Thompsofi — Four New Plants from Mexico. 19 



deeply cordate, apex acuminate, margin subentire (very slightly 

 undulate) to (more commonly, especially in the earlier season of 

 growth) coarsely dentate; the basal dentations rounded, the lateral 

 ones acute; petiole 5-17 cm. long, 1.5-3 mm. in diameter, blade 7-18 cm. 

 broad by 10-20 cm. long. Inflorescence cymose, 1-10 buds maturing to 

 flower, usually the peduncle one-flowered by the falling away of the rest 

 of the inflorescence or else developing into two branches, each branch 

 a one-sided raceme; peduncles 7-20 cm. long, pedicels 1-1.5 cm. long, 

 trumpet-form, 7 mm. in diameter at the base of the sepals, tapering to 

 2.5 mm. at the base. While open the flower hangs horizontally, 

 after which the pedicel curves so as to bring the fruit upright. 

 Sepals coriaceous, ovate, slightly unequal, about 1.5 cm. wide, 2.5 cm. 

 long (enlarging with the development of the fruit), apex obtusely 

 rounded with a very minute grooved mucron, closely imbricated in the 

 bud, during the flowering period and after the fall of the corolla; 

 pedicels and calyx covered with a waxy resinous coat as are also the 

 very young branches and leaves. Corolla bright chrome yellow 

 throughout, tube twice the calyx length, narrowly funnel-form, quickly 

 expanding into a wide spreading limb; tube about 1 cm. in diameter 

 where it emerges from the calyx, limb 6-7 cm. in diameter, irregularly 

 crenate and finely crenate-dentate. Stamens inserted in a ring on the 

 corolla tube, about 5 mm. from its base; filaments of different lengths, 

 5-12 mm. long, tapering from a broad dorsally flattened base upward 

 to the anther, the broad bases curved inward and upward so as to 

 close the corolla tube above the nectaries, leaving only a very small 

 round opening between their bases, next the tube wall, sufficiently 

 large to allow the entrance of a nectar gathering insect's beak; fila- 

 ments sparingly glandular, pubescent in the lower two-thirds, pale 

 yellow; a minute funnel-form pit behind each filament at its juncture 

 with the tube wall; anthers white, long oblong, 6 mm., deeply cordate 

 at the base, in no wise spirally twisted; dehiscence longitudinal. 

 Annulus raised, rounded 5-angled and with a rounded lobe at each 

 angle. Pistil 2 cm. long, ovary 2-celled, 2 ovules in each cell; style 

 tapering to the two-lobed capitate stigma. In maturing the sepals 

 grow to a great size, always closely imbricated, forming an ovoid body 

 with a quite long tapering point, which is formed by the tight rolling 

 together of the sepal tips. When ripe these sepals become dry and 

 stand out in a rotate 5-pointed star at right angles to the ovary or 

 shallowly cupulate. They are then lance-ovate in outline, concave 

 within, convex without, and the margins variously undulated and 

 variously inrolled or revolute toward the apex; only slightly unequal, 

 2-2.3 cm. wide by 3.4-4.6 cm. long. Fruit ovoid, laterally somewhat 

 compressed, 2.1 cm. long, greater diameter 2.3 cm., lesser diameter 1.8 

 cm.; wall thin, parchment-like but brittle; dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds 

 about 8.2 mm. thick, 12 mm. and 13 mm. long, brown-black, half-ovoid, 

 the flat inner face sloping off obliquely at the lower end. In the central 

 portion of this sloping base is located the large circular hilum, 3 mm. 

 in diameter, surrounded by a comparatively broad ring, 6 mm. in 



