BRIEFER ARTICLES. 
Some new or rare plants.—Phaseolus (DREPANOSPRON) smilacifolius, 
n, sp.—Stem scandent, strigose-pubescent, 5-12" high, twining over 
bushes with the habit of Apios: leaflets large, 5-6™ long, 5™ broad, 
thin, glabrous above and below, in outline deltoid-hastate, usually 
more or less 3-lobed, the basal lobes rounded, the apical one acute; 
stipules and Stipels linear, minute, persistent: flowers in loose elon- 
gated racemes; pedicels filiform, unibracteate at base, 1-1.5°" long: 
calyx campanulate, with five obscure very obtuse teeth: corolla pink or 
white, rather large, 1:™ long: legume nearly straight, glabrate, much 
‘ompressed, 4~6-seeded, 5~6™ long, 1 broad 
The section Drepanospron of Bentham, or Euphaseolus, to which 
this species belongs, is distinguished from the Strophostyles group 
chiefly by the racemose or often paniculate, instead of capitate inflo- 
“scence. The other North American members of the section are P. 
réusus Benth. and P. Wrightii Gray, both from the southwest: P. siz- 
“aius Nutt., a Florida species, and our common northern wild bean, ?, 
bolystachyus (L.) B.S.P. Of these 2 Wrightit has leaflets very deeply 
ne very variously lobed, while the other species have rhombic-ovate 
Nearly entire leaflets; our plant is remarkable both for the similarity 
Of its leaves to those of Smilax Bona-Nox, and for their thin texture; 
the legume, moreover, is very nearly straight, and not falcate as in 
other members of the group. It was found in abundance by Mr. 
Be V. Nash on hammock land near Lake City, Florida, August 
31, 1895 (type no. 2505, in U.S. National Herbarium.) 
mE ACELIA CoviLLe1 S. Watson in Gray Man. 360. 1891. [Ed. 6.}— 
; ytesting little Phacelia was collected originally May 5, 1889, 
é ' Frederick V. Coville on Larkspur island in the Potomac, i 
Rai — above Washington, D.C. The plants were sent to Dr. ; re 
bim ”. determination, and were finally identified and described by 
%S a New species, : 
és ene island is the third in the series of islands cen . 
dated : tis lower than most of the others, and was apparently Sana! 
ae ic the floods resulting from the heavy rains of the a ae 
id the all events, no trace of the plant could be mee Ay 
when j "ginal locality or on any adjacent island unti os 2 sia 
er Was found most unexpectedly by Mr. Coville, Mr. sie ak 
above, including the writer, at several points along the river or 
a Echo, Maryland, very nearly opposite its original station. 
Vol. XXI.—No, 4. 
[233] 
