8 New Species of South AMEBiCAisr Plants 



nerve. Stamens 3, very small, the filaments dilated and sHghtly 

 connate at the base, the anther, cells contiguous. Staminodia 

 none. Pistil not visible. 



"Twining to 15 feet. Rare on forest hillside near Madinger 

 Vieja, 1000 feet, November 11." (Herbert Smith, Colombia, 

 No. 2294.) 



Renealmia orinocensis. 



Fruiting Plant. — Glabrous. Stems short, invested by the 

 cylindrical, reddish, strongly many-ribbed leaf-sheaths. Leaves 

 4 to 5 dm. long, 5 cm. wide at the broadest part, which is about 

 two-thirds of the way from base to summit, finely many-nerved. 

 Fruiting inflorescence narrowly paniculate, to 15 dm. long, in- 

 cluding the long, stout, peduncle, which is 6 or 7 mm. thick, 

 multi-costate, the base sheathed with many short broad scales. 

 Panicle densely fruited, the longer branches i dm. or more long, 

 bearing thick ovate acute bracts 6 to 8 mm. long. Pedicels 2 

 to 2.5 cm. long, slender, somewhat thickened at the summit, 

 minutely puberulent, as is the fruit, which is 10 to 12 mm. long, 

 exclusive of the persistent perigone, 8 or 9 mm. broad, ellip- 

 soidal, bearing about 25 principal ribs, besides a number of 

 lesser ones. Persistent perigone about 6 mm. long, narrowly 

 campanulate. Seeds about 4 mm. long and nearly as broad, 

 irregularly tetrahedral, light-brown, somewhat shining, en- 

 closed closely in a scarious white aril. 



Near Santa Catalina, Lower Orinoco, Venezuela, May, 1896, 

 (Rusby and Squires, No. 406.) Species near R. occidentalis. 



Myrica costata. 



Densely and harshly short-hairy, the hairs from minute 

 whitish papillae on the leaf -surf aces. Branchlets stout, densely- 

 leafy. Petioles 6 to 9 mm. long, narrowly winged above by the 

 produced leaf -base, carinate. Blades 3 to 7 cm. long, 1.5 to 3 cm. 

 wide, ovate-oblong, acute at both ends, thickish, deep-green 

 or yellowish beneath, finely and sharply serrate, the venation 

 impressed above, strongly prominent beneath, the secondaries 

 about 10 on each side, widely spreading, crooked, purplish, 

 irregularly connecting near the margin and irregularly con- 

 nected by the crooked tertiaries. Catkins sessile, 2 to 2.5 cm. 

 long, rather loosely flowered, the flowers sessile, the bracts ovate, 

 acute, about as long as the flowers. Fruits spherical, 4 mm. 

 broad, strongly glaucous, deeply rugose, appearing as though 

 sub-tuberculate. 



"A shrub of 4 meters, at Unduavi, Bolivia, 3300 meters 

 altitude, November, .1910." (Otto Buchtien, No. 2810.) 



