84 



the blade, the margin broadly sinuate, rioral racenes axillary, 

 many flowered, 8 to 12 cm. long, ijrovided with persistent 

 braots, the rachis canescent-tcmentose ; bracts and bractlets 

 pinkish, lineal, remotely toothed; jjedicels 3 tp 9 cm. long, 

 tomentose; sepals 5 to G, lanceolate, 10 mia. long, 5 mm. 

 broad, brown red, ^jube scent without; no petals; stamens nu- 

 merous, appendiculate, pubescent all over, ovary subglobose, 

 densely hairy; style 1.5 cm. long, hairy at the base, di- 

 viding at the apex in 5 slender, glabrous branches. Fruit 

 subglobose, 3-celled, densely covered with reddish brown, 4.5 

 cm. long burrs. Seeds oblong- depressed, 1 cm. long. 



3!his tree is remarkable for its enormous leaves and its 

 fluted trunl:, both in striking contrast with the same parts 

 in oloanea guadrivalvis 3eem., the other representative of 

 the genus in Panama. Another large leaved Sjjecies, j. medu - 

 sula ochumann i; Pittier, has been described froa the Atlan- 

 tic coast of Costa ^lica, and may also be found in Panama. 



Bescription of the v/ood 



Sapwood thin, light brcv/n, uin^-ed with red; heartwcod 

 slightly dan:er. 7<'ood hard, heavy, ::;trong-, tough, straight 

 and fine-grained, and taking a good polish. Annual rings of 

 growth can be readily distinguished under high power micros- 

 cope. 



Pores (transverse section) not numerous, small (.08 mm. 

 in diameter), round or flattened ridially when in groups, 

 open or sometimes closed in the heartwood, and arranged singly 

 and in short radial rov/s . Vessel walls (longitudinal sec- 

 tion) with small, bordered jjits with variations to simple 

 pits sometimes very large, perforations simple, wood 

 fibers about 1,269 mm. long, with rather thin walls and 

 fairly large lumina and small simple or slightly bordered 

 pits, //ood parenchyma sparingly developed. .\ays numerous 

 and quite conspicuous, from 1 to ,10 cells wide and from 10 

 to 20 times as high. 



Distribution, common names and uses 



Sloanea aega^-hylla is known only from the Atlantic Coast 

 of Panama, where it grows in the high primeval forest. It 

 is known among the iiatives under the name of I.lameicillc colo- 



