38 



Ipomoea gracilis R. Br. Prodr. 484. 18 10. G. Don, Gen. 



Syst. 4: 271. 1838. 

 Convolvulus dcnticulatus Desr.; Lam. Enc. Meth. 3: 540. 1789. 

 C. gracilis Spreng. Syst. i : 604. 1825. 

 Ipomoea littoralis Blume,. Bij dr. 713. 1825. 

 /. denticulata Choisy, Mem. Soc. Phys. Genev. 6: 467. 1833. 



DC. Prodr. 9: 379. 1845. Not R. Br. 1810. 

 /. Choisiana W. F. Wight, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 9 : 298. 



1905. 

 It is to be noticed that Choisy also admits /. gracilis R. Br. in 

 the DeCandolle Prodromus (9 : 370), without having seen any 

 specimens. Halher, who has made rather exhaustive studies in 

 this group, pronounces /. gracilis of R. Brown identical with /. 

 denticulata Choisy but retains the latter name for the species. 

 (Bot. Jahrb. 18 : 139. 1894.) 



H. D. House. 



Clemsen College, S. C. 

 A NEW PoLYGAL.\CEOUS TrEE OF PoRTO RiCO. — Phle- 



botaenia Cowellii spec. nov. A tree about 6 meters high, with 

 a trunk diameter of 1.5 dm., the twigs puberulent. Leaves 

 elliptic to obovate-elliptic, coriaceous, acutish to short -acuminate 

 at the apex, narrowed at the base, 7-1 1 cm. long, 3-5 cm. wide, 

 glabrous on both sides except for a few short hairs on the upper 

 side of the midvein near the base, the midvein impressed above, 

 prominent beneath, the numerous and nearly straight lateral veins 

 reticulate-anastomosing, more prominent above than beneath, the 

 puberulent petiole i cm. long or less : racemes and pedicels 

 tomentulose ; racemes nearly or quite sessile on leafless branches, 

 4-10-flowered ; pedicels slender, joined at the base, 6-10 mm. 

 long; larger sepals concave, slightly unequal, about 3 mm. long, 

 ciliolate ; corolla purple, 1.5 cm. long; wings oblong-obovate, 

 obtuse, short-clawed ; keel 3-lobed, hooded, clawed, the lobes 

 rounded, the middle lobe longer than the basal ones ; petals 

 spatulate, unequal ; stamen-tube longer than the slender filaments; 

 style slender, curved : fruit not seen. 



I have alluded to this tree (Joqr. N. Y. Bot. Gard. 7 : 136) as 

 a most elegant floral feature ; we had the good fortune to see it 

 in full bloom on a steep rocky bank near Coamo Springs, Porto 

 Rico, IMarch 23, 1906, and good specimens of the flowers and 

 foliage were secured {^Britton & Coi<.'ell ijji). 



