THE GENUS ESPELETIA 
477 
7. EsPELETiA ARGENTEA Humb. & Bonpl. PL Aequin. 2: 12. pi. yi. 
1809 
Type locality: Near Zipaquira, north of Bogota, central Colom- 
bia, at an altitude of 1,300 meters. Type collected by Humboldt and 
Bonpland. 
Weddell reported two forms of this species: The first ''capitulis 
radiatis," and the second "capitulis discoideis," the typical form, 
known only from the type collection. To the first form, with radiate 
heads, he referred three specimens from the mountains of Merida, 
Venezuela, at elevations of 3,200 to 3,900 meters, collected by Linden 
(no. 401), Funck and Schlim (no. 1072), and Moritz (no. 1418). He 
cited as a synonym Espeletia nivea Moritz, mss., this name doubtless 
referring to Moritz's specimen. It is probable that none of the 
Venezuelan specimens are really E. argentea, but belong rather to 
Espeletia floccosa, E. grisea, or E. pannosa, which are described as 
new in the present paper. To which one of these three the name 
nivea was applied can not be determined without examination of 
Moritz's specimens. 
Bonpland illustrated and described the heads as discoid. From 
his diagnosis and plate we also find that the leaves are opposite and 
the bracts of the inflorescence opposite or verticillate. Weddell 
describes the cauline leaves as "interdum oppositis," this modification 
of the original description probably necessitated by the inclusion of 
the Venezuelan specimens. Certain other modifications of Bonpland's 
diagnosis introduced by Weddell into his notes seem to indicate that 
he had before him perhaps the plant described here as Espeletia pan- 
no sa. 
8. Espeletia grisea sp. nov. 
Caudex stout, 20 cm. long, 2 to 2.5 cm. in diameter, from a stout 
elongated tap-root, covered with closely imbricated leaf bases; radical 
leaves narrowly linear-oblanceolate, 15 to 21 cm. long, 13 to 18 mm. 
wide, acuminate at the apex, gradually and slightly narrowed toward 
the base, dilated at the point of insertion, subcoriaceous, flat, or the 
margins slightly revolute, abundantly lanate on both surfaces with 
grayish hairs but more densely so beneath, the midrib not prominent, 
the lateral veins scarcely perceptible; flowering stem about 120 cm. 
high, stout, densely lanate below, the pubescence less abundant 
above and somewhat deciduous, corymbosely much branched, the 
branches long, ascending or erect, slender, the stems furnished below 
with several pairs of opposite leaves, these similar to the basal ones 
