342 CONTRIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Reported from northern Baja California. Southern California. 



Tree, sometimes 12 meters high, with a trunk 45 cm. in diameter ; bark thick, 

 gray ; leaves ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 5 to 8 cm. long, acute, leathery ; fruit 

 purple, rounded, 1.5 to 2 cm. in diameter. 



10. Prunus ilicifolia (Nutt.) Walp. Repert. Bot. 2: 10. 1843. 

 C'erasiis ilicifolia Nutt. ; Hook. & Arn. Bot. Beechey Voy. 340. 1832. 

 Laurocerusus ilicifolia Roem. Syn. Rosifl. 92. 1847. 



Baja California, on mesas and in canyons. California ; type from Santa 

 Barbara. 



Shrub or, northward, a tree 10 meters high ; bark thick, reddish brown, fis- 

 sured ; leaves g cm. long or shorter, with spiny teeth ; fruit subglobose, purple 

 or reddish yellow, about 1.5 cm. in diameter ; wood hard, strong, its specific 

 gravity about 0.98. " Islay " (Baja California, California; sometimes written 

 "yslay "). 



The fruit of the holly-leaf chen-y is edible, but the flesh, although of good 

 flavor, is very scant. It is gathered by the people of Baja California. The 

 Coahuilla Indians of California made use of the seeds for food. These were 

 gathered in large quantities and spread in the sun to dry. They were then 

 cracked and the kernels extracted and crushed in a mortar, then leached in a 

 sand basket through which water was poured. The meal thus obtained was 

 made into atole. 



11. Prunus prionophylla Standi. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 20: 213. 1919. 

 Known only from the type locality, Ixtaccihuatl, at an altitude of 2,100 to 



2,400 meters. 



Leaves about 10 cm. long, persistent, acute, serrate. 



12. Prunus rhamnoides Koehne, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 52: 283, 1915. 

 .Jalisco and Durango. Guatemahi ; type from San Miguel Uspantan. 



Ti-ee, 7.5 to 15 meters high ; leaves ovate or lanceolate, 5.5 to 9 cm. long, 

 attenuate, bright green; flowers about 5 mm. broad. " Iza " (Durango). 



The Mexican specimens are variable but do not seem essentially different 

 from the type. Reputed poisonous to cattle. 



13. Prunus cortapico Kerber ; Koehne, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 52: 307. 1915. 

 Known only from Colima, the type locality. 



Tree with lance-oblong leaves ; racemes much shorter than the leaves. " Cor- 

 tapico," " carretero." 



14. Prunus samydoides Schlecht. Linnaea 13: 92. 1839. 

 Laurocerasus samydoides Roem. Syn. Rosifl. 3: 92. 1847. 

 Veracruz to Hidalgo ; type from Hacienda de la Laguna, Veracruz. 



Small tree ; leaves oval-lanceolate, 9 cm. long or smaller, persistent, glabrous. 



15. Prunus tuberculata Koehne, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 52: 308. 1915. 

 Known only from the type locality, IMonte Pelado, Oaxaca. 



Tree ; leaves lance-oblong ; racemes much shorter than the leaves. 



16. Prunus tetradenia Koehne, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 52: 309. 1915. 



Veracruz and Oaxaca; type collected between Misantla :md Naolinco, Vera- 

 cruz. 



Shrub ; leaves oblong-lanceolate to oval, 6 to 15 cm. long, acute, bright green. 



17. Prunus erythroxylon Koehne. Bot. Jahrb. Engler 52: 309. 1915. 

 Colima and Michoacfin ; type from Mesa del Cerrero, near Colima. 



Tree with hard wood; leaves oblong to oval, 14 cm. long or less, coriaceous; 

 flowers about 8 mm. broad ; fruit black. 



Perhaps not sufRciently distinct from the next species. 



