STANDLEY TPvEES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 501 



seeds 5 to 10, scarlet, about 1 cm. long. " Colorfn," " patol colorin " (Tamauli- 

 pas) ; "patol" (San Luis Potosi). 



In San Luis Potosi the seeds are used to poison rats and dogs. The soft wood 

 is employed for making figures of saints, etc. In Mexico this species is ap- 

 parently always a shrub or tree, but in Florida it is often herbaceous and some- 

 times a scandent shrub. 



9. Erythrina flabelliformis Kearney, Trans. N. Y. Acad. 14:32. 1894. 

 Erythrina purpusi T. S. Brandeg. Zoe 5: 158. 1903. 



Baja California to Sonora, San Luis Potosf, and Morelos. Southern Arizona 

 (type from Fort Huachuca) and New Mexico. 



Shrub or small tree with spiny branches ; leaflets 4 to 8 cm. long, rarely acute, 

 usually broader than long, tonientulose beneath at first but soon glabrate; 

 racemes usually dense and many-flowered ; banner red, 4 to 6 cm. long ; fruit 

 sometimes 30 cm. long, with 2 to many seeds, rather shallowly constricted be- 

 tween the seeds; seeds usually dark red. "Colorfn," "chilicote" (Durango) ; 

 " coralina " (Baja California). 



This is no doubt one of the species to which the name E. coralloides has been 

 frequently applied. Brandegee^ states that in Baja California the boys play 

 with the large red seeds, for which they employ the name " chilacayote," a name 

 used also for the seeds of species of Marah or Mcc/airhiza, of the family Cucur- 

 bitaceae. Palmer reports that in Durango the seeds are used as a remedy for 

 toothache, and the wood for carving figures of saints, etc. 



10. Erythrina goldmanii Standi. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 20: 181. 1919. 

 Chiapas; type from San Vicente. 



Branches spiny ; leaflets 4 to 9 cm. long, pilose when young but soon glabrate, 

 armed beneath with a few recurved prickles ; fruit several-seeded ; seeds about 

 1 cm. long, scarlet. 



11. Erythrina americana Mill. Gard. Diet. ed. 8. Eryihrina no. 5. 1768. 

 Erythrina caritea Ait. Hort. Kew. 3: 8. 1789. 



Mexico and Veracruz to Chiapas and Yucatan ; type from Veracruz. 



Shrub or tree, sometimes 9 meters high, with spiny branches ; leaflets 7 to 22 

 cm. long, glabrous or nearly so ; flowers red ; fruit few Or many-seeded ; seeds 10 

 to 12 mm. long, usually scarlet. " Colorin " (Puebla) ; " chacmolche " (Yuca- 

 tan, Maya) ; " pito " (Veracruz). 



This is probably the species for which the names " chontal," " madre chontal," 

 " madre cacao," and " madre brava " are used in Tabasco. It is probable also 

 that E. coralloides DC' is a synonym of this species, although possibly that is 

 rather the proper name for E. flabclUforiiiis. De Candolle's name was based 

 upon one of Sess§ and Mocino's drawings, but the tracing of the latter seen by 

 the writer is too imperfect for definite identification. E. americana has been 

 reported from Mexico as E. corallodendron L., a West Indian species with red 

 and black seeds which is not known to occur in Mexico. 



DOUBTFUL SPECIES. 



Ebytheina Dn'ARicATA DC. Prodr. 2: 414. 1825. Based upon one of Sesse 

 and Mocino's plates, which is said to represent a Mexican plant. 



Erythrina longipes DC. Prod. 2: 413. 1825. This also was based upon a 

 plate of Sesse and Mocino. 



*T. S. Brandegee, Flora of the Cape Region of Baja California, Proc. Calif. 

 Acad. II. 3:108-227. 1891. 

 ' Prodr. 2: 413. 1825. 



