AEQUATOEIALES VERNICOSAE 93 



tical, very obtuse, 1.5-3x4-6 cm., cuneately slender-subpetioled for 5-10 

 mm. Spikes often clustered, short (10-15 mm.), with about 3 slender 

 joints some 6-flowered in 4-f-2 series: peduncle 1 mm. long, sometimes 

 followed by a longer sterile joint : scales blunt, ciliate. Fruit ellipsoidal, 

 equally tapered at both ends, 3-4x6 or even 8-10 mm., smooth: sepals 

 erect or spreading. Plates 126, 127. 



Brazilian region ( ? exclusively) on Lauraceae and Compositae. The 

 type from Rio de Janeiro. 



Specimens examined: BRAZIL. Bahia (v. Martins). Rio de Janeiro 

 (Gaudichaud, 574, taken as type; Sello, 511, 597; Mikan; Glaziou, 

 6073). Falls of Madeira (Rusby, 1542). PARAGUAY. Pilcomayo River 

 ( Hassler, 191 ; Morong, 1546) . ' ' Central Paraguay ' ' ( Morong, 358) . 



Phoradendron reductum n. sp. 



More or less pseudodichotomous, the slender branches with basal cata- 

 phyls only, androgynous?. Internodes short and slender (1-2x20-25 

 mm.), somewhat cellular-papillate, the upper slightly compressed and 

 dilated. Cataphyls a single nearly basal pair, exceptionally followed by 

 a second, scarcely tubular. Leaves oblanceolate or subelliptical, very ob- 

 tuse, 1x3 cm., cuneately subpetioled for about 3 mm. Spikes short 

 (scarcely 20 mm. in fruit), with about 3 slender joints subverticillately 

 about 6-flowered toward the top : peduncle nearly suppressed, sometimes 

 followed by 1 or 2 sterile joints. Fruit ellipsoidal or ovoid, smooth, 3x5 

 mm. : sepals erect. Plate 127. 



Brazilian region. The type from Paraguay. 



Specimens examined: PARAGUAY, "South Paraguay" (Kuntze, 15, 

 Sept. 1892, the type). 



26, VERNICOSAE. 



Leaves moderate, lanceolate to obovate, rather thin and evidently 

 basinerved. Shoots compressed rather than ancipital. Cataphyls a single 

 pair, on the basal joint only. Flowers usually in 2 decussating series as 

 in Dendrophihora. Fruit mostly wrinkled and with closed sepals. Mex- 

 ico and Central America. 



Spikes filiform : shoots much flattened. 



Joints several-flowered. Mexico. P. Wawrae. 



Joints 2-flowered. Guatemala. P. cheirocarpum. 

 Spikes thicker though not stout : shoots nearly terete. 



Leaves prevailingly lanceolate. Honduras. P. decussatum. 



Leaves prevailingly obovate. Yucatan. P. vernicosum. 



