686 CONTEIBUTIONS FROM THE NATIONAL HERBARIUM. 



Leaves smooth, glabrous. 



Leaves rounded or very obtuse at base. 



Capsule lobes rounded at apex ; leaves crenate-serrate 4. H. utilis. 



Capsule lobes deeply notched ; leaves entire 5. H. chiapensis. 



Leaves acute at base. 



Panicles scarcely longer than the petioles, few-flowered ; leaves 10 to 15 



cm. long 6. H. rovirosae. 



Panicles half as long as the leaves or longer; leaves usually less than 

 10 cm. long. 



Branches of the inflorescence hirtellous 7. H. excelsa. 



Branches of the inflorescence tomentulose. 



Flowers 6 to 7 mm. broad 8. H. elliptica. 



Flowers 4 mm. broad 9. H. acutiflora. 



1. Hippocratea celastroides H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 5: 136. 1821. 

 Oaxaca, Veracruz, and Yucatan ; type from Venta de Estola. Guatemala. 

 Glabrous scaudent shrub ; leaves slender-petiolate, 4 to 14 cm. long, bright 



green, entire or crenate-serrulate, acute or obtuse at base ; flowers greenish 

 yellow; capsule lobes rounded-obovate, rounded at apex. " Tulubalam " (Yuca- 

 tan, Maya). 



Specimens of this species from Yucatan were determined by Radlkofer as 

 H. grisebachii Loes. That is a South American species, and perhaps synony- 

 mous with H. celastroides. 



2. Hippocratea acapulcensis H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 5: 137. 1821. 

 Pristimera teneUa Miers, Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. 28: 365. 1S72. 

 Tontelea liookeriana Miers, Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. 28: 388. 1872. 

 Hippocratea pauciflora Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. tierb. 5: 197. 1899. 

 Sinaloa to Morelos and Oaxaca ; type from Acapulco, Guerrero. 

 Scandent shrub, 3 to 4.5 meters long or more, ghibrous throughout or nearly 



so ; leaves 5 to 10 cm. long, bright green or gray-green, entire or crenulate ; 

 flowers green ; sepals usually lacerate-dentate ; petals glabrous, often denticu- 

 late; capsule lobes oblong to rounded-obovate, 3.5 to 7 cm. long, rounded or 

 shallowly notched at apex. " Hierba del puyo " (Michoacan, Guerrero); 

 " cuanabichi " (Oaxaca, Zapotec, Reko) ; " mata-piojo," "hierba del piojo," 

 "bejuco de piojo," "pepitas de piojo" (seeds), " semillas de piojo" (Oaxaca). 

 A paste or tincture of the seeds is used to kill parasites upon the human body. 

 A specimen from Michoacan {Nelson 6922) is remarkable for its narrow and 

 very long (16 to 19 cm.) leaves, but it is probably not specifically different. 



3. Hippocratea uniflora DC. Prodr. 1: 567. 1824. 



Hippocratea viexicana Miers, Trans. Linn. Soc. Bot. 28: 352. 1872. 



Hippocratea seleriana Loesener, Bull. Herb. Boiss. 7: 561. 1899. 



Durango to Oaxaca ; original description based upon one of Sess6 and 

 Mocino's plates. Guatemala. 



Erect shrub or tree with gray branches ; leaves obovate-oblong or broadly 

 obovate, 3.5 to 7 cm. long, 2 to 4 cm. wide, rounded or obtuse at basej broadly 

 rounded at apex, gray-green, very thick, short-petiolate, entire or nearly so ; 

 flowers about 7 mm. broad ; capsule lobes rounded-obovate, about 5.5 cm. long 

 and 4.5 cm. wide, deeply notched at apex. 



4. Hippocratea utilis Rose, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 5: 197. 1899. 

 Mountains of Sinaloa ; type from Colomas. 



High-climbing shrub ; leaves elliptic or broadly elliptic, 5 to 8.5 cm. long, 

 3 to 5 cm. wide, bright green, cremate, petiolate, obtuse to short-acuminate 



