New Species of South Amehican Plants 5 



Petioles 6 to 8 cm. long, narrowly channeled above, strongly 

 sulcate, the blades i dm. long from petiole to summit, ovate, 

 regularly cordate, the rounded basal lobes descending 2 cm. 

 below the summit of the petiole, the sinus about i cm. broad, 

 rounded above, the summit of the leaf abruptly contracted 

 into a deltoid very acute point, the blade thin, y-nerved, with 

 an additional pair into the basal lobes, the nerves slender, 

 lightly prominent above, sharply so underneath. Racemes 

 simple,- mostly solitary, i to 2 dm. long, nearly sessile, the 

 rachis sharply angled, rather closely flowered, the lower por- 

 tion falcately curved, roughened by the flower scars and the 

 persistent subulate bractlets, which are about 2 mm. long. 

 Flowers mostly solitary on recurved pedicels about 1.5 mm. long, 

 the flowers about 5 mm. broad, dark-colored, the bractlets 

 triangular-ovate, acuminate and acute, as long as the pedicels. 

 Perigone lobed nearly to the base, the lobes broadly ovate with 

 rounded summit. Stamens 6, half the length of the perigone 

 tube, the filaments broad, connate below, the anthers large, 

 their cells contiguous. Staminodia none. 



Pistillate Plant. — Racemes solitary or 2 or 3 together, 2 dm. 

 or more long, very slender, terete, peduncled, loosely flowered, 

 the bracts similar to those of the staminate plant, about half 

 the length of the ovary, which is lance-linear, about 3.5 mm. 

 long, strongly nerved. Perigone i to 1.5 mm. broad, the lobes 

 broadly ovate, obtuse. Styles united about half-way, the 

 summits recurved, stout, entire. Fruits 13 mm. long, a little 

 more than half as broad, elliptical, tipped with the persistent 

 perigone. 



The staminate plant is the type. Of it. Smith says "Twin- 

 ing to 15 feet, in damp forest near Agua Dulce, 2200 feet, Oc- 

 tober 19." (Herbert Smith, Colombia, No. 2557.) Of the 

 pistillate plant, "A vine to 15 feet, in dry forest near Bonda, 

 150 feet. November 16. Probably the same as No. 2557." 

 No. 2633.) 



Dioscorea frutescens. 



Pistillate Plant. — Glabrous, the branchlets very stout, lightly 

 but sharply angled. Petioles about 3 cm. long, very stout, 

 channelled, many-nerved. Leaves thick and rigid, 5 to 8 cm. 

 long, 4 to 7 cm. broad, ovate, broadly and shallowly cordate 

 with rounded lobes and acute sinus, abruptly and very shortly 

 acuminate and acutish at the summit, flabellately 7 to 9 ribbed, 

 the ribs and finely reticulate venation very prominent under- 

 neath. Racemes solitary or 2 together, 12 to 18 cm. long, 

 rather long and stoutly peduncled, rather closely flowered, the 

 peduncle angled, the rachis striate, the flowers sessile, the 

 lanceolate, attenuate, brown, roughish bractlets more than 



