THE GENUS ESPELETIA 
oblanceolate, 20 to 28 cm. long, 13 to 18 mm. wide, attenuate to the 
apex, long-attenuate to the broadly margined petiole, this abruptly 
dilated at the point of attachment, the margins strongly revolute, 
the upper surface grayish green, closely covered with very short, stiff, 
yellowish, almost scabrous hairs, densely sericeous on the lower 
surface with very dense, short, white or fulvous, appressed hairs, the 
blades coriaceous but not much thickened, the midvein very prominent 
beneath, the lateral veins inconspicuous, irregular, somewhat reticu- 
late; flowering stem tall, erect, densely sericeous, furnished with 
numerous alternate bracts or leaves; inflorescence of many heads in a 
rather compact corymb 16 cm. high and 12 cm. broad, the branches 
3.5 to II cm. long, the heads corymbose at the end of each branch, 
on peduncles 2 to 12 mm. long; heads 8 to 10 mm. broad; bracts few, 
oblong-linear to narrowly oblong, acute, glandular-puberulent at the 
apex, densely pubescent with mostly appressed hairs, these abraded 
by weathering; paleae of the disk oblong or oblong-spatulate, rounded 
or subtruncate at the apex, puberulent, glandular above; corolla 
3. to 3.5 mm. long, glabrous; achenes 2.5 mm. long, sharply trigonous. 
Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 602354, collected in 
the Paramo de las Rosas, State of Trujillo, Venezuela, at an altitude 
of 3,200 meters, in October, 1912, by Dr. Alfredo Jahn (no. 159). 
The material consists of a stout caudex bearing a thick cluster of 
leaves and a weathered inflorescence. Unfortunately, because of the 
age of the latter, it is impossible to describe the pubescence of the 
involucral bracts or the form of the rays, if these be present. All the 
leaves and bracts of the inflorescence have disappeared, too. Never- 
theless, this is easily distinguished from all other species by the short, 
close pubescence of the leaves. The heads are very numerous and 
small. The species is most closely related, probably, to E. corymhosa. 
The form of the leaves suggests the fronds of a fern, Paltonium lanceo- 
latum (L.) Presl; hence the specific name. 
14. EsPELETiA LiNDENii Schultz Bip. ; Wcdd. in Cast. Exped. Amer. 
Sud Bot. i: 66. 1855 
Type locality: Paramos of the State of Merida, Venezuela, at 
an altitude of 3,250 to 3,900 meters. Type collected by Linden 
(no. 1414). 
This is the only species described from Venezuela which is not 
represented in Doctor Jahn's collections. Judging from the descrip- 
tion it must be similar to the plant here described as Espeletia bracteosa. 
It is said to have heads twice as large, as well as leaves of somewhat 
different form. The heads are radiate, the rays being yellow. 
