STAT^DLEY TREES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 289 



Perianth lobes equal or subequal ; flowers comparatively large. 



Ovary glabrous; stuminal glands sessile 1. P. cinerascens. 



Ovary pubescent ; staminal glands stipitate. 

 Pedicels S to 15 mm. long; stipe of staminode 2 to 3 times as long and 

 essentially as broad as the elliptic head. Branchlets densely ferrugi- 



nous-tomentose 2. P, schiedeana. 



Pedicels 1 to 6 mm. long; staminode with triangular head much broader 

 than the stipe. 

 Branchlets fulvous-villous ; leaves floccose-tomentose beneath; filaments 



only one-third longer than the anthers 3. P. floccosa. 



Branchlets glabrous to pilosulous ; leaves glabrous to pilosulous beneatli ; 

 filaments 2 to 3 times as long as the anthers. 



Leaves not anise-scented ; perianth deciduous 4. P. americana. 



Leaves anise- (or sassafras ) -scented ; perianth usually persistent. 



4a. P. americana drymif olia. 

 Perianth lobes unequal, the outer ones shorter ; flowers small. 



Leaves glabrous 5. P. longipes. 



Leaves pubescent, at least beneath. 



Leaf blades lanceolate or oblong, about 3 cm. wide. 



Leaves minutely sericeous beneath, not glaucescent 6. P. veraguensis. 



Leaves not sericeous beneath, glaucous or glaucescent __ 7. P. podadenia. 

 Leaf blades mostly ovate, obovate, or elliptic, 3 to 10 cm. wide. 

 Pubescence of the lower surface of the leaves coarse, loose; inflorescence 



fulvous-villous 8. P. chamissonis. 



Pubescence of the lower surface of the leaves fine, appressed ; inflores- 

 cence sericeous 9. P. liebmanni. 



1. Persea cinerascens Blake, Journ. Washington Acad. Sci. 10: 18. f. 2. 1920. 

 Known only from the type locality, Zacuapan, Veracruz. 



Tree; branchlets densely pilose-tomentose ; leaf blades elliptic to oval-oblong 

 or obovate, 10 to 20 cm. long, 5 to 8 cm. wide, acute or short-pointed, pilosulous 

 beneath ; pedicels 1 mm. long ; perianth 7 to 8.5 mm. long ; fruit subglobose, 

 glaucous-blue, about 12 mm. in diameter. 



2. Persea schiedeana Nees, Syst. Lauriu. 130. 1836. 



Persea gratissima schiedeana Meissu. in DC. Prodr. 15^: 53. 1864. 



Persea pittieri Mez, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 30: Beibl. 67: 15. 1901. 



Veracruz and probably elsewhere; type from Misantla. Guatemala to 

 Panama. 



Tree, 15 to 20 or rarely even 50 meters high; leaf blades obovate to oval- 

 obovate or oval, 12.5 to 30 cm. long, 7 to 15 cm. wide, obtuse or rounded 

 and short-pointed at apex, beneath glaucous and pilosulous ; perianth 6 to 8 mm. 

 long. " Chinini " (Veracruz); " coyo," " coyocte," " kiyo," " kiyau," " chucte," 

 "chaucte," " shucte," " kotyo," (Guatemala); " aguacaton " (Panama). 



This species is cultivated in Veracruz and is probably also indigenous there. 

 The flowers are pale greenish yellow, turning crimson at the base in age, or 

 sometimes light rose. The stamens also turn crimson with age, and the glands 

 are bright orange. The flowers of P. americana are said to be pale green, not 

 changing color with age. 



The fruit is much like that of the common avocado, and equally variable in 

 form and quality. The skin is thick but leathery and pliable ; the flesh brown- 

 ish white, of fine oily texture. The flavor is similar to that of the common 

 avocado but distinguishable, suggesting that of a ripe coconut. The cotyledons 

 when cut are rose-pink ; in P. americana. they are whitish. 



