XII, c, 3 Merrill: Philippine Rubiaceae, III 167 
firmly chartaceous or subcoriaceous, oblong to oblong-ovate, 7 
to 12 cm long, 3.5 to 5.5 cm wide, apex acute, base broadly 
rounded and distinctly cordate, the upper surface glabrous, shin- 
ing, the lower densely and rather softly pubescent, the indumen- 
tum blackish; lateral nerves about 5 on each side of the midrib, 
rather prominent, laxly anastomosing; petioles 2 to 4 mm long; 
stipules truncate, about 1 mm long. Flowers white, axillary, 
subfasciculate, rather numerous, black when dry, their pedicels 
slender, pubescent, 2 to 3 mm long, the bracteoles ovate, pubes- 
cent, acute, 0.5 mm long. Calyx about 1 mm long, pubescent, 
the teeth 5, broadly ovate, acute, 0.5 mm long. Petals, in bud, 
1 mm long. 
Luzon, Tayabas Province, Mount Dingalan, Bur. Sci. 265^9 Ramos & 
Edano, August 25, 1916, on dry slopes, altitude about 200 meters. 
A species well characterized by its vegetative and floral parts being 
uniformly black or blackish when dry; its short-petioled, cordate leaves; 
and its indumentum. It is not closely allied to any other species known 
to me. 
PLECTRONIA OBOVATIFOLIA sp. nov. 
Frutex erectus, glaber, ramulis plus minusve quadrangulatis ; 
foliis obovatis, crasse coriaceis, usque ad 7 cm longis, apice 
rotundatis, basi angustatis, acutis vel decurrento-acuminatis, 
nervis utrinque 3 vel 4, subtus valde prominentibus et in axillis 
glandulis magnis instructis; infiorescentiis axillaribus, umbella- 
tis, breviter pedunculatis, circiter 6-floris. 
An erect shrub or small tree, entirely glabrous, the branches 
and branchlets more or less quadrangular, brownish, the inter- 
nodes 1 to 2 cm long. Leaves thickly coriaceous, obovate, 4.5 
to 7 cm long, 2.5 to 4 cm wide, very dark olivaceous to somewhat 
brownish when dry, shining, apex rounded, base narrowed, acute 
or decurrent-acuminate ; lateral nerves 3 or 4 on each side of the 
midrib, very prominent and supplied with large axillary glands 
on the lower surface, somewhat ascending, curved, evanescent or 
very obscurely anastomosing, the secondary nerves and reticula- 
tions mostly obsolete; petioles 3 to 8 mm long; stipules coria- 
ceous, broadly ovate, rather abruptly and prominently acuminate, 
5 to 6 mm long. Umbels about 6-flowered, axillary, solitary, 
their peduncles rather stout, black when dry, 3 to 5 mm long. 
Bracts subtending the flowers ovate, acute, about 4 mm long. 
Pedicels 3 to 4 mm long. Calyx about 2 mm in diameter, shallow, 
obscurely toothed, the teeth subacute or acuminate. Petals in 
bud about 3 mm long. 
Luzon, Tayabas Province, Mount Dalindingan, Bur. Sci. 26526 Ramos 
