STANDLEY TREES AND SHRUBS OF MEXICO. 1153 



4. Thevetia plumeriaefolia Beiith. Bot. Voy. Sulph. 124. pi. J^S. 1844. 

 Veracruz and Oaxaca. Central America ; type from Gulf of Fonseca, Hon- 

 duras. 



Glabrous tree ; leaves oblanceolate-oblong to oblong-obovate, 13 to 23 cm. 

 long, 4.5 to 7 cm. wide, acute or abruptly short-acuminate, acute at base, lus- 

 trous ; corolla 4 to 5 cm. long, the tube longer than the throat. "Chilindron " 

 (Guatemala) ; " coj6n de gato " (Guatemala, Honduras) ; " chirca venenosa " 

 (Costa Rica) ; " tomatillo " (Colombia) ; "chilindron bianco" (El Salvador). 



5. Thevetia nitida (H. B. K.) A. DC. in DC. Prodr. 8: 344. 1844. 

 Cerbera nitida H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 3: 225. 1819. 



Reported from Tabasco and Yucatan. Panama; type from Colombia. 



Leaves oblong-oblanceolate, 20 to 25 cm. long, 4 to 5 cm. wide, lustrous above, 

 pilosulous beneath; corolla tube about 2.5 cm. long. " Ojo de venado " {Con- 

 zatti). 



6. Thevetia ovata (Cav.) A. DC. in DC. Prodr. 8: 344. 1844. 

 Cerbera ovata Cav. Icon. PI. 3: 35. pi. 210. 1794. 

 Cerbera ouneifolia H. B. K. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 3: 224. 1819. 

 Thevetia cuneifoUa A. DC. in DC. Prodr. 8: 344. 1844. 

 Thevetia cmieifolia andrieuxii A. DC. in DC. Prodr. 8: 344. 1844. 

 Sinaloa and Jalisco to Chiapas. Reported from Guatemala. 



Shrub or small tree, 2 to 5 meters high; leaves narrowly cuneate-oblong to 

 broadly obovate, 5.5 to 11 cm. long, 1.5 to 4.5 cm. wide, cuneate or attenuate at 

 base, glabrate and lustrous above, densely pubescent beneath ; corolla 6 to 8 cm. 

 long, the tube shorter than the throat ; fruit scarcely compressed, 3.5 to 4 cm. 

 broad, 2 to 3 cm. long. " Regal gar " (Sinaloa) ; " huevo de gato" (Jalisco) ; 

 " meriendita " ; " naran.io auiarillo (Ramirez) ; " narciso amarillo " (Michoa- 

 cSn) ; "cascabel" (Guatemala) ; "chirca venenosa" (Costa Rica). 



As in other species, the seeds are reputed to be very poisonous. The Indians 

 carry them in their pockets as a preventive of hemorrhoids. 



4. RAUWOLFIA L. Sp. PI. 208. 1753. 



Shrubs or small trees; leaves usually verticillate, short-petiolate ; flowers 

 small, in pedunculate, mostly axillary cymes ; calyx eglandular, 5-cleft ; corolla 

 salverform; stamens included, the anthers obtuse, not appendaged; fruit of 2 

 drupes, these connate, the fruit thus somewhat didymous. 



Leaves densely and finely pubescent beneath 1. R. canescens. 



I^eaves glabrous beneath or pubescent along the costa. 



Leaves linear-lanceolate 2. R. longifolia. 



Leaves elliptic-oblong to elliptic or obovate 3. B. heterophylla. 



1. Rauwolfia canescens L. Sp. PI. ed. 2. 303. 1762. 



Veracruz ; Sinaloa to Guerrero. Guatemala, West Indies, and northern South 

 America. 



Shrub, 4.5 meters high or less, the branchlets pubescent ; leaves in whorls of 

 3 to 5, elliptic-oblong to elliptic-obovate, 5 to 10 cm. long, acute or obtuse at 

 each end, puberulent or glabrate on the upper surface; cymes few or rarely 

 many-flowered ; corolla about 4 mm. long ; fruit black, 6 to 8 mm. in diameter. 

 " Venenito " ( Colombia ) . 



The fruit contains a black juice which has been employed for dyeing. If 

 eaten it causes violent inflammation of the alimentary canal or even death. A 

 decoction of the bark is used externally in the West Indies as a remedy for 



