06 GOMMELINACEAE. 



cm. long; inflorescence paniculate; bracts linear-lanceolate, concave, spreading, 

 2-3 cm. long; sepals oblong, 2-2.5 cm. long; petals white to purple, about 2 

 cm. long; stamens longer than the petals; capsules cylindric, pointed, about 

 twice as loAg as the bracts. 



On trees and rocks, Great Bahama, Abaco, Andros, New Providence, Eleuthera, 

 Great Exuma, Crooked Island. Acklin's Island, Fortune Island, Inagua, Mariguana 

 and Caicos Islands : — Florida ; Cuba ; Hispaniola ; Porto Rico ; Grenada ; Curasao ; 

 Trinidad ; Jamaica ; continental tropical America. Flexuods Wild Pine. 



As to the Tillandsia canescens Sw., doubtfully recorded from Abaco by 

 Eaton and Setchell, collected by Herrick, the determination was based on a 

 very young plant without flowers or fruit; an examination of the specimen 

 shows that it can not be certainly named, but it may be T. fasciculata Sw. 



3. OATOPSIS Griseb. Fl. Br. W. I. 599. 1864. 



Epiphytic herbs, the basal leaves tufted, lepidote, entire, the flowering 

 stem scapose, usually longer than the leaves, the inflorescence spicate or 

 paniculate, the white or yellow flowers sessile. Flowers perfect or sometimes 

 dioecious. Sepals distinct or nearly so. Petals distinct. Stamens shorter 

 than the petals, those of pistillate flowers very short, with sterile anthers, 

 those of staminate or perfect flowers with slender filaments and ovate or 

 elliptic anthers. Ovary of pistillate or perfect flowers ovoid or ellipsoid; 

 style shorter than the ovary or none. Capsule septicidally dehiscent above the 

 middle. Seeds thick, comose. [Greek, a view, the significance not evident.] 

 About 16 species, of tropical and subtropical America. Type species: Catopsis 

 nutans (Sw.) Griseb. 



1. Catopsis Berteroniana (Sohultes) Mez. in DC. Mon. Pham. 9: 621. 1896. 



Tillandsia Berteroniana Schultes; E. & S. Syst. 7: 1221. 1830. 



Plants solitary or clustered on trees or shrubs. Basal leaves numerous, 

 tufted, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, thin, 1-4 dm. long, acute or acuminate, 

 pale green and whitish-pruinose; flowering stem rather slender, 3-9 dm. high, 

 clothed with small, appressed narrowly lanceolate leaves; inflorescence panicu- 

 late; flowers close together or the lower distant; bracts subeoriaceous, ovate to 

 oval, obtuse, 6-8 mm. long; sepals oval, a little longer than the bracts; petals 

 white, oblong, about as long' as the sepals; capsule ovoid, 6-10 mm. long. 



On trees and shrubs in coppices, Abaco, Andros, New Providence : — Florida ; 

 Cuba ; Jamaica ; northern South America. Recorded by Eaton and Setchell and by 

 Dolleyas O. nutans Griseb., by Hitchcock as C. vitelUna (L. K. & O.) Baker. 

 Mealy Wild Pine. Catesby, 2 : pi. 77. 



Bromelia Pinguin L. is recorded as R Bahamian, plant by Dolley, but we 

 have not found it wild on any island visited. It is widely distributed in the 

 southern West Indies, and has been planted in the Bahamas. 



Guzmania Ungulata (L.) Mez. [Tillandsia Imgulata Zi.] recorded bySchoepf 

 as seen by him in New Providence in 1784, is not known to inhabit the Bahamas 

 at the present time. 



Family 2. GOMMELINACEAE Rchb. 



Spiderwort Family. 



Perennial or annuail leafy herbs with regTilar or irregular perfect and 

 often showy flowers in cymes, commonly subtended by spathe-like or leafy 

 bracts. Perianth of 2 series; a calyx of mostly 3 persistent sepals and a 



