died in Mexico in 1873. Some of his plants are in the U. S. 

 National Herbarum. 



' See V^^. E. Safford, Science, n. ser. 33: 470. 1911; Smiths. Kept. 1910: 428. 

 1911; Journ. Washington Acad. Sci. 2: 234. 1912. 



'Thesaurus 30. 1651. 



55268—22 S 



