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54. VERNONIA CANESCENS H.B.K. Nov. Gen. 4: 35. 1818 
Vernonia bullata Benth. Vidensk. Meddel. 1852: 67. 1852. 
Apparently suffrutescent and erect, simple to the inflorescence or 
sparingly branched above; stems pubescent or becoming glabrous ; 
leaves thin, oblong- lanceolate, 8-18 cm. long, 2-5 cm. wide, long- 
acuminate, entire, narrowed at the base, rugose or nearly flat, sca- 
brellate or glabrous above, prominently reticulate and softly strigose- 
pubescent beneath ; petioles 3-5 mm. long; inflorescence large, lax, 
1-3 dm. wide, its branches few, divaricate, S-zo cm. long; heads 
sessile, about 1 cm. distant, 21-flowered; involucre campanulate, 
4-5 mm. high; scales loosely and irregularly imbricated, all erect, 
lanceolate, hirsute, acuminate into subulate tips; achencs - 
long, hirsute with erect hairs; pappus white, 4 mm. lon 
Type locality: Peru. 
Distribution: from southern Mexico to tropical South America. 
The abundant material at hand for examination showed that this 
species was extremely variable, and an unbroken series of forms 
could be traced from plants with the habit described above, narrow, 
nearly flat leaves attenuate at both ends and barely scabrellate above, 
to others of strikingly diff t charact As examples of plants cor- 
responding most closely to the description and plate of Kunth may 
be cited the following: Arvendberg 47, Tantoyuca, Mexico; Don- 
nell Smith 2837, Zacatepéquez, Guatemala; Melson 3797 and 7798, 
Chiapas, Mexico; Yonduz 17733, Pittzer 6886 and 3697, from 
Costa Rica; and Fendler 160, from Panama. Approximating the 
type in the shape of the leaves, but with less attenuate or even sub- 
rotund base, more prominent veins and harsher pubescence are 
Palmer 492, Acapulco, Mexico; Lehmann, Guatemala; Pitter 
10660, Tonduz 1805, 7197, 73704 and 11626, Costa Rica. As ex- 
treme forms may be mentioned a sheet from Panama collected by 
Seemann, and two from Costa Rica, Donnell Smith g867 and 
Cooper 58379. These have short, subacuminate to obtuse, subcor- 
date leaves, very scabrous and bullate above, with exceedingly promi- 
nent veins and dense strigose pubescence beneath. Cooper 58379 
was collected in Cartago, the type locality of Verxonta bullata 
Benth., with which it agrees in every particular. Compared with 
a typical form these seem abundantly distinct, but the intergrading 
forms indicate that they are merely an aberrant form. Another 
interesting variation is presented by Pitter 4970 from Costa Rica, 
in which the leaves are small, narrowly oblong-lanceolate, and 
densely and softly pubescent above. 
