68 MISC. PUBLICATION 477, U. S. DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE 



scarcely evident until the second season. Buds?; stipules persistent 

 only a short time, ligulate, 8 to 10 mm. long, dorsally pubescent. Leaves 

 evergreen, rather thin but becoming coriaceous, about 8 to 16 cm. long, 

 1.5 to 2.5 cm. broad, linear-lanceolate to linear-oblanceolate, attenu- 

 ately very long-acuminate (the long tips often broken off but never 

 really lacking), often aristate-tipped besides, the gradually narrowed 

 base finally cuneate or rarely minutely rounded, entire or rarely ob- 

 scurely few-aristate-toothed toward the apex, margins rather prom- 

 inently but finely revolute, very finely crisped, upper surface rather 

 shiny, glabrous or inconspicuously pubescent especially about the base 

 of the midrib, lower surface shiny, glabrous or the midrib sometimes 

 sparsely stellate-pubescent; veins 18 to 24 on each side issuing at an 

 angle of 80 or 85 degrees from the midrib, with evanescent or rather 

 prominent intermediates (the attenuate narrow tip usually containing 

 8 to 10 additional veins with intermediates beyond the point one 

 ordinarily counts the principal veins), not raised above and not 

 impressed or the principal ones rather prominent within slight depres- 

 sions, rather prominent beneath, the reticulum slightly raised above 

 and less so beneath; petioles about 2 mm. long, tardily glabrate. 

 Catkins and fruit? (See pis. 94 and 95.) 



Range: Mountains of east-central Guatemala. 



Quercus flagellifera is a somewhat problematic species. Its exceed- 

 ingly narrow and long-acuminate leaves and its numerous veins readily 

 set it off from any other species, but one specimen (Steyermark 36039) 

 seems to be intermediate between this species and Q. acatenangensis. 

 Its very short petioles, however, suggest Q. flagellifera. Were it not 

 that shade forms, juvenile forms, and stump-sprouts of Q. acatenen- 

 gensis usually exhibit quite a different type of short-petioled leaves, it 

 might seem best to regard Q. flagellifera as a shade form of that species. 

 The evidence points rather to its being a very distinct species question- 

 ably referred to this series. 



Specimens examined: 



GUATEMALA. — Dept. San Marcos: Volcan Tacana, between Sibinal and 

 Canjula along Quebrada Canjula, February 18, 1940, Steyermark 36039 (F, USNA). 

 Dept. Alta Verapaz: Secoyocti, near Finca Sepacuite, April 14, 1902, Cook and 

 Griggs 607 (US [type]). Dept. Chiquimula: Volcan de Quezaltepeque, north- 

 east of Quezaltepeque, November 8, 1939, Steyermark 31476 (F). 



Series Acutifoliae Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 187. 1924. 



Series Grandes Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 184. 1924. 

 Series Huitamalcanae Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 185. 1924. 

 Series Brenesieae Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 186. 1924. 

 Series Skinneriae Trel, Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 187. 1924. 

 Series Albocinctae Trel., Mem. Nat. Acad. Sci. 20: 193. 1924. 



Small or large trees ; twigs slender, glabrate ; buds ovoid to conic or 

 fusiform, stipules caducous; leaves deciduous or evergreen, rather thin 

 or moderately thick and firm, medium-sized or large, ovate to char- 

 acteristically lanceolate, coarsely toothed or entire, glabrous or pu- 

 bescent beneath; petioles moderately short or elongate ; fruit annual or 

 biennial, small or very large, cups hemispheric to saucer-shaped. 



Range: Texas, throughout the mountains of Mexico, and Guatemala, 

 British Honduras, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica. 



Includes: Q. skinneri Benth., Q. monserratensis C. H. Mull., Q. 

 conspersa Benth., Q. brenesii Trel., Q. tenuiaristata Trel., Q. paxtalensis 



