THE CENTRAL AMERICAN SPECIES OF QUERCUS 61 



the apical acuminate drip-tip so well developed as in this species. 

 Q. gulielmi-treleasei, another short-petioled and long-acuminate species, 

 is the only one which closely resembles Q. crispifolia in leaf outline. 

 It differs in having comparatively small fruit, the acorns about 1 cm. 

 broad. Q. incrassata is based solely upon a variation in the form 

 and thickness of the leaves and cannot be held distinct. It is un- 

 fortunate that both Q. crispifolia and Q. incrassata were described 

 from only detached leaves and acorns without cups. This adds 

 considerably to the difficulty of disposing of the species satisfactorily. 

 Without knowledge of the fruition or of the nature of the cup it is 

 difficult to assign a relationship to Q. crispifolia. The vegetative 

 characters (especially the leaves and buds) and the large size of the 

 acorn rather suggest a relationship to Q. humboldtii, but that cannot 

 be satisfactorily demonstrated. 



Specimens examined : 



MEXICO.— Chiapas: Tapaclmla, 1918, Reeves 4 (IU [type]); Reeves 7 (111 

 [type of Q . incrassata]) • 



GUATEMALA. — Dept. San Marcos: above Barranca Eminencia, March 14, 

 1939, Standley 68564 (F, USNA). Dept. Alta Verapaz: south of Tactic, 

 March 30, 1939, Standley 69935 (F, USNA) ; about Chelae, northeast of Charcha, 

 April 2, 1939, Standley 70383 (F, USNA). Dept. Jalapa: Montana Miramundo 

 between Miramundo and Buena Vista, December 6, 1939, Steyermark 32813 (F [2]) . 

 Dept. Chiquimula: about El Barriol, upper slopes of Montana Tajuran, October 

 28, 1939, Steyermark 30808 (F). 



Series Castaneae Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 178. 1924. 



Series Tristes Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 171. 1924. 

 Series Consociatae Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 172. 1924 

 (pro parte — the type species only) . 



Small or large trees ; twigs slender, from tomentose glabrate ; buds 

 ovoid to conic; leaves deciduous or remaining until the new growth 

 appears, medium-sized or small, oblong to narrowly obovate, sub- 

 entire or aristately low-toothed especially above the middle, upper 

 surface glabrate, shiny, and impressed-veiny, lower surface glabrate 

 or persistently tomentose, prominently reticulate-veiny, dull, promi- 

 nently bullate-granular; petioles short or moderately long; fruit annual, 

 small, the cup scales closely appressed, rounded at apex, canescent 

 or glabrate. 



Range: Central Mexico to Guatemala and El Salvador. 



Includes: Q. tristis Liebm. and a few Mexican species of which Q. 

 castanea Nee is the type. 



There seems to be no justification for maintaining a separate series 

 for the Guatemalan plants as opposed to the Mexican. The annual 

 fruit with small cups and appressed scales, the subevergreen impressed- 

 veiny leaves, often aristate-toothed and always bullate-granular 

 beneath, seem to constitute basic characters worthy of serial rank, 

 but to have them appear in each of several series with essentially no 

 supporting differences seems misleading. 



33. Quercus tristis Liebm., Overs. Danske Vidensk. Selsk. Forhandl. 

 1854: 174. 1854. Not Q.tristis Gand., Fl. Europ. 21: 34. 1890. 



Q. castanea A. DC. in DC. Prodr. 16 2 : 72. 1864 (pro parte— 

 Guatemalan material onlv). Not Q. castanea Nee, Anal. 

 Cienc. Nat. 3: 276. 1801; nor Muhlenberg, Neue Schr. 

 Gesellsch. Naturf. Fr. 3: 396. 1801. 



323472°— 42 5 



