BARTLETT. — DESCRIPTIONS OF MEXICAN PHANEROGAMS. 631 
centia terminalis 5-11-flora, floribus in rhachi quam ramo crassiore 
subumbellatim dispositis. Pedicelli ca. 6 mm. longi. Sepala margin- 
ibus atrotincta integra. Fructus subglobosus 1.5-1.8 em. longus, 
1.4-1.6 mm. latus, apice abrupte mucronatus, seminibus 8 aut abortu 
paucioribus. Flores ignoti.— Type (in hb. Gray) collected at Iguala 
Cafion, State of Guerrero, alt. 750 m., 3 October, 1906, Pringle, no. 
10,337. 
MeELiNta ANGustirotta (Torr.) Gray and M. mexicana Brandegee. 
In the Botany of the Mexican Bourfdary Survey Torrey published 
Metastelma (?) angustifolia, based upon Wright’s no. 1677 from Santa 
Cruz, Sonora, commenting upon it as follows: “ We refer this plant to 
Metastelma with much doubt, but there is no other genus to which it 
seems to be more allied.” Gray transferred Torrey’s species to Melinia, 
but with some misgivings as to its true affinity, as is evidenced by the 
following quotation from the Synoptical Flora: “ Melinia, Decaisne. 
wo or three extra-tropical §. American species, which have 
cordate leaves and slender peduncles ; to which is appended the fol- 
lowing, doubtfully, for its habit is that of Metastelma.” When, in 
1889, Watson described the genus Pattalias, the type species of which 
was Pattalias Palmeri Wats., he wrote : “ A second species of this genus 
is P. angustifolius, a Sonora plant doubtfully referred by Dr. Torrey 
in the Mexican Boundary Report to Metastelma, and more recently by 
Dr. Gray to the extra-tropical South American genus Melinia. It is 
of similar habit [to P. Palmeri], but has petiolate leaves, a longer 
calyx, the crown at the base of the column, the anther-tips much more 
conspicuous, and the beak of the stigma narrow and columnar.” 
Another plant of the same dubious affinity was published in Zoe for 
Angust, 1905 (Vol. V, p. 216), as Melinia meaicana Brandegee. Al- 
though habitally similar to Metastelma angustifolia Torr., it is clearly 
ished from that species by its shorter rostrum, longer and more 
fleshy corona-scales, and its recurved anther-membranes, which are 
mach less constricted at the base than are those of Metastelma angusti- 
Jolia Torr. The two species are congeneric, and since they cannot be 
Placed with Metastelma nor with Melinia nor with Pattalias, a new 
genus is here characterized for their reception. : 
BASISTELMA, gen. nov. Calyx alte 5-lobus, lobis saepius angustis 
