E. L. EKMAN, WEST INDIAN VERNONl.E. 67 



Ternoiiiji rigida S\v. 



Tabula nostra III, fig. 1 (inflorescentia). 



Conyza rigida Swartz. 17S8, p. 113. 



Vernonia rigida Swartz, 180G, p. 1322; De Candolle, 183G, p. 49; 

 Grisebach, 18G1, p. 354, syn. omnibus exclusis. 



Vernonia fruticosa Gleason, 1906 b, p. 182 — baud V. fruticosa{lij.)S\v. 



Pappi setae interiores persistentes, numero 25 — 30, firmse, 

 crassiusciilöe, paullulo complanatse, brunnese, quam exteriores 

 clistinctse lanceolato-spathiilatse circ. 6-plo longiores. Flores 

 desiint. Acliaenia tenuiter sericeo-pubescentia. 



Hab. in Jamaica boreali: in montibus calcareis, petrosis 

 rarius, Swartz (H, K, M, Prodr, S, orig. spec., U, herb. 

 Thunb.). 



The species has, as far as I know, only been collected 

 by Swartz. 



The problem of the affinities of this species has caused 

 botanists much trouble. Swartz himself, in describing it, 

 supposed it to be closely allied to V. fruticosa (L.) Sw,, 

 which, however, was not correct. Grisebach, in his Flora, 

 referred to it not only V. fruticosa, but also the species of the 

 subsection Sagrceance, together with V. emarginata Wikstr. ! 

 Gleason at first followed Grisebach, identifpng in his »Re- 

 vision» V. rigida and V. fruticosa, and placing them among the 

 Sagrceance. Recently he has found that F. rigida is another 

 species than F. fruticosa, and that it is not to be placed to 

 his SagrcEance. However, he does not mention anj'thing about 

 the affinities of the species, authentic specimens of which he 

 has not seen. 



Having abundant material at hand of the species in ques- 

 tion, it was an easy matter for me to ascertain that F. rigida 

 Sw. is quite different both from F. fruticosa, V. emarginata, 

 and Vernonice Sagrceance. Its relationships, however, still 

 remained questionable, until in an examination of the unnamed 

 Compositse of the Stockholm Herbarium I lighted upon a Ver- 

 nonia from the West Indies collected by Swartz, and presented 

 by him to the Swedish botanist Montin, which Vernonia 

 had some characters of F. rigida, and some of F. acuminata 

 Less. Through this fortunate incident I was enabled to state 

 that the nearest all}' of F. rigida is F. acuminata Less. A 



