296 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Small or medium-sized tree, the bark grayish, smooth or slightly rugose, aro- 

 matic, with an odor like cinnamon; leaves oblong-elliptic, 7 to 12 cm. long, 

 glabrous ; flowers white, sweet-scented ; fruit 1.5 cm. long ; wood hard, moder- 

 ately heavy, very close-grained, durable, taking a good polish, " Canelo," 

 " canelillo " (Costa Rica); " sign a canelo" (Panama); " palo Colorado" 

 (Nicaragua). 



4. Ocotea perseifolia Mez & Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 20: 10. 1895. 

 Forests of Tabasco. Guatemala ; type from Yzabal. 



Tree; leaves ovate, oblong-ovate, or oval-ovate, 15 to 30 cm. long, acuminate; 

 panicles large, many-flowered. "Laurel de chile" (Tabasco). 



5. Ocotea rubriflora Mez, Jahrb. Bot. Gart. Mus. Berlin 5: 279. 1889. 

 Known only from the type locality, Teapa, Tabasco. 

 Tree ; leaves broadly elliptic, about 23 cm. long, acuminate. 



6. Ocotea efEusa (Meissn.) Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 3: 78. 1882. 

 Oreodaphne effusa Meissn. in DC. Prodr. 15 ^: 120. 1864. 

 Oaxaca ; type from San Pedro Nolasco. 

 Leaves lanceolate, 5 to 10 cm. long, long-acuminate. 



7. Ocotea klotzscMana (Nees) Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 3:73. 1864. 



Oreodaphne klotzschiana Nees, Linnaea 21:523. 1847. 



Veracruz and perhaps elsewhere. 



Tree or shrub ; leaves lanceolate or oblong, 5 to 8.5 cm. long, narrowly acumi- 

 nate, lustrous. 



9. NECTANDRA Roland; Rottb. Act. Litt. Univ. Hafn. 1:279. 1778. 

 Trees or shrubs with coriaceous leaves ; flowers in axillary or terminal, pedun- 

 culate cymes ; perianth 6-lobed ; perfect stamens 9, those of the first and second 

 series eglandular, the anthers introrsely 4-celled, those of the third series with 

 glands at base, the anthers extrorsely 4-celled. 



NccUindra rodiaei Hook., of northern South America, is the greenheart, whose 

 wood is valuable, especially because of its great durability in water. The bark 

 contains the alkaloids bebeerine, sipirine, and nectrandrine. It is tonic, some- 

 what astringent, and febrifuge, somewhat resembling cinchona in properties al- 

 though greatly inferior in quality. It has been used in the treatment of inter- 

 mittent and remittent fevers. The Indians of British Guiana are said to make a 

 kind of bitter bread from the seeds, which contain nearly 50 per cent of starch. 

 Anthers of the outer series sessile. Flowers pubescent. 



Ovary densely tomentose 1. N. sinuata. 



Ovary glabrous or nearly so. 



Style equaling or longer than the ovary 2. N. reticulata. 



Style shorter than the ovary. 

 Young leaves conspicuously yellowish-tomentellous on the upper surface. 



3. N. pallida. 

 Young leaves glabrous or nearly so on the upper surface. 



4. N. glabrescens. 

 Anthers of the outer series conspicuously stipitate. 



Filaments of the first and second series of stamens pilose. 



Leaves not reticulate, sericeous when young 5. N. nitida. 



Leaves reticulate, not sericeous 6. N. sanguinea. 



Filaments of the first and second series of stamens glabrous. 



Style decidedly longer than the ovary ; leaves glabrous 7. N. rectinervia. 



Style equaling or longer than the ovary ; leaves more or less pubescent be- 

 neath. 



Flowers 6 to 9 mm. broad 8. N, concinna. 



Flowers 4 to 6 mm. broad 9. N. pichurim. 



