STANDLEY — TKEES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 797 



to be the only tree of its kind, except for its progeny planted elsewhere in the 

 valley. The stamens bear a striking resemblance to a hand and wrist with 

 outspread fingers, and because of the remarkable form of the flowers the tree 

 was viewed with veneration. Trees of this species are of frequent occurrence 

 in the gardens of the City of Mexico and elsewhere. 



The tree is figured by Hernandez * under the name " Maopalxochi Quahuitl," 

 but without description. Cervantes reports that the infusion of the flowers 

 was employed by the Indians of Toluca as a remedy for inflammation of the 

 eyes and for hemorrhoids.' 



3. FREMONTODENDRON Coville, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 4: 74. 1893. 



1. Fremontodendron mexicanum Davidson, Bull. South. Calif. Acad. 16: 50. 

 1917. 



Fremontia mexicana Macbrido, Contr. Gray Herb. n. ser. 53: 14. 1918. 



Mountains and foothills of Baja California ; described from a cultivated 

 plant, from Ensenada. Southern California. 



Shrub or small tree with red-brown branches; leaves long-petiolate, palmately 



3 or 5-lobate, 2 to 4.5 cm. long; deeply cordate at base, green above, sparsely 

 stellate-pubescent, whitish or yellowish beneath and covered with a dense close 

 stellate tomentum, the lobes rounded, sometimes again lobate; flowers solitary, 

 opposite the leaves, on short peduncles; calyx open-campanulate, 2.5 to 3.5 cm. 

 long, corolla-like, yellow tinged with red, stellate-pubescent, the lobes rounded 

 and apiculate, each with a large glabrous gland at base ; petals none ; capsule 



4 or 5-valvate, densely hairy. 



Fremontodendron caUfornictim (Torr.) Coville is distinguished from F. 

 mexicanum by the densely hairy glands at the base of the calyx. It has hard 

 close-grained red-brown wood, with a specific gravity of about 0.71. In Cali- 

 fornia the tree is sometimes known as slippery elm, because of the resemblance 

 of its inner bark to that of Ulmus fulva. The genus is named for Col. John 

 Charles Fremont, one of the earliest explorers of the western United States. 



4. HELICTERES L. Sp. PI. 963. 1753. 



Trees or shrubs, with stellate pubescence ; leaves serrate ; flowers axillary, 

 solitary or fasciculate; calyx tubular, 5-dentate; petals 5, equal or unequal, 

 clawed ; stamen column elongate, truncate or 5-lobate at apex, each sinus with 

 1 or 2 anthers ; fruit long-stipitate, composed of 5 many-seeded carpels, these 

 straight or usually spirally twisted. 



The bark yields a good quality of fiber, suitable for cordage and paper. The 

 plants are mucilaginous and have emollient properties. In Brazil the roots 

 have been used as a remedy for syphilitic affections. 



Flowers erect, regular or nearly so ; fruit erect on its stipe and pedicel. 



1. H. guazumaefolia. 

 Flowers horizontal, zygomorphic; fruit recurved or pendent. 



Carpels spirally twisted ; leaves^ tomentose beneath 2. H. baruensis. 



Carpels straight ; leaves glabrate beneath 3. H. rekoi. 



1. Helicteres guazumaefolia H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 5: 304. 1821. 

 Helicteres mexicana H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 5: 305 1821. 

 Helicteres carpinifolia Presl, Rel. Haenk. 2: 138. 1836. 



• Thesaurus 383, 459. 1651. 



* See Mariano Biircena, El arbol de manitas, Naturaleza 3: 114-117. 1876. 



