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FLORA OF COSTA RICA
BY
PAUL C. STANDLEY
CURATOR OF THE HERBARIUM, DEPARTMENT OF BOTANY
THE LIBRARY OF THE
AUG181938
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
BOTANICAL SERIES
FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY
VOLUME XVIII, PART III
JULY 29. 1938
PUBLICATION 420 f
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OV AMERICA
BY FIELD MUSEUM PRESS
FLORA OF COSTA RICA
PAUL C. STANDLEY
MELASTOMACEAE. Melastome Family
Reference: Cogniaux, Melastomaceae, in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7.
1891.
Herbs, shrubs, or rarely trees, sometimes epiphytic or scandent;
leaves without stipules, opposite, commonly petiolate, nearly always
with conspicuous longitudinal nerves extending from base to apex,
rarely (in Mouriria) penninerved; flowers regular, perfect, variously
disposed, small or large, often showy, mostly white or pink; calyx
tube (hypanthium) free or united with the ovary, the limb truncate
or lobate, sometimes calyptriform and circumscissile, often with
accessory, toothlike, dorsal appendages on the lobes; petals as many
as the calyx lobes, dextrorsely convolute; stamens perigynous,
inflexed in bud, commonly twice as many as the petals, equal or
unequal, the filaments geniculately inflexed in anthesis; anthers
basifixed, dehiscent commonly by 1 or 2 terminal pores, the connec-
tive often produced at the base and appendaged at the apex; ovary
2-many-celled, the style simple, the stigma capitate or punctiform,
the ovules numerous; fruit capsular or baccate; seeds usually minute,
pyramidal, cuneate, cochleate, or filiform. — One of the largest families
of tropical American plants, well represented in Costa Rica. One
or two additional genera may have representatives in the region.
One term used on the following pages should be explained here.
A 3-5-nerved leaf is one in which the 3 or 5 nerves arise at the very
base of the blade; a 3-5-plinerved leaf is one in which the 3 or 5
nerves, or at least some of them, arise some distance above the base
of the blade. The disposition of the nerves is an important and
constant character in the separation of species. The Melasto-
maceae are noteworthy for the fact that, as a rule, the species,
although numerous and often separable by small differences, are
remarkably uniform in flower and foliage characters, exhibiting less
variation than in most other families of plants.
For assistance in preparation of the account of this family the
writer is under special obligations to Mr. C. V. Morton, who has
furnished important data from material in the United States
National Herbarium. Mr. Morton is, however, in no way responsible
for any errors in interpretation of such data that may have been
made by the writer.
783
i 06933 I
784 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ACIOTIS D. Don
Fragile herbs, usually growing in wet soil; leaves petiolate,
mostly ovate, membranaceous; flowers small or minute, sessile or
subsessile, paniculate, white or pink, 4-parted; calyx glabrous or
pilose, the tube globose or ovoid, the teeth short, broad, deciduous;
petals ovate or lanceolate, acute, sometimes setiferous at the apex;
stamens 8, equal or nearly so, the anthers all alike, orbicular or
oblong, 1-pored, the connective short- or long-produced below the
cells, not appendaged; ovary globose or ovoid, glabrous, 2-celled;
capsule small, thin-membranaceous, indehiscent but rupturing
irregularly; seeds reniform-cochleate, foveolate. — Probably one or
two additional species occur in Central America.
Aciotis annua (Mart.) Triana. Reported from Puerto Viejo
on the Atlantic coast, Biolley 6912. Extending to Brazil. An
annual, the stem distinctly 4-winged, sparsely short-pilose; leaves
narrowly ovate, acute, 7-nerved, pilose on both surfaces, 5-7 cm.
long; anthers orbicular.
Aciotis indecora (Bonpl.) Triana, var. macrophylla Cogn.
Reported from Carrillo, Tonduz 2528. The species extends to Brazil.
Plants rather stout, «as much as 1 meter high; leaves ovate, long-
acuminate, often cordate at the base, 5-11 cm. long, 7-nerved, the
petiole pilosulous; panicles large and rather diffuse; calyx 2.5 mm.
long; anthers narrow, elongate; capsule 3.5 mm. long.
Aciotis paludosa (Mart.) Triana. Frequent in the tierra
caliente, especially the Atlantic, growing in moist or wet soil, often
about swamps. Guatemala to Brazil. Plants much branched,
sometimes 1 meter high, the stems narrowly winged, densely short-
pilose, brown; leaves long-petiolate, the blades mostly ovate or
oblong-ovate and 5-9 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, rounded
or obtuse at the base, 5-nerved, entire, pilose; flowers white, short-
pedicellate, in small panicles; calyx 2.5 mm. long; petals 3-4 mm.
long; anthers orbicular; capsule 3 mm. in diameter. A frequent,
weedy plant in many parts of the Atlantic tierra caliente of Central
America, ordinary and uninteresting in appearance.
Aciotis rostellata (Naud.) Triana. Reported from Buenos
Aires, Pittier 6517. Ranging to Mexico. Stems acutely tetragonous,
not winged, densely and shortly glandular-pilose above; leaves
ovate-oblong, acuminate, 5-7 cm. long, short-pilose on both surfaces;
panicles large, the flowers short-pedicellate; calyx 1.5 mm. long;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 785
petals white, 2 mm. long; anthers short-beaked; capsule 2.5 mm.
in diameter.
ACISANTHERA P. Br.
Low herbs, usually growing in wet soil, glabrous or pubescent;
leaves small, sessile or short-petiolate, entire or serrulate; flowers
small, purple or pink, terminal and axillary, solitary or in small
panicles, 4-5-parted; calyx glabrous or setose, the tube hemispheric
or campanulate, the lobes acuminate, equaling the tube; petals
obovate or rounded; stamens 8 or 10, the smaller ones usually im-
perfect, the filaments glabrous, the larger anthers obovoid to oblong
or subulate, 1-pored, the connective long-produced below the cells,
anteriorly bifid or bicalcarate; ovary glabrous, 2-4-celled; seeds
ovoid or short-oblong, subreniform or subcochleate, densely foveo-
late. — At least two other species are known from Central America.
Acisanthera quadra ta Juss. Occasional in moist savannas of
the Pacific coast, at least in the region of Buenos Aires, at 250-500
meters. Mexico to Panama and West Indies, and reported from Peru.
Plants rather stout but commonly less than 30 cm. high, branched
to the base, the branches tetragonous, glandular-pilose; leaves
broadly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acutish, serrulate, mostly 1-1.5
cm. long, short-petiolate; calyx tube campanulate-urceolate, 3 mm.
long, the lobes 2-4 mm. long; petals pink or purple, 6 mm. long;
larger anthers oblong, not arcuate; capsule 4 mm. in diameter.
Acisanthera recurva (L. Rich.) Griseb. Reported from Buenos
Aires, Tonduz 4973. Extending to Brazil. Similar to A. quadrata,
but the larger anthers linear-subulate and arcuate.
ADELOBOTRYS DC.
Scandent shrubs, glabrous or pubescent, the branches terete;
leaves broad, petiolate, 3-5-nerved, entire or serrulate; flowers
small, in terminal panicles, 5-parted; calyx tube narrowly oblong
or urceolate, the lobes of the limb 2-ranked, the outer lobes distant,
subulate or triangular, confluent with the inner ones; petals obovate
or cuneate-oblong, coherent with each other and at the base with
the filaments; stamens 10, equal, the filaments filiform, the anthers
linear-subulate, rostrate, 1-pored at the apex, the connective not
produced below the cells; ovary usually 5-celled; capsule oblong,
coriaceous; seeds produced at each end into a filiform appendage.—
A single species is known from Central America.
Adelobotrys adscendens (Swartz) Triana. Frequent in the
tierra caliente, at 950 meters or less; region of San Ramon. Mexico
786 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
to Jamaica and Bolivia. An epiphytic vine, reported to be sometimes
7 meters long but usually smaller, glabrous or nearly so; leaves firm,
entire, broadly ovate or elliptic, mostly 8-15 cm. long, acute or short-
acuminate, 5-nerved; panicles rather dense and thyrsiform, 10-30 cm.
long, the flowers pedicellate; calyx 6-7 mm. long, puberulent at
first; petals pale yellow, 7-8 mm. long; capsule conspicuously
costate, about 8 mm. long.
ARTHROSTEMMA Ruiz & Pavon
Slender, succulent and fragile herbs, dichotomously branched,
glabrous or nearly so; leaves petiolate, ovate to oblong, membrana-
ceous, serrulate, 5-7-nerved, often very unequal ; flowers rather large,
pink or purple, in small, terminal cymes, 4-parted; calyx glabrous,
the tube oblong or narrowly campanulate, the lobes triangular,
much shorter than the tube, persistent; petals obovate, apiculate,
caducous; stamens 8, somewhat unequal, the filaments glabrous, the
anthers unlike, linear, falcate-recurved, obtuse and minutely 1-pored
at the apex, the cells undulate, the connective in the larger anthers
produced below the cells, posteriorly not appendaged, anteriorly
produced into a filiform appendage; ovary 4-celled, usually glabrous;
capsule membranaceous, 4-valvate, the seeds/ cochleate, rather
large, longitudinally striate. — Several other species are known from
Central America.
Arthrostemma alatum Triana. Nicoya, Tonduz 13519.
Extending to Venezuela. Plants about 60 cm. high, the stems 4-
winged, glabrous or sparsely glandular-pilose; leaves ovate, long-
petiolate, 5-7 cm. long, acute, subtruncate at the base, 7-nerved;
flowers subsessile; calyx 4-5 mm. long; petals 4 mm. long; stamens
subequal; capsule 5 mm. long.
Arthrostemma campanulare (Naud.) Triana. Frequent in
moist, shaded places, ascending from the coasts to the Meseta
Central, to about 1,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Extending to
Ecuador and Venezuela. Plants mostly rather low and often erect,
but sometimes subscandent and 3 meters long, glabrous or the young
branches very sparsely glandular-pilose; leaves long-petiolate, very
thin when dried, ovate or oblong-ovate, mostly 4-6 cm. long, acumi-
nate, rounded or cordate at the base, 5-nerved; calyx 7-8 mm. long;
petals purple, almost 2 cm. long; stamens very unequal; capsule
oblong, about 1.5 cm. long. The flowers are rather showy and
handsome, but the delicate petals fall as soon as the plant is shaken.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 787
AXINAEA Ruiz & Pavon
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or pubescent; leaves petiolate, coria-
ceous, mostly ovate or oblong, acute, entire or serrate, 3-7-nerved;
flowers pedicellate, in terminal and lateral panicles, 5-parted; calyx
glabrous or puberulent, the tube hemispheric or cyathiform, the
limb dilated, truncate or obscurely lobulate; petals oblong or obovate,
obtuse or emarginate, imbricate to form a campanulate corolla;
stamens 10, equal or subequal, the filaments glabrous, plane, rather
broad, the anthers straight, linear-subulate, minutely 1-pored at the
apex, the connective not produced at the base, not appendaged
anteriorly, posteriorly with a thick and often inflated appendage;
ovary 4-5-celled, glabrous; seeds oblong-pyramidal. — A single
species is found in Central America, the others being South American.
Axinaea costaricensis Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1182.
1891. Isla del Mancaron, slopes of Volcan de Barba, 2,100 meters,
Pittier 2007. Collected also at Vara Blanca. Endemic. A shrub,
at first minutely furfuraceous on the younger parts but soon glabrate;
leaves long-petiolate, the blades elliptic, 8-14 cm. long, obtuse at the
base, usually abruptly contracted and short-acuminate at the apex,
5-nerved, entire or remotely denticulate, the margin reflexed at the
base; panicles lateral, pyramidal, rather large, erect or subpendulous,
many-flowered, the pedicels as much as 1 cm. long; calyx 7-8 mm.
broad, the limb entire; petals pink, obovate, 13-15 mm. long.
BELLUCIA Neck.
Trees or shrubs, usually glabrous, the branches thick; leaves
large, coriaceous, petiolate, entire, 5-nerved or 3-5-plinerved, often
glaucous beneath; flowers large, white or pink, pedicellate, axillary,
solitary or fasciculate or in small panicles, 5-8-parted, not involu-
crate; calyx glabrous, the tube turbinate or hemispheric, the limb
usually divided into regular lobes, sometimes calyptrif orm ; petals
obovate or oblong, fleshy, glabrous; stamens twice as many as the
petals, equal, the filaments short, thick, glabrous, the anthers often
coherent, short, thick, laterally compressed, obtuse, 2-pored at the
apex, the connective not produced below the cells, not appendaged;
ovary glabrous, 8-15-celled; fruit baccate, coalescent with the fleshy
calyx tube. — One or two other species are found in Central America.
Belinda costaricensis Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1:
264. 1891. Coronillo, Papaturro agrio. Along a stream at Buenos
Aires, Pittier 3785. Region of the type, also at TeYraba and in
788 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
El General, at 500 meters or less. Extending to Guatemala. A tree
with rounded crown, the branches more or less furfuraceous-puberu-
lent when young; leaves ovate-elliptic or broadly elliptic, 20-30 cm.
long, 5-plinerved, short-acuminate or obtuse, obtuse or acutish at the
base, obscurely puberulent or almost wholly glabrous; flowers fas-
ciculate in the leaf axils or at defoliate nodes, long-pedicellate, the
calyx 2-2.5 cm. wide, the lobes broadly triangular, acute; petals 1.5
cm. long. The large, juicy fruits are edible. Pittier reports the
TeYraba name of Shkuar-bon.
BLAKEA P. Br.
Shrubs or small trees, erect or occasionally scandent, glabrous
or variously pubescent, the branches usually terete; leaves petiolate
or subsessile, large or small, mostly coriaceous and broad, entire or
nearly so, 3-5-nerved, with numerous transverse, parallel veins;
flowers usually large, axillary, solitary or fasciculate, on long or short
pedicels, pink, purple, or white, surrounded by 4 or rarely 6 sub-
coriaceous bracts, these opposite by pairs; flowers 6-parted; calyx
tube broadly campanulate, the limb simple, short or elongate, 6-
lobate, persistent; petals oblong or obovate, glabrous; stamens 12,
equal, the filaments thick, glabrous, the anthers thick, subhorizontal
or pendulous, laterally compressed, short, obtuse and minutely
2-pored at the apex, the connective not produced below the cells,
anteriorly not appendaged, produced posteriorly into a spur; ovary
4-6-celled; fruit a juicy berry.— A few other species are native in
Central America.
Blakea anomala Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 297. 1906. San
Miguel. On rotten logs, La Palma de San Jose", 1,450-1,550 meters,
Pittier 10165. Frequent in forests of the central mountains, 1,200-
2,200 meters; region of San Ramon. Endemic. A shrub or small
tree, usually 3-6 meters high, the branches slender, densely brownish-
furfuraceous; leaves small, oblong-elliptic or ovate-elliptic, mostly
6-10 cm. long, abruptly caudate-acuminate, the acumination very
long and narrow, acute at the base, 5-nerved, glabrous above, some-
what furfuraceous beneath; pedicels solitary, often greatly elongate
and filiform, the bracts triangular, minute; calyx at first closed, in
flower irregularly 4-lobate, 7 mm. long, minutely furfuraceous;
petals 1.5 cm. long, pink or white. Easily recognizable by the very
small bracts and the closed calyx; in general appearance much like
B. gracilis.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 789
Blakea gracilis Hemsl. Diag. PI. Nov. 1: 13. 1878; Biol. Centr.
Amer. Bot. pi. 23. San Miguel, Catarina. Type collected by Endres,
without locality. Frequent in mountains of the central region,
mostly at 1,200-1,800 meters, but descending to the region of Peji-
valle, 850 meters; Santa Maria de Dota; region of San Ramon.
Endemic. A large shrub or small tree, commonly 3-5 meters high,
the branches slender, glabrous or nearly so; leaves small, rather thin,
obovate-elliptic, mostly 5-8 cm. long, abruptly acuminate or caudate,
acute at the base, glabrous or nearly so; pedicels 2-5 cm. long; bracts
foliaceous, the outer ones obovate, 2-3 cm. long; calyx truncate or
obscurely lobate; petals 2 cm. long, white or pink; dry fruits con-
spicuously costate. Both the flower buds and the ripe fruits are
eaten; they are juicy and have a most agreeable, rather tart flavor.
Var. longifolia Cogn. (Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1: 266. 1891;
based on material collected between El General and Rio San Pedro,
Pittier 8764; reported also from the Tuis Valley) is a form with
oblong, caudately long-acuminate leaves 8-12 cm. long, long-
attenuate at the base, the bracts narrower than in the type.
Blakea grandiflora Hemsl. Diag. PL Nov. 1: 13. 1878. San
Miguel bianco. Type from Costa Rica, Endres 230. Mountains of
the central region and about San Ramon, at 1,100-2,000 meters.
Endemic. A shrub of 1-4 meters, usually or always epiphytic,
glabrous or nearly so, the branches stout; leaves long-petiolate,
coriaceous, oblong-elliptic to broadly elliptic, abruptly and shortly
caudate-acuminate, obtuse or acutish at the base, 5-plinerved,
mostly 10-15 cm. long; flowers pedicellate, the bracts rigid, fur-
furaceous, broadly ovate, obtuse, 2-2.5 cm. long; calyx almost 2
cm. broad; petals white or pink, 3 cm. long, glabrous. A showy and
handsome plant because of its large flowers.
Blakea Pittierii Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1080. 1891.
La Palma de San Jos6, 1,550 meters, Pittier. Known only from the
region of the type. Endemic. A shrub or small tree, 4-5 meters high,
the branches thick, densely furfuraceous-puberulent when young;
leaves obovate-elliptic, 15-20 cm. long, coriaceous, abruptly short-
acuminate, acutish at the base, 5-nerved, stellate-furfuraceous
beneath; flowers long-pedicellate, the outer bracts ovate, rigid,
obtuse-acuminate, 2.5 cm. long; calyx 6-lobate; petals obovate-
spatulate, 3 cm. long, glabrous.
Blakea subpeltata Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1075. 1891.
Turrialba, Oersted 2813. Collected also at Tapanti. Endemic.
790 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Branches rather slender, when young densely furfuraceous-puberu-
lent; leaves oval or obovate-elliptic, 7-12 cm. long, rounded at the
apex and abruptly short-acuminate, subpeltate at the base and
broadly rounded, glabrous above, sparsely furfuraceous-puberulent
beneath, 5-nerved; bracts ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 1-2.5 cm.
long, acuminate, sparsely furfuraceous; calyx tube 5-6 mm. wide,
glabrate, the lobes very short and broad.
Blakea tuberculata Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 31: 111. 1901. San
Miguel Near La Palma de San Jose", 1,550 meters, Tonduz 7363
(Herb. Nac. Costa Rica 12435). Frequent in mountains of the
central region, at 1,100-1,600 meters, in forest or along the borders
of pastures. Endemic. A shrub or tree, 3-4 meters high or some-
times as much as 9 meters high and with a rounded crown, the
branches thick, ferruginous-furfuraceous and strigose; leaves long-
petiolate, broadly ovate or ovate-rounded, mostly 15-20 cm. long,
abruptly short-acuminate, rounded at the base and often peltate,
glabrous above, furfuraceous beneath, 5-nerved; pedicels usually
fasciculate, stout, the outer bracts connate to the middle, broad,
little exceeding the calyx, densely furfuraceous; petals pink, thick,
oblong-obovate, densely tuberculate on both surfaces. Easily
recognized by the large, densely tuberculate petals.
CALYPTRELLA Naud.
Trees or shrubs, the branches terete, pulverulent; leaves usually
coriaceous, long-petiolate, entire, 3-7-nerved; flowers 4-9-parted,
in large, terminal panicles, small, often subumbellate at the ends
of the branches; calyx closed in bud, narrowly ovoid, the persistent
tube hemispheric or short-campanulate, the limb calyptriform,
circumscissile, acuminate; petals obovate-spatulate, acuminate;
stamens twice as many as the petals, subequal, the anthers linear-
oblong, sometimes recurved, 1-pored at the apex, the connective
produced below the cells, unappendaged anteriorly, produced pos-
teriorly into a spur; ovary 4-6-celled, pulverulent; capsule oblong,
the seeds acicular, the testa slenderly produced at each end. — No
other species are known from Central America.
Calyptrella cycliophylla Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 55: 434. 1913.
Along a stream near Buenos Aires, Prov. Puntarenas, 280 meters,
Tonduz 4964- Collected also at Rio de La Union. Colombia.
Branches ferruginous-furfuraceous or glabrate; leaves suborbicular,
long-petiolate, 19-22 cm. long, deltoid-cuspidate, obtuse at the base,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 791
5-nerved, coriaceous; flowers 6-parted, in bud 5.5 mm. long; petals
5 mm. long; capsule 5 mm. long.
CENTRADENIA G. Don
Plants low, herbaceous or suffrutescent, the slender branches
tetragonous or 4-alate; leaves petiolate, lanceolate, unequal at the
base, those of a pair often very unequal; flowers small, 4-parted,
pink or white, in corymbiform cymes; calyx glabrous or pubescent,
the tube campanulate, somewhat tetragonous, the 4 lobes shorter
than the tube; petals obovate or rounded; stamens 8, unlike, the
filaments glabrous, the anthers oblong or ovoid, obtuse, 1-pored at
the apex, the cells undulate, the connective produced below the cells,
appendaged anteriorly; ovary 4-celled, glabrous; capsule 4-valvate,
the seeds minute, ovoid. — One or two other species may occur in
Central America.
Centradenia grandifolia (Schlecht.) Endl. Collected at Santa
Maria de Dota, Zarcero, and Naranjo, 1,500-2,300 meters, and
doubtless growing elsewhere. Ranging to Mexico. Plants erect,
as much as 1.5 meters high, sometimes creeping and rooting at the
nodes, slender, the stems 4-winged, sparsely glandular-pilose; leaves
short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, mostly 7-18 cm. long, very thin
and lax, pilosulous on both surfaces, pale beneath, ciliate, narrowly
long-acuminate; cymes many-flowered; calyx red; petals pink, 8 mm.
long. The leaves are much larger than those of C. inaequilateralis.
Centradenia inaequilateralis (Schlecht. & Cham.) G. Don.
Frequent in moist, shaded places at middle elevations, mostly at
600-1,500 meters; Guanacaste; region of San Ramon; extending
also into the upper part of the tierra caliente on both slopes. Panama
to Mexico. Plants slender, usually less than 50 cm. high, the stems
tetragonous, short-hirtellous, not glandular; leaves narrowly lan-
ceolate, mostly 2-4 cm. long, attenuate-acuminate, pale beneath,
sparsely pilosulous; flowers mostly clustered in the upper leaf axils;
petals obovate, pink, 5-6 mm. long. A rather pretty but not at all
conspicuous plant, found most often, perhaps, on perpendicular,
shaded banks.
CENTRONIA D. Don
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or variously pubescent; leaves petiolate,
usually large, coriaceous, entire or dentate, 3-5-nerved; flowers 5-7-
parted, rather large, in large, terminal panicles; calyx furfuraceous or
hirsute, the tube oblong or hemispheric, the limb closed in bud,
792 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
conic, circumscissile in an thesis; petals broadly obovate, rounded or
apiculate at the apex, sometimes coherent by their bases; stamens
twice as many as the petals, equal, the filaments subulate, arcuate,
the anthers linear, short or elongate, attenuate and 1-pored at the
apex, the connective not produced below the cells, not appendaged
anteriorly, with an obtuse or subulate appendage posteriorly; ovary
3-7-celled; fruit capsular, the seeds straight, pyramidal. — No other
species occur in Central America.
Centronia phlomoides Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 28: 72. 1871.
Type collected in Costa Rica by Hoffmann. Frequent in forests of
the central mountains, chiefly at 1,200-1,500 meters; region of San
Ramon. Endemic. A shrub or small tree, commonly 4-5 meters
high, the branches tetragonous, sparsely furfuraceous; leaves sub-
coriaceous, on rather short petioles, mostly broadly elliptic and 10-18
cm. long, 5-plinerved, acute or short-acuminate, rounded or obtuse at
the base, glabrous above, densely stellate-puberulent and setulose
beneath; panicles terminal, long-pedunculate, the branches and
pedicels verticillate, the pedicels mostly 1-1.5 cm. long, the flowers
5-parted; calyx densely furfuraceous-tomentose, 11-12 mm. long,
obtuse in bud; petals 12 mm. long; capsule conspicuously costate,
about 7 mm. long.
GHAETOLEPIS Miq.
Dwarf, rigid shrubs, variously pubescent or glabrate; leaves
very small, ovate to oblong; flowers small, 4-parted, pink or purple,
solitary or corymbose at the ends of the branches, sessile or short-
pedicellate; calyx tube ovoid or hemispheric, short, the lobes tri-
angular, persistent, usually about as long as the tube, sometimes
alternating with teeth or bristles; petals ovate or obovate, each
usually terminated by a seta; stamens 8, equal, the filaments gla-
brous, the anthers alike, short, linear-oblong, minutely 1-pored, the
connective not appendaged, not or very shortly produced below
the cells; ovary 4-celled, setose at the apex; fruit capsular, the
seeds ovoid-cochlea te, smooth. — No other species are known from
Central America.
Chaetolepis Gufodontisii Standl., sp. nov. — Fruticulus dense
ramosus erectus vix ultra 30 cm. altus, ramulis gracilibus erec-
tis tetragonis glabris dense foliatis, internodiis brevibus; folia
parva brevissime petiolata coriacea, petiolo crasso vix 1 mm. longo;
lamina lanceolato-oblonga ca. 9 mm. longa atque 2.5-3 mm. lata,
apicem obtusum versus angustata, basi acuta, glabra, remote vel
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 793
subdense crenato-serrulata, trinervia, supra intense viridis, costa
impressa, subtus pallidior densiuscule puncticulata; flores breviter
pedicellati axillares vel subcorymbosi; calyx glaber, tubo hemi-
sphaerico 3 mm. longo, lobis triangulari-attenuatis tubo paullo
brevioribus setuloso-ciliatis, cum setulis brevibus alternantibus;
petala ut videtur lutea calycis lobis fere duplo longioribus acumina-
tis; capsula ca. 3 mm. longa. — Without locality, Endres, ex Herb.
Vindob. (type in Herb. Field Mus.); Los Frailes, 1,600 meters,
M. Valeria 1373; Cerros de Velirla, Copey, 2,700 meters, Tonduz
11903. Under the name C. alpina Naud. the plant is reported also
from Alto del Abejonal, collected by Tonduz. It has been determined
previously as C. alpina, a species of the mountains of Colombia and
Venezuela, which differs most conspicuously in having the leaves
rather densely setose-ciliate. The Costa Rican species is named for
Dr. Giorgi Cufodontis, who in his work upon the Costa Rican plants
of the Porsch Expedition, noted upon a sheet in the Vienna Her-
barium the evident differences between the Costa Rican and South
American plants.
CLIDEMIA D. Don
Shrubs, commonly setose, villous, or tomentose; leaves mostly
petiolate, sometimes bearing inflated appendages, 3-5-nerved,
entire or denticulate; flowers 4-5-parted, in axillary panicles or
fascicles, sometimes capitate-congested, commonly small, white,
pink, or purple; calyx variously pubescent, the tube campanulate
to urceolate, the limb often produced beyond the ovary, truncate or
usually short-lobate, the lobes often appendaged with elongate
teeth; petals obtuse or retuse, usually glabrous; stamens equal or
slightly unequal, twice as many as the petals, the filaments glabrous,
subulate or filiform, the anthers linear-elongate or filiform, straight
or curved, minutely 1-pored at the apex, the connective commonly
not produced below the cells, not appendaged at the base or some-
times gibbous or subcalcarate; ovary 3-5-celled, glabrous or more
often setulose; fruit baccate, generally globose, small, crowned by
the persistent calyx limb; seeds mostly minute, smooth or granulate.
—Other species are found in Central America.
Clidemia Biolleyana Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1193.
1891. Near Carrillo, Pittier 2537. Endemic. Younger branches as
well as the petioles, peduncles, and calyces densely furfuraceous-
puberulent; leaves short-petiolate, those of a pair very unequal,
broadly ovate to suborbicular, the larger 12-17 cm. long, shortly
794 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
obtuse-acuminate, rounded or subcordate at the base, entire, 7-9-
nerved, glabrous above, furfuraceous beneath on the nerves; flowers
4-parted, the panicles large, broadly pyramidal, many-flowered, as
much as 10 cm. long, the pedicels short; calyx 8-costate, 3 mm. long,
the limb shortly acute-dentate; petals 1.5 mm. long.
Clidemia brachystephana (Naud.) Triana. Frequent in
thickets of the tierra caliente, ascending to the region of San Jose", at
1,100 meters; region of San Ramon. Guatemala to Colombia. A
slender shrub, the branches, petioles, and peduncles short-hirsute;
leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, mostly 8-12 cm. long, long-
acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, 5-plinerved, denticulate or
almost entire, more or less setose-hirsute on both surfaces; cymes
few-flowered, scarcely exceeding the short petioles, the calyx densely
hirsute, the tube 4 mm. long, the 5 outer teeth 3 mm. long; petals
1 cm. long.
Clidemia bullosa (Spreng.) Cogn. Frequent in the central
region; El General; region of San Ramon; Cocos Island; ascending to
2,400 meters. Ranging to Brazil. Branches, peduncles, and calyces
densely stellate-pilose and glandular-setose; leaves long-petiolate,
ovate or oblong-ovate, long-acuminate, mostly 8-12 cm. long, more
or less bullate, duplicate-serrate, rounded at the base, strigose above
or hirsute, stellate-hirtellous beneath ; panicles pyramidal and many-
flowered, 3-8 cm. long; calyx tube 2.5 mm. long, the teeth 1 mm.
long; petals purple or white, 3 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 3 mm.
in diameter.
Clidemia costaricensis Cogn. ex Bonn. Smith, Enum. PI.
Guat. 5: 28. 1899, nomen. Purra. Frequent about La Palma de
San Jose", at 1,500 meters or less; also in forests of the tierra caliente;
region of San Ramon. Endemic. A slender shrub, the branches
densely setose-hirsute; leaves on short or elongate petioles, lance-
oblong to oblong-elliptic, long-acuminate, obtuse to acutish at the
base, 5-nerved, crenate-serrulate, hirsute on both surfaces; cymes
few-flowered, little if at all exceeding the petioles, setose-hirsute;
calyx densely setose-hirsute, the tube 2.5 mm. long, the 5 teeth
about 1 mm. long; petals white, 3 mm. long. So far as I know, no
proper Latin description of this species has been published. It is
possible that its author decided that it was synonymous with some
other one.
Clidemia dentata D. Don. Purra. Frequent in forests of the
tierra caliente, ascending almost to the Meseta Central; region of
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 795
San Ramon. Mexico to Brazil. Usually a slender shrub of 1-2
meters, the branches hirsute; leaves oblong or ovate-oblong, 6-12 cm.
long, often tinged with purple, long-acuminate, obtuse or acutish at
the base or sometimes rounded, 5-nerved, rather densely setose-
pilose on both surfaces, entire or denticulate; cymes 2-3 cm. long,
few-flowered; calyx densely hirsute, the tube 4 mm. long, the 5 outer
teeth 4-6 mm. long; petals white or pink, 6 mm. long; berries 6-7
mm. long.
Clidemia epiphytica Cogn. Reported from Rio Naranjo,
Pacific tierra caliente, Tonduz 7575. Guatemala to Colombia. A
small, slender, creeping, subscandent epiphyte, the young branches
furfuraceous-puberulent and sparsely setulose; leaves long-petiolate,
ovate, 8-20 cm. long, acuminate, usually cordate at the base, coarsely
duplicate-serrate, 7-nerved, glabrate; cymes 3-5-flowered, very
short; calyx long-hirtellous, the outer teeth oblong-lanceolate, longer
than the tube, 3 mm.Jong.
Clidemia fraterna Gleason, Brittonia 2: 323. 1937. Near
El General, Prov. San Jose", Skutch 2687. Endemic. A slender shrub
3 meters high, the branches closely stellate-furfuraceous; leaves very
shortly petiolate, oblong-elliptic, to 15 cm. long, abruptly acuminate,
cuneate at the base, entire, 5-plinerved, furfuraceous beneath along
the nerves; flowers collected in 1-3-flowered heads, these in small
cymes; calyx tube 2 mm. long, minutely furfuraceous, the lobes
3-5, broadly triangular, the outer teeth 0.5 mm. long; petals white,
almost 4 mm. long.
Clidemia hirta (L.) D. Don. Occasional in forest and thickets
of the tierra caliente. Widely distributed in tropical America. A
slender shrub, commonly 1-2 meters high, the branches densely
long-hirsute and more or less stellate-puberulent; leaves short-
petiolate, often unequal, ovate or oblong-ovate, short-acuminate,
rounded or cordate at the base, 5-7-nerved, crenulate or subentire,
hirsute; cymes few-flowered, short, the flowers short-pedicellate;
calyx tube 5 mm. long, setulose and stellate-puberulent, the outer
teeth 2-4 mm. long; petals white or pink, 8-10 mm. long; fruit
blackish or dark purple, 6-7 mm. in diameter. This species is a
common shrub in many parts of the Atlantic tierra caliente of Central
America. The var. elegans (Aubl.) Griseb. has been reported from
Costa Rica, but it appears to be a form of very little systematic
significance.
796 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Clidemia laxiflora (Schlecht.) Walp. Reported from La
Ardilla, Tonduz 7737. Extending to Mexico. Branches sparsely
short-hirtellous; leaves conspicuously unequal, ovate, 9-12 cm. long,
long-acuminate, subcordate at the base, duplicate-serrulate, 7-nerved,
short-hirtellous; flowers paniculate, the panicles elongate, the pedi-
cels 2-10 mm. long; calyx tube 3 mm. long, the outer teeth 2.5-3 mm.
long; petals red, 4-6 mm. long; fruit black, 5 mm. in diameter.
Clidemia melanotricha Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 28: 136. 1871.
Type collected in Costa Rica by Hoffmann. Plants setose-hirsute
throughout; leaves on rather short petioles, ovate-lanceolate, 7-12
cm. long, long-acuminate, 5-plinerved; flowers paniculate, pedi-
cellate, the panicles on peduncles 10-12 cm. long, few-flowered;
calyx tube 4-5 mm. long, the lobes triangular-ovate, spreading.
Clidemia Mortoniana Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex gracilis 1.2 m.
altus, ramis gracilibus teretibus viridibus sparse pilis longis laxis
pallidis ut videtur crispatis pilosis, internodiis. elongatis, nodis den-
sissime setis numerosis longis albidis onustis; folia inaequalia longi-
petiolata membranacea, petiolo gracili, in foliis majoribus usque 6.5
cm. longo, in foliis minoribus interdum vix 1 cm. longo, fere glabro,
tantum ad apicem dense pallide longisetoso; lamina late elliptica,
rotundato-elliptica vel late elliptico-ovata, 6.5-12 cm. longa 4-8 cm.
lata, subabrupte breviter acutata, basi rotundata atque breviter
emarginata, interdum profundius cordata, basi 7-9-nervia, margine
arete crenato-dentato, dentibus setuloso-mucronatis, supra in juven-
tute ad nervos atque basin versus pilis longis albidis laxis crispis
sparse pilosa, cito glabrata, basi ipsa setis numerosis pallidis longis
dense setosa, subtus fere concolor, primo ad nervos sparse villosa,
cito glabrata, statu adulto fere omnino glabra; flores mediocres in
paniculas sessiles subdense multifloras usque 2.5 cm. longas solitarias
vel aggregatas dispositi, ramis gracilibus glabris vel glabratis, bracteis
minutis angustis setuloso-mucronatis; calyx glaber vel setulis paucis
conspersus, tubo campanulato basi acutato 2 mm. longo, lobis
brevioribus 4 late ovatis obtusis, dorso infra apicem dente subulate
setuloso-attenuato viridi appendiculatis;. petala ut videtur alba
oblonga ca. 6 mm. longa apice rotundata; stylus 4 mm. longus
glaber. — In forest, Vara Blanca de Sarapiqui, 1,500-1,750 meters,
Alexander F. Skutch 3154 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb.; photo, in Herb.
Field Mus.).
Clidemia novemnervia (DC.) Triana. Cocos Island. Extend-
ing to Panama, West Indies, and Brazil. A slender shrub 2-3
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 797
meters high, the younger branches, petioles, and calyx densely
stellate- tomentose and shortly glandular-setulose; leaves on rather
short petioles, ovate or oblong-ovate, long-acuminate, rounded or
emarginate at the base, 9-nerved, serrulate, 8-15 cm. long, foveolate
and tomentellous beneath; flowers small, in rather many-flowered
panicles 10-15 cm. long; calyx tube 4 mm. long, inner teeth
0.7-1 mm. long, outer teeth 1.5 mm. long; petals white, 5-7 mm. long.
Clidemia pubescens Gleason, Bull. Torrey Club 58: 82. 1931.
Forests of Boca de Zhorquin, Talamanca, Tonduz 8574- Collected
also at Kitadiku, Talamanca. Endemic. Plants apparently low and
suffrutescent, the stems, petioles, and inflorescence sparsely pubescent
and covered with long, yellowish, stiff, almost spinelike setae, these
spreading or on the stems reflexed; leaves short-petiolate, elliptic-
oblong, up to 15 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate, rounded or
subcordate at the base, almost entire, 5-plinerved, bearing at the
base 2 small, hollow, bladder-like formicaria; peduncles slender and
elongate, terminated by a few-flowered cyme, the flowers 4-parted;
fruit glabrous.
Clidemia purpureo-violacea Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30,
pt. 1: 263. 1891. Forests between Rio La Union and Rio Convento,
Diquis, Pittier 3772. Endemic. Younger branches and petioles
densely furfuraceous-puberulent; leaves long-petiolate, ovate-cor-
date, up to 25 cm. long, rather long-acuminate, 9-nerved, minutely
denticulate, glabrous above, sparsely furfuraceous beneath; cymes
few-flowered, 2 cm. long, the pedicels 1-6 mm. long; outer calyx
teeth ovate-oblong, half as long as the tube; fruit 4-sulcate, 2.5 mm.
in diameter.
Clidemia pustulata DC. C. fenestrata Benth. Bot. Voy. Sulph.
94. 1844 (type from Cocos Island). Known in Costa Rica only
from Cocos Island. Panama to Trinidad and Brazil. Young
branches, petioles, and peduncles puberulent and rather sparsely
glandular-hirtellous; leaves short-petiolate, 7-11 cm. long, long-
acuminate, sparsely setulose-scabrous above, closely foveolate
beneath and hirtellous, 5-7-nerved; panicles pyramidal, many-
flowered, 7-12 cm. long; calyx tube 3 mm. long, the inner lobes 0.7
mm. long, the outer ones 1 mm. long; petals white, 4 mm. long.
Clidemia radicans Cogn. in Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 20: 288.
1895. Jime'nez, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 195 meters, J. D. Smith
4789. Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon. Endemic.
Plants small and slender, evidently epiphytic, creeping and rooting,
798 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the young branches, petioles, and peduncles finely and densely
stellate-puberulent; leaves very unequal, oblong, the larger ones
10-17 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, entire, 3-nerved, glabrate
above, stellate-puberulent beneath, obliquely narrowed at the base;
inflorescences few-flowered, small, the flowers 5-parted, short-
pedicellate; calyx urceolate, slightly furfuraceous, 2.5 mm. long,
the teeth minute; fruit 10-costate, 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Clidemia ramiflora Gleason, Brittonia 2: 323. 1937. El
General, Prov. San Jose", 975 meters, Skutch 2803. Endemic. A
shrub 3 meters high, the young branches glabrous; leaves petiolate,
ovate-oblong to broadly elliptic or obovate-oblong, to 15 cm. long,
gradually or abruptly acuminate, rounded at the base or cordulate,
entire, 5-nerved, glabrous above, at first sparsely furfuraceous
beneath but soon glabrate; cymes infra-axillary, 3-5 cm. long, many-
flowered, the branches almost capillary, the flowers 4-parted, sessile;
calyx tube glabrous, 1.7 mm. long, the inner teeth 0.3 mm. long, the
outer ones triangular, slightly shorter.
Clidemia rubra (Aubl.) Mart. Frequent in rather dry, open
places of the Pacific slope, ascending to the slopes of Poas; region of
San Ramon; El General. Widely distributed in tropical America.
A stout shrub, rarely more than 1 meter high, branched or often
simple, the young branches and petioles very densely reddish-
villous; leaves short-petiolate or subsessile, mostly oblong or elliptic,
6-10 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base,
5-nerved, strigose or setulose and rough above, densely pilose beneath;
flowers small, congested and sessile or nearly so in the leaf axils;
petals red or pink, 3-5 mm. long; fruit black, 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Easy of recognition by the sessile, clustered, axillary flowers. A
characteristic plant of dry, sterile hillsides in many parts of Central
America, but not confined to such situations.
Clidemia serrulata (Schlecht.) Triana. Forests of the Atlantic
tierra caliente; region of La Palma de San Jos<§, at 1,400 meters;
region of San Ramon. Extending to Mexico. Branches slender,
ferruginous-hirsute; leaves ovate or lance-ovate, up to 15 cm. long,
short-acuminate, rounded at the base, 5-nerved, setose-hirsute,
duplicate-serrulate; panicles small, short, with slender branches, the
flowers short-pedicellate; calyx densely short-hirsute, the tube
3^ mm. long, the outer teeth 3-4 mm. long; petals 4-5 mm. long;
fruit 6 mm. long.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 799
Clidemia sessiliflora (Triana) Cogn. Leaves oblong-elliptic or
oblong-lanceolate, 12-17 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, obtuse or
cuneate at the base, glabrous on the upper surface, 5-plinerved;
flowers sessile in the leaf axils; calyx tube 2.5 mm. long, the outer
teeth 0.7 mm. long; petals 7-8 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 3 mm. in
diameter. C. sessiliflora var. angustifolia Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg.
30, pt. 1: 263. 1891, is based on Pittier 31^9, collected between Alto
del Palmital and La Division, 1,100-2,160 meters; reported also
from other localities in the same region, and from various places in
the tierra caliente of both slopes. The typical form of the species
is Peruvian.
Clidemia setosa (Triana) Gleason. Maieta setosa Cogn. Fre-
quent in forests of the tierra caliente, especially the Atlantic, ascend-
ing the central mountains to 1,700 meters; region of San Ramon;
Guanacaste. Ranging to Mexico. A stout shrub or suffrutescent
plant, usually a meter high or less, the branches and petioles covered
with long, yellowish, stiff, almost spinelike hairs, these spreading or
reflexed; leaves short-petiolate, oblong or oblong-ovate, 10-20 cm.
long, short-acuminate, rounded at the base, 7-9-nerved, entire,
setose; petiole bearing 2 inflated formicaria at the apex; inflorescence
umbel-like, short, the flowers short-pedicellate; calyx tube narrowly
campanulate, sparsely furfuraceous, 2 mm. long, the limb shallowly
3-4-dentate; petals oblong, 3 mm. long, whitish.
Clidemia spectabilis Gleason, Bull. Torrey Club 58: 83. 1931.
El Muneco, Rio Navarro, 1,500 meters, Stork 2717. Apparently
frequent in forests of the region of San Ramon, 1,200-1,300 meters.
Endemic. Plants stout, erect, suffrutescent or herbaceous, rarely
more than 50 cm. high, the stems densely yellow-setose with very
long, spreading hairs; leaves short-petiolate, broadly elliptic, up
to 20 cm. long, broad at the apex and abruptly short-acuminate,
rounded at the base, 7-plinerved, with 2 small, inflated formicaria
near the base of the blade, bullate, rather densely setose on both
surfaces; inflorescence dense and headlike, many-flowered, long-
pedunculate, terminal or from the upper axils; flowers 5-parted, the
calyx tube densely villous, the inner teeth ovate, obtuse, 0.7 inm.
long, the outer ones subulate, 2 mm. long.
Clidemia spicata (Aubl.) DC. Savannas of the Pacific tierra
caliente; Buenos Aires; Boruca. Mexico to Brazil. A slender
shrub, the young branches, petioles, peduncles, and calyces stellate-
tomentose and setulose; leaves on short or long petioles, ovate to
800 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
lance-oblong, mostly 6-10 cm. long, acuminate, rounded or rarely
subcordate at the base, 5-nerved, minutely duplicate-dentate,
bullate-strigillose above; flowers spicate, subsessile, the inflorescences
short or somewhat elongate, usually nutant; calyx tube 3 mm. long,
the inner teeth 1.5-2 mm. long, the outer ones 3-4 mm. long; petals
white or pink, 4 mm. long; fruit purple-black, 5 mm. in diameter.
Clidemia strigillosa (Swartz) DC. Reported from Buenos
Aires, Tonduz 1*958. Ranging from West Indies to Peru. Similar
to C. spicata, but the branches, petioles, and calyces covered with
long, gland-tipped hairs. I have seen no Costa Rican material refer-
able to the species.
Clidemia testiculata (Triana) Gleason. Maieta testiculata
Cogn. In forests at middle elevations in the central region, also in
the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; ascending to 1,200
meters or more. Ranging to Colombia and Venezuela. A rather
stout shrub of 1-2 meters, the branches and peduncles densely and
shortly glandular-hirtellous; leaves sessile or very shortly petiolate,
ovate, acuminate, mostly cordate at the base, denticulate-serrate,
5-7-nerved, setulose above, densely hirtellous beneath, the petiole
with small, inflated formicaria at the base, or these sometimes lack-
ing; panicles rather large, pyramidal, many-flowered, commonly 6-12
cm. long; calyx sparsely short-setulose, the oblong tube 3 mm. long,
the outer teeth subulate; petals 2 mm. long; fruit 7-8 mm. long.
Clidemia tococoidea (DC.) Gleason. Maieta tococoidea Cogn.
Region of Talamanca, Atlantic tierra caliente. British Honduras to
Brazil and Peru. Rather similar to C. testiculata, but the leaves
long-petiolate, the petioles with rather large formicaria at the base;
calyx tube minutely pubescent, usually not setose.
CONOSTEGIA D. Don
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or furfuraceous, rarely hispid, the
pubescence often stellate; leaves petiolate, entire or denticulate,
3-5-nerved or 3-5-plinerved; flowers large or small, usually white,
in terminal panicles, 5-10-parted; calyx tube campanulate or hemi-
spheric, closed in bud, the limb calyptriform and in anthesis circum-
scissile at the base; petals obtuse or emarginate; stamens 10-25,
equal, the filaments glabrous, the anthers linear or oblong, obtuse
and 1-pored at the apex, the connective not produced at the base,
not appendaged; ovary 5-15-celled; fruit baccate, the seeds obovoid
or pyramidal, smooth. — A few additional species occur in Central
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 801
America. The genus is a rather large one, and from the standpoint
of distribution unusual, because nearly all the species are North
American, only a few extending to South America.
Conostegia Bernoulliana Cogn. Collected at Naranjo by
Wendland. Also in Guatemala. Glabrous throughout; leaves
long-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, 12-17 cm. long, shortly obtuse-
acuminate, attenuate at the base, 5-plinerved, entire; flowers
8-parted, the panicles pyramidal, 10 cm. long; buds globose or sub-
globose, muticous, 7-8 mm. in diameter, slightly verruculose. No
material of this species has been seen by the writer.
Conostegia bigibbosa Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1:
252. 1891. Forests of El General, 800 meters, Pittier 3793. Endemic;
not seen by the writer. Younger branches, petioles, peduncles, and
leaves (beneath along the nerves) sparsely furfuraceous-puberulent,
elsewhere glabrous; leaves large, elliptic-ovate, as much as 25 cm.
long, abruptly apiculate, rounded at the base and bigibbous beneath,
remotely denticulate, 5-nerved; flowers 8-10-parted, the large
panicles broadly pyramidal; buds globose, rounded at the apex,
6-8 mm. long. Said to be related to C. Oerstediana.
Conostegia bracteata Triana. Forests of the Atlantic tierra
caliente and at middle elevations on the Pacific slope. Nicaragua
to Panama. A shrub, the branches covered with very long-stipitate,
spreading, stellate-branched hairs; leaves short-petiolate, oblong,
10-18 cm. long, rather long-acuminate, obtuse or almost rounded at
the base, denticulate, rather densely setose-pilose on both surfaces,
the hairs of the lower surface often stellately branched at the apex,
5-nerved; panicles small but many-flowered, the flowers sessile,
glomerate, the bracts small; buds acutish, densely setose, 3 mm.
in diameter.
Conostegia Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex 2-3.5 m. altus,
ramis dense pilis stellatis sessilibus et longistipitatis intermixtis
hirtellis; folia subaequalia 7-15 mm. longe petiolata, petiolis crassis
dense stellate- tomentellis; lamina crasse membranacea lanceolato-
oblonga 6-13.5 cm. longa 2.5-5 cm. lata vulgo longe anguste acumi-
nata, basi acuta vel obtusa, denticulata vel subintegra, 5-plinervia,
nervis superioribus interdum alte supra basin laminae insertis, supra
dense setuloso-pilosa, tactu aspera, subtus multo pallidior sat dense
stellato-pilosa, pilis plerumque sessilibus sed ex parte stipitatis;
paniculae thyrsoideae erectae pedunculatae multiflorae vel interdum
pauciflorae usque 6 cm. longae, floribus sessilibus vel breviter crasse
802 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
pedicellatis, bracteis parvis inconspicuis; alabastra ellipsoideo-
ovoidea 6-7 mm. longa apice acutiuscula dense breviter setosa, setis
apice radiatim stellato-ramosis; tubus calycis fere 4 mm. latus. — In
forest, La Palma de San Ramon, 1,300 meters, July, 1937, Brenes
5577 (type in Herb. Field Mus.); July, 1928, Brenes 6199. In forest
toward Cerros de San Antonio de San Ramon, 1,100-1,200 meters,
Brenes 5633. La Hondura de San Jose", 1,300 meters, M. Valeria
707. Flowers 5-parted, purple-violaceous, the buds pink.
Conostegia Cooperii Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 705. 1891.
Cartago, 1,700 meters, Cooper 290. Regions of Cartago and San
Ramon, also in the upper part of the Atlantic tierra caliente, at
900-1,700 meters. Endemic. A shrub or tree, 2-6 meters high, the
branches and petioles rather densely furfuraceous-tomentose; leaves
on short or long petioles, elliptic-oblong or narrowly elliptic, mostly
8-13 cm. long, short-acuminate, acute or subobtuse at the base,
entire or nearly so, 5-nerved or sometimes 5-plinerved, glabrous
above, sparsely furfuraceous-puberulent beneath; panicles rather
small and dense, many-flowered, the flowers 5-parted; buds glabrous,
acutish at the apex, subtruncate at the base, somewhat constricted
at the middle, glabrous, 7 mm. long; petals white.
Conostegia dolichostylis Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 294. 19C6.
In forest, Buenos Aires, Prov. Puntarenas, Tonduz 4943. Endemic;
not seen by the author. Plants densely and stellately ferruginous-
pubescent throughout except on the upper leaf surface; leaves
petiolate, lanceolate, 8-15 cm. long, acuminate at each end, sinuate-
denticulate, 5-plinerved, glabrous on the upper surface; flowers
5-parted, the small panicles few-flowered, the pedicels 11 mm. long
or less; calyx tube turbinate-campanulate, 7 mm. long, pubescent.
Conostegia Donnell-Smithii Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7:
700. 1891. Cartago, 1,300 meters, Cooper 327. Regions of Cartago
and San Ramon, in forest, 1,200-1,850 meters. Panama. A gla-
brous shrub or small tree; leaves oblong-elliptic or elliptic, slender-
petiolate, 7-10 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, acute at the base,
3-nerved, entire or nearly so; flowers 7-parted, the panicles rather
small and few-flowered, the pedicels 5-8 mm. long; buds ovoid, 7-8
mm. long, short-acuminate; petals yellowish.
Conostegia extinctoria (Bonpl.) D. Don. Reported from
Boruca (Tonduz 3801) and Lagarto, Diquis Valley (Tonduz). Colom-
bia. A shrub or small tree, the branches furfuraceous-tomentose;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, 10-20 cm. long, long-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 803
acuminate, almost rounded to subacute at the base, 5-plinerved,
obsoletely sinuate-denticulate, sparsely furfuraceous-puberulent be-
neath on the nerves; panicles many-flowered, the flowers sessile, 5-6-
parted; buds 7 mm. long, 4 mm. broad, obtusely subacuminate,
densely furfuraceous-tomentose. I have seen no Costa Rican
material referable to this species.
Conostegia lasiopoda Benth. Bot. Voy. Sulph. 96. 1844. Cocos
Island, Barclay. Endemic on Cocos Island. Branches and petioles
setose; leaves oblong-elliptic, 12-20 cm. long, long-acuminate, acute
at the base, entire or nearly so, short-petiolate, 5-nerved, furfura-
ceous-puberulent beneath on the nerves, elsewhere glabrous; panicles
narrow and rather few-flowered, the flowers sessile, inconspicuously
bracteate; buds subconic, 9 mm. long, 5 mm. wide, acuminate,
densely furfuraceous.
Conostegia macrantha 0. Berg ex Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc.
28: 97. 1871. Candelaria, Oersted 12 (photo, of type seen, ex herb.
Copenhagen) . Frequent in forests at middle or rather high elevations,
chiefly at 1,400-2,500 meters. Endemic. A stout shrub or small
tree, the young branches, petioles, and lower leaf surface more or
less furfuraceous-puberulent, otherwise glabrous; leaves large, long-
petiolate, ovate-oblong to elliptic, mostly 10-25 cm. long, abruptly
short-acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, 5-plinerved, entire or
nearly so; flowers 9-10-parted, the panicles large and pyramidal,
15-20 cm. long, the pedicels elongate; buds globose, rounded and
apiculate at the apex, 12-13 mm. broad, somewhat verruculose;
stamens 25-36.
Conostegia montana (Swartz) D. Don. Reported from Sara-
piqui, Biolley 6910. Guatemala, Jamaica, and Trinidad; no Costa
Rican material seen by the writer. A glabrous shrub or small tree;
leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 7-10 cm. long, obtusely acumi-
nate, acute at the base, 5-plinerved, entire; flowers 5-parted, the
panicles few-flowered, 4-8 cm. long; buds acute, 6-8 mm. long, 2.5-3
mm. wide; petals retuse.
Conostegia Montealegreana Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7:
1189. 1891. Carrillo, at 300 meters, Pittier. Region of San Ramon,
at 1,000 meters. Endemic. A shrub 1-2 meters high, glabrous
throughout or nearly so; leaves on very short petioles, oblong or
lance-oblong, mostly 12-18 cm. long, narrowly long-acuminate,
rounded to subacute at the apex, obscurely 5-plinerved, obscurely
denticulate; panicles small and few-flowered, the flowers capitate at
804 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the ends of the few stout branches, the bracts large, purple, closely
investing the heads; buds ovoid, 5-6 mm. long, 3 mm. thick, acutish
or obtuse; petals deeply emarginate. In appearance this species is
remarkably unlike other members of the genus, because of the con-
spicuously bracted flower heads, which are rather large and terminate
the umbellately disposed branches of the panicle.
Conostegia Oerstediana 0. Berg ex Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc.
28: 98. 1871. Mariquita, Cantarillo. Turrialba and Naranjo, Oersted.
Frequent in forests of the central region, also in the upper part of the
Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; at 900-1,800 meters.
Panama. A shrub or tree of 3-8 meters, glabrous throughout; leaves
thick, usually rather long-petiolate, ovate to elliptic, mostly 10-16
cm. long, short-acuminate, rounded to subacute at the base, 5-
plinerved, remotely denticulate or almost entire; flowers 8-parted,
fragrant, white, the panicles pyramidal, many-flowered; buds apic-
ulate, globose, 6-8 mm. in diameter, smooth.
Conostegia Pittierii Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 27, pt. 2: 176.
1888. Escobillo. Alto del Roble, 1,800-2,000 meters, Pittier. Com-
mon in moist forests of the central region, chiefly on the Pacific
slope, at 1,200-2,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Endemic. A
rather slender tree of 6-12 meters, glabrous throughout; leaves
slender-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic, mostly 5-10
cm. long, narrowly long-acuminate, attenuate at the base, 3-pli-
nerved, entire or nearly so; flowers 6-parted, white, fragrant, the
panicles corymbiform and few-flowered, the pedicels slender and
elongate; buds acutely long-acuminate, subtruncate at the base, 10-
12 mm. long, 5 mm. thick. The tree is a handsome one because of
its abundance of rather showy flowers. Var. brevifolia Cogn. in DC.
Monogr. Phan. 7: 704. 1891 appears to be a form of slight systematic
importance, differentiated chiefly by having leaves somewhat smaller
than those of the type. It was described from Volcan de Barba.
Conostegia puberula Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 703. 1891.
The type is from Chontales, Nicaragua, but the species was based
in part also upon material collected at San Miguel by Wendland.
Frequent in forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente, also about La
Palma de San Jose", and in the region of San Ramon, at 1,500 meters
or less. Nicaragua to Panama. A shrub or a tree with rounded
crown, 3-12 meters high, the younger branches sparsely furfuraceous;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong or elliptic-oblong, mostly 10-15 cm.
long, short-acuminate, acute at the base, 5-plinerved, obscurely
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 805
undulate-denticulate, somewhat furfuraceous beneath, at least on
the nerves; panicles mostly many-flowered and pyramidal; flowers
6-parted, fragrant; buds furfuraceous-puberulent, 8-10 mm. long,
4-5 mm. thick.
Conostegia rhodopetala Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 295. 1906.
In forest at La Palma de San Jose", 1,500-1,800 meters, Tonduz 9702.
Frequent in humid forests of the central volcanoes, at middle or
rather high elevations. Endemic. A glabrous tree with rounded
crown; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, mostly
15-20 cm. long, shortly caudate-acuminate, acute or obtuse at the
base, 3-plinerved, entire; panicles large, pyramidal, rather lax, many-
flowered, the flowers 6-parted, long-pedicellate; buds 9 mm. long,
3 mm. thick, narrowed and rostrate at the apex; petals pink or white.
Conostegia setifera Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex vel arbor,
ramulis crassis, novellis densissime pilis longis patentibus vel reflexis
substramineis crassiusculis setosis, internodiis brevibus; folia majus-
cula petiolata pergamentacea, petiolo crassiusculo 3-5 cm. longo ut
ramulis setoso vel serius glabrato; lamina elliptica vel late elliptica
12-18 cm. longa 6-11 cm. lata, apice obtusa vel subrotundata et
breviter caudato-acuminata, basi acuta vel obtusa, 5-plinervia,
nervis superioribus alte supra basin laminae insertis, subintegra,
supra glabra, subtus paullo pallidior tantum ad nervos minute
furfuraceo-puberula aliter glabra, in statu juvenili ad nervos sparse
setosa; paniculae breviter vel longius pedunculatae parvae multi-
florae usque 7 cm. longae, floribus ad apices ramorum glomeratis
sessilibus, bracteis parvis; alabastra globosa 8-9 mm. diam. apice
late rotundata mutica, sparse inconspicue tuberculata subdense
minute stellato-furfuraceo-puberula. — Los Angeles de San Ramon,
camino de la finca Johanson, March, 1928, Brenes 6041 (type in
Herb. Field Mus.), 135S2. Cataratas de San Ramon, in 1931, Brenes
13652. Recognizable by the combination of long-setose branches
and sessile flowers.
Conostegia speciosa Naud. Occasional in thickets and forest
of the Pacific slope, ranging from the coast to about 1,400 meters.
Mexico to Venezuela. A shrub 2-4 meters high, the branches very
densely stellate-hirtellous with violet hairs; leaves short-petiolate,
oblong-ovate or oblong-elliptic, mostly 10-20 cm. long, short-acumi-
nate, rounded or obtuse at the base, 5-plinerved, dentate to sub-
entire, hirtellous above, stellate-tomentose beneath; panicles
many-flowered, small and dense, the flowers 6-parted, pink; buds
ovoid, acute, 5-6 mm. long, 4 mm. thick, densely long-hirsute.
806 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Conostegia subcrustulata (Beurl.) Triana. Frequent in
thicket and forest of the tierra caliente, ascending to 1,000 meters;
region of San Ramon. Nicaragua to Panama. A rather stout shrub
1.5-4 meters high, the young branches covered with a very dens^and
close, pale, stellate, furfuraceous tomentum; leaves thin, petiolate,
ovate or rounded-ovate, mostly 10-20 cm. long, acute or short-
acuminate, rounded or subcordate at the base, 7-11-plinerved,
dentate, thinly setulose above, sparsely or often densely furfuraceous-
puberulent beneath; panicles rather large and many-flowered, dense,
the flowers subsessile; buds acute, furfuraceous-puberulent, 4 mm.
long; petals pink. Easily recognized within the genus by the
numerous nerves of the leaves.
Conostegia superba (Bonpl.) D. Don. Santo Domingo de
Golfo Dulce, Pacific coast. Extending to Mexico, and in Jamaica.
A glabrous shrub of 5 meters or less; leaves large, long-petiolate,
ovate-oblong to broadly elliptic, 15-30 cm. long, short-acuminate,
rounded or obtuse at the base, 5-plinerved, subentire; panicles large
and lax, many-flowered, the flowers short-pedicellate; buds acute, 6-7
mm. long, 3-3.5 mm. thick; petals white, emarginate, 5-6 mm. long.
Conostegia tenuifolia Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 27: 334. 1899.
Forests near Shirores, Talamanca, 100 meters, Tonduz 9339. Fre-
quent in the Atlantic tierra caliente; forests of the region of San
Ramon, at 1,300 meters or less. Endemic. A slender shrub of 2-3
meters, the young branches, petioles, and peduncles stellate-puberu-
lent; leaves on rather short petioles, oblong to oblong-elliptic or
obovate, mostly 10-18 cm. long, shortly caudate-acuminate, acute
or obtuse at the base, 5-plinerved, glabrous, entire; panicles corymbi-
form, large or small, many-flowered, the flowers pedicellate; petals
usually 6; buds ovoid, subtruncate at the base, 8-9 mm. long,
mucronate, stellate-puberulent.
Conostegia vulcanicola Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 295. 1906.
Forests of El Achiote, southern slope of Volcan de Poas, 2,200
meters, Tonduz 10836. Endemic; not seen by the writer. Plants
stellulate-pubescent; leaves short-petiolate, lance-elliptic, 8-14 cm.
long, acuminate at each end, 5-plinerved, setuliferous on the margins,
glabrate above, pubescent beneath on the nerves and veins; panicles
pyramidal, trichotomous, pubescent, the flowers short-pedicellate,
5-6-parted; buds oblong-ovoid, apiculate, constricted at the middle,
5-6 mm. long, erostrate, puberulent or glabrate.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 807
Conostegia xalapensis (Bonpl.) D. Don. Lengua de vaca,
Lengua de gato. C. lanceolata Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 708.
1891 (San Jose", Wendland 639} ; C. lanceolata var. subtrinervia Cogn.
Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1: 253. 1891 (type Costa Rican). Com-
mon in thickets, forest, and pastures of the central region, chiefly
in the tierra templada but descending into the upper part of the
Atlantic tierra caliente, and on the Pacific slope almost or quite to
the coast; region of San Ramon. Mexico to Colombia, and in Cuba.
A shrub or often a tree with a broad, spreading crown, as much as 8
meters high, the branches densely stellate- tomentulose; leaves short-
petiolate, lance-oblong to ovate-oblong, mostly 8-15 cm. long,
acuminate, acute to rounded at the base, 5-plinerved, denticulate,
green and glabrate above, covered beneath with a fine, very dense,
whitish or rusty, stellate tomentum; panicles mostly small, many-
flowered, and dense, the flowers subsessile, 5-parted; buds 4-5 mm.
long, acute or acutish, densely tomentulose. This is probably the
most frequent woody representative of the Melastomaceae in
Central America, and it is abundant in the region of San Jose",
especially in hedges and pastures. The rather large, dark purple
fruits are very juicy and of good flavor, and often are eaten. In
flavor and appearance they suggest blueberries (V actinium'), and
they are of such quality as to be offered sometimes for sale in the
markets. C. lanceolata differs from the typical Mexican form with
round-based leaves principally in having somewhat narrower leaves
that are acute at the base. It seems altogether impossible to separate
the ample material available for study into two distinct forms, and
I am of the opinion that C. lanceolata is not even a good variety of
C. xalapensis.
The genus Henriettea probably is represented in Costa Rica,
since species of the genus are found in both northern and southern
Central America.
HENRIETTELLA Naud.
Shrubs or small trees, glabrous or pubescent; leaves mostly
petiolate and subcoriaceous, usually acuminate, entire or serrulate,
3-5-nerved or 3-plinerved; flowers small, fasciculate chiefly at leaf-
less nodes, pedicellate or subsessile, commonly 5-parted; calyx tube
campanulate, truncate or shallowly lobate, the lobes often with
minute outer teeth or tubercles; petals usually acute or acuminate;
stamens normally 10, equal, the filaments filiform, glabrous, the
808 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
anthers alike, short, obtuse, recurved, erostrate, 1-pored at the apex,
the connective not produced at the base, not appendaged; ovary
4-5-celled; fruit baccate, the seeds irregularly obovate-angulate.—
At least two other species are known from Central America.
Henriettella fascicularis (Swartz) Triana. Reported from
Boruca and Buenos Aires, Pacific coast. Extending to British
Honduras and the Greater Antilles. A shrub or small tree, the young
branches and petioles densely hirsute; leaves short-petiolate, oblong
or oblong-elliptic, 8-12 cm. long, acutish, attenuate and acute at the
base, 5-plinerved, scarcely ciliate, hirtellous and very rough to the
touch; flowers 4-parted, densely fasciculate, the pedicels 3-6 mm.
long; calyx campanulate, 3 mm. long; petals white, long-acuminate;
fruit globose, blackish, 5-6 mm. in diameter.
Henriettella Seemannii Naud. Reported from Te>raba and
Buenos Aires, Pacific tierra caliente. Panama. Young branches
and petioles appressed-setose; leaves petiolate, oblong, 8-11 cm. long,
acute, rounded at the base, the margin long-ciliate, sparsely short-
setulose on the upper surface; flowers 5-parted, the pedicels very
short; calyx narrowly campanulate, densely strigose, the tube 4 mm.
long, the lobes obtuse, 1 mm. long; petals 4-5 mm. long.
Henriettella tuberculosa Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 27: 335. 1899.
H. costaricensis Kraenzl. Vierteljahr. Naturf. Gesell. Zurich 76:
158. 1931 (based on the same collection as H. tuberculosa). Tala-
manca, forests of Tsaki, Tonduz 7263 (9606 in Herb. Nac. C. R.).
Reported also from El General; region of San Ramon. A shrub, the
branches scabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-obovate or oblong-
elliptic, 5-12 cm. long, narrowly long-acuminate, attenuate at the
base, entire, 5-plinerved, tuberculate on the upper surface, foveolate
beneath and strigose on the nerves; flowers 5-parted, the pedicels
very short; calyx 2 mm. long, paleaceous-strigose, minutely denticu-
late; petals 2 mm. long, obtuse.
HETEROGENTRON Hook. & Arn.
Plants herbaceous or suffrutescent, mostly erect, pubescent or
glabrate; leaves small, membranaceous, penninerved or multipli-
nerved; flowers 4-parted, usually paniculate, white to purple; calyx
setose, the tube ovoid to hemispheric, the lobes acute, triangular,
equaling the tube; petals obtuse, subretuse, or apiculate; stamens 8,
very unequal, the filaments glabrous, the anthers dissimilar, incurved,
linear-oblong or subulate, 1-pored at the apex, the cells undulate;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 809
connective of the larger anthers long-produced below the cells, with a
long, clavate appendage; ovary 8-costate, 4-celled, glabrous or setose;
fruit capsular, the seeds cochleate. — One or more additional species
are found in Central America.
Heterocentron glandulosum Schenck. In thickets, regions
of San Jose* and San Ramon, at 1,000-1,200 meters. Extending to
Guatemala. Plants erect, about 60 cm. high, densely short-setulose;
leaves ovate to elliptic, mostly 3-5 cm. long, acute at each end, 11-15-
plinerved, entire, densely pubescent; flowers white, forming a large,
terminal panicle; calyx glandular-setulose, the tube 3 mm. long;
petals 6-8 mm. long. The Costa Rican plant has been reported under
the name Heeria axillaris Cogn., a species which ranges from
Mexico to Nicaragua.
HETEROTRICHUM DC.
Slender shrubs, commonly hispid and often glandular; leaves
large, petiolate, oblong to ovate-cordate, many-nerved, entire or
serrulate; flowers 5-9-parted, rather large, in terminal or rarely
lateral panicles; calyx hispid or glandular-pilose, the tube campanu-
late or globose, the lobes usually appendaged dorsally with subulate
teeth; petals obtuse or rounded at the apex; stamens twice as many
as the petals, equal, the filaments filiform, glabrous, the anthers
linear-oblong or subulate, 1-pored at the apex, the connective not
produced at the base, not appendaged; ovary 6-12-celled; fruit
baccate, the seeds minute, ovoid, rarely angulate or pyramidal.—
There probably are no other species in Central America.
Heterotrichum globuliflorum Cogn. Bull.Soc. Bot. Belg. 27, pt.
2:176.1888. Alto del Roble, 2,000 meters, Pittier. Endemic. Pubes-
cence eglandular; leaves ovate, 8-12 cm. long, short-acuminate,
rounded at the base, 7-nerved, sparsely setulose, especially on the
upper surface; cymes pedunculate, compact, globose, many-flowered,
the flowers subsessile.
Heterotrichum octonum (Bonpl.) DC. Frequent in forest and
thickets of the tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; at 950 meters or
usually less. Mexico to West Indies and Peru. A shrub, usually
1-2 meters high, the branches, petioles, and calyces densely or
sparsely setulose with simple or glandular hairs, also stellate-tomen-
tose; leaves rather long-petiolate, cordate-ovate, 10-20 cm. long,
short-acuminate, 7-9-nerved, denticulate, hispidulous above, stellate-
tomentose beneath; flowers 8-parted, in small panicles; calyx tube
810 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
4-5 mm. long, the inner lobes short and obtuse, the outer ones 2-3
mm. long; petals white, 8-9 mm. long; fruit 7-8 mm. long.
LEANDRA Raddi
Shrubs or small trees, commonly pilose or setulose; leaves mostly
petiolate, entire or serrulate, 3-9-nerved; flowers 4-7-parted, chiefly
5-parted, paniculate, small, the panicles terminal; calyx tube globose
to urceolate, the limb dentate or lobate, the teeth usually 2-seriate,
the outer teeth subulate or tuberculiform, the inner membranaceous
and more or less connate with the outer ones; petals lanceolate to
subulate, acute or acuminate; stamens twice as many as the petals,
equal or unequal, the filaments subulate or filiform, glabrous, the
anthers small, linear or linear-oblong, straight or recurved, 1-pored
at the apex, the connective not or scarcely produced below the cells,
not or obscurely appendaged; ovary commonly 3-5-celled; fruit
baccate; seeds ovoid-angulate, obcuneate, or globose.— A few other
species are represented in Central America.
Leandra cornoides (Schlecht. & Cham.) Cogn. Reported from
El Achiote, 2,200 meters, Tonduz 10837. Extending to Mexico. A
shrub about a meter high, the young branches thinly furfuraceous-
puberulent; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong, 5-10 cm. long, short-
acuminate, rounded at the base, 5-7-plinerved, glabrous or beneath
sparsely furfuraceous-puberulent; panicles 4-6 cm. long, the pedicels
1-10 mm. long; calyx glabrous, the tube 3 mm. long, the teeth very
short; petals pink, lanceolate, 5-6 mm. long; fruit globose, 4-5 mm.
in diameter.
Leandra costaricensis Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 658.
1891. Lengua de vaca. Cartago, 1,300 meters, Cooper 181. Frequent
in forests at middle and upper elevations, chiefly at 1,300-2,000
meters. Probably endemic. A slender shrub of 1.5-4 meters, the
younger branches, petioles, and panicles stellate-furfuraceous and
short-hirtellous; leaves ovate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, mostly 10-15
cm. long, short-acuminate, rounded or subemarginate at the base,
sparsely setulose above, sparsely short-setulose beneath on the nerves,
5-nerved; panicles small or large, lax and many-flowered, the flowers
almost sessile; calyx scarcely furfuraceous, sparsely short-hirtellous,
the tube 2 mm. long. L. costaricensis var. angustifolia Cogn. (in DC.
Monogr. Phan. 7: 1187. 1891; San Lorenzo de Dota, 1,250 meters,
Pittier 2269} with ovate-lanceolate leaves, and L. costaricensis var.
hirsutior Cogn. (loc. cit.; Alajuelita, 1,130 meters, Pittier 2394) with
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 811
longer and more abundant pubescence, appear to be forms of no
special systematic significance.
Leandra dichotoma (D. Don) Cogn. Frequent in thickets of
the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; at 900 meters or
less. Guatemala to Brazil and Bolivia. A slender shrub of 1-3.5
meters, the branches very densely hirtellous with spreading hairs;
leaves long-petiolate, ovate, long-acuminate, rounded at the base,
7-9-nerved, densely villous-hirtellous beneath; panicles large and
many-flowered, mostly 10-20 cm. long; calyx densely hirtellous, the
tube 2.5 mm. long; petals white; fruit 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Leandra fulva Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 658. 1891. With-
out definite locality, at 3,000 meters, Wendland. Regions of Navarro
and San Ramon, 1,100-1,500 meters. Also in Guatemala. A slender
shrub of 1.5-2 meters, the branches, peduncles, and petioles densely
stellate-puberulent and short-hirtellous; leaves long-petiolate, oblong-
ovate, narrowly long-acuminate, rounded at the base, 5-nerved,
sparsely setulose above, sparsely hirtellous beneath, especially on
the nerves; panicles small or large, the flowers almost sessile; calyx
densely furfuraceous and short-hirtellous, the tube 2.5 mm. long;
petals white; fruit 3 mm. in diameter.
Leandra grandifolia Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 690. 1891.
San Miguel, Wendland. Reported from the tierra caliente of both
coasts. Endemic. A slender shrub, the branches appressed-hirsute;
leaves long-petiolate, ovate, 15-25 cm. long, short-acuminate,
rounded or subemarginate at the base, 7-9-nerved, sparsely setulose
above, rather sparsely short-pilose beneath; panicles terminal and
axillary, 10-15 cm. long; calyx tube 1.5-2 mm. long.
Leandra lasiopetala Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1: 249.
1891. Forests of Las Pavas, Reventazon Valley, Pittier 3149.
Reported also from Rios La Union and Convento, San Miguel, and
Cuesta de Los Huevos. Endemic. Branches densely hirsute with
retrorse, appressed hairs; leaves ovate, short-acuminate, sparsely
short-setulose above, sparsely short-pilose beneath, 7-9-nerved;
outer calyx teeth half as long as the tube.
Leandra mexicana (Naud.) Cogn. Reported from Buenos
Aires, Pacific tierra caliente. Mexico to Panama. A slender shrub
1-2 meters high, the young branches, petioles, and inflorescence
densely glandular-pilose; leaves ovate, short-acuminate, more or
less cordate at the base, densely velutinous-pilose on both surfaces,
812 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
dentate; panicles large and lax, the flowers 7-parted, sessile; calyx
tube 3 mm. long; fruit violet, 5 mm. in diameter.
Leandra retropilosa Cogn. Reported by Cogniaux from Costa
Rica (Polakowsky 506}, without definite locality. Nicaragua to
Brazil. Branches appressed-hirsute; leaves oblong, 8-12 cm. long,
long-acuminate, rounded at the base, 5-nerved, sparsely short-
setulose above, rather sparsely short-pilose beneath; panicles 5-15
cm. long; calyx tube 2.5 mm. long, the teeth 1-1.5 mm. long; fruit
4 mm. in diameter.
Leandra subseriata (Naud.) Cogn. Lengua de vaca. Reported
from Rio Segundo, also as collected by Oersted without special
locality. Guatemala to Ecuador. Young branches very densely
stellate- tomentose and sparsely long-hirtellous; leaves ovate-oblong,
8-12 cm. long, short-acuminate, rounded or subemarginate at the
base, 7-nerved, setulose and stellate-furfuraceous on the upper sur-
face, densely stellate- tomentose beneath; panicles rather small,
the flowers sessile; calyx densely stellate-furfuraceous, the tube 2
mm. long, the outer teeth very short, acute; fruit 4 mm. in diameter.
MAIETA Aubl.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves conspicuously dimorphic, the larger
one of each pair bearing a formicarium; flowers solitary and sessile
or few and short-pedunculate, axillary, 5-parted; calyx tube obconic
to campanulate, glandular-hirsute, the teeth semiorbicular, with
small exterior teeth; petals obtuse; stamens equal. — No other species
are known from Central America.
Maieta Poeppigii Mart. Cocos Island. British Guiana, Brazil,
and Peru. Plants low and suffrutescent, the branches furfuraceous
and sparsely hirsute; leaves short-petiolate, oblong or oblong-lanceo-
late, the larger ones 9-12 cm. long, short-acuminate, obtuse at the
base, 5-plinerved, each with an inflated formicarium at the base;
flowers pedicellate, in few-flowered cymes; calyx tube 4-5 mm. long;
petals white; fruit cream-colored, 6-7 mm. in diameter.
MICONIA Ruiz & Pavon
Shrubs or trees; leaves usually petiolate, entire or dentate;
flowers rather small, 4-8-parted, normally 5-parted, in terminal or
very rarely lateral panicles or corymbs, rarely glomerate or spicate,
most often white, short-pedicellate or sessile, sometimes secund on
the branches; calyx tube urceolate, campanulate, or globose, the limb
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 813
truncate or lobate, the lobes short, not appendaged externally or
the appendages punctiform or minute; petals obovate or oblong,
obtuse or retuse; stamens equal or nearly so, the filaments subulate or
filiform; anthers polymorphous, short or elongate, commonly linear,
oblong, or subulate, 1-2-4-pored at the apex, the connective usually
short-produced below the cells, anteriorly biauriculate or bitubercu-
late; ovary 2-5-celled; fruit baccate, usually globose; seeds pyramidal
or angulate, rarely ovoid, generally smooth and lustrous. — The
largest genus of the family, with 600 or more species. Numerous
species besides those listed here are found in other parts of Central
America. The plants often form a conspicuous element of the under-
growth in the forests, and some species grow abundantly in cut-over
or formerly cultivated land. The fruits often are juicy and edible.
Miconia aeruginosa Naud. Lengua de vaca, Terciopelo de Santa
Maria. Common in thickets and hedges at middle elevations on
both watersheds, particularly in the Meseta Central, mostly at 1,000-
1,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Southern Mexico to Venezuela.
A shrub 1-3 meters high, the young branches densely hirsute; leaves
on rather short petioles, broadly to narrowly ovate, mostly 15-20
cm. long, long-acuminate, rounded or shallowly cordate at the base,
5-7-nerved, denticulate, thin, densely long-pilose on the upper sur-
face, densely hirtellous beneath; inflorescence a small or large panicle,
the flowers arranged in long and slender, dense spikes; calyx
obscurely lobate, 2-2.5 mm. long, sparsely hirsute; petals white,
broadly obovate, retuse, 1.5-2 mm. long. The plant is a common
shrub in many places about San Jose". It is somewhat variable, and
it is probable that the material referred here at present represents
two distinct species, distinguishable by pubescence.
Miconia albicans (Swartz) Triana. Regions of Boruca and
Buenos Aires, Pacific tierra caliente; Paramos del Abejonal, 1,900
meters. Guatemala to West Indies and Paraguay. A stout, stiff
shrub 1-2 meters high, the young branches, petioles, and inflorescence
very densely and minutely white- or rufous- tomentulose; leaves
short-petiolate, coriaceous, ovate-oblong, mostly 7-13 cm. long,
acute or subobtuse, rounded or shallowly cordate at the base, 5-nerved,
glabrous and shining above, at least in age, covered beneath with a
very dense, minute, pale tomentum; flowers small, secund along the
branches, in rather small, thyrsiform panicles; calyx tube shallowly
5-lobate, 2.5-3 mm. long; petals white, subretuse, 2.5 mm. long;
fruit dark blue, 4 mm. in diameter, 10-costate. Although in Costa
Rica this species appears to be confined to the tierra caliente, prob-
814 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ably to savanna regions, in other parts of Central America, as in
Honduras, it ascends to middle elevations, and is found there
abundantly in regions of pine forest. In Honduras this species is
called Cirin and Negrito.
Miconia argentea (Swartz) DC. Santa Maria, Maria. Fre-
quent in thickets or forest of the Pacific slope, chiefly in the tierra
caliente but ascending sometimes to 1,400 meters; Guanacaste;
region of San Ramon. Southern Mexico to Panama. A shrub or
more often a tree, sometimes 10 meters high, with spreading crown;
young branches strongly compressed, very densely and minutely
pale-tomentulose like the petioles and branches of the inflorescence;
leaves petiolate, subcoriaceous, oblong-ovate to rounded, mostly
10-25 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the
base, denticulate, 5-nerved, bright green, glabrous, and lustrous
above, covered beneath with a minute but very dense, white tomen-
tum; panicles large and much branched, pyramidal; calyx 10-costate,
1.5-2 mm. long; petals white, 2 mm. long; fruit about 3 mm. in
diameter. A conspicuous and handsome tree, plentiful in some
localities. When the tree is blown by the wind, the white under
surfaces of the leaves are exposed, so that it appears to be covered
with white flowers. In Panama the name Oreja de mula is applied
to this species. Pittier lists the Te'rraba name of Shorka-kra.
Miconia astroplocama Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 295. 1906.
In forest, Tuis, Prov. Cartago, 650 meters, Tonduz 111+38. Las
Vueltas de Tucurrique; probably frequent in the Atlantic tierra
caliente. Endemic (?). A tree as much as 9 meters high with a
rounded crown, the young branches, petioles, and branches of the
inflorescence covered with a very dense, soft, stellate, brownish
tomentum, some of the hairs stipitate; leaves short-petiolate, coria-
ceous, oblong-obovate or elliptic-oblong, mostly 20-30 cm. long,
abruptly short-acuminate, acutish or obtuse at the base, 5-nerved,
entire, lustrous and glabrous above, covered beneath with a dense,
yellowish, stellate tomentum; panicles large and much branched,
the flowers sessile or short-pedicellate, glomerate; calyx 4.5 mm. long,
the limb with small, rounded lobes; petals 3 mm. long; fruit 5 mm.
in diameter, stellate-pilose.
Miconia atrosanguinea Cogn. Bot. Jahrb. 8: 23. 1886. Acino-
dendrum atrosanguineum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 950. 1891. Between
Desengano and Cariblanco, Wendland. Frequent in humid forests
of the central region, chiefly at 1,300-2,500 meters, abundant in
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 815
some localities, especially at rather high elevations; region of San
Ramon. Also in Panama. A slender shrub 1-2.5 meters high, the
branches, petioles, peduncles, and calyces long-hirsute with spreading
hairs; leaves on long, slender petioles, thin, ovate or oblong-ovate,
mostly 5-10 cm. long, long-acuminate, rounded at the base, entire
or nearly so, bright green, sparsely setulose on both surfaces; inflores-
cence of a rather dark but bright red, long-pedunculate, usually
pendent, laxly branched, the flowers long-pedicellate; calyx tube
4 mm. long, the teeth triangular, 1-2 mm. long; petals 5-6 mm. long.
A handsome although not especially conspicuous shrub, on account
of the bright red flowers, of a color unique in the genus, so far as it is
represented in Central America. A frequent and characteristic
plant of the wet forests on the upper slopes of the central mountains.
Miconia barbinervis (Benth.) Triana. Reported from several
localities in the tierra caliente. Nicaragua to Trinidad, Brazil, and
Peru. A shrub 2 meters high, the branches, petioles, and panicles
densely long-hirsute with fulvous hairs; leaves narrowly ovate or
elliptic-oblong, 12-20 cm. long, long-acuminate, cuneate or subobtuse
at the base, 3-5-nerved, repand-denticulate, densely long-pilose on
the upper surface, long-hirsute beneath on the nerves, elsewhere
hirtellous; panicles sparsely branched, 5-15 cm. long, the sessile
flowers in dense heads at the ends of the branches; calyx densely
hirsute with long, branched, eglandular hairs 3-4 mm. long; petals
retuse, 3 mm. long, glabrous; fruit 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia Beurlingii Triana. Suretka, Talamanca Valley.
Panama, Trinidad, and Venezuela. A shrub, the branches obtusely
tetragonous, the young branches, petioles, and panicles minutely
punctate-furfuraceous; leaves on very short petioles, thin, oblong
to ovate-oblong, mostly 14-20 cm. long, acuminate, acute at the
base, 5-nerved, almost entire or undulate-denticulate, stellate-
punctate beneath; panicles broadly pyramidal, 5-10 cm. long, the
flowers glomerate; calyx 1.5-2 mm. long, minutely 5-denticulate;
petals obpvate, subretuse, 1.5 mm. long; fruit blue-black, 3 mm.
in diameter.
Miconia biperulifera Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 911.
1891. Slopes of Volcan Poas, 2,460 meters, Pittier. Slopes of
Poas and Irazu, 2,000-2,700 meters, growing in wet forest. En-
demic. A small, densely branched tree, 6-7 meters high, the branches,
petioles, and panicles densely brownish-stellate-furfuraceous; leaves
slender-petiolate, subcoriaceous, broadly elliptic to oblong-elliptic,
816 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
2.5-5.5 cm. long, shortly obtuse-acuminate, obtuse or acute at the
base, 3-plinerved, remotely denticulate, glabrous above, green and
sparsely furfuraceous beneath; panicles small but many-flowered,
erect, 4-6 cm. long; calyx sparsely furfuraceous, 2 mm. long; fruit
globose, 6 mm. in diameter. Var. rigida Cogn. (in DC. Monogr.
Phan. 7: 1192. 1891) is a form of little importance, apparently, with
small leaves and smaller panicles; its type is from Potrero del Alto,
Volcan Poas, Pittier.
Miconia borealis Gleason. Resino. Thickets or forests of the
Pacific tierra caliente, at 1,000 meters or less; ascending to the
region of San Ramon. Southern Mexico to Cuba and Panama.
A slender shrub or tree, sometimes 10 meters high, glabrous almost
throughout; leaves short-petiolate, firm, blackish when dried, oblong-
lanceolate, 8-10 cm. long, narrowly long-acuminate, subacute to
almost rounded at the base, entire or nearly so, 3-nerved or obscurely
5-nerved; panicles small but much branched and many-flowered,
5-10 cm. long; calyx 1.5 mm. long, the teeth minute; petals white.
The plant has been reported from Costa Rica incorrectly as M.
minutiflora (Humb. & Bonpl.) DC.
Miconia Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex gracilis 3-4-metralis,
ramis juvenilibus sparse vel dense ferrugineo-stellato-furfuraceis,
cito glabratis, internodiis brevibus; folia parva graciliter petiolata
membranacea in sicco laete viridia, petiolo 5-20 mm. longo sparse
vel dense furfuraceo-puberulo vel glabrato; lamina lanceolata vel
elliptico-lanceolata 5.5-11.5 cm. longa 1.5-4 cm. lata longe anguste
attenuato-acuminata, basi acuta vel attenuata, integra vel minute
denticulata, 3-5-plinervia, nervis interioribus alte supra basin lami-
nae nascentibus, supra glabra, subtus ad nervos minute brunneo-
furfuracea; paniculae parvae numerosae pyramidal es vel corymbi-
formes vix ad 4 cm. longae laxe multiflorae, ramis gracillimis sparse
minute furfuraceis vel fere glabris, bracteis parvis oblongis vel
subtriangularibus viridibus saepissime patentibus, pedicellis 1-2
mm. longis; calyx campanulatus glaber vel obscure minutissime
furfuraceus viridis 1.5 mm. longus, limbo brevissime late remote
denticulate; petala alba late oblonga 2 mm. longa apice rotundata
vel obtusa, erecta; antherae oblongae vix 1 mm. longae apice uni-
porosae; stylus glaber 3-4 mm. longus, stigmate parvo capitate.—
Santiago de San Ramon, January, 1937, Brenes 21981 (type in Herb.
Field Mus.). El Silencio (Los Angeles) de San Ramon, Brenes 17082.
Alto de La Palma de San Ramon, 1,250 meters, Brenes 3812. La
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 817
Palma de San Ramon, 1,100-1,275 meters, Brenes 6742, 6782, 5156,
6768, 5232, 11903, 15049.
Miconia calvescens DC. Tuis; Las Vueltas, Tucurrique; at
about 650 meters. Chiapas to Paraguay and Argentina. A small
tree; branches, petioles, peduncles, and calyces rather densely
covered with small, appressed, grayish, stellate hairs; leaves very
large, rather thin, on short or long petioles, rounded-obovate to
obovate-oblong, 15-40 cm. long, acute or abruptly short-acuminate,
rounded to subcordate at the base, membranaceous, repand-denticu-
late or entire, 5-nerved, at first sparsely and minutely stellate-
furfuraceous but soon glabrate; panicles large and pyramidal, 20-50
cm. long, the flowers crowded into small, dense heads at the tips
of the branchlets; calyx 3 mm. long, the limb subentire; petals
white, 2-2.5 mm. long; fruit 10-costate, 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia carnea Cogn. Bot. Jahrb. 8: 28. 1886. Near San
Isidro, Lehmann 1809. Related to M. biperulifera; branches
obtusely tetragonous, the younger branches, petioles, panicles, and
calyces densely stellate-furfuraceous; leaves oblong-lanceolate, short-
petiolate, rather stiff, 10-15 cm. long, short-acuminate, 3-plinerved,
entire; panicles pyramidal, 10-15 cm. long; calyx 2.5 mm. long,
the lobes short; petals pink, rounded at the apex, 2 mm. long.
Known to the writer only from the description.
Miconia caudata (Bonpl.) DC. Forest and thickets of the
Pacific tierra caliente, ascending to El Abejonal; region of San
Ramon. Panama and Colombia. A shrub or small tree, the slender
branches, petioles, and branches of the inflorescence sparsely and
finely furfuraceous-puberulent; leaves petiolate, thin and green,
narrowly to very broadly ovate, mostly 15-25 cm. long, abruptly
caudate, the tip linear and usually 2 cm. long or more, obtuse or
rounded at the base, 5-nerved, entire, glabrous above, sparsely or
rather densely furfuraceous-puberulent beneath or in age almost
glabrous; panicles large and many-flowered, the flowers mostly
pedicellate; calyx sparsely furfuraceous, distinctly lobate, 2.5 mm.
long; petals pinkish, furfuraceous outside, 3 mm. long; fruit ob-
scurely 10-costate, 4 mm. in diameter. Conspicuous because of the
very long and narrow, tail-like tips of the leaves.
Miconia costaricensis Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 887.
1891. Desengano and Cariblanco, Wendland. Young branches,
petioles, and panicles very shortly and densely hirtellous; leaves
oblong, short-petiolate, 10-15 cm. long, long-acuminate, rounded
818 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
at the base, 7-plinerved, unequally dentate, setulose above, rather
densely hirtellous beneath; panicles pyramidal, 7-8 cm. long, the
flowers on very short pedicels; calyx hirsute, 3 mm. long, the lobes
short and obtuse; petals obovate, 2 mm. long; anthers 1 mm. long.
Var. Pittierii Cogn. op. cit. 888 (La Palma, 1,500 meters, Pittier)
has membranaceous leaves which are densely hirtellous beneath, and
slightly smaller flowers. I have seen no material of this species,
but the 7-plinerved leaves should be distinctive.
Miconia cuneata Triana. Jime'nez, Llanuras de Santa Clara,
J. D. Smith 4790. Guatemala to Peru. A shrub, the young branches,
petioles, and panicles densely stellate-hirsute, the hairs long and
spreading, branched at the apex; leaves on very short petioles,
oblong or oblong-lanceolate, mostly 15-25 cm. long, long-acuminate,
attenuate to the subcordate base, 5-nerved, more or less dentate,
stellate-hirsute beneath, especially on the nerves, hirsute above
with simple hairs; panicles rather large, the branches stout, the
flowers sessile; calyx 3 mm. long; petals 2 mm. long.
Miconia densiflora Cogn. Reported from San Marcos, Tonduz
7738; Candelaria, 1,900 meters, Tonduz 7870. Colombia. Young
branches, petioles, panicles, and calyces densely stellate-furfuraceous;
leaves petiolate, ovate-oblong, 12-18 cm. long, narrowly long-
acuminate, rather stiff, 5-plinerved, densely and minutely stellate-
pilose beneath; panicles 10 cm. long, the flowers sessile, densely
glomerate; calyx 3 mm. long, minutely 5-lobate; petals 2-2.5 mm.
long. Known to the writer only from the description.
Miconia desmantha Benth. of Colombia has been reported
from Costa Rica, but the material so named is probably referable
to M. aeruginosa. Material referred by Cogniaux to M. dichotoma
Naud., apparently an unpublished name, likewise is probably
M. aeruginosa.
Miconia dodecandra (Desr.) Cogn. Santa Maria. Frequent
in thickets or forest at middle elevations on the Pacific slope, mostly
at 1,000-1,400 meters; Aguacaliente; region of San Ramon. Mexico
to West Indies and Brazil. A shrub or small tree, 3-7 meters high,
the branches, petioles, and panicles densely covered with a pale or
brownish, stellate tomentum; leaves on rather long petioles, ovate
or oblong-ovate, 12-18 cm. long, rather abruptly acuminate, rounded
at the base, generally 5-nerved, entire or almost so, glabrous above
or nearly so, covered beneath with a very dense and close, pale
brownish, stellate tomentum, somewhat coriaceous; flowers mostly
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 819
6-parted, the panicles 10-25 cm. long, many-flowered, the flowers
mostly on pedicels 4-10 mm. long; calyx densely canescent-stellate-
tomentose, 5-6 mm. long, the limb distinctly lobate; petals pink,
7-8 mm. long; fruit globose, 5 mm. in diameter.
Miconia dolichopoda Naud. Maria. Rio Segundo, collected
by Tonduz. Venezuela. Branches, petioles, panicles, and calyces
densely pale-furfuraceous-puberulent; leaves long-petiolate, sub-
coriaceous, narrowly ovate, 8-16 cm. long, rather long-acuminate,
obtuse and unequal at the base, 7-nerved, almost entire, glabrous
above, beneath covered with a dense, close, pale, stellate-hirtellous
tomentum; panicles pyramidal, much branched, many-flowered,
the flowers 6-parted, sessile; calyx subtruncate, 3 mm. long; petals
white, retuse, 1.5 mm. long.
Miconia dolichorrhyncha Naud. Reported from the region
of El General. Extending to Colombia and Peru. A shrub or small
tree, the branches, petioles, and panicles densely ferruginous-
stellate-furf uraceous, the young branches usually compressed ; leaves
short petiolate, rather thick, oblong or lance-oblong, mostly 15-20
cm. long, narrowly long-attenuate or caudate-acuminate, rounded
or obtuse at the base, 5-nerved, lustrous on the upper surface and
glabrous or nearly so, entire, rather densely brownish-stellate-
hirtellous beneath; panicles 10 cm. long or less, much branched,
with very numerous small flowers, these mostly pedicellate; calyx
1.5-2 mm. long, rather densely stellate-puberulent; petals obtuse,
white, 2 mm. long.
Miconia dorsiloba Gleason, Brittonia 2: 320. 1937. Region of
El General, Prov. San Jose", 975 meters, Skutch 2816. A shrub of 3
meters, the branches soft-tomentose with stipitate, stellate hairs;
leaves petiolate, elliptic-oblong or narrowly ovate, membranaceous,
28 cm. long or smaller, acuminate, rounded and cordulate to acute
at the base, serrulate, minutely pilose above and stellate-hispid on
the nerves, softly stellate- tomentose beneath; panicles sparsely
branched, 5-10 cm. long, stellate-tomentose, the flowers 5-parted,
sessile and glomerate; calyx 2 mm. long, densely stellate-tomentose;
petals white, 2.5 mm. long. Said to be related to M. barbinervis.
Miconia elata (Swartz) DC. Reported from Buenos Aires,
Pacific tierra caliente, Tonduz 4941- Jamaica and Cuba. A shrub
or small tree, the branches tetragonous, the younger ones, petioles,
panicles, and calyces densely furfuraceous-hirtellous; leaves obovate-
oblong, petiolate, 15-25 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, obtuse at
820 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the base, 5-nerved, undulate-denticulate, densely stellate-hirtellous
beneath; panicles pyramidal, 10-15 cm. long, the flowers sessile,
congested; calyx 2 mm. long, obscurely dentate; petals broadly
ovate, 1-1.5 mm. long; fruit 10-costate, 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Miconia flavida Cogn. Frequent in forests of the tierra caliente
and at middle elevations on the Pacific slope; region of San Ramon.
Endemic. A slender shrub 2-3.5 meters high, the young branches,
petioles, and panicles minutely and sparsely furfuraceous or almost
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, membranaceous, yellow-green when
dried, oblong or narrowly lance-oblong, mostly 11-22 cm. long,
acuminate or long-acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base, entire
or nearly so, usually 3-plinerved but sometimes 5-plinerved, gla-
brous or nearly so but usually sparsely and minutely furfuraceous-
puberulent beneath on the nerves; panicles pyramidal, small or rather
large, lax and many-flowered, the flowers mostly short-pedicellate;
calyx very minutely puberulent or glabrate, subtruncate, 2.5 mm.
long; petals suborbicular, glabrous; anthers oblong, 1.6 mm. long;
fruit 10-costate, glabrate, 4 mm. in diameter. No description of this
species has been published, but specimens so named, apparently
representing an undescribed species, have been distributed to many
herbaria.
Miconia flaviflora Gleason. Buenos Aires; region of Dota; El
General; at 1,800 meters or less. Also in Peru. A shrub of 3-4.5
meters, the young branches, petioles, and panicles finely furfura-
ceous-puberulent; leaves short-petiolate, lance-oblong, 12-25 cm.
long, gradually or abruptly acuminate, acute at the base, 5-plinerved,
thick and firm, repand-denticulate or almost entire, glabrous above,
punctate-furfuraceous beneath, especially on the nerves; panicles
large, pyramidal, the flowers sessile or short-pedicellate; calyx
minutely furfuraceous, 3 mm. long, the limb lobate; petals white.
The Costa Rican and Guatemalan form is M. flaviflora var. emigrans
Gleason, Brittonia 2: 320. 1937 (El General, 1,190 meters, Skutch
2381). The Costa Rican plant has been referred incorrectly to
M. obovalis Naud.
Miconia fulva DC. Diquis, Pittier 12119. Ranging to the
Guianas. Sometimes a tree of 10 meters, the trunk as much as 30
cm. in diameter, the crown elongate or pyramidal, the bark reddish;
young branches, petioles, panicles, and lower leaf surface covered
with a dense indument of golden brown, closely appressed, stellate
scales; leaves opposite or 3-4-verticillate, short-petiolate, lanceolate,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 821
10-20 cm. long, long-acuminate, acute at the base, 3-nerved, gla-
brous above, entire; panicles pyramidal, 10-15 cm. long, the flowers
sessile, 4 mm. long; calyx 2 mm. long, denticulate, minutely stellate-
tomentulose; petals white.
Miconia glaberrima (Schlecht.) Naud. Moist forests of the
central mountains, 1,400-2,400 meters. Ranging to Mexico. A
shrub about 2.5 meters high, glabrous throughout or nearly so, the
branches obtusely tetragonous; leaves oblong, rather thick, 8-12
cm. long, acuminate, obtuse to subacute at the base, 3-nerved, entire
or nearly so; panicles pyramidal, 5-7 cm. long; calyx 1.5 mm. long,
hemispheric;, petals white, 1 mm. long; fruits white at maturity.
The shrub is a handsome one when covered with its abundant,
white flowers.
Miconia globuliflora (Rich.) Cham. Common in humid for-
ests of the central mountains, mostly at 1,400-2,400 meters, ascend-
ing high on the slopes of Poas; region of San Ramon, at 1,000 meters
or more. Ranging to West Indies and the Guianas. A shrub or
small tree, 2-6 meters high, glabrous throughout or nearly so, the
branches tetragonous; leaves petiolate, rather thick, ovate-oblong,
mostly 6-10 cm. long, acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the base,
5-nerved, serrulate or entire; panicles thyrsiform, usually 4-6 cm.
long, the flowers pedicellate; calyx 1.5 mm. long, distinctly lobate;
petals white, 1.5 mm. long; fruit dark blue, 3 mm. in diameter.
Miconia gracilis Triana. Frequent in forests of the tierra
caliente, ascending to middle elevations (Alto del Palmital) on the
Pacific slope. Nicaragua and Panama. A slender shrub, glabrous
throughout, the branches terete; leaves short-petiolate, membrana-
ceous, yellow-green when dried, oblong to lance-oblong or oblong-
elliptic, 10-18 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, attenuate at the base,
entire, 3-nerved or obscurely 5-nerved ; panicles very narrow, raceme-
like, sessile or short-pedunculate, few-flowered, 4-10 cm. long, the
flowers short-pedicellate; calyx 2 mm. long, the limb obscurely lobate;
petals minute, bilobate; fruit globose, 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia guianensis (Aubl.) Cogn. Collected in Costa Rica by
Oersted, the locality not indicated; determination by Cogniaux.
Extending to West Indies and Brazil. A large shrub or small tree,
the young branches densely furfuraceous-puberulent; leaves rather
large, petiolate, subcoriaceous, oblong to ovate, long-acuminate,
rounded at the base, 5-7-nerved, entire or nearly so, glabrous above,
densely stellate-furfuraceous and pale beneath; panicles 10-20 cm.
822 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
long, rather dense, the pedicels 2-5 mm. long, the flowers mostly
6-parted, the bracts conspicuous, 6-8 mm. long, caducous, grayish;
calyx 5-6 'mm. long, glabrous or nearly so; petals white, 6-8 mm. long;
fruit subglobose, 6 mm. in diameter. This species is close to M.
dodecandra, to which the Costa Rica collection may be more properly
referable. In that species the calyx is densely grayish-tomentose.
Miconia habrolepis Standl. Reported from the region of
El General. Ranging to Guatemala and British Honduras. A tree
9-12 meters high, the young branches compressed, densely and
minutely ferruginous-lepidote; leaves short-petiolate, coriaceous,
elliptic-oblong, 12-25 cm. long, caudate-cuspidate, acute to almost
rounded at the base, 3-nerved, glabrous and lustrous above, very
densely ferruginous-lepidote beneath; panicles pyramidal, 10-20 cm.
long, the flowers usually secund; calyx campanulate, 2 mm. long,
densely lepidote, truncate or obscurely denticulate; petals white;
fruit 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia hemenostigma Naud. Reported from La Ardilla,
Pacific slope, Tonduz 7740. Mexico. Branches obtusely tetrago-
nous, the young branches, petioles, and panicles rather sparsely
furfuraceous-puberulent; leaves petiolate, oblong or ovate-oblong,
15-20 cm. long, acuminate, rounded at the base, 5-nerved, glabrous
above, furfuraceous beneath, especially on the nerves; panicles
pyramidal, 8-12 cm. long, the flowers pedicellate; calyx sparsely
furfuraceous, obscurely dentate, 2 mm. long; petals white, retuse,
1.5 mm. long.
Miconia holosericea (L.) Triana. Diquis, Pittier 12026. Extend-
ing to Brazil. A shrub; leaves petiolate, ovate, large, coriaceous,
long-acuminate, rounded at the base, 5-nerved or somewhat 5-
plinerved, glabrous above, pale or brownish beneath and covered
with a very dense, appressed, minute tomentum; panicles rather
dense, 4-8 cm. long, the flowers sessile, 6-parted; calyx tube 6 mm.
long, stellate-tomentose, the lobes 3-4 mm. long, reflexed; petals
white, 7-9 mm. long; fruit globose-ovoid, 6 mm. long.
Miconia hondurensis Bonn. Smith. Between Puerto Jime'nez
and Rio Nuevo, Pacific coast, collected only by Brenes. Honduras
and British Honduras. A shrub or small tree, glabrous almost
throughout, the branches obtusely tetragonous or terete; leaves
short-petiolate, more or less coriaceous, oblong or elliptic-oblong,
mostly 15-18 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, acute or obtuse at the
base, 3-plinerved, entire; panicles large and many-flowered, rather
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 823
lax, the flowers 5-parted, sessile or nearly so; calyx sparsely pul-
verulent, 3.5 mm. long, 10-costate; petals white or yellowish, retuse,
4 mm. long.
Miconia hyperprasina Naud. Forests of the tierra caliente.
Panama to Mexico. A slender shrub, the young branches, petioles,
panicles, and calyx minutely furfuraceous; leaves short-petiolate,
thin, broadly oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-oblong, 15-30 cm. long,
short-acuminate, acute at the base, 3-5-nerved, repand-crenate or
almost entire, glabrous or sparsely furfuraceous-puberulent; panicles
pyramidal, lax, many-flowered, the flowers short-pedicellate; calyx
3 mm. long, the lobes distinct, triangular; petals white, retuse,
2 mm. long.
Miconia ibaguensis (Bonpl.) Triana. Frequent in the Pacific
tierra caliente, ascending to 1,200 meters; Aguacaliente; region of
San Ramon. Mexico to Brazil and Peru. Usually a shrub of 2
meters or less, the branches, petioles, and panicle branches densely
stellate-velutinous and long-setulose; leaves short-petiolate, some-
times subsessile, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, mostly 8-12 cm. long,
long-acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the base, minutely serrulate
and ciliate, 5-plinerved, short-setulose above, setulose-hirtellous be-
neath; panicles pyramidal, mostly 10 cm. long or less, many-flowered,
the flowers sessile, congested; calyx 3 mm. long, stellate- villous and
setulose, the limb distinctly 5-lobate; petals white, yellowish, or
pink, 2.5-3 mm. long; fruit 3 mm. in diameter. Var. glabrata Cogn.,
reported from the Pacific coast, is a form with less abundantly
pubescent or glabrate leaves.
Miconia impetiolaris (Swartz) D. Don. Hoja de pasmo. Fre-
quent in thickets and forest of the tierra caliente. Mexico to West
Indies and Bolivia. A shrub or small tree, 2-5 meters high, the
branches densely tomentose-hirtellous; leaves sessile, thin, oblong
to obovate, mostly 20-50 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate,
cordate and clasping at the base, auriculate, entire or nearly so, 5-
plinerved, glabrous above or nearly so, densely stellate-hirtellous
beneath; inflorescence paniculate, 10-25 cm. long, the flowers ses-
sile and glomerate along the spikelike branches; calyx stellate-
furfuraceous, 2.5-3 mm. long, obscurely 5-lobate; petals white,
retuse, 2 mm. long; fruit blue, 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia lacera (Bonpl.) Naud. Reported from Buenos. Aires,
Pacific tierra caliente; also Llanuras de Santa Clara; probably
common in the Atlantic tierra caliente. Mexico to West Indies and
824 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Brazil. A shrub of 1-2 meters, the branches sparsely long-hirsute;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong to oblong-ovate, 7-15 cm. long, long-
acuminate, obtuse at the base, denticulate, 3-5-nerved, sparsely
setose above, villous-hirtellous beneath; panicles narrow, 10 cm. long
or less, long-hirsute, the flowers sessile, secund along the branches;
calyx tube 2 mm. long, glabrous, the inner lobes almost equaling
the tube, setose-laciniate; petals pink, 3-4 mm. long; fruit 3-3.5
mm. in diameter. The abundant, stiff hairs of the branches are
reddish and often 1 cm. or more in length.
Miconia laevigata (L.) DC. Forest or thickets of the central
mountains, at middle or rather high elevations. Mexico to West
Indies and the Guianas. A rather slender shrub, the young branches,
petioles, panicles, and calyces punctate- or stellate-furfuraceous;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong or ovate-oblong, 10-18 cm. long, long-
acuminate, rounded at the base or obtuse, 5-nerved, glabrous above
in age, granular-furfuraceous beneath on the nerves or finally
glabrous; panicles pyramidal, 5-10 cm. long, the flowers mostly
sessile and congested; calyx 3-3.5 mm. long, the teeth acute, remote;
petals white, 3-4 mm. long; fruit blue or almost black, obscurely
10-costate, 3 mm. in diameter.
Miconia lamprophylla Triana. Rio Naranjo, Pacific slope,
and Talamanca, Atlantic slope, both in the tierra caliente. Colom-
bia. A shrub or small tree, glabrous almost throughout, the branches
obscurely tetragonous; leaves large, subcoriaceous, very lustrous,
short-petiolate, oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 20-35 cm. long, short-
acuminate, acute and asymmetric at the base, 3-nerved or obscurely
5-nerved; panicles trifid, the branches elongate, slender, furfuraceous;
calyx urceolate, 2 mm. long, sparsely furfuraceous; petals minute,
subtriangular. Mr. C. V. Morton reports that the Talamanca speci-
men is in poor condition, and that its determination was questioned
by Cogniaux.
Miconia lauriformis Naud. Frequent in forests of the region
of Dota, at middle elevations, Pacific slope, usually growing in
rather open, oak forest; also El Abejonal and Los Frailes, Candelaria.
Extending to Mexico. A slender shrub or tree, sometimes 6 meters
high, glabrous throughout or nearly so, the branches terete; leaves
ovate-oblong, slender-petiolate, firm, 4-10 cm. long, acute or acu-
minate, rounded to acute at the base, 3-5-plinerved, entire, puberu-
lent beneath near the bases of the nerves, elsewhere glabrous; panicles
rather few-flowered, 4-7 cm. long, the flowers pedicellate; calyx
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 825
glabrous, 3 mm. long, the lobes very short, obtuse; petals white or
pink, 5-6 mm. long.
Miconia leucantha Gleason, Bull. Torrey Club 63: 534. 1936-
Vicinity of El General, Prov. San Jose', 1,010 meters, Skutch 2500.
Known only from the original collection. A tree of 18 meters, the
branchlets minutely cinereous-furfuraceous at first; leaves slender-
petiolate, ovate-elliptic, as much as 15 cm. long and 8 cm. wide,
acute and caudate at the apex, the acumination 2 cm. long and 2
mm. wide, obtuse or rounded at the base, 5-nerved, glabrous; pani-
cles broadly pyramidal, 8 cm. long, the flowers 5-parted; calyx tube
campanulate, 3 mm. long, stellate-furfuraceous, the lobes 1 mm.
long; petals furfuraceous outside, reddish, 6 mm. long.
Miconia Lindenii Naud. This species was reported from Costa
Rica by Cogniaux upon the basis of an Oersted collection. The
species is too closely related to M. aeruginosa, and doubtfully dis-
tinct. I suspect that the Costa Rican material, at least, should be
referred directly to M. aeruginosa.
Miconia lonchophylla Naud. Forests and thickets of the
Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; San Marcos; El
Abejonal; at 1,100 meters or less. Extending to Venezuela. A
slender shrub of 2-3 meters, the branches obscurely tetragonous,
the young branches, petioles, panicles, and calyces as well as the
lower leaf surface sparsely and minutely stellate-furfuraceous; leaves
broadly lanceolate or lance-oblong, mostly 10-15 cm. long, acuminate,
acute at the base, entire, 5-plinerved or 3-plinerved, glabrous above
or nearly so; panicles broadly pyramidal, 5-10 cm. long, many-
flowered, the flowers mostly sessile and glomerate; calyx broadly
campanulate, 2-2.5 mm. long, subtruncate; petals white, retuse,
2-2.5 mm. long; berries bluish black, 3 mm. in diameter.
Miconia longifolia (Aubl.) DC. has been reported from Costa
Rica, and numerous collections have been referred to it. All such
specimens that I have seen have been referable to other species, and
while M . longifolia may well grow here, its occurrence is somewhat
doubtful.
Miconia macrophylla (D. Don) Triana. Reported from
Diquis, Pacific tierra caliente. Mexico to West Indies, Brazil, and
Peru. A shrub or small tree, the young branches compressed, densely
but minutely brown-tomentulose; leaves petiolate, ovate to ovate-
oblong, mostly 15-30 cm. long, acuminate, rounded or emarginate
to obtuse at the base, 5-9-nerved, at first puberulent above but soon
826 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
glabrate, densely but very minutely ferruginous-stellate-tomentulose
beneath; panicles narrow, 10-30 cm. long, the flowers 6-parted,
sessile; calyx oblong, constricted below the limb, 7 mm. long, densely
and minutely tomentulose, truncate or obscurely denticulate; petals
white or pink, 6-8 mm. long; fruit globose, 6 mm. in diameter. The
Costa Rican collection was referred to var. latifolia (DC.) Cogn.
Miconia Matthaei Naud. Canillito. Forests and thickets of
the tierra caliente; Caiias Gordas, on the Pacific slope. British
Honduras to Trinidad and Brazil. A tree of 12 meters or less, the
branches, petioles, branches of the inflorescence, and calyces densely
hirsute with long, rusty hairs; leaves short-petiolate, lanceolate or
lance-oblong, 12-20 cm. long, acuminate, acute at the base, 3-nerved,
glabrous and lustrous above, often somewhat bullate, short-hirtel-
lous beneath; panicles large and many-flowered, the flowers 5-parted,
sessile and glomerate; calyx distinctly 5-lobate; petals white, 8 mm.
long; fruit black, 3 mm. in diameter. Well marked by the long and
narrow, 3-nerved leaves and the abundant pubescence of very long,
soft hairs.
Miconia microcarpa DC. Reported from the tierra caliente
(plains of Santa Clara; Buenos Aires) and at middle elevations on
the Pacific slope (Canas Gordas). Extending to Amazonian Brazil.
Branches obtusely tetragonous, the young branches, petioles, pani-
cles, and calyces finely stellate-velutinous; leaves short-petiolate,
oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 10-15 cm. long, long-acuminate,
rounded at the base, 5-nerved, glabrous above, at least in age, stel-
late-punctate beneath; panicles broadly pyramidal, reddish, 5-10
cm. long; calyx 2 mm. long, the lobes rounded; petals white; fruit
dark purple, 10-sulcate, 3-3.5 mm. in diameter.
Miconia multiplinervia Cogn. M. Alfredi Kraenzl. Viertel-
jahr. Naturf. Gesell. Zurich 76: 155. 1931 (Alto de La Palma, 1,540
meters, Tonduz 12499). La Palma and La Hondura de San Jose",
in forest at 1,300-1,550 meters; region. of San Ramon, 850-1,300
meters. Colombia. A shrub of 1-3.5 meters, the branches densely
stellate- tomentose; leaves ovate or broadly ovate, mostly 8-14 cm.
long, rather abruptly acuminate, almost rounded to subacute at the
base, 7-9-plinerved, very rough above and hispidulous-hirtellous
from the apices of coarse papillae, stellate- tomentose and foveolate
beneath; panicles broadly pyramidal, 20 cm. long or less, the flowers
sessile in dense heads at the ends of the branchlets; calyx shallowly
lobate, 3 mm. long; petals white. Conspicuous for the curious
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 827
papillosity of the upper leaf surface, and noteworthy also for the
7-9-plinerved leaves.
Miconia myrtillifolia Naud. Topobea micrantha Pittier.
Region of San Ramon, 1,850 meters; Cascajal, 1,500-2,100 meters;
El Tenorio. Extending to Panama and Venezuela. A slender,
densely branched shrub or small tree, glabrous almost throughout;
branches tetragonous; leaves small, short-petiolate, subcoriaceous,
ovate to broadly elliptic or almost rounded, 2-3 cm. long, acute,
subacute at the base, more or less serrulate, 3-nerved; panicles corym-
biform, few-flowered, 2-4 cm. long, the bractlets green, lance-linear,
as much as 1 cm. long; calyx 4-5 mm. long, campanulate, the lobes
triangular, acute; petals white, obovate, 3 mm. long; fruit 4 mm. in
diameter. A well marked and isolated species, noteworthy for the
small leaves and the small inflorescences with conspicuous, folia-
ceous bractlets.
Miconia nervosa (Smith) Triana. Frequent in forest and
thickets of the tierra caliente, at 650 meters or less. Southern
Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. A shrub of 1-2.5 meters, the branches,
petioles, panicles, and calyces densely appressed-setulose with ful-
vous or brownish hairs; leaves very short-petiolate or subsessile,
ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, 15-30 cm. long, long-acuminate,
long-attenuate to the base, 7-plinerved, setulose and scabrous on
the upper surface, setulose beneath with appressed or spreading
hairs; panicles narrow and spikelike or raceme-like, 5-15 cm. long,
the flowers sessile and densely congested; calyx 4 mm. long; petals
white or pink, 3.5-4 mm. long; fruit 10-costate, 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Miconia nutans Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 296. 1906. Rio
Goto de Osa, Prov. Puntarenas, 1,100 meters, Pittier 11059. Canas
Gordas; region of San Ramon; El General. Guatemala. Branches
obtusely tetragonous, the young branches, petioles, and inflorescence
minutely and closely lepidote-furfuraceous; leaves short-petiolate,
obovate-oblong, 15-25 cm. long, acuminate, acute at the base,
coriaceous, 5-plinerved, entire or nearly so, glabrous or somewhat
furfuraceous beneath on the nerves; panicles pyramidal, the flowers
5-parted, sessile or short-pedicellate; calyx minutely pale-furfura-
ceous, 3.5 mm. long, lobate; petals 4 mm. long, linear-oblong; fruit
4.5 mm. in diameter, 10-costate.
Miconia paleacea Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 757. 1891.
Near Desengafio and Cariblanco, Wendland; Talamanca; Rio
Naranjo. Also in Colombia. Young branches, petioles, and panicles
828 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
densely crinite with a retrorse, paleaceous indument; leaves large,
long-petiolate, ovate to rounded, 40-50 cm. long, short-acuminate,
rounded at the base, almost entire, 5-nerved, at first densely short-
furfuraceous-puberulent on both sides, soon glabrate; panicles pyram-
idal, compact, 5-15 cm. long, the flowers sessile, glomerate; calyx
4 mm. long, densely short-hirtellous, obscurely lobate; petals pinkish
white, glabrous, 4 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia pedicellata Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 875. 1891.
Canilla de mula. Based in part upon a collection from Rancho
Flores, 2,030 meters, Tonduz. Upper slopes of Poas and mountain
forests of the region of Dota, ascending to 2,100 meters or more.
Peru. A shrub of 2-3 meters, glabrous throughout or nearly so, the
branches sub terete; leaves short-petiolate, subcoriaceous, narrowly
lanceolate or lance-oblong, 8-12 cm. long, long-acuminate, acute at
the base, 5-plinerved, entire; panicles rather small and few-flowered,
2-3 cm. long, the flowers mostly on rather long pedicels; calyx dis-
tinctly 5-lobate, 2.5 mm. long; petals ovate, 3 mm. long, white.
Miconia Pittieri Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1191. 1891.
Rio Mancaro, 2,100 meters, Pittier 2005. Branches obscurely tet-
ragonous, the young branches, petioles, and inflorescence shortly
and densely hirtellous; leaves long-petiolate, broadly ovate, 7-11
cm. long, short-acuminate, rounded and often emarginate at the
base, 7-nerved, scarcely denticulate, densely short-hirtellous on both
surfaces; panicles broadly pyramidal, many-flowered, 10-15 cm.
long, the flowers densely glomerate, the pedicels 1-2 mm. long;
calyx 2 mm. long, the lobes short, obtuse; petals rounded, 1.5 mm.
long. Of this species I have seen only a photograph of type material.
Miconia prasina (Swartz) DC. Reported from Cartago and
Atirro, 600-1,400 meters, the determinations questionable. Mexico
and West Indies to Paraguay. A shrub 5 meters high or less, the
branches compressed at the apex, the young ones puberulent; leaves
short-petiolate, oblong or lanceolate, sometimes oblanceolate-oblong,
10-20 cm. long, acuminate, acute at the base, membranaceous,
entire or nearly so, puberulent beneath at first; panicles pyramidal,
5-15 cm. long, many-flowered; calyx 2.5-3.5 mm. long; petals white,
2-3 mm. long; fruit dark purple, 10-costate, 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia pteropoda Benth. Forest and thickets of the tierra
caliente; also frequent at middle elevations; region of San Ramon;
El General; Cocos Island. Extending to Brazil. A shrub or small
tree, the young branches, petioles, and inflorescence closely stellate-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 829
puberulent; leaves on very short petioles, the petioles winged to the
base, the blades firm, ovate-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 15-20 cm.
long, long-acuminate, acute at the base, 5-plinerved, undulate-den-
tate, glabrous above or nearly so, punctate-furfuraceous beneath, at
least on the nerves, paler beneath; inflorescence pyramidal, 15-20
cm. long, the flowers sessile or nearly so, glomerate; calyx 3 mm.
long; petals white, minutely puberulent or glabrous outside, 3 mm.
long; fruit 10-sulcate, 4 mm. in diameter.
Miconia punctata (Desr.) D. Don. Reported from the region
of Tuis, Tonduz 8120. Cuba and Jamaica; Venezuela to Bolivia.
A shrub or small tree, the branches tetragonous, densely and minutely
brown-lepidote; leaves petiolate, coriaceous, lanceolate or oblong,
10-18 cm. long, acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base, glabrous
above, the veins impressed, densely appressed-brown-lepidote be-
neath; panicles pyramidal, much branched, 10-15 cm. long; calyx
2 mm. long, subtruncate, densely lepidote; petals 2 mm. long; fruit
globose, 3 mm. in diameter. The Costa Rican collection was deter-
mined by Cogniaux as var. latifolia Cogn.
Miconia reducens Triana. Reported from the region of El
General. Colombia. A tree, reported to reach a maximum height
of 20 meters, glabrous throughout, the branches acutely tetragonous;
leaves short-petiolate, coriaceous, oblong, 15-25 cm. long, lustrous,
short-acuminate or rounded and apiculate at the apex, abruptly
contracted and attenuate at the base, 5-plinerved; panicles pyram-
idal, 10-15 cm. long, the flowers sessile, the buds cernuous; calyx
4 mm. long, the limb shallowly 4-5-dentate; flowers fragrant, the
petals pink, linear-oblong, 7-8 mm. long; fruit globose, 5 mm.
in diameter.
Miconia rubens (Swartz) Naud. Reported from various
localities in central mountains at middle or rather high elevations.
Jamaica and Venezuela. A shrub, glabrous throughout, the branches
obtusely tetragonous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong, 6-9 cm. long,
submembranaceous, acuminate, obtuse or subacute at the base,
obscurely denticulate; panicles pyramidal, 4-7 cm. long, the flowers
short-pedicellate; calyx about 2 mm. long, hemispheric; petals
white, less than 1 mm. long; fruit 2 mm. in diameter.
Miconia rubiginosa (Bonpl.) DC. Buenos Aires, Pacific tierra
caliente, 250 meters. Ranging to Puerto Rico, Brazil, and Bolivia.
A shrub or small tree, the branches, petioles, panicles, and lower
leaf surface densely ferruginous-tomentose with a close tomentum;
830 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
leaves ovate or ovate-oblong, 6-10 cm. long, short-acuminate,
rounded or subcordate at the base, coriaceous, entire, 3-5-nerved,
lustrous above and glabrate, but very rough to the touch; panicles
dense, pyramidal, 5-15 cm. long, the flowers sessile and densely
glomerate, 5-parted; calyx densely pilosulous, 2.5-3 mm. long,
obscurely lobate; petals white, 2 mm. long; fruit black, 3-4 mm.
in diameter.
Miconia sancti-ramoni Kraenzl. Vierteljahr. Naturf. Gesell.
Zurich 76: 157. 1931. Between San Ramon and San Pedro, 1,300
meters, Tonduz 17843. A shrub 1.5-2 meters high, the branches
obscurely tetragonous, brown-pilose and setose; leaves on very short
petioles, oblong-lanceolate, 16 cm. long or less, rigid, long-acuminate,
3-5-nerved, sparsely setose above, more densely setose beneath,
especially on the nerves; panicles 10 cm. long or less, the branches
subscorpioid, brown-villous, the flowers sessile or nearly so; calyx 3
mm. long, the 5 teeth very short; petals white. This species should
be represented in the ample collections available from San Ramon,
but none of those observed seem to agree well with the original
description.
Miconia Schlimii Triana. Forest and thickets of the tierra
caliente; El General; region of San Jose"; at 1,600 meters or less.
Guatemala to Colombia. A shrub or small tree, sometimes 9 meters
high, the branches, petioles, panicles, and calyces densely furfura-
ceous-puberulent; leaves oblong-lanceolate or oblong-ovate, long-
acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, 5-plinerved, sinuate-dentate,
glabrous above, sparsely furfuraceous or almost glabrous beneath,
8-16 cm. long; flowers pedicellate, in few-flowered cymes 3-4 cm.
long; calyx 6 mm. long, obscurely lobate; petals white, 6-7 mm. long.
Miconia scorpioides (Schlecht. & Cham.) Naud. Naranjo;
reported from El General and Diquis. Mexico to Brazil and Peru.
A shrub or small tree, the young branches compressed, closely
lepidote; leaves short-petiolate, subcoriaceous, oblong or obovate-
oblong, 15-25 cm. long or sometimes smaller, short-acuminate,
acute or attenuate at the base, entire, 3-nerved, glabrous above
or nearly so, minutely and obscurely lepidote beneath; panicles
long and narrow, the branches scorpioid, the flowers secund; calyx
2 mm. long, campanulate-hemispheric, obscurely 5-lobate; petals
2.5 mm. long; fruit obscurely 10-costate, 5 mm. in diameter.
Miconia serrulata (D. Don) Triana. Reported from El
General, collected by Skutch. Ranging to Peru. Young branches,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 831
petioles, and panicles sparsely furfuraceous; leaves short-petiolate,
oblong, 6-11 cm. long, acute, rounded or obtuse at the base, 3-
nerved, glabrous, serrulate; panicles pyramidal, 5-10 cm. long, the
flowers pedicellate; calyx subhemispheric, 1.5 mm. long, the very
short lobes obtuse; petals retuse, less than 1 mm. long.
Miconia stenostachya DC. Region of Buenos Aires, Pacific
tierra caliente, 250-500 meters. Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil.
A shrub 1-2 meters high, the branches, petioles, and panicles densely
and minutely pale- torn entulose; leaves short-petiolate, oblong or
ovate-oblong, 10-15 cm. long, obtuse or acute, obtuse at the base,
5-nerved, entire, glabrous above, densely and closely white-tomen-
tulose beneath; panicles long and narrow, 5-15 cm. long, the branches
scorpioid, the flowers sessile, secund; calyx 3.5-4 mm. long; petals
white or pink, 3-3.5 mm. long; fruit black, 10-costate, 5 mm. in
diameter. Called Dos caras in Panama.
Miconia sylvestris Gleason, Brittonia 2: 321. 1937. Region of
El General, Prov. San Jose*, 1,070 meters, Skutch 2799. A shrub
2.5 meters high, the young branches minutely pilosulous with simple
hairs, soon glabrate; leaves petiolate, membranaceous, narrowly
elliptic-oblong, 18 cm. long or less, acuminate at each end, entire,
5-plinerved, at first minutely pilosulous on both surfaces but soon
glabrate; panicles 4 cm. long, the branches minutely hirtellous, the
flowers 4-parted, sessile; calyx 1.6 mm. long, minutely pilosulous,
8-costate; petals almost 2 mm. long, subacute.
Miconia Tonduzii Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1191. 1891.
Frequent in forests of both slopes at middle or rather high elevations,
chiefly at 1,100-2,500 meters; regions of San Ramon and Dota.
Endemic. A shrub or small tree, almost glabrous or often con-
spicuously furfuraceous-puberulent on the young branches, petioles,
panicles, and lower leaf surface; leaves short-petiolate, firm-mem-
branaceous, oblong to ovate-oblong, mostly 9-15 cm. long, acumi-
nate, subacute or obtuse at the base, 3-plinerved or obscurely
5-plinerved, remotely denticulate or subentire; panicles pyramidal,
10-15 cm. long, the flowers mostly pedicellate; petals white, sub-*
orbicular, 2 mm. long. The species was described with six varieties:
latifolia (Rancho Flores, Volcan de Barba, Tonduz), furfuracea
(Rancho Flores, Tonduz), oblongifolia (Rancho Flores, Tonduz),
cuneata (Rancho Flores, Tonduz), serrulata (Rio Poas, Pittier), and
parmfolia (Rancho Flores, Tonduz). The species is a highly variable
one, if all the material referred to it represents a single specific
832 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
unit, but it seems impractical to distinguish the varieties, which
were based upon apparently unimportant characters.
MONOCHAETUM Naud.
Reference: Gleason, The genus Monochaetum in North America.
Amer. Journ. Bot. 16: 586. 1929.
Plants low and branched, herbaceous or suffrutescent, usually
densely pubescent; leaves small, ovate or lanceolate, mostly entire,
3-7-nerved, the nerves impressed on the upper surface; flowers
rather small, chiefly terminal and cymose, rarely solitary, mostly
pink or purple, 4-parted; calyx tube setose or pilose, oblong-cam-
panulate or tubular, the lobes ovate or lanceolate, acute, equaling
or shorter than the tube; petals obovate; stamens 8, biseriate,
alternately unequal, the filaments glabrous; anthers dissimilar,
elongate-linear or subulate, inflexed, 1-pored, the larger ones
subulate, the connective not produced below the cells, posteriorly
produced into a short or elongate tail; ovary 4-celled; capsule
4-valvate; seeds arcuate or cochleate.— A few other species grow
in Central America.
Monochaetum intermedium Gleason, Amer. Journ. Bot. 16:
589. 1929. Las Concavas, near Cartago, 1,140-1,260 meters, G.
Proctor Cooper 38. Known only from the original locality. Stems
densely strigose, the hairs all appressed; leaves short-petiolate,
oblong-lanceolate, 2.5 cm. long or less, acute, cuneate at the base,
5-plinerved; calyx tube 4 mm. long, glandular-pubescent, the sepals
3.7 mm. long. Readily distinguished from the related M. rivulare
by the appressed hairs of the stems.
Monochaetum macrantherum Gleason, Amer. Journ. Bot.
16: 591. 1929. Between Vara Blanca and Concordia, 1,600-1,950
meters, Maxon & Hay 8424- Also in Nicaragua and Panama.
Stems strigose, the nodes hirsute; leaves oblong or oblong-lanceolate,
about 2 cm. long, acute, broadly cuneate at the base, 5-plinerved,
sparsely strigose on the upper surface, glabrous or minutely pilose
beneath; calyx tube campanulate or obconic, 5-6 mm. long, sparsely
strigose with barbellate hairs, the sepals 4.5-5.5 mm. long.
Monochaetum rivulare Naud. Common in forest or on
shaded banks at middle and upper elevations, also in the Atlantic
tierra caliente; region of San Ramon, chiefly at 1,100-2,700 meters.
Extending to Mexico. Plants erect, mostly 40-60 cm. high, often
densely branched, the branches densely villous; leaves almost
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 833
sessile, oblong, subacute, 2-3 cm. long, strigose between the nerves,
especially beneath, 3-plinerved; cymes many-flowered; calyx tube
hirtellous, 5 mm. long, the lobes 3-5 mm. long; petals usually pink.
In the typical form the pubescence of the inflorescence is eglandular.
In M. rivulare f. glandulosum Gleason (Amer. Journ. Bot. 16: 590.
1929; Cartago, Tonduz 101+38} the pubescence of the inflorescence
includes many gland-tipped hairs. Costa Rican material of this
species has been referred to M. Hartwegianum Naud.
Monochaetum vulcanicum Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7:
401. 1891. M. Carazoi Cogn. loc. cit. (slopes of Volcan Poas, 1,900
meters, Pittier). Summit of Volcan Poas, 2,600 meters, Pittier.
Upper slopes of the central volcanoes, mostly at 1,800-2,700 meters,
in forest or on open banks; Palmira del Naranjo. Endemic. A
densely branched shrub, a meter high or less, the stout branches
setose, densely leafy; leaves elliptic-ovate, mostly 1-2 cm. long,
obtuse, more or less strigillose on both surfaces, ciliate, 3-plinerved;
flowers in small cymes or rarely solitary, purple-pink; calyx tube
6 mm. long, short-setulose, the lobes of equal or greater length.
Gleason (Amer. Journ. Bot. 16: 591. 1929) recognized three forms
of the species, f. typicum, L costaricense, and f. glandulosum, based
upon variations in leaves and pubescence. The best marked is
f. glandulosum, with gland-tipped hairs on the pedicels and calyx.
MOURIRIA Aubl.
Glabrous shrubs or trees; leaves sessile or nearly so, entire,
1-nerved or penninerved; flowers small, fasciculate or solitary in
the leaf axils, commonly 5-parted; calyx limb cupular, lobate or
subtruncate; petals acute or acuminate; stamens twice as many
as the petals, equal; fruit baccate, 1-4-seeded. — At least two other
species occur in Central America. The genus differs from all others
of Central America in having 1-nerved or penninerved leaves, and
the plants in general appearance are most unlike other groups of
the family.
Mouriria parvifolia Benth. Reported by Cogniaux as collected
in Costa Rica by Endres. Common along the Atlantic coast of
Central America, and certainly to be expected in Costa Rica;
extending to Colombia and Bolivia. A shrub or small tree; leaves
ovate-lanceolate, 3-6 cm. long, acute, rounded or subcordate at
the base; flowers short-pedicellate, the pedicels articulate and
bibracteolate at the apex; fruit 8 mm. in diameter.
834 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
NEPSERA Naud.
Plants herbaceous or suffrutescent; leaves thin, ovate, petiolate;
flowers small, white or pink, paniculate, 4-parted; calyx tube ovoid,
the lobes narrowly lanceolate, persistent; petals oblong-lanceolate,
acute; stamens 8, alternately unequal, the filaments glabrous, the
anthers subulate, 1-porose, the connective produced below into
2 spurs; ovary 3-celled; capsule 3-valvate, the numerous seeds
minute, foveolate. — A single species is found in Central America.
Nepsera aquatica (Aubl.) Naud. Collected near El Cairo in
the Atlantic tierra caliente, and probably frequent along the Atlantic
coast. Central America to West Indies and northern South America.
Plants much branched, a meter high or less, laxly pilose or glabrate;
leaves 2-7 cm. long, serrulate, 5-7-nerved, acute or acuminate,
rounded or subcordate at the base; pedicels filiform; calyx tube
2-3 mm. long; petals 5-6 mm. long; capsule globose, 2 mm.
in diameter.
OSSAEA DC.
Shrubs, variously pubescent or glabrous; leaves mostly mem-
branaceous, 3-7-nerved or 3-7-plinerved, entire or denticulate;
flowers small or minute, in axillary cymes or panicles, 4-5-parted;
calyx tube oblong or campanulate, the limb truncate or dentate,
the outer teeth usually produced and subulate; petals acuminate;
stamens twice as many as the petals, equal, the filaments filiform,
glabrous, the anthers linear to oblong or subulate, minutely 1-pored
at the apex, the connective not or obscurely produced below the
cells, not or obscurely appendaged; ovary 3-5-celled; fruit globose,
3-5-celled, baccate, often conspicuously ribbed; seeds angulate,
pyramidal, or obovoid, usually smooth. — A few other species are
known from Central America.
Ossaea boliviensis (Cogn.) Gleason (Clidemia boliviensis Cogn.)
has been reported from Boruca (Tonduz 3779), but the species is a
South American one, and its occurrence in Costa Rica doubtful.
I have not seen the collection on which the report is based.
Ossaea bracteata Triana. Cocos Island. Colombia. A shrub
2.5-3 meters high, the young branches and inflorescence sparsely
furfuraceous; leaves long-petiolate, oblong-elliptic, mostly 15-30
cm. long, short-acuminate, acute at the base, 5-nerved or 5-plinerved,
glabrous; panicles short, the branches stout, the flowers surrounded
by conspicuous, imbricate bracts; calyx densely furfuraceous, 3 mm.
long; petals white.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 835
Ossaea Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Section Octopleura. Frutex,
ramis crassis densissime tomento ochraceo adpresso furfuraceo
tuberculato indutis; folia subaequalia breviter petiolata membran-
acea, petiolo crasso ut ramis induto usque 3.5 cm. longo sed vulgo
multo breviore; lamina elliptica vel ovato-elliptica 13-24 cm. longa
8-12 cm. lata breviter acuminata, basi acuta, undulato-crenulata,
7-plinervia, nervis interioribus bene supra basin nascentibus, supra
in statu juvenili dense tuberculoso-furfuracea, cito glabrata, subtus
ad nervos venasque densissime tuberculoso-furfuracea, aliter glabra
vel glabrata; paniculae axillares usque 6 cm. longae breviter peduncu-
latae ubique densissime ochraceo-tuberculoso-furfuraceae, laxe multi-
florae, ramis crassis divaricatis vel adscendentibus, floribus sessilibus,
bracteis parvis deciduis; hypanthium dense furfuraceum 3 mm.
longum costatum, dentibus exterioribus triangularibus acutiusculis
1.5 mm. longis; petala angusta attenuata 4 mm. longa extus fur-
furacea; fructus (immaturus?) globosus 3 mm. diam. grosse 10-
costatus dense minute tuberculoso-furfuraceus. — Los Angeles de
San Ramon (camino de la Finca Johanson), May, 1928, Brenes 6160
(type in Herb. Field Mus.). Los Angeles de San Ramon (Finca
Johanson), Brenes 6125. El Silencio (Los Angeles) de San Ramon,
Brenes 17 108.
Ossaea diversifolia (Bonpl.) Cogn. Frequent in thickets and
forest, Atlantic tierra caliente, at less than 600 meters. Ranging
to Colombia. A slender shrub, rarely more than 1.5 meters high,
the branches, petioles, and inflorescence densely furfuraceous;
leaves long-petiolate, ovate to rounded, mostly 15-20 cm. long,
apiculate or short-acuminate, abruptly contracted and decurrent
at the base, 5-7-plinerved, glabrous above, sparsely furfuraceous
beneath; panicles small, usually shorter than the petioles, the flowers
5-parted, sessile or short-pedicellate; calyx furfuraceous, 3 mm. long;
petals white; fruit dark blue, juicy, 4 mm. in diameter.
Ossaea macrophylla (Benth.) Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan.
7: 1064. 1891. Oxymeris macrophylla Benth. Bot. Voy. Sulph. 95.
1844. Clidemia macrophylla Naud. Ann. Sci. Nat. III. 17: 347. 1852.
C. solearis Naud. loc. cit. Octopleura macrophylla Triana, Trans.
Linn. Soc. 28: 145. 1871. Cocos Island, Barclay. Known only
from Cocos Island; I have seen a photograph of the type. Branches,
petioles, and inflorescence sparsely furfuraceous; leaves short-
petiolate, oblong-obovate, 20-30 cm. long, obtuse and short-acumi-
nate, subcuneate-obtuse at the base, 5-nerved, sinuate-denticulate,
836 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
glabrous; panicles 4-6 cm. long, lax; flowers 5-parted, the calyx
truncate, 1.5 mm. long.
Ossaea micrantha (Swartz) Macfad. Frequent in forest and
thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; at
1,300 meters or usually at lower elevations. Guatemala to West
Indies and Peru. A slender shrub, usually 1-2 meters high, the
branches, petioles, and inflorescence sparsely furfuraceous or gla-
brate; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong, lanceolate to oblong-elliptic,
mostly 8-20 cm. long, acuminate, attenuate at the base, 5-plinerved,
subentire, glabrous; flowers 4-parted, the panicles short, lax, little
if at all exceeding the petioles, the flowers short-pedicellate; calyx
2 mm. long, minutely denticulate; petals white; fruit 4 mm. in
diameter.
Ossaea quinquenervia (Mill.) Cogn. Reported from Cocos
Island. Panama and Colombia. Branches, petioles, and inflores-
cence densely furfuraceous-puberulent; leaves narrowly ovate,
10-20 cm. long, short-acuminate, obtuse at the base, 5-nerved,
subentire, sparsely pilosulous above, thinly furfuraceous beneath;
panicles about equaling the petioles, the flowers 5-parted, long-
pedicellate; calyx 2.5-3 mm. long; fruit globose, 5 mm. in diameter.
Ossaea tetragona Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1: 265.
1891. Camino de Carrillo, 300 meters, Pittier 3148. Apparently
frequent in forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente. Endemic.
Branches, petioles, and calyces furfuraceous; leaves ovate-oblong,
8-14 cm. long, short-acuminate, acutish at the base, 5-plinerved,
subentire, glabrous; flowers 4-parted, slender-pedicellate, the calyx
1.5 mm. long, minutely denticulate; fruit 8-costate, 3 mm.
in diameter.
Ossaea Valeriana Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex, ramulis gracillimis
teretibus glabris vel glabratis, novellis sparse pilis longis patentibus
setulosis, internodiis brevibus vel elongatis; folia modica graciliter
longipetiolata membranacea, petiolo 1-4.5 cm. longo sparse longi-
setuloso; lamina ovata vel oblongo-elliptica 12-18 cm. longa 5-7.5
cm. lata subabrupte longe caudato-acuminata, basi obtusa 5-nervia,
integra vel subundulata, supra in sicco laete viridis sparse breviter
setulosa, subtus paullo pallidior glabra, ad marginem ciliata; pani-
culae multiflorae laxae saepius alares divaricato-ramosae petiolis
paullo longiores, ramis gracilibus glabris vel hinc inde setulosis,
bracteis minutis subulatis patentibus, floribus plerumque pedicel-
latis, pedicellis usque 5 mm. longis glabris, floribus centralibus vulgo
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 837
sessilibus; calyx ca. 2 mm. longus sparse longisetulosus, dentibus
exterioribus minutis subulatis. — Forest between La Balsa and Cata-
ratas de San Ramon, 850 meters, October, 1925, Brenes 4525 (type
in Herb. Field Mus.). Los Angeles de San Ramon, March, 1931,
Brenes 13635. The species is named for Professor Juvenal Valerio
Rodriguez, Director of the Museo Nacional de Costa Rica.
PTEROLEPIS Miq.
Small annuals, erect, sparsely branched, strigose or setose;
leaves usually entire, small, 3-5-nerved, membranaceous, mostly
oblong-lanceolate; flowers small, axillary or terminal, glomerate or
solitary, sometimes paniculate, commonly 4-parted; calyx tube
campanulate, beset with simple or penicillate hairs, the lobes rigid,
narrowly triangular, persistent, alternating with stellate-penicillate
setulae, equaling or shorter than the tube; petals obtuse, ciliate;
stamens twice as many as the petals, alternately unequal, the
filaments glabrous, the anthers mostly 1-pored, alike or dissimilar,
the larger ones with the connective more or less produced below
the cells, bituberculate or tumid anteriorly; ovary 4-celled, setose
at the apex; fruit capsular; seeds cochleate, minutely tuberculate.—
At least one other species occurs in Central America.
Pterolepis pumila (Bonpl.) Cogn. Frequent in moist, grassy
places of the tierra caliente, often in savannas; regions of San Ramon
and Santa Maria de Dota; ascending to 1,500 meters. Mexico to
Peru. Plants mostly 15-30 cm. high, with few branches, the stems
appressed-setose; leaves oblong-lanceolate, 1.5-2.5 cm. long, hirsute;
flowers axillary and solitary or terminal and ternate; calyx tube
ovoid-campanulate, 2-2.5 mm. long, the lobes 1.5-2 mm. long;
petals rose-pink; anthers oblong or ovate-oblong; capsule 3 mm. long.
An inconspicuous and weedy plant, often plentiful in grassland.
Pterolepis trichotoma (Rottb.) Cogn. Reported from Costa
Rica by Cogniaux. Mexico to Peru. Similar to the preceding,
from which it is not sharply differentiated; leaves rather sparsely
pilose; flowers in ample, lax panicles; anthers linear-subulate,
attenuate-rostellate.
RHYNCHANTHERA DC.
Plants usually herbaceous, often glandular-pilose or setose;
leaves petiolate, ovate or oblong; flowers large and showy, 5-parted,
paniculate, purple; calyx tube ovoid to campanulate, the lobes
lanceolate to setaceous, usually as long as the tube; petals obovate;
838 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
stamens 10, very unequal, the 5 larger ones alternating with the
petals, the anthers equal or one much larger than the others, usually
terminated by an elongate beak, the connective long-produced
below the cells; ovary commonly 3-celled; fruit capsular; seeds
ovoid or oblong, straight or curved, foveolate. — No other species
are known from Central America.
Rhynchanthera paludicola (Bonn. Smith) Gleason, Phytologia
1: 136. 1935. Tibouchina paludicola Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 42: 293.
1906. In swamps, Rio Canas Gordas, Puntarenas, 1,100 meters,
Pittier 11055. El General. Panama. Plants erect, mostly 40-60
cm. high, suffrutescent or herbaceous, the stems glandular-hirtellous;
leaves lance-oblong or oblong-ovate, 6-14 cm. long, acuminate,
rounded at the base, 7-9-nerved; calyx tube 5 mm. long, sparsely
glandular-hispidulous, the lobes glandular-ciliate, subulate, 5-9 mm.
long; petals purple, 3 cm. long, acute and glandular-setaceous at
the tip; capsule subglobose.
SGHWACKAEA Cogn.
Annual herbs, trichotomously branched; leaves small, mem-
branaceous, entire, 3-nerved; flowers small, 4-parted, solitary or in
small, leafy cymes; calyx glabrous, the tube narrowly oblong,
8-costate, the costae tuberculate-echinate, the lobes linear-subulate,
pectinate-ciliate; petals obovate, eciliate, setulose-apiculate; stamens
8, alternately unequal, the filaments glabrous; anthers minute,
ovoid, 1-pored, the connective in the larger anthers long-produced
below the cells, bilobate anteriorly; ovary 4-celled, setulose at the
apex; fruit capsular; seeds minute, cochleate, roughened. — The
genus consists of a single species.
Schwackaea cupheoides (Seem.) Cogn. Frequent in moist
places, often in savannas, Pacific slope, ascending to the Meseta
Central, at 1,200 meters or less; region of San Ramon. Mexico to
Panama. Plants erect, mostly 15-40 cm. high, rather sparsely
branched, the stems red, setulose at the nodes, elsewhere glabrous
or nearly so; leaves short-petiolate, ovate to oblong, 3-6 cm. long,
acute, setulose or pilose, paler beneath; calyx tube 4-5 mm. long,
the lobes erect, rigid, 3 mm. long; petals rose-pink, 6-7 mm.
long; capsule 6-7 mm. long. An inconspicuous and weedy plant,
frequent in many parts of Central America, at least on the
Pacific slope.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 839
TIBOUCHINA Aubl.
Trees, shrubs, or herbs; leaves membranaceous to coriaceous,
petiolate, entire, 3-7-nerved; flowers typically 5-parted, small or
large and showy, solitary or paniculate, sometimes subtended by
large bracts, mostly pink or purple; calyx tube oblong to cam-
panulate, the lobes subulate to ovate, equaling or exceeding the
tube, persistent or deciduous; petals obovate, sometimes retuse;
stamens twice as many as the petals, subequal or alternately unequal,
the filaments glabrous, glandular, or pilose, the anthers alike,
mostly linear-subulate, 1-pored, arcuate or sigmoid, the connective
more or less produced below the cells, anteriorly bilobate or bituber-
culate; ovary commonly 4-celled; fruit capsular; seeds cochleate,
minutely tuberculate. — A few other species are found in Central
America. Most of the species of this large genus are South American.
Tibouchina bipenicillata (Naud.) Cogn. Reported from El
Rodeo de Pacaca and San Mateo. Panama to Colombia and Vene-
zuela. A shrub or small tree, the branches densely pale-squamose;
leaves ovate-oblong, thick, 6-10 cm. long, short-petiolate, 5-nerved,
acuminate, setulose-strigose above, sparsely so beneath, principally
on the nerves; flowers panicled, mostly pedicellate; calyx tube 8
mm. long, densely covered with appressed setae, the lobes 3 mm.
long; petals 8-10 mm. long; capsule 1 cm. long.
Tibouchina Bourgaeana Cogn. Rancho Redondo; valley of
Rio Sucio; region of El General. Extending to Mexico. Similar
to the more common T. longifolia; branches densely appressed-
setulose; leaves narrowly lanceolate, long-acuminate, attenuate at
the base, 5-nerved, appressed-pilose; flowers small, in small cymes;
calyx tube 2.5 mm. long, the subulate lobes only 1.5-2 mm. long.
Tibouchina ciliaris (DC.) Cogn. Reported from Puntarenas.
Colombia. A small shrub, the branches long-hirtellous; leaves
ovate-oblong, membranaceous, 4-8 cm. long, short-acuminate,
serrulate, 5-nerved, densely setulose; panicles small, corymbiform;
calyx rather sparsely setulose, the tube 5 mm. long, the lobes 2-2.5
mm. long, triangular; petals white to purple; capsule 6 mm. long.
Tibouchina erythrophylla Gleason, Phytologia 1: 133. 1935.
Yerba Buena, northeast of San Isidro, Prov. Heredia, 2,000 meters,
Standley & Valeria 49048. Known only from the region of the
type. Stems diffuse, prostrate, setose at the nodes, sparsely pubes-
cent elsewhere with curved-ascending hairs; leaves short-petiolate,
840 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ovate, 11 mm. long or less, acute, broadly cuneate at the base,
entire, 5-plinerved, white-villosulous above, glabrous beneath and
red; flowers solitary, long-pedicellate; calyx tube 3.8 mm. long,
narrowly 4-winged, the lobes 1.5 mm. long.
Tibouchina longifolia (Vahl) Baill. Common in thickets or
forest, often in cultivated or waste ground, chiefly at middle eleva-
tions but descending almost or quite to the coasts, and ascending
sometimes to 2,000 meters or more; region of San Ramon. Mexico
to West Indies and Bolivia. Plants erect, herbaceous or suffrutes-
cent, sometimes 1.5 meters high but usually much lower, often
much branched, slender; stems densely setulose with spreading or
ascending hairs; leaves short-petiolate, lanceolate or oblong, 5-10
cm. long, usually entire, 5-nerved, densely appressed-setulose on
both surfaces; flowers in small, leafy, compact or open panicles;
calyx rather sparsely long-setulose, the tube 3 mm. long, the narrow
lobes 3-4 mm. long; petals white or pale pink, 5-6 mm. long; capsule
3 mm. in diameter. A rather weedy plant, one of the most plentiful
representatives of the family in many parts of Central America
Tibouchina Mathaei Cogn. Region of San Ramon; El Rodeo
de Pacaca; San Pedro de Calabaza to Sabana de Los Chiquizas.
Peru. A tall, rather stout shrub, the branches densely and closely
pale-squamose; leaves stiff, short-petiolate, ovate-oblong, 5-13 cm.
long, acute, obtuse at the base, 5-7-nerved, densely appressed-
setose above, covered beneath with appressed, linear squamae;
panicles small and dense, many-flowered, the flowers sessile; calyx
densely squamose, the tube 8-9 mm. long, the lobes 3-4 mm. long;
petals purple-violet, 12-15 mm. long. Unlike most other Central
American species of Tibouchina, this must be a handsome and
showy plant. Many of the South American species are noted for
their large and exceedingly handsome blossoms.
Tibouchina monticola (Naud.) Cogn. Reported by Cogniaux
from Tres Rios. Southern Mexico. Similar to T. longifolia; stems
soft-pilose; leaves oblong or ovate-oblong, 2-6 cm. long, entire,
densely villosulous; flowers solitary or in small cymes; calyx densely
villous with eglandular hairs, the tube 5 mm. long, the lobes linear-
subulate, 3-4 mm. long; petals purplish, 1 cm. long.
Tibouchina nana (Standl.) Gleason. T. Oerstedii var. sub-
sessiliflora Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 269. 1891 (Carrillo,
300 meters, Pittier). Chaetolepis nana Standl. Also at La Palma
de San Jose*, 1,500 meters. Panama. Stems prostrate and rooting,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 841
setose-pilose; leaves short-petiolate, ovate, 1-2 cm. long, obtuse or
acutish, 7-plinerved, entire, setulose-ciliate, appressed-pilose and
appressed-setose on the upper surface, densely appressed-pilose
beneath; flowers solitary, long-pedicellate; calyx tube 4 mm. long,
appressed-setulose-pilose, the lobes 2 mm. long; petals white or purple.
Tibouchina Oerstedii (Triana) Cogn. in Mart. Fl. Bras. 14,
pt. 4: 597. 1888. Pterolepis Oerstedii Triana, Trans. Linn. Soc. 28:
40. 1871. Candelaria, Oersted. In forest, El Tablazo; apparently
common in the region of San Ramon, 1,000-1,500 meters. Endemic.
Plants slender, herbaceous, procumbent or prostrate, the stems
sparsely setulose; leaves ovate, 1-2.5 cm. long, acute, entire, 5-7-
plinerved, appressed-pilose on both surfaces, with no setae inter-
mixed; flowers long-pedicellate, solitary, the pedicels filiform, often
2-3 cm. long; calyx tube acutely tetragonous, scarcely setulose,
4 mm. long, the narrow, long-attenuate lobes 4-5 mm. long or in
age much longer; capsule 6-7 mm. long.
Tibouchina paradoxa Kraenzl. Vierteljahr. Naturf. Gesell.
Zurich 76: 147. 1931. Rio Naranjo, 200 meters, Tonduz 7628.
Stems flaccid, branched, glabrous below, densely appressed-setose
above; leaves sessile, lanceolate, 3-nerved, pale beneath, acuminate,
appressed-pilose beneath, especially on the nerves, 16 mm. long
or less; flowers in lax panicles opposite the leaves, pedicellate;
calyx tube conic-campanulate, pilose with gland- tipped and eglan-
dular hairs intermixed, the lobes triangular, obtuse, short; petals
3.5 mm. long. Known to the writer only from description; referred
doubtfully to the genus by Kraenzlin.
TOCOCA Aubl.
Shrubs, glabrous or hispid; leaves large, often unequal, petiolate,
membranaceous or coriaceous, entire or denticulate, usually 5-
nerved, the petiole or blade often bearing inflated formicaria;
flowers medium-sized, in terminal and often also lateral panicles,
commonly 5-parted; calyx tube campanulate, terete or costate, the
limb dilated, obtusely or acutely lobate, the outer teeth short or
elongate; petals obtuse or retuse; stamens 10, equal or nearly so,
the filaments thickish, glabrous, the anthers linear, straight or
somewhat recurved, the connective not produced below the cells,
often tuberculate or short-calcarate anteriorly; ovary commonly
3-celled; fruit baccate; seeds obovoid or pyramidal, not curved,
smooth or granulate. — One or two additional species are native in
Central America.
842 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Tococa grandifolia Standl. Cataratas de San Ramon, Brenes
13529. Honduras and British Honduras. A stout shrub 2-3.5
meters high, the stems densely setose-hispid with very long, stiff,
spreading hairs; leaves petiolate, broadly elliptic or rounded-elliptic,
mostly 25-30 cm. long and 16-23 cm. wide, rounded and cuspidate-
acuminate at the apex, broadly rounded at the base, 5-nerved,
glabrous above, setose-hispid and stellate-furfuraceous beneath
along the nerves; panicles dense and many-flowered, the flowers
sessile, congested; calyx furfuraceous-puberulent or glabrate, 4-5
mm. long; fruit purple-red, 5-celled, 4-5 mm. in diameter.
Tococa platyphylla Benth. Carrillo; La Hondura de San
Jose1, 1,300 meters. Colombia and Venezuela. Plants stout, prob-
ably shrubby, the stems setose-hispid at the nodes; leaves broadly
elliptic or rounded, mostly about 20 cm. long or larger, glabrous
above, puberulent beneath on the nerves, rounded and apiculate
at the apex, 7-plinerved; panicles small and dense, the flowers
pink; calyx 4-5 mm. long, glabrate.
TOPOBEA Aubl.
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or variously pubescent, sometimes
scandent or epiphytic; leaves petiolate or sessile, large or small,
5-7-nerved, the transverse veins usually very numerous and close
together; flowers medium-sized, axillary or from defoliate branches,
solitary or fasciculate, pink or white, 6-parted, subtended by closely
imbricate bracts, these usually shorter than the calyx, free or con-
nate; calyx tube hemispheric or campanulate, the limb short or
elongate, truncate, dentate, or lobate; petals obtuse or acute;
stamens twice as many as the petals, equal or nearly so, the fila-
ments filiform, the anthers subulate, incurved, rostrate and minutely
1-pored at the apex, the connective not produced below the cells,
not appendaged anteriorly; ovary glabrous, 4-6-celled; fruit baccate;
seeds obovoid, punctulate. — A few other species probably occur
in Central America.
Topobea Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Arbuscula 3-3.5 m. alta,
ramis teretibus pallide cinnamomeis, novellis densissime paleaceo-
hispidis atque stellato-tomentosis, pilis brunnescentibus, internodiis
plerumque brevibus; folia inter minora sessilia vel brevissime petio-
lata, petiolo vix ad 5 mm. longo crasso dense tomentoso; lamina
crasse membranacea vel subcoriacea oblonga vel obovato-oblonga
4-8.5 cm. longa 1.8-3.8 cm. lata subacuta, apice ipso obtuso, basi
rotundata, truncata vel emarginata, integra, supra glabra vel
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 843
glabrata, subtus puncticulata in sicco fusco-brunnescens ad nervos
sparse paleacea vel stellato-puberula, aliter glabra, in statu juvenili
interdum inter venas stellato-puberula sed cito glabrata, trinervia,
venis transversis paullo obliquis tenerrimis; flores plerumque soli-
tarii breviter crasse pedicellati, pedicello ad 5 mm. longo densissime
paleaceo; bracteae omnes calyce paullo breviores extus densissime
hispidulae atque stellato-furfuraceae, exteriores breviter connatae,
parte terminali late rotundata paten te vel subrecurva; hypanthium
5 mm. longum globosum adpresso-furfuraceum, calyce fere aequi-
longo 1 cm. lato profunde 6-lobato, lobis apice late rotundatis;
petala spathulata 1.5 cm. longa apice late rotundata vel obtusa et
apiculata, extus minute squamosa; antherae 4 mm. longae attenuatae,
connective basi minute calcarato, filamentis gracilibus. — La Palma
de San Ramon, 1,250 meters, March, 1929, Brenes 6732 (type in
Herb. Field Mus.); March, 1935, Brenes 20457. Socorro de San
Ramon, 1,125 meters, Brenes 5663. La Palma y El Socorro de
San Ramon, Brenes 6208. Very unlike other Costa Rican species
in its abundant pubescence and sessile or subsessile leaves.
Topobea calycularis Naud. Cafias Gordas, 1,100 meters.
Panama to Mexico. A shrub or small tree, the branches sparsely
paleaceous or glabrate; leaves coriaceous, oblong or elliptic-oblong,
10-16 cm. long, abruptly long-caudate-acuminate, acute at the
base, 5-plinerved, glabrous or sometimes hispid beneath on the
nerves near their base; flowers very short-pedicellate, fasciculate,
the pedicels usually 5 mm. long or less; bracts coriaceous, closely
appressed, connate, 3-5 mm. long; calyx truncate and minutely
6-dentate, 7-8 mm. long, glabrous; petals white or pink, subacute,
8 mm. long.
Topobea Durandiana Cogn. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1:
268. 1891. Buenos Aires, Pittier 3789. Pacific tierra caliente;
El General; Aguacaliente, at 1,650 meters. Endemic. A small
tree or shrub, the branches thick, furfuraceous-puberulent at first;
leaves long-petiolate, coriaceous, oblong-elliptic to broadly ovate or
elliptic, mostly 15-22 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, obtuse or
rounded at the base, 5-plinerved or 5-nerved, glabrous above,
sparsely furfuraceous or almost glabrous beneath; flowers 6-parted,
fasciculate, the pedicels 1.5-2 cm. long; bracts connate, rounded,
closely appressed, coriaceous, minutely apiculate, half as long as
the calyx, glabrate; calyx 10-12 mm. long, truncate, minutely
6-denticulate; petals 1.5 cm. long.
844 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Topobea Maurofernandeziana Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan.
7: 1193. 1891. Juan Viiias, Tonduz. Frequent in the upper part
of the Atlantic tierra caliente, ascending in the mountains of the
central region to 2,500 meters; region of San Ramon. A shrub or
small tree, often epiphytic, glabrous almost throughout; leaves
long-petiolate, subcoriaceous, elliptic to rounded, mostly 15-20 cm.
long, rounded at the apex and apiculate, rounded at the base,
5-plinerved; flowers mostly fasciculate, the pedicels chiefly 1.5-2.5
cm. long; bracts thick-coriaceous, 7-9 mm. long, the inner ones
obovate, free, the outer ones suborbicular, short-connate at the
base; calyx 11-12 mm. long, minutely 6-denticulate; petals white
or pink, thick, 12-13 mm. long, obliquely subtruncate at the apex.
Topobea Pittierii Cogn. in DC. Monogr. Phan. 7: 1088. 1891.
La Palma, 1,550 meters, Pittier. Endemic. A shrub of 3-4 meters,
the young branches sparsely furfuraceous; leaves ovate-elliptic,
8-12 cm. long, shortly caudate-acuminate, acute at the base, 6-pli-
nerved, glabrous; flowers fasciculate, the slender pedicels 1.5-3 cm.
long; bracts coriaceous, closely appressed, glabrate, only 1-1.5 mm.
long; calyx 5 mm. long, lobate; petals acuminate, 5 mm. long;
fruit subglobose, 6-7 mm. in diameter. Noteworthy for the very
small bracts.
Topobea Storkii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex vel arbuscula fere
omnino glabra, ramulis subgracilibus subteretibus, ad nodos sparse
furfuraceis; folia inter minora coriacea petiolata, petiolo ca. 1.5 cm.
longo; lamina elliptico-oblonga 7-10.5 cm. longa 3-4.5 cm. lata,
obtusa, basi subacuta et abrupte breviter decurrens, glabra, 5-
plinervia, nervis exterioribus tenerrimis; flores ad nodos fasciculati,
pedicellis crassiusculis plerumque 1.5-2 cm. longis; bracteae coriaceae
arete adpressae calyce paullo breviores, interioribus in cupulam
truncatam omnino connatis, exterioribus fere ad apicem connatis
1.5 cm. longis, apicibus liberis late rotundatis glabris; calyx (apertus
non visus) obovoideus glaber 1.5 cm. longus truncatus minute
6-denticulatus. — La Chonta, near Santa Maria de Dota, May,
1928, H. E. Stork 2308 (type in Herb. Field Mus.).
TRIOLENA Naud.
Glabrous or variously pubescent herbs; leaves rather large,
petiolate, entire or serrulate, 5-7-plinerved ; flowers small, 5-parted,
in scorpioid spikes or racemes; calyx tube campanulate, in age 3-
winged, the lobes acute, equaling or shorter than the tube; petals
obovate; stamens 10, subequal, the filaments glabrous, the anthers
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 845
unlike, linear-oblong, 1-2-pored at the apex, the larger ones with
the connective more or less produced below the cells and with 3
filiform appendages anteriorly; ovary 3-celled; fruit capsular,
3-winged; seeds clavate or obpyramidal, truncate, roughened.—
One other Central American species is found in Guatemala.
Triolena hirsuta (Benth.) Triana. Frequent in forests of the
Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon. Extending to Ecua-
dor. Plants herbaceous or suffrutescent, simple, usually 50 cm.
high or less, like the petioles and inflorescence densely villous-
hirsute; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-ovate, mostly 8-15 cm. long,
thin, acute or acuminate, obtuse or subacute at the base, entire or
nearly so, sparsely setose above, hirtellous beneath, especially on
the nerves; flowers short-pedicellate, the calyx densely hirsute.
ONAGRACEAE. Evening Primrose Family
Herbs, shrubs, or small trees; leaves opposite or alternate,
entire or dentate, without stipules; flowers small or large, generally
perfect and axillary, regular or irregular; calyx tube united with
the ovary and produced above it, the limb usually 4-parted; petals
commonly 4, contorted; stamens 1-8, the anthers oblong or linear;
style filiform, the stigma entire or 4-lobate; fruit fleshy or dry.—
One or two other genera are represented in Central America.
FUCHSIA L.
Shrubs or small trees, sometimes epiphytic; leaves opposite or
alternate; flowers small or large, pink, red, or purple, axillary or
racemose or paniculate; calyx tube short or elongate; stamens 8;
fruit a 4-celled berry, with few or numerous seeds. — Other species
occur in Central America.
Fuchsia arborescens Sims. Achiotillo (Irazu, probably an
erroneous name). Common in forests and pastures in the elevated
parts of the central region, at 1,400-2,800 meters. Ranging to
Mexico. A shrub or tree, sometimes 10 meters high, the crown
dense and rounded; leaves opposite or ternate, oblanceolate-oblong,
glabrous, 7-20 cm. long, acute or acuminate, serrulate or entire;
flowers very numerous, purple and pink, in terminal panicles,
about 12 mm. long; berries black. An unusually beautiful and
showy tree, especially when standing alone and symmetrical in
growth in the pastures of Irazu and Turrialba, where it is abundant.
Sometimes it grows as an epiphytic shrub. The berries, like those
of other species, are sweet and edible.
846 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Fuchsia microphylla HBK. Forests of the mountains of the
central region, but not common. Extending to Mexico. A ter-
restrial shrub of 1-2 meters, the branches puberulent; leaves ovate
or orbicular, usually 5-20 mm. long, obtuse or acute, almost gla-
brous, serrulate; flowers axillary, pendulous, 10-14 mm. long,
reddish purple, the calyx glabrous; berries dark purple.
Fuchsia parviflora Zucc. Common in forests of the mountains
of the central region, at 2,000-3,000 meters. Ranging to Mexico.
A branched shrub of 1-2 meters, the branches puberulent, leaves
ovate-lanceolate to elliptic, 1-5 cm. long, acute or obtuse, dentic-
ulate or entire, glabrous; flowers reddish purple, 8-15 mm. long,
the calyx pubescent; berries black. This species and the preceding
one are closely related and it is probable that the Costa Rican
specimens referred to them represent a single species.
Fuchsia speciosa Hort. Fusia. A plant probably of South
American origin, cultivated commonly in hanging baskets or in
gardens.
Fuchsia splendens Zucc. Forests of the mountains of the
central region, at 2,850-3,000 meters. Ranging to southern Mexico.
A small, woody epiphyte, the branches pubescent; leaves ovate or
ovate-cordate, 5-12 cm. long, acuminate, serrulate, pubescent, the
petioles very long; flowers axillary, 4 cm. long, pink or reddish,
pendent, the pedicels elongate; berries as much as 4 cm. long. A
highly ornamental plant, because of its large and beautiful flowers.
HAUYA DC.
Shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire; flowers large,
axillary, solitary, sessile or nearly so; calyx tube cylindric, long-
produced beyond the ovary, the limb 4-lobate; petals 4, obovate,
sessile; stamens 8, the anthers linear; ovary 4-celled; capsule elon-
gate, terete, ligneous, 4-celled, loculicidally 4-valvate; seeds numer-
ous, winged. — Several other species are known from Central America.
Hauya lucida Donn. Smith & Rose, Bot. Gaz. 52: 48. 1911.
Supara. Rio Torres, San Francisco de Guadalupe, near San Jose,
1,170 meters, Tonduz 8005. A rare, endemic species, known also
from the region of Dulce Nombre, south of Cartago, and from San
Ramon; planted in the Parque Bolivar in San Jose". A tree of 4-6
meters, the crown rounded and dense, the bark resembling that of
Psidium Guajava; leaves elliptic, petiolate, acuminate, entire, gla-
brous; flowers axillary, almost sessile, 8-10 cm. long, probably pink;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 847
petals 3 cm. long; stamens 8; fruit a woody capsule, terete, narrow,
3-4.5 cm. long. The large flowers suggest those of the genus Fuchsia.
This species has been referred incorrectly to H. Rodriguezii Bonn.
Smith, of Guatemala.
JUSSIAEA L.
Small or large herbs, glabrous or pubescent; leaves alternate,
entire; flowers large or small, yellow, axillary, the calyx tube short
or elongate; sepals 4-6, green; petals caducous; stamens 8-12; fruit
a short or narrow and elongate capsule. — Other species exist in
Central America.
Jussiaea affinis DC. Swampy places of the tierra caliente.
Widely distributed in tropical America. An erect, branched herb,
pubescent or pilose; leaves elliptic-oblong, acute; flowers sessile;
capsule terete, elongate; sepals 4.
Jussiaea decurrens Walt. Wet places of the tierra caliente.
Widely dispersed in tropical America. An erect, almost glabrous
herb, the branches narrowly winged; leaves narrowly lanceolate,
attenuate; flowers short-pedicellate; sepals 4; capsule 4-angulate,
narrowly winged along the angles, elongate.
Jussiaea erecta L. Reported from the vicinity of San Jose",
perhaps in error. A species of wide distribution. A branched herb,
almost glabrous; leaves lanceolate; capsule short, 4-angulate, the
angles not winged.
Jussiaea geminiflora Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 23: 246. 1897.
Clavel del monte. Junction of the rivers Puerto Viejo and Sara-
piqui, Biolley 7379. Common in moist places of the tierra caliente,
sometimes in banana plantations. Panama. Plants herbaceous or
somewhat woody, as much as 3 meters high, almost glabrous; leaves
oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; flowers solitary or geminate, short-
pedicellate; capsule obovoid, 1 cm. long, the angles rounded.
Jussiaea linifolia Vahl. Cocos Island, and probably in various
parts of the mainland. A species of wide distribution. A glabrous
or nearly glabrous herb; leaves petiolate, lanceolate, acuminate;
flowers sessile, with 4 sepals; capsule slender, elongate, terete.
Jussiaea lithospermifolia Kunth ex Micheli. Reported from
the region of El General, collected by Skutch. Extending to Colom-
bia and Brazil. Plants suffrutescent, glabrous or pubescent; leaves
sessile, lanceolate, acute, small; flowers short-pedicellate, 4-parted;
848 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
calyx lobes lanceolate, acute; capsule narrowly obconic, tetrago-
nous, 12 mm. long, 4 mm. thick. I have seen no Central American
material of the species.
Jussiaea peploides Humb. & Bonpl. Meseta Central to the
coasts, in muddy places. Widely distributed in tropical America.
Plants glabrous and somewhat succulent, prostrate; leaves small,
oblanceolate, obtuse or acute, mostly 3 cm. long or less; flowers
pedicellate; capsule elongate, terete.
Jussiaea peruviana L. J. hirta Vahl. Common in many places,
Meseta Central to the coasts, often growing on the banks of small
streams; region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical
America. An erect, branched herb, or sometimes a woody vine and
as much as 6 meters long, densely pilose; leaves lanceolate or oblong,
petiolate; pedicels elongate; capsule about 2 cm. long, thick, 4-
angulate; sepals 4. A showy plant because of its yellow flowers,
larger than those of other species.
Jussiaea repens L. Meseta Central, usually floating on quiet
water, or in muddy soil. Widely distributed in tropical America.
A glabrous, succulent herb; leaves petiolate, oblong or oblanceolate,
obtuse; flowers pedicellate, small, with 4 sepals; capsule elongate,
terete.
Jussiaea suffruticosa L. Clavelillo. Common in moist or
swampy places, Meseta Central to the coasts. Widely dispersed
in tropical America. An erect herb as much as 1.5 meters high,
somewhat pilose or almost glabrous, branched; leaves lanceolate,
attenuate; flowers pedicellate, with 4 sepals; capsule terete, elongate;
seeds unlike those of other species, swollen on one side and appearing
as if 2-celled.
LOPEZIA Jacq.
Erect, branched, brittle, usually annual, glabrous or pubescent
herbs; leaves alternate or the lowest opposite, petiolate, dentate;
flowers small, racemose or subcorymbose, pedicellate; calyx tube
subglobose at the base, scarcely produced beyond the ovary, the
limb colored, 4-parted, unequal, deciduous, the lobes linear; petals
4, unguiculate, very unequal; stamens 2, one of them sterile and
petaloid, the filaments short, dilated at the base, the anther linear-
oblong; ovary 4-celled; capsule globose, 4-celled, loculicidally 4-
valvate. — Other species are native in northern Central America.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 849
Lopezia paniculata Seem. Common in thickets or open places
in the mountains of the central region, at 1,200-1,800 meters; San
Ramon, at 1,100 meters. Panama. An erect, much branched herb
a meter high, the branches elongate, pubescent; leaves lanceolate
or ovate, acute, denticulate or entire, somewhat pubescent; flowers
small, axillary, the pedicels elongate and filiform; sepals dark red;
petals white; fruit a small, globose capsule.
LUDWIGIA L.
Annual or perennial herbs; leaves opposite or alternate, narrow,
entire; flowers usually axillary, solitary, and sessile; calyx tube
cylindric to turbinate, not produced above the ovary, the 3-5 lobes
persistent or tardily deciduous; petals 3-5 or none; stamens 3-5,
the filaments short, the anthers ovoid or oblong; ovary 4-5-celled,
the stigma capitate, 3-5-lobate; capsule terete or angulate, septi-
cidal or dehiscent by apical pores. — One other Central American
species occurs in Honduras.
Ludwigia palustris (L.) Ell. var. americana (DC.) Fernald
& Griscom. Isnardia palustris L. Capulin, Prov. Alajuela, on sand-
bars (arenales) along a stream. A species of wide distribution. A
glabrous herb, prostrate or ascending; leaves opposite, petiolate,
obovate or spatulate, 1-2 cm. long, acute or obtuse, entire; flowers
minute, axillary, sessile, the petals minute and reddish or none;
stamens 4; fruit capsular, 3 mm. long.
OENOTHERA L. Evening primrose
Herbs, the leaves alternate, entire or dentate, sometimes pin-
natifid; flowers axillary, large or small, of various colors; calyx
tube short or elongate, produced above the ovary into a slender
tube; petals 4, sessile; stamens 8; fruit capsular.
Oenothera biennis L. Sometimes cultivated in gardens as an
ornamental plant. Native of the United States. A tall, biennial
herb, with large, yellow flowers.
Oenothera cuprea Schlecht. Common in meadows of the cen-
tral mountains, at 1,800-3,300 meters. Ranging to Mexico. Plants
perennial, procumbent, covered with short hairs; leaves small,
almost sessile, entire; petals 5 mm. long, at first yellow, later dark
red; capsule almost sessile, obovoid, narrowly winged.
Oenothera rosea Ait. Hartmannia rosea Don. Common in
pastures and other grassy places of the Meseta Central. Ranging
850 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
to Mexico and Colombia. An erect, branched herb, 30-60 cm. high,
pubescent with short, appressed hairs; lower leaves pinnatifid, the
upper denticulate or entire; flowers pedicellate, the petals pink, 1
cm. long; capsule small, obovoid, stipitate, angulate.
Oenothera tetraptera Cav. Grassy places about San Jose
and Cartago. Ranging to Mexico and the southern United States.
A perennial herb, pilose with long, spreading hairs; leaves pinnatifid
or dentate; flowers pink, the petals 2-3 cm. long; capsule pilose,
acutely angulate.
HALORRHAGACEAE
GUNNERA L.
Giant, acaulescent, perennial herbs, with thick rhizomes; leaves
very large, petiolate, lobate and serrate; inflorescence large, the
flowers minute, in racemed spikes; calyx tube ovoid or compressed,
2-lobulate; petals 2 or none; stamens 2, inserted upon the petals;
fruits minute, drupaceous.
Gunnera insignis (Oerst.) A. DC. in DC. Prodr. 16, pt. 2: 597.
1868. Higuera. Pankea insignis Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn
189. 1857. Volcan de Irazu, Oersted. Common in quebradas of the
central volcanoes, at 1,500-2,400 meters; region of San% Ramon, at
1,000 meters. Panama. Plants very large, the leaves reniform, 1-2
meters broad, rough, lobate and dentate; inflorescences hidden
beneath the leaves, reddish, their branches 6-8 cm. long, very dense.
A plant of striking and ornamental appearance, well known in the
regions that it inhabits. The great leaves are often employed like
umbrellas in the case of unexpected showers in the mountains, and
they are sufficiently large to afford good protection to a man against
a heavy downpour. Material from Guatemala represents either this
species or a closely related one. The genus is unknown in other
parts of Central America.
Gunnera Wendlandii Reinke, Morphol. Abh. 111. 1873,
nomen; Schindler, Pflanzenreich IV. 225: 127. 1905. Collected at
Desengano by Wendland, No. 829. Differing from the preceding
species in the longer (30 cm.) branches of the inflorescence. Probably
nothing more than a form of G. insignis.
MYRIOPHYLLUM L.
Glabrous, aquatic herbs, the branches usually floating, densely
leafy; leaves opposite, alternate, or verticillate, usually narrow,
entire to serrate or pectinate-pinnatifid ; flowers minute, axillary,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 851
sessile or short-pedicellate, sometimes in terminal spikes, the upper
ones staminate, the lower perfect, usually monoecious; staminate
flower with a very short calyx tube, the limb normally 4-lobate, the
petals 2-4, sessile, the ovary none or rudimentary; stamens 2-8, the
filaments filiform, the anthers linear-oblong, basifixed; calyx tube
of the pistillate flower 4-sulcate, the lobes none or 4 and minute,
the petals minute or none; ovary commonly 4-celled, the ovules
solitary in the cells; fruit nutlike or drupaceous, separable into 4
cocci. — No species are known to be native in Central America.
Myriophyllum brasiliense Camb. M. proserpinacoides Gill.
Sometimes grown as an ornamental plant in fountains. Native of
Brazil and southeastern South America. An aquatic plant with
verticillate leaves, most of which are pinnately divided into narrow
segments, the minute flowers dioecious, green, sessile in the leaf
axils. In the United States, where the plant likewise is often culti-
vated, it is known by the name Parrot's feather. It has become
thoroughly naturalized in the southern United States.
ARALIACEAE. Ginseng Family
Shrubs or trees (in the Costa Rican species), the leaves alternate
or rarely opposite, simple or compound, often palmate-lobate;
stipules usually present and adnate to the petiole; pubescence often
of branched hairs; flowers small, usually greenish, umbellate or
capitate, perfect, polygamous, or rarely dioecious, regular; calyx
tube adnate to the ovary; petals commonly 5, often coherent, in-
serted on the margin of the calyx; stamens as many as the petals
and alternate with them, the anthers introrse; ovary inferior, 1-
several-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell, the styles as many as the
cells; fruit fleshy; seeds flattened or somewhat 3-angled. — The
genus Aralia is represented in northern Central America.
DIDYMOPANAX Dene. & Planch.
Large trees; leaves long-petiolate, digitately compound, the
leaflets long-petiolulate, entire; flowers in panicled umbels; calyx
5-dentate; petals 5, valvate; stamens 5, the filaments short, the
anthers ovoid; ovary 2-celled, the 2 styles distinct; fruit laterally
compressed, didymous, only slightly fleshy.— No other species are
found in Central America.
Didymopanax Morototoni (Aubl.) Dene. & Planch. Pava,
Pavo, Pavilla. Reported from Buenos Aires, Pacific tierra caliente;
probably in the Atlantic lowlands, since the tree is common in most
852 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
parts of the Atlantic tierra caliente of Central America. Southern
Mexico to West Indies and northern South America. A large tree,
as much as 25 meters high; leaves very large, the petioles greatly
elongate, the leaflets 7-10, elliptic or oblong, 20-40 cm. long, acumi-
nate, often subcordate at the base, densely pale-tomentose beneath;
panicles large, with very numerous small umbels, the pedicels
2-6 mm. long; petals white; fruit glaucous, 6-7 mm. broad. A
characteristic tree of wet forests of the Central American tierra
caliente, often forming a conspicuous part of the understory forest;
prominent because of the large leaves of distinctive form, pale on
the under surface. The wood is light in weight, soft, rather close-
grained, rather brittle, and not durable. Leaves of young plants
often have no tomentum but are hispid on the upper surface. In
Panama the tree is called also Mangab£ and Gargoran.
Didymopanax Pittieri March. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1:
280. 1891. Potrero del Alto, Volcan de Poas, 2,460 meters, Pittier
797. Frequent in forests of the central mountains, chiefly at 2,000-
2,800 meters; region of San Ramon, 1,200-1,300 meters. Panama.
A tree as much as 20 meters high, glabrous throughout; leaves
comparatively small, on very long petioles, the leaflets 5-8, ovate-
elliptic, 8-17 cm. long, long-acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the
base; fruits 3-4 mm. in diameter, purple or almost black.
GILIBERTIA Ruiz & Pavon
Glabrous shrubs or trees, the leaves simple, entire or lobate,
commonly pinnate- veined ; flowers small and greenish, umbellate,
the umbels racemose or paniculate, sometimes umbellate or solitary;
calyx 5-dentate or subentire; petals 5, valvate; stamens 5, the
anthers ovate or oblong; ovary 5-celled, the styles connate; fruit
globose or ovoid, fleshy, commonly 5-sulcate. — A few additional
species are known from Central America.
Gilibertia arborea (L.) March. Zopilote, Cacho de venado.
Dendropanax arboreum Dene. & Planch. D. monticola Standl.
Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 316. 1927 (wet forest near Fraijanes,
Prov. Alajuela, 1,600 meters, Standley & Torres 47538). Frequent
in forests and often in second growth, tierra caliente of both slopes,
ascending the slopes of the central mountains to 2,400 meters;
region of San Ramon. Distributed almost throughout tropical
America. A rather sparsely branched tree, or often only a shrub,
sometimes 20 meters high; bark gray, slightly roughened; leaves
extremely variable, those on sterile plants often deeply palmate-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 853
lobate, the lobes entire, those of older branches ovate to elliptic or
obovate, entire or undulate, long-petiolate; umbels usually numerous
and racemose, sometimes few and subumbellate, the peduncles not
jointed; fruit black or dark purple, very juicy, 6-8 mm. in diameter.
The wood is described as fibrous, rather heavy, and yellow, with
reddish heartwood; it is little used. This species is noteworthy for
the great variation exhibited by the leaves, those of young branches
being often very unlike the adult foliage. Numerous segregates of
the species have been proposed, based in large part upon foliage
characters, but Dr. A. C. Smith, monographer of the North American
species, has reduced most of them to synonymy. To the present
writer it seems probable that more careful study of the Central
American forms, in association with intimate knowledge of Central
American physiography, will result in restoration of a number of
the species that have been proposed. Dendropanax monticola is a
form of the high mountains, noteworthy for its small leaves with
rounded bases. Although reduced by Dr. Smith, I suspect that
further study will show it to be well worthy of specific status.
Gilibertia diplostemona Donn. Smith is Hydrangea diplostemona
(Donn. Smith) Standl. (Saxifragaceae).
Gilibertia gonatopoda Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 55: 434. 1913.
Banks of Rio Turrialba, Prov. Cartago, 500 meters, J. D. Smith
4829. Forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon,
ascending to 1,600 meters. Panama. A medium-sized tree; leaves
large, long-petiolate, elliptic or broadly elliptic, 15-30 cm. long,
5-18 cm. wide, abruptly short-acuminate, obtuse or rounded at the
base; umbels numerous, racemose, the peduncles conspicuously
jointed below the middle; fruit 4 mm. in diameter.
Gilibertia praestans (Standl.) A. C. Smith. Sterile specimens
collected by the writer at Laguna de La Escuadra, near El Copey,
at 2,100 meters, probably are referable to this species. Region of
Chiriqui, Panama. A small tree; leaves long-petiolate, some of
them digitately 3-5-lobate, the lobes coarsely sinuate-serrate, other
leaves ovate-oblong to ovate, acuminate, and sinuate-serrate;
umbels few, umbellate; fruit 5-6 mm. broad; peduncles not jointed.
Gilibertia querceti Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 55: 436. 1913.
Dendropanax querceti Donn. Smith, op. cit. 42: 297. 1906. Forests
at El Copey, Prov. Cartago, 1,800 meters, Tonduz 11826. Frequent
in the forests of Dota, and in the region south of Cartago; region
of San Ramon; mostly at 850-1,800 meters. Endemic. A shrub
854 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
or tree of 6 meters or less; leaves short-petiolate, small, oblong-
lanceolate or oblanceolate-oblong, mostly 5-10 cm. long, acuminate,
attenuate to the base, entire or denticulate; umbels solitary, the
peduncles not jointed; flowers greenish white; fruit black, juicy,
4-5 mm. in diameter.
HEDERAL. Ivy
Scandent shrubs, the leaves entire or lobate; flowers in small,
panicled umbels; calyx entire or 5-dentate; petals 5, valvate; stamens
5, the anthers ovate, straight or recurved-reniform; ovary 5-celled,
the styles connate; fruit subglobose, the exocarp juicy, the pyrenes
ovoid-triquetrous. — The members of the genus are natives of the
Old World.
Hedera Helix L. Hiedra. The common ivy or English ivy,
native of Europe, a handsome vine with very thick and leathery,
somewhat lobate leaves, is cultivated occasionally in gardens of the
tierra templada, as at Cartago.
NOTHOPANAX Miq.
Shrubs, glabrous or nearly so; leaves thin, digitately or pinnately
compound, the leaflets usually dentate or incised ; flowers umbellate,
the umbels racemose or paniculate, the pedicels articulate below
the flower; calyx 5-dentate or subentire; petals 5, valvate; stamens
5, the anthers ovate or oblong; ovary 2-3-celled, the styles distinct,
erect or recurved; fruit usually compressed laterally, the exocarp
fleshy, the pyrenes compressed. — The species are natives chiefly of
the Pacific islands and the East Indies.
Nothopanax fruticosum (L.) Miq. Cultivated commonly for
ornament in the tierra caliente, and probably in the temperate
region. A favorite ornamental plant in Central America, much
planted for hedges. N. fruticosum has twice pinnate leaves whose
leaflets usually are bordered with white, and often much cut or
parted, so that the leaves have a plumelike appearance. Two
other species grown in Central America, and probably in Costa
Rica, both with once pinnate leaves, are N. ornatum (Bull.) Merrill,
with 11-17 green leaflets; and N. Guilfoylei (Cogn. & Marche")
Merrill, with 5-7 leaflets which are usually margined or blotched
with white.
OREOPANAX Dene. & Planch.
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or often pubescent; leaves simple and
entire or lobate, or digitately compound, the few or numerous
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 855
leaflets entire or dentate; flowers capitate, the heads racemose or
paniculate, polygamous-dioecious; calyx subentire; petals usually 5,
valvate; ovary commonly 3-5-celled, the styles elongate, free or
more or less connate; fruit globose, juicy. — A few other species are
known from Central America.
Oreopanax capitatum (Jacq.) Dene. & Planch. Frequent in
forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente and at middle elevations in the
central mountains; region of San Ramon; ascending to about 2,000
meters. Southern Mexico to West Indies and South America. A
shrub or tree, often epiphytic, sometimes 15 meters high; bark
somewhat rough, brown or dark brown; leaves on greatly elongate
petioles, very variable in outline but mostly ovate to broadly
rounded-ovate, obtuse or abruptly short-acuminate, rounded or
cordate at the base, entire, glabrous; flower heads few-flowered,
very dense, racemose or paniculate, the inflorescence glabrous. This
species, like most other members of the genus, is a handsome and
ornamental tree, and various species of Oreopanax often are planted
for ornament in the temperate region. They often begin growth as
epiphytes, becoming later terrestrial when the host tree dies.
Oreopanax Donnell-Smithii Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci.
17: 315. 1927. Atirro, Prov. Cartago, 600 meters, J. D. Smith 6533.
Collected also at Tucurrique, Orosi, and lower Rio Turrialba.
Endemic. A tree, the young branches densely stellate- tomentose;
leaves long-petiolate, the blades cordate-suborbicular or rounded-
ovate, 19-24 cm. long, rounded or very obtuse at the apex, broadly
rounded and shallowly cordate at the base, entire, glabrous; flower
heads very numerous, in large, pyramidal panicles.
Oreopanax Liebmanni March. Cacho de venado, Matapalo.
Frequent in forests at middle elevations; region of San Ramon;
ascending to 2,000 meters or more, and descending to about 1,000
meters. Panama to southern Mexico. A tree of 5-7 meters, the
trunk 20 cm. in diameter, the bark dark brown, glabrous or nearly
so outside the inflorescence, there stellate-pubescent; leaves on long
or short petioles, mostly oblong-oblanceolate, sometimes very narrow,
acuminate, more or less attenuate to the acute base, entire, some-
times stellate-pubescent beneath; flower heads small, in elongate,
panicled racemes; fruit cream-colored. Some of the Costa Rican
material has been referred to 0. oligocarpum Donn. Smith, of
Guatemala.
856 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Oreopanax nubigenum Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17:
315. 1927. Wet forest at Las Nubes, Prov. San Jose", 1,800 meters,
Standley 38806. Slopes of Irazu and Barba; also in the region of
San Ramon. Endemic. A tree of 6-10 meters, the branches glabrous
or very sparsely stellate-pubescent; leaves on very long petioles,
the blades broadly deltoid-rounded, often broader than long, 7.5-15
cm. long, acute or abruptly acute, rarely obtuse, truncate to obtuse
or very broadly cuneate at the base, entire, glabrous; flower heads
numerous, in panicled racemes.
Oreopanax Oerstedianum March. Bull. Acad. Belg. II. 47:
85. 1879. Moquillo, Cacho de venado. Irazu, at 2,400 meters, Oersted.
Frequent in forests of the central region, chiefly at 1,200-2,400
meters; region of San Ramon. Endemic. A tree of 6-15 meters,
often epiphytic, the trunk sometimes 1 meter in diameter, the
branches covered with coarse, rusty, stipitate, stellate hairs; leaves
on long or short petioles, oblong to oblong-ovate or elliptic-oblong,
small or large, shortly narrow-acuminate, acute to rounded at the
base, more or less densely stellate-pilose with stipitate hairs on both
surfaces; flower heads small, the racemes usually forming rather
large panicles, the whole inflorescence densely stellate-pilose.
Oreopanax pycnocarpum Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 31: 113.
1901. Cacho de venado. 0. latissimum Cufodontis, Archivio Bot.
9: 198. 1933 (Volcan Irazu, above Guayabillos, 2,500 meters, Cufo-
dontis 495). El Copey, 1,800 meters, Tonduz 11933. Forests of the
central mountains, chiefly at 1,000-2,000 meters; region of San
Ramon. Endemic. A tree of 6-10 meters, finely stellate-pubescent
on the younger parts, the crown dense and rounded; leaves long-
petiolate, the blades oval, mostly 12-20 cm. long, rounded or very
obtuse at the base and apex, entire, triplinerved ; inflorescence stel-
late-pubescent, the racemes short; flowers yellowish white or green.
Oreopanax Standleyi A. C. Smith, Brittonia 2: 259. 1936.
Cacho de venado. Wet forest near Zurqui, Prov. San Jose", 2,000-
2,500 meters, Standley & Valerio 48068. Frequent in forests of the
central mountains, at middle or rather high elevations. Endemic.
A tree as much as 10 meters high, or often an epiphytic shrub, the
young branches densely stellate-tomentose with short-stipitate or
almost sessile hairs; leaves long-petiolate, the blades ovate or elliptic,
13-30 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate, broadly rounded to sub-
cuneate at the base, glabrous or sparsely stellate-pilose above,
stellate-tomentose beneath; flower heads numerous, in elongate,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 857
paniculate racemes, forming a usually large panicle. The bark is
described as nearly smooth and pale green, with small, buff lenticels;
fruit clusters pale yellow to dull reddish violet; petioles and veins
of the lower leaf surface dull red.
Oreopanax xalapense (HBK.) Dene. & Planch. Mata gente,
Higuera. 0. Taubertianum Donn. Smith. 0. xalapense var. spici-
forme Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 1: 271. 1891 (type from Costa Rica).
Frequent in mountains of the central region, mostly at 1,200-2,700
meters; region of San Ramon. Panama to Mexico. A small or
medium-sized tree, almost glabrous but with scant pubescence of
close, minute, stellate hairs; leaves long-petiolate, the 5-9 leaflets
narrowly oblong to obovate, 8-30 cm. long, entire or somewhat
serrate, long-acuminate; flower heads in often greatly elongate,
panicled racemes. Easily recognized among Costa Rican species
by its digitately compound leaves.
SCIADODENDRON Griseb.
The genus consists of a single species.
Sciadodendron excelsum Griseb. Chile. Reynoldsia americana
Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 49: 455. 1910 (Nicoya, Tonduz 13823).
Occasional in forests or on open slopes of the Pacific tierra caliente;
Guanacaste. Ranging to Colombia and Salvador. A medium-sized,
deciduous tree, usually leafless during the dry season, with few
thick branches, the bark smooth and pale; leaves very large, often
a meter long, two or more times pinnate-ternate, the numerous
small leaflets ovate, serrate, glabrous; flowers umbellate, the umbels
racemose. The plant sometimes flowers when merely a shrub.
In Panama, where the tree is called Jobo de lagarto, the petioles
are employed for making bird cages.
SCIODAPHYLLUM P. Br.
Trees or shrubs, glabrous or with close, appressed pubescence;
leaves digitately compound, the leaflets entire; flowers capitate or
umbellate, in simple or panicled racemes; calyx truncate or repand-
dentate; petals normally 5, valvate, connate and deciduous as a
cap; ovary 3-5-celled, the styles distinct; fruit subglobose, angulate
when dried.— At least one other species occurs in Central America.
The generic name has often been written Sciadophyllum.
Sciodaphyllum robustum A. C. Smith, Brittonia 2: 254. 1936.
Near Finca Johanson, Los Angeles de San Ramon, Prov. Alajuela,
Brenes 6163. Known only from the original collection. A tree, the
858 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
branches cinereous-puberulent, soon glabrate; leaves long-petiolate,
the leaflets 12-15, long-petiolulate, elongate-oblong, 15-30 cm. long,
caudate-acuminate, obtuse or rounded at the base, entire, glabrous;
flowers capitate.
Sciodaphyllum systylum Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 31: 113.
1901. Papayo. Schefflera systyla Viguier, Ann. Sci. Nat. IX. 9:
363. 1909. El Alto de La Palma, 1,540 meters, Tonduz 7395. Occa-
sional in forests of the central mountains, mostly at 900-1,500
meters. Endemic. A shrub or small tree, up to 8 meters or more
in height, the branches ferruginous-stellate-pilose, the same pubes-
cence extending to the leaves and inflorescence; leaflets 7-9, elongate-
oblong, up to 25 cm. in length, caudate-acuminate; flowers umbellate;
pedicels 5-8 mm. long; flowers greenish white; fruits 3-4 mm. long.
UMBELLIFERAE. Carrot Family
Herbs or small shrubs; leaves alternate, compound or sometimes
simple, the petioles often dilated at the base; stipules commonly
none; flowers small, most often white, yellow, or greenish, generally
in simple or compound umbels, sometimes capitate, the umbels and
umbellules often involucrate and involucellate; calyx tube adnate
to the ovary, its margin truncate or 5-dentate; petals 5, inserted
on the margin of the calyx, often emarginate or bilobate; stamens 5,
inserted on the epigynous disk, the filaments filiform, the anthers
versatile; ovary inferior, 2-celled, the styles 2, filiform, persistent,
often borne on a conic or depressed stylopodium, the ovules 1 in
each cell; fruit dry, composed of 2 carpels which usually separate
at maturity. — A few other genera are known from northern Central
America. The family is best represented in temperate regions.
APIUM L.
Annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, the leaves variously divided;
umbels usually compound, with or without an involucre, the umbell-
ules usually involucellate, the flowers white or greenish ; calyx teeth
none or obscure; petals acuminate or acutish; stylopodium depressed
or short-conic; fruit ovoid or ovoid-globose, laterally compressed, sub-
didymous, often broader than long. — No other species are known
from Central America.
Apium Ammi (L.) Urban. Culantrillo, Eneldillo. A. lepto-
phyllum (Pers.) F. Muell. Frequent in grassy places, most often
in pastures, Meseta Central and other regions of similar elevation.
Widely distributed in tropical America and in the Old World.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 859
Plants slender, annual, branched, seldom more than 50 cm. high
and often much lower; leaves small, slender-petiolate, the blades
dissected into numerous linear divisions, glabrous; umbels solitary,
opposite the leaves, few-flowered, the pedicels mostly 3-7 mm. long;
involucels none; petals white; fruit acutish, 1-3 mm. long.
Apium graveolens L. Apio. Celery. This well known plant,
native of Eurasia, is rarely planted for its edible petioles. It is
seldom grown in Central America.
ARRACACIA Bancr.
Perennial herbs, glabrous or puberulent, sometimes with tuberous
roots; leaves pinnate or pinnately decompound, the segments
usually broad; umbels compound, the involucre of foliaceous bracts
or wanting, the involucels of numerous bractlets; flowers white or
greenish; calyx teeth small or obsolete; petals broad, with an in-
flexed tip; stylopodium conic; fruit ovate or ovate-oblong, usually
narrowed at the apex, laterally compressed, the carpels subterete
or 5-gonous. — A few other species are found in northern Central
America.
Arracacia atropurpurea (Lehm.) Hemsl. Frequent in brushy
places in the central region, 1,200-1,800 meters. Panama to southern
Mexico. Plants erect, branched, glabrous or nearly so, a meter
high or less, the stems usually tinged with red and somewhat glau-
cous; leaflets simple or deeply lobate, ovate or ovate-oblong, mostly
1.5-4 cm. long, acute or acuminate, closely and finely serrate, more
or less glaucous beneath; involucre none; flowers greenish; fruit
5-6 mm. long.
CORIANDRUM L. Coriander
Coriandrum sativum L. Culantro, Culantro de Castillo,. A
native of the Mediterranean region, grown commonly in Costa
Rican gardens, as in most other parts of the earth, for its aromatic
seeds, used for flavoring food. The flowers are usually tinged
with pink.
DAUCUS L.
Annual or biennial herbs, usually hispid, the leaves pinnately
decompound, with linear or small segments; umbels compound, the
bracts of the involucre usually dissected, sometimes none; involucels
trifid, entire, or none; flowers white; calyx teeth evident or obsolete;
petals obovate or rounded, inflexed at the tips; stylopodium
860 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
depressed or short-conic; carpels of the fruit semi terete, aculeate or
setose on the ribs. — No other species are found in Central America.
Daucus Carota L. Zanahorria. Carrot. Native of Europe, the
carrot is one of the common vegetables of Costa Rican gardens,
at least in the temperate regions. It is grown for food in all civilized
parts of the earth.
Daucus rnontanus Humb. & Bonpl. Frequent in grassy places
of the Meseta Central; region of Dota; meadows of Volcan de
Irazu. Widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of
America. Plants erect, sparsely or densely hispidulous, rarely more
than 60 cm. high and usually even lower; leaves divided into very
numerous small, narrow segments; involucre of much divided,
leaflike bracts, the bractlets linear; fruit 5 mm. long, with close
rows of stiff spines along the ribs.
ERYNGIUM L.
Reference: H. Wolff, Pflanzenreich IV. 228: 106. 1913.
Annual or more often perennial herbs, glabrous; leaves simple
or divided, often coriaceous, most often spinose-dentate; flowers
white, greenish, or colored, in dense heads or spikes, the outer
bracts forming an involucre about the head or spike; calyx teeth
conspicuous, rigid; petals erect, more or less emarginate; fruit
ovoid or obovoid, usually more or less squamose. — Other species
occur in northern Central America.
Eryngium affine Wolff, Repert. Sp. Nov. 7: 345. 1909.
Meadows near San Jose", Polakowsky 25. Known only from the
original collection. Very similar to E. Carlinae, but the bracts
entire, not dentate. I have seen a photograph of the type of this
species, in the Berlin herbarium, and I suspect that it is nothing
more than a form or variety of E. Carlinae.
Eryngium Carlinae Delar. Achicoria, Chicoria, Culantro cima-
rron. Frequent in meadows and grassy places of the Meseta Central
and many other regions of similar elevation; region of San Ramon.
Extending to Mexico. Plants perennial, erect or ascending, sparsely
branched, rarely more than 30 cm. high; basal leaves forming a
rosette, oblanceolate or obovate, obtuse or rounded at the apex,
coarsely spinulose-serrate or lobate; heads ovoid or short-cylindric,
comose, the bracts 8-10, rigid, bluish, broadly lanceolate or oblance-
olate, 10-15 mm. long, spinulose-serrate. A rather handsome plant,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 861
common in meadows about San Jose* and Cartago. An infusion of
the herb is employed for treating digestive disturbances in children.
Eryngium costaricense Wolff, Repert. Sp. Nov. 7: 278. 1909.
Volcan de Turrialba, 2,600 meters, J. D. Smith 7528. I presume
that a plant that I collected in the paramos of Cerro de Las Vueltas,
at 3,000 meters, and once determined asE1. scaposum Turcz., is refer-
able to this species, but I have no specimen of the Las Vueltas col-
lection at hand. Endemic. Stems low, simple; leaves ovate-oblong
or oblanceolate, obtuse, crenate-serrate, the teeth obtuse, not spine-
tipped; bracts 8-10, obovate-oblong, obtuse, few-serrate near the
apex, 6-8 mm. long, bluish. The plant of Cerro de Las Vueltas is
a characteristic and rather conspicuous paramo species. It is called
Achicoria.
Eryngium foetidum L. Culantro, Culantro coyote. Frequent
in the tierra caliente and at higher elevations, growing mostly in
waste ground, especially about dwellings; often planted in gardens
in places where it does not grow naturally. Widely distributed as
a weed in tropical America. Plants perennial, prostrate or ascend-
ing; basal leaves usually forming a rosette, oblanceolate, 25 cm. long
or less, obtuse, crenate; flower heads cylindric, 2 cm. long or less,
green; bracts 5-6, green, acute, entire or spinulose-serrate. A com-
mon and well known plant in many parts of Central America. All
parts, especially the roots, have a strong and extremely offensive
odor. Strangely enough, however, when cooked in soups or meat
dishes, they impart to them an exceptionally agreeable flavor, and
the leaves are used generally for this purpose.
FALCARIA Bernh.
Falcaria sioides (Wib.) Aschers. Flor de amor. Naturalized
along roadsides about Tres Rios; sometimes cultivated about San
Jose" as an ornamental plant. Native of Europe and Asia. A coarse,
biennial or perennial herb, often a meter high, glabrous; lowest
basal leaves ovate-lanceolate, the upper ones ternate or ternatisect,
the segments narrowly linear-lanceolate, 20 cm. long or less, spinu-
lose-serrate; umbels involucrate, the flowers white; fruit linear-
oblong, 4-5 mm. long.
FOENICULUM Mill. Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare Mill. Eneldo. Cultivated commonly in
gardens, for use in flavoring food; sometimes escaping to roadsides,
as at Tres Rios and elsewhere. Native of Europe and Asia. An
862 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
erect, glabrous annual, the leaves divided into very numerous
filiform segments; flowers white or greenish, the large umbels not
involucrate; fruit dorsally compressed, 3 mm. long.
HYDROGOTYLE L.
Reference: Rose & Standley, The Central American species of
Hydrocotyle, Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 194. 1927.
Small, usually creeping perennials, glabrous or pubescent; leaves
long-petiolate, often peltate, entire or parted; flowers white or
yellow, mostly in simple or proliferous umbels; involucre none or
sometimes present; stylopodium depressed or conic; fruit trans-
versely ovate to orbicular, laterally compressed. — No other species
is known from Central America.
Hydrocotyle bonariensis Lam. Comalillo, Sombrerillo. San
Jose" and San Ramon, 900-1,200 meters, in wet soil. Generally
distributed in the warmer parts of America. Plants glabrous,
creeping; leaves orbicular or nearly so, peltate, shallowly lobed or
crenate; umbels many-flowered, proliferous, the flowers long-
pedicellate.
Hydrocotyle leucocephala Cham. & Schlecht. H. Maxonii
Rose in Rose & Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 197. 1927
(stony, wet roadside near La Palma de San Jose", 1,300-1,700 meters,
Maxon & Harvey 8047). Frequent in meadows and other grassy or
open places, chiefly in the central mountains at 1,500-2,400 meters,
but found also at Guapiles and Tuis, in the Atlantic tierra caliente;
region of San Ramon. Mexico to Bolivia and Brazil. Leaves
rounded-reniform, not peltate, glabrous or sparsely pilose, crenate,
the petioles pilose with reflexed or spreading hairs; umbels simple,
the pedicels short, only 1-3 mm. long, the peduncles pilose; flowers
white; fruit 1 mm. long.
Hydrocotyle mexicana Cham. & Schlecht. Common in moist
places in forests of the central mountains, or in pastures, chiefly at
1,200-2,400 meters, but also in the upper part of the Atlantic tierra
caliente; Guanacaste; region of San Ramon. Mexico to Ecuador.
Stems glabrous or hirsutulous; leaves orbicular-reniform, not pel-
tate, sparsely or densely strigose on the nerves, shallowly 7-11-
lobate, the petioles hirsute; umbels simple, the pedicels mostly 3-7
mm. long, the peduncles densely puberulent; fruit 1-1.5 mm. long.
Hydrocotyle pusilla A. Rich. H. costaricensis Rose in Rose &
Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 195. 1927 (roadside bank near
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 863
La Palma de San Jose", 1,500-1,700 meters, Maxon 7902). Moun-
tains of the central region, also about San Jose", at 1,100-1,800 meters;
region of Dota. Mexico to West Indies and Uruguay. Leaves
orbicular-peltate, 3-20 mm. wide, glabrous beneath, glabrous or
sparsely villous above, shallowly 5-8-lobate, the petioles villous;
umbels simple, the flowers sessile or subsessile; fruit 0.5 mm. long,
glabrous or sparsely hirsute.
Hydrocotyle ranunculoides L. f. Growing in shallow water,
region of San Jos£; Atlantic tierra caliente. Generally distributed
in the warmer parts of America. Plants glabrous; leaves not peltate,
rounded-reniform, somewhat succulent, 5-6-lobate, the lobes crenate
or lobulate; umbels simple, 5-10-flowered, the pedicels 1-3 mm.
long; fruit 1-3 mm. long. The plant is often floating in shallow
water, at other times prostrate on mud or wet soil.
Hydrocotyle ribifolia Rose & Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci.
17: 196. 1927. Moist forest on Cerro de Las Vueltas, Prov. San Jose",
3,000 meters, Standley & Valeria 43506. Endemic and known only
from the type region. Plants relatively large and coarse, the stems
as much as a meter long, villous with long, spreading hairs; leaf
blades pentagonal, 5-9 cm. wide, deeply cordate at the base, 5-lobate
to about the middle, the lobes broadly ovate, acute or acutish,
rather densely villous on both surfaces; umbels simple, the pedicels
2.5-4 mm. long; fruit 1.5 mm. long.
Hydrocotyle Torresiana Rose & Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci.
17: 196. 1927. Potrero on the southern slope of Volcan de Turrialba,
near the Finca del Volcan de Turrialba, 2,400 meters, Standley
34.950. Endemic, and known only from the region of the type.
Plants small and slender, creeping, the stems sparsely villous; leaves
not peltate, reniform-orbicular, 1-2.5 cm. wide, very shallowly 5-
lobate, short-villous on both surfaces; flowers sessile in small heads,
purplish, numerous; fruit 1 mm. long, glabrous.
Hydrocotyle umbellata L. Sombrerito. Occasional in wet soil
or at the edge of water in the Meseta Central, 1,100-1,300 meters.
Generally distributed in temperate and tropical America. Plants
glabrous; leaves orbicular-peltate, crenate or crenate-lobate; umbels
simple, many-flowered; pedicels 2-2.5 mm. long; fruit 1-2 mm. long.
MYRRHIDENDRON Coult. & Rose
Plants large and shrubby, glabrous, the leaves large and decom-
pound, the petioles much broadened and sheathing at the base;
864 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
flowers white, in large, compound umbels, the umbels involucrate,
the umbellules involucellate; calyx teeth obsolete; fruit linear or
oblong, dorsally compressed, the ribs not winged; stylopodium short-
conic. — One other Central American species has been described
from the mountains of Panama.
Myrrhidendron Donnell-Smithii Coult. & Rose, Bot. Gaz.
19: 466. pi. 32. 1894. Arrecachillo. Upper slopes, Volcan Irazu, J. D.
Smith 4825. Occasional in open ravines on the upper slopes of
Irazu, Turrialba, Barba, and Poas; Cerro de Las Vueltas; at 2,500-
3,000 meters. Endemic. A stout, glabrous herb or shrub, as much
as 4.5 meters high, the stems thick and hollow, sparsely branched;
leaves large, the leaflets numerous, ovate or lanceolate, mostly
2.5-5 cm. long, acute, acutely serrate, paler beneath; flowers white
or greenish; bracts and bractlets parted or lobate, the pedicels and
rays of the umbels more or less viscid-pubescent; fruit 10-12 mm.
long, dark purple. Probably the largest member of its family in
North America, this plant is striking in appearance, and rather
handsome. In some places, as on the upper slopes of Turrialba, it
is abundant. Not infrequently it grows as an epiphyte upon the
low trees.
OSMORRHIZA Raf.
Pubescent, erect perennials with fleshy, fasciculate roots; leaves
thin and soft, decompound; flowers white, in compound, few-rayed
umbels; involucre and involucels of few narrow bracts or none;
calyx teeth obsolete; stylopodium conic; fruit linear or oblong-
linear, short-beaked, more or less setose along the low ribs, nar-
rowed at the base, the carpels 5-angular. — No other species are
known from Central America.
Osmorrhiza mexicana Griseb. In forest in the higher moun-
tains, 2,800-3,000 meters. Extending to Mexico. Plants slender,
a meter high or less, sparsely pilose; leaves large, bright green, the
segments deeply lobate and dentate; fruit linear, 1-1.5 cm. long,
rather densely setose-strigose. The plant often forms large colonies
in rather open places in the high forest.
SANICULA L.
Perennial or biennial, usually glabrous herbs, erect; leaves
palmately compound; flowers very small, in compound, usually few-
rayed umbels, the umbellules globose; bracts foliaceous, the bract-
lets small; calyx lobes membranous; disk flat; fruit somewhat
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 865
compressed laterally, subglobose, covered with uncinate bristles.—
No other species are known from Central America.
Sanicula mexicana DC. Frequent in forest or brushy places
of the central mountains, mostly at 1,100-2,500 meters; region of
San Ramon. Mexico to Bolivia. Plants commonly 50 cm. high or
less, glabrous; leaves angled, parted, the segments lobate and
crenate-serrate; flowers greenish, sessile in the small heads; fruits
covered with yellowish bristles. The fruits attach themselves
freely to clothing by means of their hooked bristles.
SPANANTHE Jacq.
Dichotomously branching herbs, probably annual, glabrous or
nearly so; leaves chiefly opposite, petiolate, the stipules scarious,
lacerate, the petioles setose at the apex; umbels simple, axillary;
involucre of small, linear, entire bracts; flowers white; calyx teeth
rather conspicuous; stylopodium depressed-conic; fruit dorsally
compressed, ovoid, the ribs slender, not winged. — The genus con-
sists of a single species.
Spananthe paniculata Jacq. Occasional as a weed in waste
ground in the Meseta Central, and at various localities on the
Pacific slope; probably in the tierra caliente of both coasts. Widely
distributed in tropical America. Plants usually much branched, a
meter high or less; leaves thin, ovate or broadly deltoid, acute or
acuminate, crenate or dentate; pedicels long and slender; fruit 2.5
mm. long. In Central America the plant grows usually as a weed
in waste places, but it is seldom plentiful.
PETROSELINUM Hoffm. Parsley
Petroselinum hortense Hoffm. Perejil. A plant of European
origin, grown occasionally in Costa Rican gardens for its leaves,
which are employed for flavoring and garnishing food.
CORNACEAE. Dogwood Family
In Central America the family is represented by a single genus
and species.
CORNUS L.
Shrubs or trees; leave opposite, entire; stipules none; flowers
small, white or greenish, in cymes or heads, the heads sometimes
surrounded by large, white bracts; calyx tube adnate to the ovary,
turbinate or campanulate, the limb minutely 4-dentate; petals 4,
866 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
valvate; stamens 4, inserted with the petals; ovary 2-celled, the
stigma truncate or capitate, the style short or elongate, the ovules
1 in each cell; fruit drupaceous, the stone 2-celled and 2-seeded.
Cornus disciflora DC. Occasional in mountain forests at
middle or rather high elevations; known from El Copey, La Carpin-
tera, and slopes of Poas. Ranging to Mexico. A shrub or small
tree, about 4.5 meters high; leaves lance-oblong, long-acuminate,
acute at the base, conspicuously nerved, pale beneath and minutely
sericeous; flowers small and greenish, in dense, globose, long-pedun-
culate, solitary heads.
GARRYACEAE
Reference: Wangerin, Pflanzenreich IV. 56a. 1910.
The family consists of a single genus, which has most often been
referred to the Cornaceae. Wangerin would place the Garryaceae
among the Amentales, in association with the Betulaceae, Salicaceae,
etc. The present writer has preferred to leave the group in its con-
ventional historical position, where it is most likely to be sought.
GARRYA Dougl.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, petiolate, entire or nearly
so, penninerved, persistent, coriaceous, the petioles connate at the
base; flowers small, dioecious, in pendulous, ament-like racemes,
the staminate long-pedicellate, the pistillate sessile or short-pedicel-
late, the racemes mostly axillary, with opposite bracts, the flowers
solitary or ternate in the axils of the bracts; staminate flower with 4
valvate sepals, the 4 stamens with free filaments and basifixed
anthers; pistillate flowers without sepals, the ovary 1-celled, the
styles 2, subulate; ovules 2; fruit baccate, 1-2-seeded. — A single
species is found in Central America.
Garrya laurifolia Hartweg. Comenegro. In open forest on the
upper slopes of Irazu, Turrialba, and Cerro de Las Vueltas; mostly
at 2,700-3,000 meters. Guatemala and Mexico. A shrub or tree,
sometimes 12 meters high, with dense crown, the branches at first
cinereous- tomentellous, soon glabrate; leaves lance-elliptic or oblong,
6-15 cm. long, obtuse, narrowed at the base, leathery, at first more
or less tomentulose but soon glabrate; fruits globose or ovoid, gla-
brous, somewhat juicy, about 7 mm. in diameter. The tree is
common in the potreros of Turrialba, where it is a characteristic
species. The Costa Rican localities are far from the ordinary range
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 867
of the species, and one would expect the tree to be specifically dis-
tinct, but I am unable to discover any characters upon which to base
a separate species.
CLETHRACEAE
Reference: Britton, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 3-9. 1914.
The only other genus of the family (Schizocardia) is confined,
so far as known, to British Honduras.
GLETHRA L.
Shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, petiolate, simple, often dentate,
penninerved; flowers perfect, in terminal, elongate, simple or
branched racemes; calyx deeply 5-cleft, the segments imbricate,
persistent; corolla white or pink, the 5 petals distinct or nearly so,
imbricate; stamens 10, the filaments slender, short or elongate,
the anthers sagittate, opening by apical pores; ovary superior,
pubescent, 3-lobate, 3-celled, the style 1, compound, the stigmas
3-lobate, the ovules numerous; fruit capsular, loculicidally 3-valvate,
3-lobate. — A few additional species are known from Central America.
Clethra costaricensis Britton, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 5. 1914.
Savannas of Canas Gordas, 1,100 meters, Pittier 11115. Branches
densely villous with long, brown hairs; leaves obovate or elliptic-
obovate, 10-17 cm. long, chartaceous, remotely undulate-dentate
or entire, obtuse or acutish, narrowed to the obtuse base, loosely
pubescent or glabrate above, paler beneath and densely villous;
racemes densely brown-villous, 12-20 cm. long, the pedicels 3-5
mm. long; calyx tomentose, 4 mm. long. I have seen no material
of this species, which I suspect, from the description, is synonymous
with C. lanata.
Clethra gelida Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex 1.5-3.5 m. altus
dense ramosus, ramulis ochraceis densissime minute adpresso-lepi-
dotis, internodiis brevibus; folia parva breviter petiolata crasse
coriacea, petiolo crasso 5-8 mm. longo dense adpresso-lepidoto;
lamina ovalis usque late oblonga 2-5.5 cm. longa 1-3 cm. lata,
apice rotundata vel obtusissima, basi obtusa, integerrima, supra
glabra, costa ut nervis profunde impressa, subtus brunneo-ochracea,
ubique densissime minute adpresso-lepidota, costa crassa elevata,
nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 10 prominulis angulo lato
divergentibus, venulis obsoletis; racemi axillares et solitarii vel
apicales atque subpaniculati, pedunculati, plerumque 1-2.5 cm.
longi, subdense pauciflori, rhachi crassa dense velutine brunneo-
868 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
stellato-pilosa, pedicellis crassis vix ultra 1 mm. longis, bracteis
lanceolato-linearibus ad 4 mm. longis dense stellate- torn en tulosis;
alabastra ovoideo-globosa fere 3 mm. longa dense brunneo-stellato-
tomentulosa; sepala imbricata late ovata obtusa; petala orbicularia
glabra. — Open forest, Cerro de Las Vueltas, Prov. San Jose", 2,700-
3,000 meters, frequent, Standley & Valeria 43971 (type in U. S.
Nat. Herb.; fragment in Herb. Field Mus.). The species is alto-
gether unlike any other known from North America, its relationship
being evidently with certain species of the high Andes of western
South America.
Clethra lanata Mart. & Gal. Nance macho, Nance. Frequent
in forests of the central mountains, chiefly at 1,200-1,900 meters,
ascending to 2,400 meters; regions of Dota and San Ramon; also
in the Pacific tierra caliente, at Boruca and Buenos Aires. Panama
to southern Mexico. A shrub or tree, sometimes 12 meters high,
the trunk as much as 1 meter in diameter, the crown spreading;
bark dark brown, deeply sulcate; young branches and petioles
densely brown- tomentose; leaves obovate, more or less coriaceous,
rounded or acute at the apex, narrowed at the base, entire or some-
what dentate, glabrate above, densely brownish- tomentose beneath;
racemes dense, mostly 10-15 cm. long, the pedicels 1.5-3.5 mm.
long; calyx 3-3.5 mm. long; capsule puberulent, 4 mm. wide.
MONOTROPACEAE. Indian Pipe Family
The family is represented in Central America by a single genus.
MONOTROPAL. Indian Pipe
Monotropa coccinea Zucc. Occasional in dense forest of the
central region, especially about Cartago and Santa Maria de Dota,
at 1,500-2,200 meters. Mexico to Colombia. A glabrous sapro-
phyte, fleshy, about 30 cm. high, red in all its parts, the stems
simple, terminated by a single flower; leaves represented by scales;
flowers 1.5-2 cm. long, with 5 or 6 petals; stamens 10 or 12; fruit
capsular, globose, 5-6-celled. The plant is found in the darkest
places in mountain forests, growing among decaying leaves.
PYROLACEAE. Shinleaf Family
A single genus of the family is represented in Central America.
CHIMAPHILA Pursh
Another Central American species is reported from Guatemala
and Honduras.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 869
Chimaphila guatemalensis Rydb. Frequent in dense forests
of the region of Dota, at 1,600-3,300 meters. Extending to Guate-
mala. Plants suffrutescent, simple, 15-30 cm. high, glabrous; leaves
more or less verticillate, short-petiolate, lanceolate, 6-10 cm. long,
acute, serrate, coriaceous, green; flowers few, terminal, subumbel-
late; sepals 5; petals 5, fleshy, white, 8 mm. long; capsule 5-celled,
depressed.
ERICACEAE. Heath Family
Reference: Albert C. Smith, The American species of Thibaudi-
eae, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 28: 311. 1932.
Shrubs or small trees, often epiphytic; leaves alternate, simple,
entire or dentate; stipules none; flowers perfect, symmetric or
nearly so, the calyx deciduous or persistent; corolla hypogynous
or epigynous, nearly always gamopetalous, the lobes contorted or
imbricate; stamens normally twice as many as the corolla lobes,
epigynous or hypogynous, the filaments free or somewhat connate,
the anthers 2-celled, often caudate, opening by pores; ovary superior
or inferior, 4-10-celled, the ovules numerous, on axile placentas;
fruit baccate or drupaceous. — Several other genera of the family
are represented in Panama and in northern Central America.
ARCTOSTAPHYLOS Adans.
Shrubs or trees, terrestrial, the leaves alternate, coriaceous,
entire or dentate; flowers small, in terminal, racemiform panicles;
corolla urceolate; stamens 10, included, the filaments short; fruit
drupaceous, the 5 small nutlets united. — Other species occur in
Central America.
Arctostaphylos arbutoides (Lindl.) Hemsl. Frequent in oak
forests (encinales) in the region of Dota; Paramos del Abejonal;
at 1,500-1,800 meters. Guatemala; Panama. A shrub of 2-3.5
meters; leaves oblong, 5-10 cm. long, obtuse, glabrous above,
covered with a dense, brownish tomentum beneath, entire; corolla
6-7 mm. long, greenish white; ovary pubescent; drupes 4-5 mm. in
diameter. A characteristic shrub of the open oak forests in the
region of Santa Maria de Dota, growing in well drained and exposed
places. The Costa Rican plant has been confused with A. oaxacana
DC., a Mexican species.
Arctostaphylos rubescens (Bertol.) Hemsl. Comarostaphylis
costaricensis Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 89. 1914 (Irazu, Kuntze 2361).
Upper slopes of Volcan de Irazu. Guatemala. A shrub, the branches
870 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, narrowly oblong to narrowly elliptic,
3-7 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, entire, glabrous, pale
beneath, the margins somewhat revolute; corolla 6-7 mm. long;
ovary glabrous; fruits 4-5 mm. in diameter.
CAVENDISHIA Lindl.
Shrubs, usually epiphytic, the leaves coriaceous, petiolate;
flowers fasciculate or racemose, terminal or axillary, the inflorescence
bracteate at the base and when young usually enclosed by the
large, reddish bracts, the pedicels with 2 deciduous bractlets; calyx
tube articulate with the pedicel, short-cylindric or campanulate, the
limb 5-lobate; corolla subcylindric, 5-lobate; stamens alternately
unequal, the filaments distinct or coherent at the base, attached to
the anther dorsally near its base; tubules of the anthers somewhat
longer than the sacs, opening by elongate, introrse clefts; style
filiform, about equaling the corolla, often exserted. — A few other
species are found in Central America. The large, rather hard,
juicy fruits have a somewhat acid flavor, and are most agreeable
to eat. This genus includes some of the most beautiful and showy
of all Costa Rican plants. Their foliage is handsome, and the
rather ample inflorescences are often colored in exquisite shades
of pink and red. The plants are exceedingly abundant in many
regions, usually at fairly high elevations, where they often form
a large percentage of the epiphytic vegetation.
Cavendishia bullata A. C. Smith & Standl. Contr. U. S. Nat.
Herb. 28: 453. 1932. Colmillo de perro. Naranjo, 1,700 meters,
Stork 1789. Also at El Muneco, on Rio Navarro. Endemic.
Branches and petioles pubescent; leaf blades oblong-lanceolate,
strongly bullate, 15-28 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, abruptly
truncate at the base, 5-7-plinerved, glabrous above, setose beneath
on the nerves; inflorescence many-flowered, large and dense, sub-
tended by large, showy bracts; calyx limb erect, 5 mm. long; corolla
26-28 mm. long, densely pubescent. Noteworthy for the narrow,
elongate, strongly bullate leaves.
Cavendishia capitulata Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 25: 147. 1898.
La Palma, Prov.' San Jose", 1,500 meters, Werckle 11565. Frequent
in the mountains of the central region, chiefly at 1,500-1,800 meters;
Guanacaste, at elevations as low as 600 meters; region of San Ramon.
Endemic. A small shrub, the branches glabrous; leaves very shortly
petiolate, ovate-oblong to narrowly oblanceolate-oblong, 2-5 cm.
long, rounded or obtuse at the apex, narrowed to the base, glabrous,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 871
obscurely 5-plinerved; inflorescences few-flowered, glabrous; calyx
limb suberect, 2-3 mm. long; corolla dark purple or rose-red, 11-15
mm. long. Noteworthy for the small, narrow, very coriaceous
leaves, with obscure venation. The leaves are unusually variable
in size, the specimens from San Ramon having, for the most part,
substantially larger leaves than those from other regions.
Cavendishia complectens Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2:
272. 1881. Chupalon complectens Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 383. 1891.
Type Endres 257, without definite locality. Frequent in the central
mountains, 1,200-2,000 meters; region of San Ramon. Also Colom-
bia and Ecuador. Easily recognized among Costa Rican species
by the leaves, which are ovate to rounded, 10-16 cm. long, and
deeply cordate and amplexicaul at the base.
Cavendishia costaricensis Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 326. 1909.
Colmillos (flowers). Common in mountains of the central region,
1,500-2,500 meters; region of San Ramon; Canton de Dota. En-
demic. A small or large shrub, the branches puberulent or glabrate;
leaves oblong or ovate-oblong, short-petiolate, 8-14 cm. long,
long-acuminate, cuneate at the base, 5-7-plinerved, glabrous or
nearly so; inflorescences 8-12-flowered, the bracts rose-pink; calyx
limb 3 mm. long; corolla pink, with a white tip, 19-24 mm. long.
Cavendishia Endresii Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2: 273.
1881. Chupalon Endresii Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 383. 1891. Caven-
dishia glutinosa Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 321. 1909 (La Palma de
San Jose", Werckle 19). Type Endres 178, without definite locality.
Region of La Palma and La Hondura, at 1,300-2,000 meters.
Also in Panama. A small and rather slender shrub, the branches
glabrous; leaves on petioles 4-8 mm. long, ovate-oblong to lance-
oblong, 5-8.5 cm. long, long-acuminate, cuneate at the base, gla-
brous, obscurely pinnate-nerved; inflorescence 3-6-flowered; calyx
limb erect, 2 mm. long; corolla 15-17 mm. long, glabrous.
Cavendishia Hoffmannii Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 328. 1909.
Volcan de Irazu, Hoffmann 141- Known only from the original
collection. Branches glabrous; petioles 4-7 mm. long, the leaf
blades oblong, 10-15 cm. long, long-acuminate, broadly cuneate at
the base, glabrous, 5-plinerved, distinctly punctate on both surfaces;
inflorescences glabrous, 8-12-flowered; calyx limb 2 mm. long;
corolla 20 mm. long.
Cavendishia longiflora Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 37: 420. 1904.
Alto de La Palma, Prov. San Jose", 1,700 meters, Tonduz 7391.
872 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Known only from the region of the type locality, 1,300-1,700 meters.
Branches pubescent; leaves short-petiolate, the blades thick-cori-
aceous, broadly oblong, 10-23 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, truncate
or subcordate at the base, glabrous above, pilose beneath, con-
spicuously bullate, 7-9-plinerved; inflorescence 15-25-flowered; calyx
limb erect, 4 mm. long, glabrous; corolla 26-30 mm. long, densely
pubescent.
Cavendishia melastomoides (Klotzsch) Hemsl. Biol. Centr.
Amer. Bot. 2: 273. 1881. Socratesia melastomoides Klotzsch, Linnaea
24: 23. 1851. C. Klotzschiana Niedenzu, Bot. Jahrb. 11: 206. 1890.
C. Graebneriana Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 324. 1909 (type, Werckle
29). Chupalon melastomoides Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 383. 1891.
Type collected in Costa Rica by Warscewicz. Occasional in moun-
tains of the central region, 1,500-1,800 meters; region of San Ramon,
at 1,150 meters. Endemic. A small, stiff shrub, the branches
glabrous; leaves on petioles 4-6 mm. long, the blades oblong or
ovate-oblong, 4.5-8 cm. long, long-acuminate, cuneate at the base,
glabrous or beneath sparsely pilose, 3-5-plinerved, stiff and cori-
aceous; inflorescences small and few-flowered; calyx limb erect,
4.5-5 mm. long; corolla purple and white, 28-40 mm. long, glabrous
but viscid.
Cavendishia pterocarpa (Bonn. Smith) A. C. Smith, Contr.
U. S. Nat. Herb. 28: 449. 1932. Themistoclesia pterocarpa Bonn.
Smith, Bot. Gaz. 44: 113. 1907. Cerro de Las Caricias, 2,000 meters,
Pittier 14031. Slopes of the central mountains, at 2,000-2,400
meters. Endemic. A small, densely branched shrub, the branches
minutely puberulent or glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, obovate,
1.5-2 cm. long, rounded at the apex, attenuate to the base, sparsely
puberulent when young but soon glabrate, obscurely pinnate-
nerved; inflorescences only 1-2-flowered; calyx limb suberect, 2 mm.
long; corolla bright, dark red, 20-22 mm. long, glabrous or when
young minutely puberulent. Well marked by the small, glabrous,
obovate leaves, rounded at the apex.
Cavendishia quercina A. C. Smith, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb.
28: 450. 1932. Summit of Cerro de Las Caricias, 1,900 meters,
Pittier 14030. Frequent in mountains of the central region, 1,600-
2,500 meters; region of San Ramon, at 1,050 meters or more. En-
demic. A stout shrub, the branches at first puberulent; leaves sessile
or nearly so, thick-coriaceous, oblong or ovate-oblong, 4-7 cm.
long, rounded or very obtuse at the apex, narrowly cordate or
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 873
subcordate at the base, 5-7-plinerved, glabrous or nearly so;
inflorescences 8-25-flowered; calyx limb erect, 4-5 mm. long; corolla
15-18 mm. long, puberulent.
Cavendishia Quereme (HBK.) Benth. & Hook. Frequent in
mountains of the central region, 1,000-1,800 meters; region of San
Ramon. Also in Colombia. A rather small shrub, the branches
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-ovate, 6-12 cm. long, cau-
date-acuminate, cuneate at the base, 5-plinerved, glabrous; inflores-
cence glabrous or nearly so, 10-20-flowered; calyx limb suberect,
2-2.5 mm. long; corolla 9-10 mm. long, light yellow, tipped with
white; bracts amaranth purple.
Cavendishia Smithii Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 328. 1909.
Volcan de Irazu, 2,500 meters, J. D. Smith 4876. Frequent in the
central mountains, 1,400-2,500 meters; Canton de Dota; region of
San Ramon, at 1,200 meters or more. Panama to Nicaragua. A
large shrub, the branches glabrous; leaves on petioles 4-10 mm. long,
oblong to oblong-obovate, coriaceous, 6-15 cm. long, caudate-
acuminate, cuneate to truncate at the base, usually 5-plinerved,
glabrous; inflorescence 6-15-flowered; calyx limb 3 mm. long,
sparsely pilose; corolla 18-20 mm. long.
Cavendishia veraguensis (Klotzsch) Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer.
Bot. 2: 273. 1881. Proclesia veraguensis Klotzsch, Linnaea 24:
35. 1851. Chupalon veraguense Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 383. 1891.
Type collected by Warscewicz, without definite locality. Occasional
in the central mountains, at 1,100-2,800 meters; region of San
Ramon. Endemic. Branches pilose at first, soon glabrate; leaves
short-petiolate, oblong or lance-oblong, 9-14 cm. long, long-acumi-
nate, cuneate or truncate at the base, 5-plinerved, glabrous or
beneath sparsely puberulent on the nerves; inflorescence 5-12-
flowered; calyx limb 1-2 mm. long; corolla 17-19 mm. long, glabrous
or about the apex minutely puberulent.
Cavendishia Wercklei Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 325. 1909.
La Palma, Prov. San Jose", 1,700 meters, Werckle 53. Known in
Costa Rica only from the region of La Palma. Also in Chiriqui,
Panama. Branches glabrous; leaves on petioles 5-8 mm. long,
oblong or ovate-oblong, 9-13 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, truncate
or subcuneate at the base, 5-7-plinerved, glabrous or beneath
sparsely pilose; inflorescence 5-12-flowered, glabrous; calyx limb
erect, 6 mm. long; corolla 28-29 mm. long.
874 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
DISTERIGMA Niedenzu
A single species is known from Central America.
Disterigma Humboldtii (Klotzsch) Niedenzu. Vaccinium
pachyphyllum Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2: 275. 1881. D.
pachyphyllum Blake, Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 16: 365. 1926. Type
of V. pachyphyllum collected in Costa Rica, Endres 154- Frequent
in mountains of the central region, at 1,600-2,400 meters; region of
San Ramon, at 1,000 meters or more. Also in Colombia and British
Guiana. An epiphytic or terrestrial shrub of 30-90 cm., almost
glabrous; leaves alternate, dense, ovate, 7-12 mm. long, obtuse or
rounded at the apex, entire; flowers solitary or fasciculate (1-3) in
the leaf axils, sessile, subtended by 2 ovate bracts; corolla sub-
cylindric, 6-7 mm. long, glabrous, pink; berries white, translucent.
GAULTHERIA L.
Shrubs or small trees, epiphytic or terrestrial, the pubescence
often of gland-tipped hairs; leaves alternate, short-petiolate, cori-
aceous, dentate or almost entire; flowers small, racemose or panic-
ulate; corolla urceolate 'or campanulate; stamens 10, included;
ovary 5-celled; fruit a fleshy capsule. — When herbarium specimens
of these plants are partly dried, they often emit a penetrating and
characteristic, aromatic odor, slightly suggestive of wintergreen
(Gaultheria procumbens of the United States). They are handsome
and showy plants because of their abundance of white or pink
blossoms. Other species occur in Central America.
Gaultheria alpina (Donn. Smith) Sleumer, Notizbl. Bot. Gart.
Berlin 13: 207. 1936. Pernettia ciliaris var. alpina Donn. Smith,
Bot. Gaz. 25: 148. 1898. Cerro de La Muerte, 3,100 meters, Pittier
105^3. Known only from the original collection. Branches densely
setose; leaves oblong-lanceolate, subobtuse at the base, setiferous
beneath; peduncles equaling the leaves, bracteate throughout their
length. This plant, raised to specific rank by Sleumer, is known
to me only from the original description, which is brief and gives
only the details enumerated here.
Gaultheria barbata Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 77. 1914.
Volcan de Poas, Pittier 2051. Occasional on the slopes of the
central volcanoes. Endemic. A small, epiphytic shrub, the young
branches pilose, the hairs not glandular; leaves elliptic, 3-6 cm.
long, acuminate, acute at the base; corolla pink or red, 6-7 mm.
long, pubescent with eglandular hairs. Collections of this species
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 875
and of G. glandulifera have been referred to G. nitida Benth., a
Mexican species.
Gaultheria costaricensis (Donn. Smith) Small, N. Amer.
Fl. 29: 79. 1914. G. odorata var. costaricensis Donn. Smith,
Bot. Gaz. 20: 292. 1895. Estrella, Prov. Cartago, Cooper 5841.
Frequent in forests of the central mountains, at 1,500-1,900 meters;
region of San Ramon, at 900 meters or more. Endemic. Generally
terrestrial, 1-4.5 meters high, the young branches pubescent; bark
cinnamon brown; leaves ovate or oval, rounded or obtuse at the
base, pale beneath; corolla white or pink, glandular-pubescent;
fruit red, turning black; bracts cream yellow.
Gaultheria Donnellii Sleumer, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin
12: 126. 1934. Laguna de Barba, Hoffmann 3 (173). Frequent in
mountain forests of the central region, at 1,500-3,450 meters.
Endemic. Branches glabrous; leaves obtuse or rounded at the
base; corolla pubescent, the hairs eglandular. Easy to recognize
because of the glabrous branches.
Gaultheria glandulifera Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 78. 1914.
Volcan de Poas, J. D. Smith 6639. Forests of Poas and Irazu.
Endemic. Young branches pubescent, the hairs glanduliferous;
leaves narrow or rounded at the base; corolla pubescent with eglan-
dular hairs.
Gaultheria gracilis Small, N. Amer. Fl. 29: 77. 1914. La
Palma, 1,550 meters, Tonduz 7463. Abundant in mountain forests
throughout the central region, at 1,500-2,500 meters; usually
epiphytic, but sometimes growing in sphagnum bogs; region of San
Ramon, at 1,200 meters or more. Endemic. A shrub of 1-2.5
meters, or sometimes smaller, branches strigose; leaves elliptic, acute
at the base; corolla crimson, pink, or white, the pubescence of fine,
eglandular hairs; fruits purple or dark red; bracts creamy white.
Gaultheria odorata Willd. Region of Cartago, and reported
from slopes of the central volcanoes, but the species seems to be
rare in Costa Rica. Mexico to northern South America. A small,
terrestrial shrub, the young branches pubescent, sometimes with
gland-tipped hairs; leaves cordate at the base; corolla white or
pink, glandular-pubescent.
Gaultheria poasana Sleumer, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 12:
127. 1934. Volcan Poas, 2,600 meters, J. D. Smith 6631. Young
branches glandular-pubescent, later glabrous; leaves obtuse or
rounded at base; corolla 5 mm. long, pubescent with eglandular hairs.
876 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Gaultheria setosa Small. Forests of La Palma, 1,500 meters,
Oton Jimenez 939. Panama. Branches setose; leaves acuminate,
acute at the base; corolla glabrous. Easily recognized by the
glabrous corolla.
MACLEANIA Hook.
Shrubs, usually epiphytic, the leaves coriaceous, entire; flowers
fasciculate or racemose, terminal or axillary, few- or many-flowered,
the flowers pedicellate, the pedicels with 2 deciduous bractlets;
calyx tube articulate with the pedicel, short-cylindric or campan-
ulate, the limb erect-patent, normally 5-lobate, the lobes triangular,
subacute; corolla cylindric or elongate-urceolate, 5-lobate; stamens
equal, usually half as long as the corolla, the filaments distinct or
connate, attached to the anther dorsally near its base, the anthers
stout, the tubules about as long as the sacs, opening by elongate
clefts; style filiform, about as long as the corolla or exserted. — A
few additional species are known from Central America.
Macleania glabra (Klotzsch) Hoerold. Colmillos (the flowers),
Muelas (fruits). Psammisia costaricensis Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 47.
1851 (type probably from Costa Rica, Warscewicz). M. turrialbana
Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 27: 339. 1899 (Volcan de Turrialba, Pittier
7546). M. costaricensis Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 268. 1909. M.
irazuensis Blake, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 35: 121. 1922 (Volcan de
Irazu, Popenoe 1017). Frequent in forest of the central mountains,
1,500-3,300 meters; region of San Ramon, at 950 meters or more.
Also in Chiriqui, Panama. A small shrub, sometimes 1.5 meters
high, the branches glabrous; bark deep cinnamon; leaves short-
petiolate or almost sessile, thick-coriaceous, oblong or ovate-oblong,
4-10 cm. long, obtuse or subacute, cuneate or rounded at the base,
pinnate-nerved, glabrous; inflorescences 4-20-flowered, glabrous or
nearly so, the pedicels 10-20 mm. long; corolla pink or pale red,
20 mm. long; tubules of the anthers laterally connate or distinct
nearly to the base. Young leaves of a beautiful, deep crimson.
Macleania ovata Klotzsch. Forests of the central mountains,
occasional, mostly at 1,400-1,500 meters. Panama. Branches
glabrous; leaves nearly sessile, thick-coriaceous, oblong or ovate,
2-4.5 cm. long, obtuse, rounded or cordate at the base, 5-7-pli-
nerved, glabrous; inflorescences 4-7-fl owered ; corolla orange-red,
21-25 mm. long, glabrous, or slightly pubescent near the apex;
tubules of the anthers united to form a single tubule.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 877
Macleania racemosa Cufodontis, Archivio Bot. 9: 199. 1933.
Volcan Poas, near La Lecheria, 2,150 meters, Cufodontis 717. Young
branches pubescent; petioles 5-8 mm. long, the blades rigid, oblong-
lanceolate, 4-6 cm. long, obtuse, rounded or abruptly attenuate at
the base, pinnate-nerved, glabrous; inflorescences 10-15-flowered;
corolla 22 mm. long, pale purple, whitish at the apex, glabrous;
tubules of the anther 2, connate.
PERNETTIA Gaud.
Reference: Sleumer, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 12: 626. 1935.
A single species occurs in Central America.
Pernettia coriacea Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 85. 1851. Arrayan.
Type collected in Costa Rica by Warscewicz. P. setigera Klotzsch,
loc. cit. (Costa Rica, Warscewicz); P. congesta Klotzsch ex Oerst.
Ame"r. Centr. 9. 1863 (Volcan de Irazu, 3,000 meters, Oersted); P.
Oerslediana Klotzsch ex Oerst. loc. cit. (summit of Irazu, Oersted
8581). Abundant in meadows and thickets on the upper slopes of
the central mountains, generally at an elevation of 2,400-3,300
meters. Also in Panama. A shrub of 1-3 meters, glabrous or with
strigose branches; leaves alternate, ovate or oblong, 1-2 cm. long,
acute, serrate; flowers small but showy, white or pink, in small,
terminal panicles; corolla 5-7 mm. long, urceolate; berries globose,
5-7 mm. long, black. A characteristic shrub of subalpine regions,
forming low, dense thickets. The fruits have an agreeable flavor,
but Pittier believes that they may be poisonous. Costa Rican
collections have been referred to P. ciliaris Don, var. alpina Don.
Specimens from Volcan de Irazu and Cerro de Las Vueltas are
referred by Sleumer to P. prostrata (Cav.) Sleumer, var. purpurea
(Don) Sleumer, but the characters upon which these two species
are separated do not appear very convincing, and to the writer it
seems more in accordance with the probable facts to refer all Costa
Rican collections to a single species.
PSAMMISIA Klotzsch
Epiphytic shrubs, the leaves petiolate, coriaceous; inflorescences
axillary or terminal, the flowers fasciculate or racemose, pedicellate,
the pedicels with 2 deciduous bractlets; calyx tube articulate with
the pedicel, short-cylindric or campanulate, the limb erect-patent,
commonly 5-lobate, the lobes ovate or triangular, apiculate or sub-
acute; corolla subcylindric, elongate-urceolate, or subglobose,
5-lobate; stamens equal, often almost as long as the corolla, the
878 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
filaments distinct or connate, attached to the anther dorsally
near its base, the tubules of the anthers about as long as the sacs,
distinct, opening by elongate, introrse clefts, the connectives 2-
calcarate distally; style filiform, often exserted. — No other species
are known from Central America.
Psammisia ramiflora Klotzsch. Colmillos (flowers). P. sym-
phystemona Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 20: 291. 1895 (Mariposa,
Prov. Alajuela, Cooper 5842). Frequent in the central mountains,
1,400-2,000 meters; region of San Ramon. Also in Panama. A
small or large shrub, sometimes 3 meters long, the branches glabrous;
leaves on very short petioles, oblong or ovate-oblong, 8-17 cm. long,
caudate-acuminate, cuneate at the base, 5-plinerved, glabrous;
inflorescence short-racemose or subfasciculate, the rachis very
short, 4-15-flowered, the slender pedicels 8-25 mm. long; calyx
tube 3 mm. long, the limb 3.5-4 mm. long; corolla pink or red,
2-3 cm. long. Many of the inflorescences are borne on naked
branches, below the leaves. Austin Smith reports that the flowers
are fertilized by hummingbirds of the genus Phaethornis.
RHODODENDRON L.
Shrubs or trees, glabrous or variously pubescent; leaves thin
or coriaceous,, often clustered at the tips of the branches, entire;
flowers mostly large and showy, in chiefly terminal racemes or
corymbs; calyx 5-dentate or of 5 sepals, sometimes cupular or
obsolete, persistent; corolla usually funnelform or campanulate, the
limb somewhat oblique, normally with 5 lobes or segments, the
lobes imbricate; stamens normally 8-10, the anthers dorsifixed,
muticous, dehiscent by terminal pores; ovary 5-20-celled; fruit
capsular. — A vast genus, especially in Asia, with numerous species
also in temperate North America, but none are native south of the
United States.
Rhododendron indicum (L.) Sweet. Azalea indica L. An
ornamental shrub of low stature, common in gardens of the tem-
perate and cold regions. Native of Japan. The large flowers are
red or pink and both showy and beautiful.
SATYRIA Klotzsch
Epiphytic shrubs, the leaves coriaceous, petiolate; inflorescence
axillary or terminal, racemose or subfasciculate, few many-flowered,
the flowers pedicellate, the pedicels bibracteolate; calyx tube artic-
ulate with the pedicel, the limb subpatent, 5-lobate, the lobes ovate
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 879
or triangular; corolla subcylindric, 5-lobate; stamens alternately
unequal, shorter than the corolla, the filaments connate to form
a tube, attached to the anther dorsally near its base, the anthers
alternately unequal, the tubules not clearly differentiated from the
sacs, opening by broad, lateral clefts; style filiform, about equaling
the corolla. — A few additional species occur in Central America.
Satyria elongata A. C. Smith. Tucurrique and Pejivalle, at
500-900 meters. Guatemala and southern Mexico. A slender
shrub, the branches glabrous or when young sparsely puberulent;
petioles 4-5 mm. long, the blades lance-oblong, 12-17 cm. long,
long-acuminate, cuneate at the base, 3-5-plinerved, thick-coriaceous,
glabrous; inflorescences axillary near the ends of the branches,
7-15-flowered, the pedicels 12-22 mm. long, the rachis 2.5-5 cm.
long; calyx tube minutely puberulent; corolla 2-3 cm. long, minutely
puberulent.
Satyria ovata A. C. Smith. Region of Tilaran, Guanacaste,
at 600 meters. Nicaragua and Guatemala. Branches glabrous;
petioles 5-10 mm. long, the blades ovate, thick-coriaceous, 5-10 cm.
long, obtuse, cuneate or subattenuate at the base, 3-5-plinerved,
glabrous; inflorescences axillary, 4-10-flowered, the rachis 1-1.5 cm.
long, the pedicels 10-15 mm. long; calyx tube glabrous or puberulent;
corolla 2 cm. long, glabrous or when young minutely pilose.
Satyria triloba A. C. Smith, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 28: 523.
1932. Helechales del General, Valle de Diquis, 700 meters, Pittier
12147. Known only from the original collection. A slender shrub,
the branches glabrous; petioles 3-5 mm. long, the blades ovate or
oblong-ovate, 7-10 cm. long, acuminate, rounded at the base,
5-plinerved, glabrous; inflorescence short-racemose, 6-12-flowered,
the rachis 1.5-3 cm. long, the pedicels 8-12 mm. long; corolla 2.5
cm. long, minutely puberulent. Distinguished among the local
species by having a 3-lobate calyx.
Satyria Warszewiczii Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 22. 1851. Cora-
lillo, Matapalo de uva, Palo de miel, Colmillos (flowers), Array an.
S. clonantha Klotzsch. Riedelia Warszewiczii Kuntze, Rev. Gen.
2: 384. 1891. Volcdn de Barba, Warscewicz. Frequent in the
forests, ranging from sea level up to 2,500 meters; region of San
Ramon. Panama to southern Mexico. Usually a rather large,
epiphytic shrub, the branches glabrous; leaves on petioles 8-15 mm.
long, oblong or ovate-oblong, 10-23 cm. long, acuminate, narrowly
cuneate at the base, thick-coriaceous, glabrous, 3-nerved or 3-5-
880 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY—BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
plinerved; inflorescences short-racemose, often on naked branches
below the leaves, 8-30-flowered, the rachis 5-10 mm. long, the
glabrous pedicels 15-25 mm. long; corolla red, the tip white, glabrous,
18-28 mm. long. The juicy, acidulous fruits, called Muelas, are
rather good to eat.
SPHYROSPERMUM Poepp. & Endl.
Reference: A. C. Smith, Brittonia 1: 203. 1933.
Small, epiphytic shrubs, the branches short or elongate, often
creeping or pendent; leaves short-petiolate or almost sessile, small,
coriaceous, entire, obscurely nerved; flowers few, small, solitary in
the leaf axils, the pedicels filiform, bibracteolate near the base;
calyx tube continuous with the pedicel, subglobose or obconic, the
limb 4-5-lobate; corolla subcylindric, 4-5-lobate; stamens as many
or twice as many as the corolla lobes, equal or alternately slightly
unequal, the filaments slender, the anthers produced into 2 tubules
as long as the sacs or longer, dehiscent by oval, introrse clefts;
ovary inferior; fruit subglobose or ellipsoid, dry or slightly fleshy,
the pericarp hard and brittle, 4-5-celled. — No other species are
found in Central America.
Sphyrospermum buxifolium Poepp. & Endl. Sophoclesia
cordifolia var. oophylla Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 384. 1891 (Angostura,
Kuntze 2153}. Frequent in forests of the central mountains, mostly
at 1,000-1,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Nicaragua to Bolivia.
A small and rather stiff shrub, the branches sometimes pendent,
puberulent when young; leaves almost sessile, rounded to oval-
oblong, 8-17 mm. long, rounded or obtuse at the apex, subcordate
or rounded at the base, glabrous or when young sparsely pilose on
the upper surface, obscurely 3-5-nerved; pedicels 10-18 mm. long;
calyx pilose or glabrate, the tube 1-1.5 mm. long; corolla white or
pink, 4-5.5 mm. long; stamens 4. The Costa Rican material is
somewhat variable. Specimens from .the region of San Ramon
with smaller, thinner leaves, mostly oblong-oval in outline, may
represent a distinct species or variety.
Sphyrospermum cordifolium Benth. Frequent in mountains
of the central region, mostly at 1,000-2,400 meters; region of San
Ramon. Ranging to Bolivia. Branches slender, puberulent or
glabrous; petioles 1-3 mm. long; leaf blades thin-coriaceous, mostly
ovate, 2-5 cm. long, obtuse or subacute, rounded or subcordate at
the base, 3-5-nerved, glabrous; pedicels 10-25 mm. long, glabrous
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 881
or puberulent; calyx tube villous-pilose; corolla deep pink, 5-8 mm.
long, glabrous or when young puberulent; stamens 8 or 10; fruit
pale violet. The young leaves are pink or russet red.
Sphyrospermum majus Griseb. Forests on the slopes of
Irazu, at about 1,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Southern
Mexico to Haiti and Venezuela. Branches puberulent or glabrous;
leaves almost sessile, thin-coriaceous, ovate or rounded-ovate,
1.5-3.5 cm. long, obtuse, subcordate or rounded at the base, glabrous
or nearly so, 3-5-nerved; pedicels 1-2 cm. long; calyx pilose or
glabrous; corolla white or pink, 5-7 mm. long, pilose or glabrous;
stamens 4; fruit pale blue or purple.
Sphyrospermum Standleyi A. C. Smith, Brittonia 1: 210.
1933. Near Orosi, Prov. Cartago, Standley 39622. Known only
from the original collection. A small, glabrous shrub; leaves ovate,
subcoriaceous, 4.5-6 cm. long, obtuse, rounded or obtuse at the
base, 5-nerved or 5-plinerved; pedicels 7-15 mm. long; calyx strigose;
corolla 2-2.3 mm. long; stamens 4; fruit white, 3-5 mm. in diameter.
THIBAUDIA Ruiz & Pavon
Epiphytic shrubs, the leaves coriaceous, petiolate; inflorescence
axillary or terminal, subfasciculate or racemose, the flowers pedicel-
late, the pedicels bibracteolate; calyx tube articulate with the
pedicel, short-cylindric or campanulate, the limb erect-patent, 5-
lobate, the lobes triangular, subacute; corolla subcylindric, 5-lobate;
stamens equal, often almost as long as the corolla, the filaments
distinct or connate, attached to the anther dorsally near its base,
the tubules of the anthers equaling or longer than the sacs, opening
by elongate, introrse clefts; fruit fleshy. — No other Central American
species are known, other members of the genus being South American.
Thibaudia costaricensis Hoerold, Bot. Jahrb. 42: 311. 1909.
Psammisia rhododelphis K. Schum. ex Werckle", Bol. Fomento Costa
Rica 1: 934. 1911, nomen. La Palma, Prov. San Jose', 1,500 meters,
Werckle 20. Occasional in forests of the central region, 1,400-2,200
meters. Honduras. A rather small shrub, the branches glabrous;
petioles 3-5 mm. long, the blades chartaceous or thin-coriaceous,
oblong or lance-oblong, 12-20 cm. long, caudate-acuminate, cuneate
at the base, 5-plinerved, glabrous; inflorescences racemose, 15-30-
flowered, the rachis 2-5 cm. long, the pedicels 10-15 mm. long;
calyx sparsely puberulent or glabrous, the limb 1-2 mm. long;
corolla red or deep pink, about 1 cm. long.
882 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
VACCINIUM L.
Reference: Sleumer, Die Arten der Gattung V actinium L. in
Zentral und Sudamerika, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 13: 111. 1936.
Terrestrial or epiphytic shrubs; leaves alternate, coriaceous,
entire or dentate; flowers small, axillary and solitary or in terminal
or lateral racemes; corolla urceolate or cylindric, 5-lobulate; ovary
inferior; stamens 10; fruit a berry with few or numerous seeds.—
It is probable that a few other species exist in Central America.
Species growing abundantly in the United States have sweet, juicy
fruits that are consumed in enormous quantities, and are an impor-
tant article of commerce.
Vaccinium consanguineum Klotzsch. Arrayan. Common
in the higher mountains of the whole central region, at 1,500-3,300
meters. Panama to southern Mexico. Growing in oak forests or
in subalpine meadows. A shrub or small tree of 1-4.5 meters,
densely branched, almost glabrous; bark dark brown, somewhat
scaly; leaves oblong or lanceolate, 2-4 cm. long, serrulate, acute;
flowers white or pink, in racemes of few or numerous flowers; berries
purple-black, edible, sweet, of good flavor. A characteristic shrub
of the subalpine regions, growing abundantly in many localities.
Sleumer refers some Costa Rican material to var. irazuense Sleumer
(Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 13: 126. 1936; V. irazuense Sleumer, op. cit.
12: 138. 1934; type from Pedregales del Irazu, Hoffmann 140).
This he describes as a small-leaved form of V. consanguineum, but
to the writer its differences, if any, scarcely seem sufficient for the
basis of a variety.
Vaccinium dissimile Blake, Journ. Bot. 53: 271. 1915. Diste-
rigma dissimile Blake, Proc. Biol. Soc. Wash. 35: 120. 1922. La
Palma, Prov. San Jose", 1,550 meters, Tonduz 12456 (J. D. Smith
7380). Common in the region of the type. Endemic. A very
small and slender shrub, sparsely branched, almost glabrous; leaves
nearly sessile, broadly elliptic or almost orbicular, acutish at the
apex; flowers axillary and solitary, pedicellate, not bracteate, pink;
ovary pubescent.
Vaccinium floribundum HBK. Known in North America
only from Cerro de Las Vueltas, at 3,000 meters, Standley & Valeria
43679. The species is a South American one, extending from
Colombia to Bolivia. A low, stout, densely branched shrub, in
appearance much like V. consanguineum; in that the anthers have
long, dorsal, spurlike appendages; in V. floribundum the anthers
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 883
are not appendaged. The present species is an example of the
distinctive high Andean species that are found in North America
only in the paramos of Dota.
Vaccinium pachycardium Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex parvus
epiphyticus, ramulis griseis, novellis dense pilosulis, dense foliatis;
folia parva crasse coriacea ca. 1 mm. longe petiolata, lamina
rotundato-ovata vel rotundata 7-9 mm. longa et fere aequilata,
apice late rotundata, basi breviter cordata vel truncata, enervia,
supra sparse pilosa, subtus glabra, integra; flores axillares solitarii,
pedicellis ebracteatis gracillimis usque ad 8 mm. longis glabris;
calyx 4-dentatus, dentibus triangularibus acutis; ovarium dense
albido-pilosum ; fructus ca. 6 mm. diam. glaber pallide purpureus.
—Wet forest, El Mufieco, Rio Navarro, Prov. Cartago, 1,500 meters,
Standley & Torres 51769 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb.). Although
known only from the single collection cited, this plant is evidently
related to V. dissimile Blake, which has much larger leaves, more
or less acute or pointed at the apex.
Vaccinium poasanum Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 395. 1897;
Sargent, Trees and Shrubs 1: pi. 74- 1903. Upper lake of Volcan
de Poas, 2,340 meters, J. D. Smith 6634- Common on the upper
slopes of the central mountains, at 2,000-3,000 meters. Endemic.
A terrestrial or epiphytic shrub, as much as 4.5 meters high, glabrous;
bark thin, deep cinnamon-brown; leaves oblong-elliptic, 5-9 cm.
long, acuminate, entire, nerved; racemes short, many-flowered;
corolla pale green, greenish yellow, or somewhat pinkish, campan-
ulate, 1 cm. long; fruit pale yellow.
Vaccinium Smithianum Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex parvus
gracilis epiphyticus ramosus, ramulis tortuosis, novellis dense hirtel-
lis, dense foliatis; folia disticha parva brevissime petiolata crasse
coriacea, lamina lanceolata vel ovato-lanceolata ca. 10 mm. longa
et 5 mm. lata sensim acuta vel acuminata in sicco pallida enervia,
costa supra paullo impressa, supra pilosa, subtus glabra, integra;
flores axillares solitarii; pedicelli ebracteati; sepala 5 deltoidea acuta
pilosa; corolla ovoidea 3 mm. longa, lobis minutis, apice hirtellis. —
La Hondura, Prov. San Jose", 1,200-1,500 meters, Standley & Valeria
51858 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Collected also in the same locality
in 1933, Manuel Valeria 719. The species is dedicated to Dr. Albert
C. Smith of the New York Botanical Garden, monographer of the
tribe Thibaudieae of this family. It is well marked by its narrow,
distichous leaves.
884 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Vaccinium Valerii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex parvus epiphy-
ticus parce ramosus, ramulis novellis dense albido-pilosis; folia
coriacea brevissime petiolata e basi 3-5-nervia, lamina late ovata
ad oblongo-ovata, 12-30 mm. longa 8-15 mm. lata, versus apicem
obtusum sensim acutata, basi late rotundata, integra, glabra;
flores axillares solitarii, pedicellis gracillimis glabris usque ad 15 mm.
longis ebracteatis; ovarium parvum globosum pilosum; calyx cam-
panulatus 1 mm. longus breviter 4-dentatus, dentibus breviter
hirtellis exceptis glaber; corolla rosea cylindracea angusta glabra
7 mm. longa, lobis brevissimis. — Cerro de Las Caricias, north of
San Isidro, Prov. Heredia, 2,000-2,400 meters, Standley & Valeria
52483 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb.). Collections from Cerros de
Zurqui, La Hondura, and Frai janes probably represent the same
species. It is similar to V. dissimile, but differs in the distinct shape
of the leaves, which are acute at the apex.
MYRSINACEAE. Myrsine Family
Reference: Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 236. 1902.
Shrubs or trees, or the plants rarely suffrutescent; leaves alter-
nate, often clustered near the apices of the branches, simple, entire
or dentate, usually punctate or lineolate; stipules none; flowers
normally perfect, small, mostly white or pink, variously arranged,
most often 5-parted, regular; calyx inferior, the segments free or
somewhat connate, usually ciliate and punctate, valvate, imbricate,
or sinistrorsely contorted, persistent; corolla usually rotate and
gamopetalous, rarely campanulate or of free petals, generally
punctate or lineolate; stamens of the same number as the petals
and opposite them, the filaments commonly short, connate with
the corolla tube or rarely free, the anthers usually dorsifixed, opening
by introrse slits or rarely by apical pores; ovary free, 1-celled,
the style short or elongate, the stigma variable in form, the ovules
most often numerous; fruit baccate or drupaceous, indehiscent,
1-seeded. — No other genera are known in Central America.
ARDISIA Swartz
Shrubs or small trees, rarely only suffrutescent; leaves petiolate
or rarely sessile, entire, crenate, or serrate; flowers 5-parted, the
inflorescence very variable in structure, usually paniculate, terminal
or axillary, the flowers pedicellate; sepals free or short-connate;
petals short-connate, the lobes dextrorsely contorted, in anthesis
recurved or spreading, usually glabrous on the outer surface; fila-
ments usually very short, the anthers elongate, usually acute,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 885
dehiscent by 2 introrse slits; ovules commonly numerous; fruit
globose, 1-seeded, often very juicy. — Numerous other species of
this large genus are known from Central America. The juicy fruits
are of good flavor, and often are eaten. Some species are handsome
and ornamental plants because of their large panicles of flowers or
showy fruits.
Ardisia auriculata Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 395. 1897.
Forests of Suerre, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 300 meters, J. D. Smith
6640. Region of San Ramon, about 1,200 meters. Endemic. A
glabrous shrub or small tree; leaves sessile, thin, bright green when
dried, obovate-oblong, as much as 40 cm. long and 13 cm. wide,
acuminate, auriculate and clasping at the base, entire, not punctate;
panicles terminal, large, many-flowered, the flowers racemose, the
very slender pedicels 6-10 mm. long or longer; sepals ovate, acute,
2 mm. long, maculate; fruit globose, 6-7 mm. in diameter, coarsely
maculate.
Ardisia Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex, ramulis crassis tere-
tibus densissime pilis stellatis plerumque breviter stipitatis ferru-
gineo-tomentosis, internodiis brevibus; folia majuscula arete sessilia
papyracea anguste oblanceolato-oblonga 14-24 cm. longa 4-5.5 cm.
lata apice acuminata vel interdum anguste rotundata, basin versus
longe sensim attenuata, basi ipsa truncata vel late rotundata,
integra, supra in sicco fusco-viridia glabra vel glabrata, subtus
brunnescentia ubique, ad costam densius, sparse ferrugineo-stellato-
puberula vel tomentella, costa gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus
irregularibus angulo semirecto vel latiore divergentibus, marginibus
plus minusve recurvis; inflorescentia anguste paniculata ut videtur
tripinnata (perfecta non visa) longipedunculata ca. 9.5 cm. longa
foliaceo-bracteata pilis stellatis ex parte stipitatis dense ferrugineo-
tomentosa, pedicellis gracilibus ca. 5 mm. longis; alabastra ca.
3.5 mm. longa oblongo-ovoidea dense ferrugineo-tomentulosa; sepala
parva obtusa grosse punctata ciliolata; petala elliptico-oblonga
apiculata extus lepidotula. — Cataratas de San Ramon, April, 1935,
Brenes 20537 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). The available material
is unsatisfactory, all the flowers having fallen from the inflorescence.
The form of the leaves is so distinctive that there can be no doubt
regarding the distinctness of the species here described, which is
noteworthy for the very narrow leaves, gradually tapered to a
broad and sessile base.
Ardisia calycosa Hemsl. Known in Costa Rica only from El
Silencio de Tilaran, where it has been collected several times, in
886 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
forest at about 800 meters. Described from Chontales, Nicaragua.
A shrub of 1.5-3 meters, glabrous throughout, the branches slender;
leaves sessile or nearly so, very narrowly oblanceolate-oblong,
mostly 10-15 cm. long, long-acuminate, long-attenuate to the base,
obscurely crenulate; inflorescence rather few-flowered, lax, bipinnate-
paniculate, the pedicels slender, about 12 mm. long or in fruit
often 2 cm. long or more; sepals green, accrescent in fruit, oblong-
linear, often 1 cm. long; fruit scarlet. An exceptionally well marked
species because of the curious sepals, long and narrow and much
larger than in any other local species.
Ardisia compressa HBK. Tucuico, Murta (probably incorrect
for this plant). A. cuspidata Benth. Bot. Voy. Sulph. 123. 1844
(Cocos Island, Barclay). Tinus cuspidata Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2:
974. 1891. Frequent in forests, tierra caliente of both coasts and
ascending the slopes of the mountains to at least 1,800 meters, but
usually rare in the lowlands; region of San Ramon; Guanacaste;
Cocos Island. Mexico to Venezuela. A shrub of 2-3 meters, or
sometimes a tree of 6 meters, glabrous throughout or somewhat
puberulent on the young parts; leaves on very short petioles, cori-
aceous, lanceolate to oblong or elliptic, mostly 10-18 cm. long,
acute or acuminate, acute at the base, usually entire, dark green
in the living state, minutely punctate beneath; inflorescences ter-
minal and lateral, many-flowered, tripinnate-paniculate, the flowers
corymbose, on pedicels about 6 mm. long; buds 5-6 mm. long,
glabrous; sepals rounded; petals white or pinkish; fruit 6 mm. in
diameter, dark red at first, at maturity black, edible. The species
is frequent in many parts of Central America, more so than any
other member of the genus. The specimens exhibit a great deal of
variation, and it may well be that careful study will show they
really represent several species.
Ardisia copeyana Standl., sp. nov. — Arbuscula ut videtur
omnino glabra, ramulis crassis ferrugineis subteretibus; folia sparsa
breviter petiolata subcoriacea magna, petiolo crasso ca. 1 cm. longo;
lamina oblongo-elliptica ca. 20 cm. longa atque 7-9 cm. lata acuta
vel breviter acuminata, basi contracto-acuta, obscure crenulato-
undulata vel subintegra, supra lucida, nervis venisque plus minusve
prominentibus, subtus fere concolor in sicco brunnescens, costa
crassiuscula elevata, nervis lateralibus tenerrimis angulo lato inter-
dum fere recto abeuntibus prominulis; inflorescentia terminalis
bipinnato-paniculata subpyramidalis breviter pedunculata ca. 13
cm. longa et aequilata, ramis crassis patentibus, floribus numerosis
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 887
breviter racemosis, racemis subcorymbiformibus, pedicellis rectis
rigidis usque 4 mm. longis; sepala 5 ovato-rotundata 1.5 mm. longa
apice rotundata glabra crenulata sparse rubro-punctata; fructus
globosus 5 mm. diam. dense punctatus glaber. — El Copey, Prov.
San Jose", 1,650 meters, April, 1928, H. E. Stork 1592 (type in Herb.
Field Mus.). "A small tree; fruit at first red, then black." The
material is in advanced fruiting condition. The plant shows no
outstanding characters, but it has been impossible to associate it
satisfactorily with any described species of Central America.
Ardisia crassiramea Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex vel arbuscula
2-4-metralis, ramis crassissimis in sicco angulatis vel rugosis, den-
sissime adpresso-ferrugineo-lepidotis; folia sparsa vel ad apices
ramorum subverticillatim congestis modica subcoriacea breviter
petiolata, petiolo crasso 1-2 cm. longo dense ferrugineo-lepidoto;
lamina anguste oblanceolato-oblonga 10-14 cm. longa 2-3.5 cm.
lata subabrupte longiuscule anguste acuminata, basin versus longe
sensim attenuata, integra vel apicem versus obscure crenulata,
supra in statu juvenili sparse lepidota cito glabrata, nervis promi-
nulis sed non conspicuis, subtus ferruginea densissime minute lepi-
dota; inflorescentia terminalis magna pyramidalis permultiflora
pedunculata interdum prope basin foliata usque 20 cm. longa atque
12 cm. lata tripinnato-paniculata, ramis densissime ferrugineo-
lepidotis adscendentibus, floribus subcorymbosis congestis, pedicellis
crassis minus quam 2 mm. longis saepe fere nullis; alabastra vix
3 mm. longa; sepala 5 ovata acutiuscula ca. 1.5 mm. longa minute
glanduloso-laciniata obscure punctata sparse lepidota vel glabrata;
petala extus glabra. — Humid forest, Cerros de San Antonio de San
Ramon, 1,200 meters, July, 1927, Brenes 5652 (type in Herb. Field
Mus.). In forests and pastures, La Palma de San Ramon, August,
1924, Brenes 4033. A well marked species, noteworthy for the
large and much branched inflorescence, in which the very numerous
small flowers are densely congested, so that the whole inflorescence
suggests that of some species of Psychotria.
Ardisia Cutteri Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 521. 1927.
Wet forest near Pejivalle, Prov. Cartago, 900 meters, Standley
& Valeria 47122. Known only from the original collection. A
small tree with stout, terete branches; leaves oblanceolate, about
52 cm. long and 15 cm. wide, rounded at the apex, long-attenuate
from near the apex nearly or quite to the base of the very short,
thick petiole, entire, subcoriaceous, glabrous above and minutely
punctate, paler beneath, sparsely and minutely brown-punctate;
888 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
inflorescence terminal, paniculate, 17 cm. long and broad, tripinnate,
the branches brown-lepidote, the flowers umbellate, on pedicels
6-8 mm. long; sepals 5, orbicular, 2 mm. long, brown-ciliolate;
fruit 1 cm. in diameter, densely and coarsely punctate. Well marked
by the very large, narrow leaves, rounded at the apex, and by the
fruits, larger than in any other species. The species was named
for Mr. Victor M. Cutter, former President of the United Fruit
Company.
Ardisia Dodgei Standl., sp. nov. — Ramuli crassiusculi dense
minute adpresso-ferrugineo-lepidoti; folia breviter petiolata majus-
cula subcoriacea, petiolo crasso usque 8 mm. longo dense lepidoto;
lamina elliptica 20-22 cm. longa 10 cm. lata abrupte breviter acumi-
nata, basi obtusa, integra, supra glabra densissime minute puncticu-
lata, nervis obscuris, subtus pallidior ubique subsparse minute
brunneo-lepidota, costa crassiuscula elevata, nervis lateralibus
teneris angulo lato fere recto abeuntibus; inflorescentia (sejuncta
tantum visa) densa multiflora dense bracteata, bracteis foliaceis
magnis membranaceis ut videtur coloratis usque 1.5 cm. longis
atque aequilatis apice rotundatis flores arete involventibus minute
adpresso-lepidotis persistentibus, pedicellis ca. 3 mm. longis lepi-
dotis; alabastra 11 mm. longa; sepala 5 subrotundata, apice rotun-
data 5 mm. longa sparse lepidota epunctata integra; corolla extus
glabra, lobis usque 8 mm. longis patentibus punctis paullo elongatis
sat dense conspersis obtusis; antherae 4 mm. longae. — Low hills
above Rio Paquita, Prov. San Jose", August, 1936, C. W. Dodge &
V.F. Goerger 9881 (type in Herb. Field Mus.; duplicate in herb. Mo.
Bot. Gard.). Easily recognized among Costa Rican species by the
compact inflorescences with large corollas and abundant, large,
persistent bracts.
Ardisia furfuracea Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 525.
1927. Wet forest, Cerro de Las Lajas, north of San Isidro, Prov.
Heredia, 2,300 meters, Standley & Valeria 51556. Known only
from the original collection. A small tree, the branches densely
and coarsely furfuraceous with loose, dark brown scales; leaves
short-petiolate, the petioles marginate nearly or quite to the base,
the blades oblong or narrowly oblong, 17-27 cm. long, 4-7.5 cm.
wide, acute at the base and apex, entire, thick, glabrous above or
nearly so, very densely lepidote beneath with coarse, loose, brown
scales; inflorescence terminal, paniculate, pyramidal, 20 cm. long
and broad, tripinnate, the flowers sessile or very short-pedicellate;
buds 4 mm. long; sepals orbicular, 2 mm. long, glabrous, coarsely
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 889
punctate, minutely denticulate. The corolla is white, with pinkish
dots. The species is related to A. palmana, which has a more open
inflorescence and lacks the coarse, furfuraceous covering so con-
spicuous in A. furfuracea.
Ardisia glanduloso-marginata Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoeben-
havn 128. 1861. Oak forest of Volcan de Irazu, 2,400-2,700 meters,
Oersted (photo, of type in Herb. Field Mus.; also a specimen of the
original collection, No. 25, obtained in January, 1847). Frequent
on middle and upper slopes of the central mountains, mostly at
2,100-2,700 meters; region of Dota. Endemic. A shrub or tree
of 3-7.5 meters, the trunk as much as 12 cm. in diameter; branches
minutely furfuraceous or glabrate; leaves petiolate, elliptic, elliptic-
oblong, or obovate-elliptic, mostly 7-12 cm. long, acuminate, acute
at the base, conspicuously crenate or subentire, glabrous above,
minutely and sparsely appressed-lepidote beneath or glabrate,
conspicuously glandular-punctate, especially along the margins,
rather thin; inflorescence terminal, many-flowered, 2-3-pinnate-
paniculate, about equaling the leaves, furfuraceous, the pedicels
8 mm. long or less; buds 6 mm. long, glabrous; sepals ovate, rounded
or acutish at the apex; petals acute, lineolate; fruit 5 mm. in diameter.
Regarding this species, Austin Smith's notes supply the following
information: Bark smooth, or scaly near the base, pale brown;
cambium layer bright crimson; freshly cut wood bright, rosy pink;
young fruit crimson, black at maturity; flowers with a strong fra-
grance similar to that of lilacs (Syringa); corolla creamy white,
the calyx and pedicels lilac; crown rounded.
Ardisia insignis Mez & Pittier, Bull. Herb. Boiss. II. 3: 237.
1903. Forests of Tsaki, Talamanca, 200 meters, Tonduz 9575.
Known only from the original collection. Branches very thick;
leaves almost sessile, oblong, about 35 cm. long and 10 cm. wide,
short-acuminate, gradually narrowed toward the base, entire, thick-
coriaceous, glabrous, when young very densely glandular-punctate;
inflorescence terminal, 3-pinnate-paniculate, pyramidal, the branches
thick, the flowers short-spicate, sessile, 5-parted; fruit 8 mm. in
diameter.
Ardisia irazuensis Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 124. 1861.
Tinus irazuensis Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 974. 1891. Volcan de Irazu,
2,700 meters, Oersted (photo, of type in Herb. Field Mus.). Reported
by Mez also from Santo Domingo, Prov. Puntarenas. Endemic.
Branches ferruginous- tomentulose when young; leaves short-petio-
890 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
late, obovate, about 9.5 cm. long and 4.5 cm. wide, abruptly and
shortly subcaudate-acuminate, cuneate at the base, entire, glabrous
above, minutely lepidote beneath; inflorescence terminal, many-
flowered, compactly 2-3-pinnate-paniculate, ferruginous-tomentulose
or glabrate, the pedicels 4 mm. long or less; buds 4 mm. long, gla-
brate; sepals rounded at the apex, punctate. The species is closely
related to A. compressa and doubtfully distinct. In his key to species
of Ardisia, Mez contrasts the two species, A. irazuensis as having
symmetric petals and A. compressa as having conspicuously asym-
metric ones. These characters are not easily if at all distinguishable
in the ample material available for study, and it is doubtful whether
they are of much importance. Costa Rican material has been
referred incorrectly to A. cuspidata Benth.
Ardisia meiantha Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 44: 115. 1907.
Near Cartago, 1,500 meters, Maxon 44- Leaves small, on petioles
5-7 mm. long, lance-elliptic, acute at each end, 4-7 cm. long, cori-
aceous, entire, punctate on both surfaces, glabrous; inflorescence
bipinnate-paniculate, short-pedunculate, densely flowered, very
minutely furfuraceous, 2.5-5 cm. long, the flowers mostly 6-parted,
scarcely 3.5 mm. long, the pedicels 2-3 mm. long, racemose; sepals
1 mm. long, oval, minutely ciliolate; anthers 0.5 mm. long. I have
seen no material of this species.
Ardisia minor Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 522. 1927.
Wet forest, Cerros de Zurqui, northeast of San Isidro, Prov. Heredia,
2,200 meters, Standley & Valeria 50571. Frequent in forests of the
central mountains, 1,100-2,400 meters; region of San Ramon.
Panama. A shrub or small tree, 1.5-6 meters high, the branches
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, narrowly elliptic or oblong-elliptic,
often broadest above the middle, 3-6.5 cm. long, 1-2.5 cm. wide,
acute or short-acuminate, acute or cuneate at the base, entire,
rather thin, glabrous; young leaves coarsely punctate; inflorescence
terminal, usually shorter than the leaves, rather few-flowered,
bipinnate-paniculate, glabrous, the flowers umbellate, the pedicels
2-5 mm. long; sepals 5, rounded-ovate or orbicular, 1.5 mm. long,
green, with scarious, whitish margins, coarsely punctate; fruit
black, 6 mm. in diameter. Closely related to A. compressa, which
has usually larger leaves, an ampler, more branched inflorescence,
and pale sepals.
Ardisia myriodonta Standl. Humid forests of the mountains
of Guanacaste, 500-600 meters. Panama. Plants suffrutescent,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 891
usually less than a meter high, the stems usually simple, glabrous
or nearly so; leaves short-petiolate, thin, oblong-elliptic, 12-25 cm.
long, short-acuminate, long-attenuate to the base, glabrous, densely
red-punctate along the margin, the margin very densely pectinate-
serrate with narrow, acute teeth; inflorescence terminal, small,
sessile, many-flowered, dense, the flowers subcorymbose, on pedicels
3-5 mm. long; sepals 5, lance-oblong, attenuate, 2 mm. long, punc-
tate; fruit globose, black or dark purple, 6 mm. in diameter. Among
Costa Rican species this is easily recognized by its low habit and
conspicuously pectinate-serrate leaves.
Ardisia Nevermannii Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 524.
1927. Wet forest, Finca Montecristo, on the Rio Reventazon
below El Cairo, Prov. Limon, 25 meters, Standley & Valeria 48603.
Endemic and known only from the vicinity of the original locality.
A slender shrub of 1.5-2.5 meters, the branches densely leafy at the
tips, very densely hirsute with long, stiff, spreading, ferruginous
hairs; leaves sessile or nearly so, oblanceolate or oblanceolate-
oblong, 16-30 cm. long, 5-8 cm. wide, acuminate, long-attenuate
to the base, entire, thin, hirsute above, densely ferruginous-hirsute
and paler beneath, conspicuously black-punctate; inflorescence
terminal, pendent, tripinnate-paniculate, the flowers umbellate,
the pedicels 5-8 mm. long, hirsute; sepals 5, 1.5 mm. long, black-
punctate, hispidulous; petals purple or purple-pink, coarsely punc-
tate; fruit black, 7-8 mm. in diameter. Outstanding because of the
abundant, hirsute pubescence.
Ardisia nigropunctata Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 127.
pi. 2. 1861. Tinus nigropunctata Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 974. 1891.
Volcan de Irazu, 2,400-2,700 meters, Oersted (photo, of type, Oersted
28D, in Herb. Field Mus.). Frequent in forests of the central
region, mostly at middle elevations; also in the Atlantic tierra
caliente and on the Caribbean slopes of Guanacaste. Ranging to
Honduras and British Honduras. A shrub or tree of 1.5-6 meters,
the branches glabrous or minutely lepidote; leaves short-petiolate,
elliptic or oblong-elliptic, about 20 cm. long and 7.5 cm. wide,
short-acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base, rather thin, usually
green when dried, entire, glabrous, conspicuously black-punctate;
inflorescence terminal, many-flowered, 3-4-pinnate-paniculate, pyr-
amidal, usually longer than the leaves, glabrous or nearly so, the
pedicels about 4 mm. long, subcorymbose; buds 5 mm. long, glabrous,
densely black-punctate. The flowers are purple-pink, the fruit dark
red or purple-black.
892 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Ardisia oblanceolata Standl. Talamanca Valley. Panama.
A tree of 6 meters, the branches glabrate, densely leafy at the tips;
leaves short-petiolate, narrowly oblong-oblanceolate, 14-20 cm.
long, 3.5-5 cm. wide, long-acuminate, long-attenuate to the base,
entire, glabrous, punctate beneath; inflorescence bipinnate-panicu-
late, few-flowered, the flowers umbellate, the slender pedicels 6-8
mm. long; sepals 5, lance-linear, attenuate to the apex, 3 mm. long,
glandular-ciliolate; fruit red, 1 cm. long, glandular-punctate.
Ardisia opegrapha Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 126. 1861.
Ardisia Oliveri Masters, Card. Chron. 1877: 680. 1877; Hook. f.
Bot. Mag. pi. 6357. 1878. Aguacate and Jaris, 450-600 meters, Oersted
(specimen of the original collection and photo, of type in Herb.
Field Mus.). Frequent at middle elevations, mostly at 1,200 meters
or less; also in forests of the tierra caliente; region of San Ramon.
Nicaragua (the species is reported by Mez from "Alajuala," Guate-
mala, evidently an error for Alajuela, Costa Rica). A shrub, the
branches glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate to
rather broadly elliptic or narrowly oblanceolate, mostly 12-25 cm.
long, acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base, entire, glabrous,
densely lineolate-punctate beneath; inflorescence usually pink
throughout, bipinnate-paniculate, glabrous, shorter than the leaves,
the flowers corymbose, the pedicels 15 mm. long or less; bracts
conspicuous, large, green, narrow, finally deciduous; flowers 12 mm.
long, glabrous; fruit 5 mm. in diameter.
Ardisia palmana Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 27: 434. 1899.
Tucuico. Forests of La Palma, Prov. San Jose, 1,460 meters, Pittier
& Tonduz 7460 (12632). Frequent in forests of the central region;
region of San Ramon; mostly at 1,200-1,800 meters. Endemic.
A shrub or tree, sometimes 10 meters high, with thick branches,
the young branches densely appressed-ferruginous-lepidote; leaves
sessile or nearly so, oblong-lanceolate or -elliptic-lanceolate, about
20 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, but often considerably smaller, acute
or acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base, entire, glabrate above,
densely and minutely lepidote beneath, punctate and lineolate;
inflorescence terminal, many-flowered, 4-pinnate-paniculate, densely
furfuraceous, usually large and pyramidal, the flowers sessile or
nearly so, glomerate, 5 mm. long, glabrous; sepals suborbicular,
ciliolate, punctate; petals rounded at the apex, punctate; fruit
black or dark purple, edible.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 893
Ardisia Pittieri Mez, Bull. Herb. Boiss. II. 3: 236. 1903. In
forest, Tuis Valley, 750 meters, Tonduz 11351. Also Las Vueltas
de Tucurrique, 700 meters. Endemic. A small tree, the branches
glabrous; leaves clustered at the ends of the branches, cuneate-
oblong or subobovate, as much as 30 cm. long and 10 cm. wide,
short-acuminate or acute, long-attenuate to the base, entire, sub-
sessile, rigid-coriaceous, brown-lepidote beneath; inflorescence termi-
nal, very large, tripinnate-paniculate, the flowers corymbose,
5-parted, on pedicels 12 mm. long or less; sepals ciliate, punctate
and lineolate; buds 1 cm. long; petals not conspicuously punctate;
fruit globose, 1 cm. in diameter. Known to the writer only from
description.
Ardisia pleurobotrya Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 25: 148. 1898.
Tucuico. Potrero del Alto, Volcan Poas, 2,450 meters, Pittier 389.
Frequent in humid forest of the central mountains, chiefly at 2,200-
2,800 meters. Endemic. A shrub or small tree, 6 meters high or
less, the young branches ferruginous-lepidote, stout; leaves petiolate,
elliptic to oblanceolate-oblong, about 7 cm. long and 3 cm. wide,
coriaceous, short-acuminate to obtuse, attenuate to the base,
glabrous above, appressed-lepidote beneath, entire; inflorescences
axillary, long-pedunculate, many-flowered, bipinnate-paniculate,
densely lepidote, the flowers corymbose or umbellate, the pedicels
8 mm. long or less; buds 5 mm. long; sepals lepidote; petals pink
or pinkish white; fruit 5 mm. in diameter, black-punctate.
Ardisia revoluta HBK. Tucuico. Common in some localities
of the Pacific tierra caliente, in thickets or forest; Guanacaste;
region of San Ramon. Panama to Mexico. A shrub or tree of
2-6 meters, the branches glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, elliptic
to oblong-obovate, about 15 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, obtuse or
rounded at the apex, acute or attenuate at the base, entire, thick
and subcoriaceous, glabrous, inconspicuously punctate; inflorescence
terminal, equaling or longer than the leaves, the flowers racemose,
long-pedicellate, glabrous; sepals ovate, rounded at the apex; petals
lineolate-punctate, white or pinkish; fruit black, 4-5 mm. in diam-
eter. The rather juicy fruit is edible. The handsome fruiting
branches often are employed for decorative purposes.
Ardisia spectabilis Standl., sp. nov. — Ramuli crassi glabri vel
glabrati apice dense foliati, internodiis brevissimis; folia inter
maxima breviter petiolata firme membranacea, petiolo crassissimo
vix ultra 1.5 cm. longo; lamina anguste oblongo-oblanceolata ca.
894 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
50 cm. longa et 12 cm. lata acuta vel brevissime acuminata, basin
versus longissime sensim attenuata fere ad basin serrata glabra
punctata, supra in sicco opaca olivaceo-viridis et inter venas strio-
lata, subtus paullo pallidior, costa gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus
tenerrimis prominentibus angulo semirecto adscendentibus, venulis
prominulis numerosissimis, ultimis arete subparallelis; inflorescentiae
axillares paniculatae pauciflorae subdensae vix 2 cm. longae sed
ca. 13 cm. longe pedunculatae, ramis brevibus sparse minute brunneo-
furfuraceis, floribus cymose dispositis parvis, brevissime pedicel-
latis, bracteis nullis vel caducis; sepala vix ultra 1 mm. longa
rotundata apice denticulata glabra dense punctata; petala 2.5 mm.
longa oblongo-ovalia apice rotundata glabra dense fusco-punctata;
filamenta crassiuscula glabra petalis paullo breviora, antheris vix
0.5 mm. longis. — Cataratas (Los Angeles) de San Ramon, April,
1935, Brenes 20530 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Castilla, July 24,
1936, C. W. Dodge 9283; corolla brown outside, cinnamon buff
within.
Ardisia stenophylla Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 395. 1897.
Forests of Shirores, Talamanca, Atlantic tierra caliente, Pittier
& Tonduz 9173. Also forests of Tsaki, Talamanca. Endemic.
Young branches minutely appressed-lepidote, soon glabrate; leaves
about 16 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, thin-membranaceous, entire,
glabrous, minutely and inconspicuously black-puncticulate beneath;
inflorescence terminal, few-flowered, lax, bipinnate-paniculate, much
shorter than the leaves, minutely lepidote at first, the flowers
umbellate, on pedicels 10 mm. long; buds 7 mm. long, glabrous;
sepals acute, ciliolate; petals acute; ovary glabrous. Known to
the writer only from description.
Ardisia tilaranensis Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 524.
1927. Moist forest, Quebrada Serena, southeast of Tilaran, Guana-
caste, 700 meters, Standley & Valeria 1+6169. Moist forests on
both slopes of the mountains of Tilaran. Endemic. A slender
shrub of 1.5-3 meters, the young branches densely furfuraceous
with coarse, brown, appressed scales; leaves sessile or nearly so,
narrowly oblanceolate-oblong, 11-18 cm. long, 3-5 cm. wide, acumi-
nate or long-acuminate, narrowed to the auriculate and often
amplexicaul base, thin, sinuate-crenate, glabrous above, rather
densely appressed-brown-lepidote beneath and conspicuously black-
punctate; inflorescence shorter than the leaves, bipinnate-paniculate,
the flowers umbellate, on pedicels 5 mm. long, the bracts con-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 895
spicuous, large, foliaceous; sepals 5, acute or obtuse, punctate;
fruit 6-7 mm. in diameter, coarsely black-punctate.
CONOMORPHA A. DC.
Shrubs or small trees, glabrous or lepidote; leaves scattered or
subverticillate, usually entire; flowers 4-5-parted, in axillary racemes
or panicles, small, white or yellowish, short-pedicellate; sepals more
or less connate below or almost distinct; petals short-connate,
valvate or obscurely imbricate; filaments short or none, the anthers
elongate, dehiscent by 2 introrse slits; fruit small, 1-seeded, dry or
nearly so. — No other species are known from Central America.
Conomorpha peruviana A. DC. var. rostrata (Hassk.) Mez.
Reported from the region of El General, collected by Skutch. Lesser
Antilles; the typical form of the species extends from Venezuela to
Peru. A small tree, the young branchlets ferruginous-lepidote;
leaves petiolate, suborbicular or obovate, about 5 cm. long, caudate-
acuminate, acute at the base; inflorescence bipinnate-paniculate,
much shorter than the leaves; flowers 2 mm. long, 4-parted, the
sepals fimbriate, punctate.
GRAMMADENIA Benth.
Glabrous shrubs; leaves sessile or nearly so, entire; flowers
small, in elongate, axillary racemes, pedicellate, 5-parted; sepals
short-connate at the base; petals short-connate, spreading in anthe-
sis; filaments very short or none, the anthers usually broader than
long, rounded and usually emarginate at the apex, opening by apical
pores. — No other species are found in continental North America.
Grammadenia costaricana (Hemsl.) Mez, Pflanzenreich IV.
236: 230. 1902. CybianthiLS costaricanus Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer.
Bot. 2: 290. 1882. Type Endres 146, without definite locality.
Slopes of La Carpintera and Volcan de Barba, at 1,400-2,400
meters; region of San Ramon, about 1,200 meters. Endemic. A
terrestrial shrub 3-4.5 meters high, or more often a small, epiphytic
shrub; leaves oblanceolate-oblong, 4.5-10 cm. long, acute or obtuse,
gradually narrowed to the sessile base; racemes many-flowered,
somewhat shorter than the leaves, the slender pedicels 2-4 mm.
long; flowers about 1.5 mm. long, 5-6-parted, white; fruits small,
globose, purple-black.
PARATHESIS Hook. f.
Shrubs or small trees, the young branches tomentose or tomentu-
lose; leaves petiolate, entire or rarely crenulate, usually minutely
896 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
lepidote; flowers 5-parted, in terminal or axillary panicles, pink or
white, the pedicels subumbellate or corymbose; sepals small, more
or less connate; corolla rotate, 5-parted, the lobes valvate, narrow,
pubescent or tomentose, at least on the outer surface; filaments
conspicuous, filiform, the anthers sagittate-lanceolate, dehiscent by
2 introrse slits; ovules few. — Other species of the genus occur in
Central America.
Parathesis aeruginosa Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17:
526. 1927. Forests of Tremendal, near San Ramon, 1,300-1,400
meters, Tonduz 17659. Region of San Ramon, 1,000-1,400 meters.
Extending to British Honduras. A stout shrub 1.5-2 meters high,
the branches densely stellate-tomentose with ferruginous, sessile
hairs; leaves on short, stout petioles, elliptic-oblong, 12-16 cm. long,
abruptly short-acuminate, cuneately narrowed to the acute base,
obscurely undulate-crenate, green and glabrate above, densely
ferruginous-stellate-hispidulous beneath; inflorescence pyramidal,
tripinnate, many-flowered, the branches densely ferruginous-tomen-
tose; pedicels 2-4 mm. long; buds 3.5 mm. long; sepals stellate-
hirtellous; petals 2.5 mm. long, stellate-tomentose on both surfaces.
Related to P. sessilifolia, which has similar pubescence but chiefly
of stipitate, not sessile hairs.
Parathesis fusca (Oerst.) Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 236: 175.
1902. Tucuiquillo. Ardisia fusca Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn
127. pi. 2. 1861. Tinus fusca Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 974. 1891.
Based in part upon material collected by Oersted on Volcan de
Irazu. Also reported from Nicaragua. Branches densely ap-
pressed-ferruginous- tomentose; leaves short-petiolate, elliptic, about
8.5 cm. long, 3.5 cm. wide, short-acuminate, acuminate-acute at the
base, crenate, pilose beneath on the nerves; inflorescence many-
flowered, tripinnate-paniculate, pubescent, the pedicels 6 mm. long
or less; buds 4 mm. long, tomentose; sepals not punctate; petals
not punctate, lanceolate.
Parathesis glabra Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 31: 115. 1901.
Forest near El Copey, 1,800 meters, Tonduz 11714- Mountains of
Dota, 1,600-2,450 meters, also on the slopes of La Carpintera, and
near San Jose". Endemic. A shrub or tree of 3-6 meters, glabrous
almost throughout; leaves petiolate, elliptic, about 7.5 cm. long,
acuminate, acute at the base, entire, densely and conspicuously
punctate; inflorescences few- or many-flowered, bipinnate-panicu-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 897
late, the pedicels slender, 8 mm. long or less; buds 4-5 mm. long,
puberulent. The dark red or purple fruits are eaten.
Parathesis microcalyx Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 48: 295. 1909.
La Colombiana, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 200 meters, Pittier 7591
(13410). Young branches ferruginous-pubescent; leaves short-
petiolate, lance-obovate, 9-12.5 cm. long, cuspidate-acuminate,
attenuate to the base, entire, glabrous above, glabrate beneath,
punctulate and lineolate; panicles 6-7 cm. long, ferruginous-pubes-
cent, the pedicels 1.5-3 mm. long; flowers about 3.5 mm. long,
the corolla glabrous within; ovary pubescent at the apex.
Known to the writer only from description.
Parathesis serrulata (Swartz) Mez. Reported from Turrialba.
Mexico to West Indies and Venezuela. A shrub or small tree, the
branches ferruginous-lepidote; leaves short-petiolate, oblong to
elliptic-lanceolate or narrowly elliptic, about 16 cm. long and 4 cm.
wide, acuminate, acute at the base, crenulate or subentire, glabrous
above, beneath ferruginous-lepidote or glabrate; inflorescence many-
flowered, subpyramidal, tripinnate-paniculate, puberulent or tomen-
tulose, the pedicels 4 mm. long or less; buds 4 mm. long.
Parathesis sessilifolia Bonn. Smith. Reported from Costa
Rica, collected by Endres (Nos. 210, 236), the locality not indicated.
Guatemala. Branches densely stellate-tomentose with mostly
stipitate hairs; leaves sessile, oblong, about 15 cm. long and 5 cm.
wide, acuminate, gradually narrowed to the acute base, crenate,
glabrate above, ferruginous- villous beneath and black-punctate;
inflorescence many-flowered, pyramidal, laxly 4-pinnate-paniculate,
the pedicels 6 mm. long or less; buds 5-6 mm. long, ferruginous-
tomentose; ovary leprose at the apex.
Parathesis Storkii Standl. Field Mus. Bot. 8: 31. 1930. San
Cristobal Road, 1,800 meters, Stork 2560. Canton de Alfaro Ruiz;
Finca Guayabillos; Cerro Gallito; at 2,275 meters or less. Panama.
A tree of 6 meters, the branchlets glabrous; leaves slender-petiolate,
rigid-membranaceous, elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 5-8 cm. long and
2-4 cm. wide, acute or short-acuminate, acute at the base, entire,
glabrous, densely and minutely punctate; inflorescences axillary,
bipinnate-paniculate, long-pedunculate, many-flowered, the flowers
umbellate, the pedicels 3-8 mm. long; corolla 5 mm. long, lepidote-
puberulent. Austin Smith furnishes the following notes regarding
the tree: Bark slightly scaly and obscure, light brown, the cambium
layer deep ox-blood red; fruit and flower buds pink to pale crimson;
898 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
fruit when ripe intense black, of the color, form, and size of old-
fashioned shoe buttons; buds of unopened flowers creamy yellow
to pink.
RAPANEA Aubl.
Shrubs or small trees, glabrous or pubescent; leaves mostly
entire, usually more or less lepidote; flowers very small, 4-5-parted,
densely clustered in the leaf axils, sessile; sepals free or short-connate,
imbricate or valvate; petals more or less connate; anthers sessile,
introrsely birimose; fruit globose, small, dry or somewhat fleshy.—
Probably no other species occur in Central America. The genus
is easily recognized by the small, dense clusters of sessile flowers
in the leaf axils.
Rapanea ferruginea (Ruiz & Pavon) Mez. Raton, Ratoncillo,
Ratoncillo bianco. Frequent in forests at middle elevations, mostly
at 1,000-1,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Mexico to Chile and
Argentina. A shrub or small tree, 3-7.5 meters high, densely
branched, the young branches densely tomentulose or villosulous;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong-oblanceolate, mostly 5-8 cm. long,
acute, attenuate to the base, glabrous or nearly so, entire; inflores-
cences 3-9-flowered, the flowers 2-3.5 mm. long; fruits small, black.
A tree or shrub of inconspicuous appearance, somewhat resembling
a species of Myrica in habit and foliage.
Rapanea guyanensis Aubl. In forest, mountains of the region
of Dota, about 1,800 meters. Florida and Mexico to Bolivia and
southern Brazil. A shrub or small tree, about 6 meters high, glabrous
throughout; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-elliptic to oblong-obovate,
mostly 7-8 cm. long, very thick, lustrous, rounded and often emargi-
nate at the apex, acute at the base, the lateral nerves obscure or
obsolete; flowers 2-2.5 mm. long.
Rapanea pellucido-punctata (Oerst.) Mez, Pflanzenreich IV.
236: 393. 1902. Ratoncillo, Sierra. Myrsine pellucido-punctata
Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 133. 1861. Type material collected
by Oersted at Jaris and Aguacate, and on Volcan de Irazu (photo,
and fragment of type in Herb. Field Mus.). Occasional in forests
and thickets of the Pacific slope, at middle and low elevations;
Guanacaste; region of San Ramon; mostly at 1,200 meters or less.
Panama. A shrub or tree of 3-6 meters, glabrous throughout;
leaves short-petiolate, coriaceous and lustrous, bright green when
dried, oblong to elliptic or oblanceolate-oblong, mostly 7-10 cm.
long, acute or obtuse, narrowed to the base; flowers 1.5 mm. long.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 899
Pittier reports the indigenous names Kag-dshi-kra (Brunka) and
Kirba-gro (TYrraba).
Rapanea Pittieri Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 236: 378. 1902.
Volcan de Irazu, 3,000 meters, Pittier 14111- Upper slopes of
Irazu, Poas, and Cerro de Las Vueltas, at 2,700-3,000 meters.
Endemic. A shrub of 3-4.5 meters, the branchlets ferruginous-
tomentulose at the apex; leaves short-petiolate, obovate or obovate-
elliptic, about 2 cm. long, rounded or subemarginate at the apex,
cuneately narrowed at the base, coriaceous, glabrous, at least in
age; flowers 3-4 mm. long, yellow-green. Easily recognized by the
very small leaves. The shrub is abundant on the upper slopes of
the mountains indicated.
STYLOGYNE A. DC.
Glabrous shrubs; leaves alternate, thick and coriaceous; flowers
4-5-parted, paniculate, the panicles terminal or axillary, the flowers
umbellate or umbellate-corymbose; sepals dextrorsely contorted,
free or nearly so ; petals short-connate, dextrorsely contorted, usually
lineolate; filaments filiform, the anthers elongate; fruit drupa-
ceous, 1 -seeded. — A few other species have been recorded from
Central America.
Stylogyne laevis (Oerst.) Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 236: 268.
1902. Ardisia laevis Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 125. 1861.
Tinus laevis Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 974. 1891. Volcan de Irazu,
Oersted 28. Panama to southern Mexico. A glabrous shrub; leaves
short-petiolate, elliptic to elliptic-oblong or oblong-obovate, 10-15
cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base,
entire; inflorescence terminal, tripinnate-paniculate, the flowers
corymbose, the slender pedicels about 6 mm. long, the flowers 4 mm.
long, the petals white; sepals brown-punctate; fruit black-purple,
globose, 5 mm. in diameter. From Costa Rica I have seen only a
photograph of the type, which must have been collected at a rather
high elevation on Irazu. Considering the region from which it
came, it seems rather doubtful that the plant of the Panama low-
lands referred here is really conspecific, but this can scarcely be
decided without examination of the type material. In Panama this
species is called Uvito.
Stylogyne ramiflora (Oerst.) Mez. Guastomate. In forests of
the Pacific tierra caliente, reported from Boruca, Nicoya, San
Mateo, Puntarenas, etc. Panama to Guatemala. A shrub of 1-2
900 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
meters, similar in most characters to the preceding species; leaves
often somewhat larger, and as much as 20 cm. long; inflorescences
lateral or axillary, bipinnate-paniculate, the flowers subcorymbose,
the pedicels seldom more than 5 mm. long; flowers 4 mm. long,
the petals white or pink; fruit purple-black, 5 mm. in diameter.
The ripe fruits are edible, and have a rather pleasant flavor. Pittier
reports the Te'rraba name as Kuetan-gro.
THEOPHRASTACEAE
Reference: Mez, Pflanzenreich IV. 236a. 1903.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, often clustered at the
ends of the branches and pseudoverticillate, simple, entire or
spinose-serrate, often spine- tipped, without stipules; inflorescences
terminal or axillary, racemose or rarely reduced to a single flower,
the flowers perfect or dioecious, often showy, usually yellow or
orange, normally 5-parted, regular; calyx inferior, the segments
free or short-connate, often crenate, imbricate or contorted, per-
sistent, neither punctate nor glandular; corolla gamopetalous,
rotate, urceolate, or funnelform, the segments imbricate or con-
torted; fertile stamens as many as the corolla lobes and opposite
them, the filaments more or less connate, the anthers dorsifixed,
opening by extrorse slits; sterile stamens or staminodia 5, inserted
on the corolla; ovary gradually narrowed to a stout, short or elongate
style, the stigma discoid or conic, the ovules numerous; fruit baccate
or drupaceous, indehiscent; seeds numerous or few, immersed in the
pulp. — One other genus, Deherainia, is represented in northern
Central America.
CLAVIJA Ruiz & Pavon
Shrubs or small trees, often unbranched, the trunk sometimes
furnished with spinose scales; leaves usually clustered at the ends
of the stem or branches, petiolate, narrow, entire or spinose-dentate;
flowers small, in axillary racemes, polygamo-dioecious; staminodia
glandlike; seeds few. — One other species is reported from Central
America.
Clavija Biborrana Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 117. 1861.
Viborrana. Theophrasta Biborrana Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 404. 1891.
Mt. Jaris, 1,000 meters, Oersted 31 A (photo, seen of the type, Herb.
Copenhagen). Known only from the original collection. A shrub;
leaves on short or elongate petioles, lance-oblong, 15-20 cm. long,
about 2 cm. wide, long-acuminate, attenuate to the base; racemes
few-flowered, the pedicels 3 mm. long or less, bracteate at the base;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 901
flowers small, about 5 mm. broad, the sepals rounded, fimbriate-
crenulate; petals suborbicular, minutely crenulate.
Clavija costaricana Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 20: 131.
1918. Forest of Rio Hondo, Plains of Santa Clara, 100 meters,
Cook & Doyle 551. Also Guapiles, and mountains of Guanacaste,
at 700 meters or less, growing in humid forest. Endemic. A usually
simple shrub about 3 meters high, glabrous throughout; leaves
stiff, on short, thick petioles, obovate-oblong or narrowly obovate-
elliptic, 30-50 cm. long, 10-15 cm. wide, often rounded and abruptly
short-acuminate at the apex, long-attenuate to the base; staminate
racemes short or elongate, few- or many-flowered, the pedicels
2-3 mm. long; corolla greenish yellow, more than 1 cm. broad;
fruit large, globose, shining.
JACQUINIA L.
Shrubs or small trees, usually glabrous; leaves coriaceous and
usually rigid, often spine- tipped, entire; flowers perfect, 5-parted,
yellow or orange, in usually terminal racemes; sepals free or very
shortly connate, broad, rounded at the apex, ciliate or crenulate;
petals connate, the lobes spreading, rounded; staminodia 5, petaloid,
inserted high on the corolla tube; fruit globose or ovoid, few-seeded,
with a hard, thick wall. — Several other species occur in Central
America. In various regions of tropical America plants of this
genus are used as barbascos or fish poisons. The rather stiff and
almost dry corollas last for a long time, and in some places they
are strung on thread for use as decorations. The spines terminating
the leaves are stiff and sharp, and penetrate the flesh readily.
Jacquinia angustifolia Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 119.
1861. Siempreviva. Santa Rosa, Guanacaste, Oersted (photo, seen
of the type, in Herb. Copenhagen). Reported also from Mexico.
Young branches densely pubescent; leaves short-petiolate, linear-
oblong, about 4.5 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, rounded or acute and
mucronate at the apex, the terminal spine as much as 4 mm. long;
racemes about 8-flowered, the rachis geniculate, the pedicels about
8 mm. long; fruit 1 cm. in diameter, subglobose, mammillate at
the apex.
Jacquinia macrocarpa Cav. Siempreviva, Burriquita. Thickets
of the lowlands of Guanacaste. Panama. A densely branched
shrub or small tree, 1.5-4 meters high, the branchlets pubescent;
leaves on very short petioles, elliptic-lanceolate or obovate-oblong,
902 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
mostly 1-2 cm. wide, acute to rounded at the apex and pungent-
mucronate, attenuate to the base; racemes few-flowered, pubescent,
the pedicels 6 mm. long or more; flowers orange-colored, 13 mm.
long. The plant is reported to be in use in Guanacaste as a barbasco.
It would be expected that the species found commonly in that
province would be J. angustifolia, but the type of that has much
narrower leaves than the specimens I have seen. Costa Rican
collections have been referred to J. aurantiaca Ait., which may be
synonymous with J. macrocarpa. In spite of Mez's monographic
account of this genus, the specific limits are poorly understood, and
until much ampler flowering material has been collected, it will be
impossible to decide how many species, and which ones, are really
represented in Central America. It is probable that the number
of recognized species will be reduced rather than increased.
PRIMULACEAE. Primrose Family
Reference: Pax & Knuth, Pflanzenreich IV. 237. 1905.
Perennial or annual herbs; leaves without stipules, alternate,
opposite, or verticillate, sometimes all basal, simple or lobate;
flowers symmetric, perfect, often dimorphous, generally 5-parted;
calyx persistent; corolla gamopetalous, with a short or elongate
tube, the lobes imbricate; stamens epipetalous; ovary superior,
1-celled, the placenta central, free, the ovules numerous; fruit
capsular. — The genus Samolus is represented in northern Central
America.
ANAGALLIS L.
Small, simple or branched herbs; leaves opposite or alternate,
sessile or short-petiolate, entire; flowers axillary, pedicellate, red,
blue, or white; calyx 5-parted almost to the base into narrow seg-
ments; corolla rotate, the tube very short; stamens 5; capsule
globose, circumscissile. — Anagallis arvensis L., a European species,
is naturalized in Guatemala.
Anagallis pumila Swartz. Centunculus pentandrus R. Br.
Frequent in grassy places, .often in pastures, Pacific slope, from
almost sea level to about 1,500 meters; Dota; region of San
Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of
both hemispheres. Plants very slender, annual, glabrous, simple
or branched, prostrate or ascending, the stems 2-12 cm. long;
leaves alternate, ovate, acute, sessile, the lowest often opposite,
mostly about 4 mm. long; flowers minute, white. The Costa Rican
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 903
material is referable to the most widely distributed variety, longi-
pedunculata Chod. & Hassl., in which the slender pedicels are about
as long as the leaves.
PLUMBAGINACEAE. Plumbago Family
In North America the family is represented by a single genus.
PLUMBAGO L.
Plants perennial, herbaceous or suffrutescent, sometimes scan-
dent; leaves alternate, sessile or short-petiolate, entire; flowers
mostly blue or white, in bracteate racemes, perfect, regular; calyx
tubular, 5-costate, glandular, 4-5-dentate; petals 4 or 5, unguiculate,
the claws united to form a tube, the corolla salverform; stamens
5, distinct, the filaments dilated at the base, the anthers linear;
disk none; ovary superior, 1-celled, the ovule solitary, the styles 5,
filiform; fruit capsular, enclosed in the calyx. — No other species
are known from Central America.
Plumbago capensis Thunb. A native of South Africa, often
grown for ornament. Plants somewhat woody, often more or less
scandent; flowers large and showy, blue or white.
Plumbago scandens L. Mielilla. Occasional about San Jos£
and in the tierra caliente of both slopes, but uncommon or rare,
growing in thickets or waste ground. Widely distributed in tropical
America. Plants erect or somewhat clambering, often suffrutescent
at the base; leaves ovate or lanceolate, 3-10 cm. long, acute or
acuminate, narrowed at the base to a short petiole or sessile, glabrous;
spikes short or greatly elongate, many-flowered; calyx 1 cm. long,
covered with stipitate, very viscid glands; corolla white, the slender
tube as much as 2 cm. long.
SAPOTACEAE. Sapodilla Family
References: Standley, An enumeration of the Sapotaceae of
Central America, Trop. Woods 4: 1. 1925; Additions to the Sapo-
taceae of Central America, op. cit. 31 : 38. 1932.
Trees or rarely shrubs, usually with a milky latex, sometimes
armed with spines; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire, without stipules;
flowers perfect or polygamous, usually fasciculate in the leaf axils,
regular, symmetric; sepals 4-12, imbricate; corolla gamopetalous,
often with interior appendages between the lobes; stamens as many
as the corolla lobes, often alternating with staminodia, the filaments
distinct; ovary superior, sessile, 4-12-celled, the styles united, the
904 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ovules solitary in each cell, anatropous; fruit baccate, often very
large, containing 1 to several seeds; seeds lustrous, usually smooth.
— The genus Labatia also is represented in Central America, and
probably in Costa Rica. The family is an important one economic-
ally, because of the edible fruits of many species, and the products
obtained from the latex. It is less abundantly represented in Costa
Rica than in northern Central America. Herbarium material now
available from Central America is inadequate for intelligent under-
standing of the species, and it is highly desirable that collectors
should obtain ample material of these trees wherever found.
ACHRAS L.
Large, unarmed trees; leaves coriaceous, mostly clustered near
the ends of the branches, petiolate; flowers rather large, mostly
6-parted, whitish, solitary or fasciculate in the leaf axils; sepals
biseriate; corolla urceolate to subrotate, scarcely longer than the
calyx; anthers sagittate; staminodia almost equaling the corolla
lobes; ovary 10-12-celled; fruit a large, brownish, rough-skinned
berry. — One other species is known in northern Central America.
Achras calcicola Pittier. Region of San Ramon, collected only
by Brenes. Panama. A deciduous tree of 15-25 meters, the trunk
as much as 1 meter in diameter, the bark rimose, the crown small,
depressed; wood hard, reddish; leaves coriaceous, glabrous, petiolate,
obovate-oblong, 8-18 cm. long, 3-Q cm. wide, obtuse-acuminate,
cuneate at the base, deep green above, much paler beneath; pedicels
pubescent, 1 cm. long; sepals 6, about 6 mm. long, tomentulose;
corolla white, broadly campanulate or subrotate, glabrous, 6-lobate,
the tube 1 mm. long, the lobes acute, 3.5-4 mm. long; stamens and
staminodia each 6. Called Nispero in Panama.
Achras Zapota L. Nispero. Occasional in forests of the tierra
caliente, where apparently native in some places; Guanacaste;
often planted in the tierra caliente and occasionally in the tierra
templada. Native of the Yucatan Peninsula and adjoining regions,
and perhaps throughout much of the Central American tierra
caliente. A tall tree, variable in form according to the place of
growth, in cultivation usually with a broad and very dense crown
of handsome foliage, the bark dark brown, the young branches
pubescent; leaves oblong-obovate to oblong or elliptic, 6-12 cm.
long, obtuse, obtuse or acute at the base, glabrous or nearly so;
pedicels about as long as the short petioles, brownish-pubescent;
sepals 8-10 mm. long, brownish-pubescent; corolla glabrous, whitish,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 905
8 mm. long; fruit globose or ovoid, 3-8 cm. in diameter, rough and
brownish, the flesh very sweet, somewhat brownish; seeds several,
compressed, 2 cm. long. The wood is dark red, very hard, heavy,
tough, strong, fine-textured, finishes smoothly, and is durable. It
is used in Central America for many purposes, especially heavy,
permanent construction, and for tool handles. Its durability is
attested by the fact that beams of sapodilla wood have lasted for
centuries in some of the ancient Maya ruins.
The sweet fruit has an agreeable flavor and is much eaten.
Many foreigners consider it the best of all Central American fruits.
The most important product of the tree is chicle gum, obtained
from the latex, which exudes when the bark is cut. Chicle, for use
in manufacture of chewing gum, is exported in vast amounts from
Peten, Guatemala, British Honduras, and the adjoining regions.
Although the trees are often found in apparently primeval forest in
southern Central America, there is some doubt as to whether they
are truly native there, or rather relics of ancient cultivation. Pittier
reports the Bribri name of Korob.
BUMELIA Swartz
Trees or shrubs, the branches often armed with spines; leaves
rather small, more or less coriaceous; flowers small, pedicellate,
fasciculate in the leaf axils, white or greenish; sepals 5, unequal;
corolla 5-lobate, with a pair of lobelike appendages in each sinus,
the tube short; stamens 5, the 5 staminodia petaloid; ovary 5-celled;
fruit small, containing a single seed. — Several other species are
known from Central America.
Bumelia Austin-Smithii Standl., sp. nov. Corpus espina. —
Arbor, ramulis crassiusculis subteretibus, vetustioribus fuscis rimosis,
novellis brunnescentibus primo sparse sericeis cito glabratis, ramulis
spinis paucis crassis vix ultra 7 mm. longis armatis; folia parva
breviter petiolata coriacea, petiolo crassiusculo 5-6 mm. longo
sparse sericeo vel glabro; lamina oblonga vel lanceolato-oblonga,
rare latior, 6.5-9 cm. longa 2.5-4 cm. lata, apice late vel anguste
rotundata, interdum tantum obtusa, basi plus minusve inaequali
abrupte breviter acutata, in sicco olivacea vel subfusca, lucida,
glabra, costa gracili subtus prominente, nervis lateralibus utroque
latere ca. 8 angulo lato fere recto abeuntibus fere rectis remote a
margine arcuato-conjunctis, aliis fere aequicrassis parallelis brevi-
oribis interpositis; flores in axillis fasciculati, pauci vel numerosi,
pedicellis crassiusculis 2-3 mm. longis vel paullo ultra glabris;
906 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
sepala paullo inaequalia 4 mm. longa late elliptico-ovata acutiuscula
glabra vel glabrata; corolla calyce paullo longior extus glabra, lobis
late obovatis apice rotundatis ciliolatis, appendicibus angustis
laciniato-dentatis. — Zarcero, Prov. Alajuela, 2,010 meters, Austin
Smith 4163 (type in Herb. Field Mus.); also Nos. 4229 and H610
from the same locality. Concerning the tree the collector supplies
the following notes: Growing in pastures or on hilltops, quite common
in some places, but never very tall; trees 7-11 meters high, the base
of the trunk as much as 1.2 meters in diameter, often dividing into
a number of trunks, these again much branched. All branches
amply armed with spines, the spines on the trunk often branched.
Bark neutral dark gray or light brown, somewhat roughened,
emitting a milky sap which is sticky and difficult to remove from
objects with which it comes in contact. Main trunk often very
gnarled, the bark flocculent or peeling off in small pieces. Leaves
lustrous on the upper surface. Flowers white. Wood about the
hardest known in this region.
Bumelia Lankesteri Standl. Trop. Woods 31: 40. 1932.
Espino bianco. Las Concavas, south of Cartago, Lankester 1258.
Known only from the region of the type. A tree of 8-10 meters,
densely branched, armed with a few stout spines, the young branches
sericeous; leaves short-petiolate, subcoriaceous, broadly oblong or
elliptic-oblong, 4.5-7.5 cm. long, 3-3.5 cm. wide, broadly rounded
at the apex, obtuse or subacute at the base, almost glabrous; pedicels
3-4 mm. long; sepals 3 mm. long, the outer ones glabrous or glabrate,
the inner sericeous; corolla glabrous, 3 mm. long; fruit subglobose,
12 mm. long.
Bumelia panamensis Standl. Pacific coast, especially in
Guanacaste, at 700 meters or less. Panama. A tree, 5-25 meters
high, the trunk as much as 60 cm. in diameter, the branches
armed with stout spines, the young branches brownish-sericeous;
leaves on slender petioles 4-6 mm. long, lance-oblong or elliptic-
oblong, 5-7 cm. long, 2-3 cm. wide, acute or acuminate, acute
at the base, sparsely sericeous when young but soon glabrate;
pedicels 3 mm. long; sepals oval, 2.5-3.5 mm. long, finely sericeous;
corolla 4.5 mm. long. Called Limoncillo in Panama. In Guana-
caste the tree was noted as being sometimes an epiphytic strangler.
CALOCARPUM Pierre
Large, unarmed trees, the leaves large, rather thin, mostly
clustered near the ends of the branches; flowers small, whitish,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 907
mostly fasciculate on naked branches below the leaves; sepals
about 10, densely imbricate in several series; corolla sericeous,
5-lobate, the lobes longer than the tube; staminodia 5, sometimes
antheriferous; stamens 5, opposite the corolla lobes, the filaments
subulate, the anthers cordate; ovary 5-celled; fruit very large,
1-seeded. — The genus consists of only the following species.
Calocarpum mammosum (L.) Pierre. Zapote, Zapotillo.
Lucuma mammosa A. DC. Occasional in forests of the tierra caliente;
often cultivated at middle and low elevations. Native probably of
southern Mexico and of Central America, now widely planted in
tropical regions. A large tree; leaves obovate or oblong-obovate,
short-petiolate, 15-25 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, attenuate
to the base, conspicuously veined, puberulent or glabrate beneath;
flowers usually densely fasciculate and almost sessile; sepals rounded,
sericeous, 3 mm. long; corolla 10 mm. long; fruit globose or ellipsoid,
as large as a large orange, brown and rough, the flesh yellow, very
sweet. The wood is light brown or buff, moderately hard, strong,
medium-textured, easy to work, and fairly durable. Where available,
it is employed for house frames and many other purposes. The
fruit is greatly esteemed throughout Central America, but it is
rather too sweet and insipid for a northern palate. From the seeds,
known as zapoyoles, is obtained an oil used in domestic medicine
in Costa Rica as a remedy for colds. It is stated that the handsome,
large, very lustrous, brown seeds were employed in former times
in Costa Rica for ironing linen. Indian names reported by Pittier
are: Beko (Cabe"cara), Kurok (Bribri), Kom-kra (Brunka), Fiu
(T^rraba).
Calocarpum viride Pittier. Zapote, Zapote bianco. Regions of
Tilaran and San Ramon, 500-750 meters. Panama to Guatemala.
A tall tree, the trunk 40-60 cm. in diameter; similar in general
appearance to C. mammosum, but with small fruits, only 9-10 cm.
long, haying a thin, green, smooth skin, and with whitish-hairy or
glabrate petioles; in C. mammosum the fruits have a thick, rough,
brown skin, and the petioles usually are densely brown-hairy.
Called Ingerto or Zapote ingerto in Salvador and Guatemala.
The latex is one of the sources of chicle gum in northern Central
America. The tree is said to be planted in some places about
San Jose".
CHRYSOPHYLLUM L. Star-apple
Large or medium-sized trees, unarmed, evergreen; leaves some-
what coriaceous, often densely sericeous beneath; flowers small,
908 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
5-parted, fasciculate in the leaf axils or at defoliate nodes; sepals
almost equal; corolla lobes not appendaged; stamens included in
the corolla; staminodia none; ovary sericeous; fruit a large or small
berry, containing 1 or several seeds. — At least one other species is
known from Central America.
Chrysophyllum argenteum Jacq. Caimito cimarron. Region
of San Ramon, and elsewhere on the Pacific slope, at 1,100 meters
or less. Panama; West Indies. A tree of 5-10 meters; leaves
short-petiolate, rather thin, elliptic to oblong, mostly 5-10 cm. long,
acuminate, acute at the base, glabrous above, thinly silvery-sericeous
beneath or glabrate; calyx about 2 mm. long; corolla 3-4 mm. long,
sparsely sericeous; fruit ellipsoid or subglobose, 8-14 mm. long,
1-seeded. It is possible that the continental tree may represent a
species distinct from the one found in the Antilles, but I find no
good characters for separating it.
Chrysophyllum Cainito L. Caimito. Planted frequently in
the tierra caliente, also in the tierra templada, but said not to fruit
at higher elevations. Probably native in the West Indies, but
widely cultivated in tropical America. A handsome tree with spread-
ing crown, the trunk as much as 60 cm. in diameter; leaves elliptic
or oblong-elliptic, covered beneath with a very dense coat of silky,
golden or brown hairs, abruptly acute or obtuse, obtuse at the base;
corolla 3.5-5 mm. long; fruit globose or ellipsoid, 5-8 cm. in diameter,
greenish or purple, containing several compressed seeds. The fruit
is somewhat milky when cut, and is sweet and rather viscid; it is
much liked by many people. When cut transversely, the seeds are
seen radiating like the points of a star, hence the usual English name.
The wood is brown or reddish, hard, heavy, strong, medium- textured,
not difficult to work, and fairly durable. It is employed sometimes
for heavy construction. An infusion of the bark is said to be used
in Costa Rica as a tonic. Pittier states that the tree grows in the
tierra caliente of both coasts, but this statement probably is based
upon confusion with other species. I have seen C. Cainito in Central
America only in cultivation.
Chrysophyllum panamense Pittier. Occasional in forests of
the Atlantic tierra caliente. Panama. A large or medium-sized
tree with rounded crown, the bark grayish, smooth; young branches
brownish-sericeous; leaves short-petiolate, rather thin, elliptic or
oblong-elliptic, mostly 10-20 cm. long, 4-8 cm. wide, abruptly
acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, glabrous above, densely
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 909
brownish-sericeous or glabrate beneath; pedicels about 6 mm. long;
sepals sericeous, 1.5 mm. long; corolla greenish yellow, almost
5 mm. long, sericeous; fruit 1-seeded.
DIPHOLIS A. DC.
Unarmed trees; leaves petiolate, small or rather large, coriaceous;
flowers small, mostly 5-parted, fasciculate in the leaf axils or at
defoliate nodes; sepals imbricate; corolla rotate or funnelform, with
2 appendages in each sinus; stamens borne on the corolla tube
opposite the lobes, exserted; staminodia 5, often petal-like; ovary
5-celled; fruit small, usually 1-seeded. — At least three other species
occur in Central America. Their wood is brown or reddish, hard,
heavy, tough, and medium- textured. It is little if at all utilized.
Dipholis minutiflora Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13:
464. /. 90. 1912. Tempisque, Nispero amarillo. Forests of El Copey,
1,800 meters, Tonduz 11935. Mountains of Dota and Guanacaste,
at 600-1,800 meters. Perhaps also in Honduras. A tree of 9-25
meters with reddish bark; young branchlets tomentulose; leaves
petiolate, coriaceous, obovate or oblong, 4-8 cm. long, obtuse or
broadly rounded at the apex, obtuse or acutish at the base, glabrous
or nearly so; flowers mostly at defoliate nodes, the pedicels 5-7 mm.
long; sepals 2 mm. long; corolla white, almost 2 mm. long; fruit
purple or yellow, about 3 cm. long and 2 cm. thick or smaller;
seed subglobose, dark brown, 1.5 cm. in diameter. The tree is
rather common in the mountains about Tilaran.
Dipholis parvifolia Standl., sp. nov. — Arbor mediocris vel alta,
ramulis dense foliatis gracilibus striatis ochraceis glabris vel gla-
bratis, internodiis brevibus; folia parva petiolata coriacea, petiolo
crassiusculo 6-7 mm. longo glabro; lamina anguste elliptico-oblonga
vel lanceolato-oblonga 3-4 cm. longa 8-10 mm. lata longe anguste
attenuato-acuminata, acumine ipso obtuso, basi acuta vel attenuato-
acuminata, glabra, costa subtus prominente gracillima, nervis
lateralibus utroque latere ca. 7 angulo semirecto vel angustiore
adscendentibus, venulis vix prominulis arete reticulatis pallidis;
fructus (unus delapsus tantum visus) obovoideo-globosus ca. 1.5
cm. longus et fere aequilatus apice late rotundatus glaber; sepala 6,
exteriora breviora, usque 3.5 mm. longa, apice late rotundata,
sparse sericea vel glabrata. — Los Ayotes, near Tilaran, Prov. Guana-
caste, 600-700 meters, Standley & Valeria 45525 (type in U. S.
National Herbarium). Los Ayotes, near Tilaran, 600 meters,
Standley & Valeria 45347. Moist forest, Quebrada Serena, near
910 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Tilaran, 700 meters, Standley & Valeria 46173. Known only from
fruiting or sterile material, the generic position of this tree must
remain doubtful for the present. The general appearance of the
specimens seems to indicate a relationship with Dipholis.
LUCUMA Molina
Small or large trees, unarmed; leaves mostly coriaceous, small
or large, petiolate; flowers small, fasciculate in the leaf axils or at
defoliate nodes; sepals 4 or 5, much imbricate; corolla urceolate,
with a short, broad tube; stamens 4-6, inserted on the corolla
opposite the lobes, the filaments thick or slender; staminodia linear
or filamentous, inserted in the sinuses of the corolla; ovary 2-6-
celled, usually pilose; fruit small or large, with 1-5 seeds. — A large
number of other species are known from Central America, and
several others described from Panama may well be expected in
Costa Rica.
Lucuma campechiana HBK. Zapotillo. In cultivation at
San Francisco de Guadalupe, near San Jose", and perhaps elsewhere.
Extending to southern Mexico. A medium-sized tree, the young
branches brownish-sericeous; leaves short-petiolate, large, rather
thin, mostly oblong or lance-oblong and 12-16 cm. long or larger,
acuminate to subacute, acute or acuminate at the base, glabrous
or nearly so; pedicels often as long as the petioles, the flowers 5 mm.
long; sepals 5; corolla glabrous.
Lucuma lucentifolia Standl. Field Mus. Bot. 4: 251. 1929.
Matasano (fide Oersted). Talamanca Valley, G. P. Cooper 13.
Collected by Oersted at Turrialba. Panama. A tree of 11 meters
with milky latex, the trunk 25 cm. in diameter, the branchlets
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, rather thin, obovate-oblong or
elliptic-oblong, 13-25 cm. long, 4-10 cm. wide, abruptly short-
acuminate, attenuate to the base, glabrous, very lustrous on the
upper surface; fruit subglobose, subsessile, 5 cm. in diameter,
glabrous; seeds 5, compressed, suborbicular, brown and lustrous,
2.5 cm. long. The fruit is said to be edible, with juicy pulp and
golden brown skin.
Lucuma obovata HBK. Mamon. Cultivated at San Jose".
Native of Peru and Chile. A tree of 8-10 meters, with a very dense,
rounded crown, the bark rugose, grayish; branchlets minutely
sericeous; leaves clustered at the ends of the branches, on petioles
1-2 cm. long, elliptic-ovate or obovate, 8-12 cm. long, 4-5 cm.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 911
wide, rounded or very obtuse at the apex, acute at the base, glabrous
or nearly so; pedicels 10-12 mm. long, glabrate; sepals 5, about
10 mm. long, sericeous; corolla 13 mm. long, minutely sericeous;
fruit ovoid or depressed-globose, as large as a medium-sized apple,
green and smooth, the flesh yellow, mealy; seeds 1-5, usually 2,
subglobose, as large as a chestnut.
MANILKARA Rheede
Large trees with milky latex; leaves rather large, coriaceous;
flowers axillary or on defoliate nodes; sepals 6-12, biseriate; corolla
18-24-lobate, with a short tube; stamens borne on the corolla tube,
the filaments short, the anthers lanceolate; staminodia petal-like,
dentate or lacerate; ovary pilose, 6-12-celled; fruit with 1-8 com-
pressed seeds. — One other Central American species is known,
in Panama.
Manilkara spectabilis (Pittier) Standl. Trop. Woods 31: 45.
1932. Nispero. Mimusops spectabilis Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat.
Herb. 13: 465. 1912. Piuta, near Limon, at sea level, Pittier 16012.
Known only from the original material. A large tree, the straight
trunk as much as 40 meters high, the bark dark brown, the crown
broad, depressed; leaves coriaceous, glabrous, clustered at the ends
of the branches, the petioles 2.5-3.5 cm. long; blades elliptic-oblong,
12-15 cm. long, 5-6 cm. wide, obtuse or subacute, cuneate-rounded
at the base; flowers 1-3-fasciculate in the leaf axils, the pedicels
8-12 mm. long, tomentose; sepals 6, ovate or ovate-oblong, 6-7 mm.
long, tomentose; corolla 7 mm. long; ovary 10-celled. The wood
is hard, heavy, dark, and durable. It is utilized locally for railroad
ties. South American species of Manilkara furnish the well known
balata gum of commerce.
SIDEROXYLON L.
Unarmed trees; leaves coriaceous, usually long-petiolate; flowers
small, 5-parted, greenish yellow or white, fasciculate in the leaf
axils or at defoliate nodes; sepals obtuse, imbricate; corolla sub-
rotate, the lobes obtuse, not appendaged; stamens inserted at the
middle or top of the corolla tube opposite the lobes, included, the
filaments slender; staminodia entire or dentate; ovary usually
5-celled; fruit ovoid or subglobose, commonly 1-seeded. — Several
other species are known from Central America.
Sideroxylon Capiri (A. DC.) Pittier. Irazu, collected by
Oersted. Panama to Mexico. A large tree with spreading crown,
912 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the bark reddish brown or brownish yellow, the young branches
tomentulose; petioles slender, often as long as the blades; leaf
blades ovate to oval or oblong, 7-15 cm. long, acute to rounded
at the apex, rounded or obtuse at the base, brownish-pubescent
when young but soon glabrate; pedicels 10-12 mm. long, mostly
at defoliate nodes, pubescent; sepals 4 mm. long; fruit ovoid, globose,
or ellipsoid, 3-3.5 cm. long, containing 1 or more seeds. The sweet
fruit is eaten either raw or cooked. The specific name is derived
from one of the Mexican names of the tree.
Sideroxylon Tempisque Pittier. Tempisque. Forests of
Guanacaste, often growing along streams. Ranging to southern
Mexico. A tree of 12-18 meters, similar to the preceding species;
petioles and pedicels glabrous; pedicels 5-6 mm. long; corolla 7-8
mm. long; fruit ovoid or ellipsoid, 3-4 cm. long, 1-seeded.
Sideroxylon uniloculare Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 35: 5. 1903.
Rio de Las Vueltas, Tucurrique, 635 meters, Tonduz 13358. Petioles
8-15 mm. long; leaf blades oblong-elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 13-20
cm. long, 6-9 cm. wide, cuspidate-acuminate, cuneate at the base,
glabrous; pedicels 7 mm. long, ferruginous-pubescent; sepals 5,
about 2 mm. long, ferruginous-pubescent; corolla glabrous, the
lobes twice as long as the tube, orbicular; ovary pubescent. The
reference of this tree to the genus Sideroxylon is questionable.
EBENACEAE. Ebony Family
The family is represented in North America by a single genus.
DIOSPYROS L.
Trees or shrubs; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire, without
stipules; flowers dioecious, axillary, mostly solitary or fasciculate,
small, regular; calyx inferior, 3-6-lobate; corolla gamopetalous,
3-6-lobate, campanulate, urceolate, or tubular, the lobes convolute;
stamens inserted on the corolla tube, 2-3 times as many as the
corolla lobes, the anthers erect, dehiscent introrsely; ovary superior,
3-6-celled; styles 2-6; fruit a small or large berry, containing 12 or
fewer large, compressed seeds. — A few other species are known
from Central America. As here treated, the genus includes those
species often referred to a separate genus, Maba, which seems to
possess no constant generic differences. The ripe fruits of many
species are sweet and edible. The unripe fruits usually are
extremely astringent. The heartwood is gray to black, usually
streaked, very hard, tough, strong, easy to work; the sap wood is
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 913
suitable for tool handles, the heartwood for articles of turnery and
small cabinetwork. The very black wood of some species is the
ebony of commerce. The name Persimmon is applied to the species
found in the United States. The Japanese persimmon, with very
large, handsome fruits, is much cultivated in eastern Asia and to
some extent in America.
Diospyros ebenaster Retz. Collected only at Tilaran, in
rather dry forest. Extending to Mexico and West Indies. A tree
of 9-12 meters or more, the bark almost black; leaves short-petiolate,
coriaceous, elliptic to elliptic-obovate, 6-15 cm. long, obtuse or
rounded at the apex, acute at the base, glabrous; peduncles 1-2.5
cm. long; flowers whitish, fragrant; fruiting calyx usually 4-lobate;
fruit depressed-globose, 3 cm. or more in diameter. In Mexico and
elsewhere this species is sometimes cultivated for its edible fruit,
which has black pulp of most repulsive appearance when fully ripe.
The fruits of the trees at Tilaran were too bitter to be eaten. There
is some question as to the region in which this species is native, and
it has been ascribed even to the Philippines, where, however, it is
believed to be introduced. The Tilaran trees had every appearance
of being native, and the tree has been found elsewhere in Central
America in recent years, growing apparently in a wild state.
Diospyros nicaraguensis Standl. Maba nicaraguensis Standl.
Between Bagaces and Cafias, Guanacaste, Brenes 15605. Nica-
ragua. A shrub or small tree; leaves short-petiolate, obovate-
oblong or oblanceolate-oblong, mostly 4-7 cm. long and 1-2.5 cm.
wide, obtuse or rounded at the apex, attenuate to the acute or
obtuse base, densely short-pilose on both surfaces or glabrate above;
peduncles only 1-4 mm. long; calyx 3-5-lobate, 8-10 mm. long;
pistillate corolla urceolate, sericeous, the tube 8 mm. long, the 4 lobes
3 mm. long; ovary densely pilose.
STYRACACEAE. Storax Family
Reference: J. Perkins, Pflanzenreich IV. 241. 1907.
In Central America the family is represented by a single genus.
STYRAX L.
Shrubs or trees, lepidote or stellate-pubescent; leaves alternate,
without stipules, entire or irregularly serrate; flowers perfect, regular,
usually white, in simple or branched, axillary or terminal racemes;
calyx cupular, inferior, truncate or shallowly dentate; corolla gamo-
petalous, usually 5-parted, the tube short, the lobes valvate or
914 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
imbricate, narrow, spreading; stamens 10, the filaments connate
with the base of the corolla, the anthers linear, longitudinally
dehiscent; ovary 3-celled or in age 1-celled, the style elongate, the
stigma 3-lobate or capitate, the ovules few in each cell ; fruit usually
globose, dry or nearly so, indehiscent, or irregularly dehiscent by
3 valves, containing a single seed. — Probably no other species are
found in Central America. In her monograph of this family Miss
Perkins divided the species finely, and it is decidedly doubtful that
all those reported from Costa Rica are valid.
Styrax argenteus Presl. Resina, Bracino, Laurel, Tubus.
Frequent in forest or thickets of the Pacific slope, mostly at 700-
1,500 meters; region of San Ramon. Panama to Mexico. Usually
a tree of 5-6 meters, the trunk sometimes 30 cm. in diameter;
leaves on rather long petioles, oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate,
mostly 7-10 cm. long, rather thick, acuminate, cuneate at the base,
entire, glabrous above, beneath very densely and minutely grayish-
or yellowish-stellate-tomentose; inflorescence racemose, mostly 3-7-
flowered; flowers white or tinged with pink, mostly 1.5-2 cm. long;
calyx 4 mm. high; fruit about 1.3 cm. in diameter.
Styrax glabrescens Benth. Bracino. S. guatemalensis Bonn.
Smith. Frequent in forests of the Pacific slope, mostly at 500-1,500
meters; region south of Cartago; region of San Ramon. Extending
to Mexico. A tree of 6-10 meters with a broad crown; leaves short-
petiolate, membranaceous, bright green, ovate to oblong or obovate,
mostly 8-15 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, often somewhat dentate,
almost glabrous on both surfaces; flowers white, about 2 cm. long;
fruit 1 cm. in diameter. Easily recognized among Costa Rican
species because of the broad, thin, almost glabrous leaves, green
on the lower surface.
Styrax polyanthus Perk. Bot. Jahrb. 31: 479. 1901. Type
collected by Warscewicz, in Costa Rica or Panama. Collected
several times in the region of San Jose". A tree, the trunk as much
as 30 cm. in diameter; leaves on rather long petioles, oblong or
lance-oblong, 7-13 cm. long, subcoriaceous, acute or acuminate,
glabrous above, entire, densely and softly stellate-pubescent beneath
with intermixed long and short, often yellowish hairs; flowers 1.5
cm. long, the calyx 4 mm. long.
Styrax polyneurus Perk, in Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 35: 5.
1903. Resina, Asca, Aguacate asca, Laurel. El Copey, 1,800
meters, Tonduz 11744. (fragment of type seen). Mountains of the
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 915
central region and region of San Ramon, at 1,000-2,000 meters.
Endemic. A tree of 4-6 meters, the trunk 15 cm. in diameter;
bark gray, slightly rough; leaves short-petiolate, oblong to lanceo-
late or obovate-lanceolate, 8-12 cm. long, acutish to subacuminate,
acute at the base, entire, subcoriaceous, glabrous above, whitish
or pale brownish beneath and covered with a minute, closely ap-
pressed, lepidote-stellate tomentum, the nerves and veins prominent
and reticulate beneath; flowers 1 cm. long, the calyx 4 mm. high;
corolla white or pink.
Styrax Warscewiczii Perk. Quiquicirri. Occasional in moun-
tains of the central region, mostly at 1,500-2,250 meters. Panama.
A tree of 10 meters; leaves short-petiolate, oblong, 7.5-8.5 cm. long,
subcoriaceous, entire, obtuse or acute, glabrous on the upper surface,
beneath yellowish-stellate-tomentose; flowers about 1.5 cm. long,
white or pink, fragrant, the calyx 3 mm. high; fruit 6 mm. in diam-
eter. It is doubtful whether this is distinct from S. argenteus.
Medicinal properties are attributed locally to this and other species.
SYMPLOGACEAE
Reference: Brand, Pflanzenreich IV. 242. 1901.
The family consists of a single genus.
SYMPLOGOS Jacq.
Shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, entire or serrate, sessile or
short-petiolate; stipules none; flowers axillary or terminal, sessile
or pedunculate, solitary or fasciculate, spicate, or racemose, regular,
perfect; sepals 5, more or less connate; petals 3-11, longer than the
calyx, more or less connate; stamens inserted on the corolla, 4 to
many, free or more or less connate, in 1-4 series, the filaments
filiform or complanate, the anthers ovoid-globose; ovary inferior
or semi-inferior, 2-5-celled, the ovules 2-4 in each cell, pendulous;
style 1, filiform, the stigma capitellate or 3-5-lobulate; fruit baccate,
cylindric or subglobose, 1-5-celled, most of the cells abortive; seeds
solitary in each cell. — A few other species are known from Central
America. The genus is a large one, of about 300 species, which are
widely distributed in the tropics of the earth.
Symplocos Austin-Smithii Standl., sp. nov. — Arbor 18-
metralis, trunco 60 cm. diam., ramulis subteretibus gracilibus,
novellis sat dense pilis brevibus adpressis brunnescentibus pilosis,
internodiis brevibus; folia modica breviter petiolata subcoriacea,
petiolo crassiusculo 7-9 mm. longo sparse pilosulo vel glabrato;
916 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
lamina obovato-oblonga vel oblanceolato-oblonga 7.5-10 cm. longa
2.5-4 cm. lata, subabrupte acuminata, acumine brevi obtuso, basi
acuta vel subacuta, supra viridis glabra, costa impressa, nervis
venisque obscuris, sublucida, subtus pallidior ubique sparse et
persistenter strigosa, costa gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque
latere 6-7 teneribus valde irregularibus, venis prominulis laxe
irregulariter reticulatis, margine saltern supra medium arete ad-
presso-crenato, versus basin integro vel subintegro; inflorescentiae
axillares solitariae sessiles brevissime spicatae densae pauciflorae
petiolis subaequales; calyx 3 mm. longus ubique dense sericeus,
lobis suborbicularibus apice late rotundatis; corolla 7-8 mm. longa
fere ad basin partita, lobis late obovato-oblongis apice rotundatis,
tantum prope apicem sparse strigillosis; stamina numerosa petalis
subaequilonga longiconnata, tubo filamentis liberis subaequilongo;
stylus petalis fere aequilongus inferne longipilosus; ovarium dense
pilosum. — Zarcero, 1,650 meters, Austin Smith A380 (type in Herb.
Field Mus.). Regarding the tree, the following notes are supplied
by the collector: A tree growing in forest; bark thick, dark brown,
much roughened, the cambium layer red; leaves dark green and
shining on the upper surface; flowers resembling those of coffee,
inodorous, the corolla fleshy, white; twigs pale brown.
Symplocos Brenesii Standl., sp. nov.— Arbor 8-10-metralis,
ramulis subgracilibus sat dense foliatis primo adpresso-ferrugineo-
pilosis; folia inter minora brevi ter petiolata subcoriacea, petiolo
5-7 mm. longo sparse adpresso-piloso vel glabrato; lamina oblanceo-
lato-oblonga 5.5-7 cm. longa 1.7-2.5 cm. lata acuminata vel longi-
acuminata, interdum fere caudato-acuminata, basin acutam versus
sensim angustata, integra vel perobscure remote crenulata, supra
in sicco fusca lucida glabra, costa nervisque impressis, subtus multo
pallidior ubique sparse pilis longiusculis brunnescentibus strigosa,
costa gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 7 angulo
semirecto vel angustiore adscendentibus, venulis prominulis laxe
reticulatis; flores numerosi in axillis dense fasciculati vel ut videtur
brevi ter spicati brevissime pedunculati petiolis paullo longiores;
calyx 3-3.5 mm. longus ubique dense sericeus, lobis late rotundatis;
corolla rosea 8 mm. longa fere ad basin partita, lobis oblongis apice
rotundatis dorso dense minute sericeis; stamina numerosa petalis
fere aequilonga longiconnata, tubo filamentis liberis duplo longiore;
stylus sepalis aequilongus glaber; ovarium dense pilosum 5-loculare.
—In forest, La Palma de San Ramon, 1,130 meters, Brenes 4456
(type in Herb. Field Mus.), 5821. Collected also on the slopes of
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 917
Irazu, at 1,800 meters. Referable to the subsection Ciponimastrum
of Brand. If I understand the characters, it runs in his key to
S. trachycarpos Brand, a species of southern Brazil.
Symplocos costaricana Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2: 301.
1881. Without locality, Endres 148. Frequent in the region of
Santa Maria de Dota, at about 1,500 meters; also at Frai janes, on
the slopes of Poas; region of San Ramon. Endemic. A tree of
6 meters with smooth, pale bark, or sometimes only a shrub, glabrous
throughout or nearly so; leaves petiolate, oblong-elliptic to oblanceo-
late-oblong, 5-9 cm. long, entire, subacute to acuminate, very
lustrous on the upper surface, paler beneath; racemes 5-6-flowered,
short; corolla connate to about the middle, white or purplish; ovary
glabrous, 4-celled; fruit oblong, 1 cm. long or larger, pale bluish.
Symplocos irazuensis Cufodontis, Archivio Bot. 9: 200. 1933.
Southwestern slopes of Volcan de Irazu, above Guayabillos, 2,500
meters, Cufodontis 361. A tree of 8 meters, the branchlets puber-
ulent; leaves petiolate, obovate-lanceolate or obovate, as much as
15 cm. long and 7.5 cm. wide, shortly obtuse-acuminate, attenuate
to the base, sometimes rounded on one side at the base, entire,
glabrous above, densely ferruginous-pubescent beneath; flowers
glomerate-racemose, the racemes 5-10-flowered; calyx sericeous;
petals obovate-lanceolate, rounded at the apex, 1.5 cm. long, seri-
ceous outside; ovary 4-celled.
Symplocos Limoncillo Humb. & Bonpl. San Cristobal Road,
collected by Stork, at 2,400 meters. Ranging to southern Mexico.
A tree of 12 meters, the trunk as much as 20 cm. in diameter, glabrous
throughout or nearly so; leaves petiolate, rather thin, oblong or
oblong-elliptic, mostly 9-12 cm. long, acuminate, acute at the base,
entire or conspicuously serrulate; racemes usually longer than the
petioles; corolla pink or white; ovary sparsely pilose; fruit 1.5-2 cm.
long, oblong. The Costa Rican material is in fruit only, and there
is some doubt as to whether it is properly referable to S. Limoncillo.
It may be only a variant of S. costaricana, but appears different.
Symplocos serrulata Humb. & Bonpl. Region of El Copey,
in forest, at about 1,600 meters. Colombia. A tree of 9 meters, the
young branches ferruginous-hirsute; leaves coriaceous, short-petio-
late or subsessile, elliptic or oblong, 8-15 cm. long, 3-6 cm. wide,
acute or acuminate, rounded at the base, serrulate, glabrous above,
densely ferruginous-hirsute or pilose beneath; flowers sessile and
fasciculate in the leaf axils; corolla pink or white, densely sericeous
918 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
outside; style pilose below; fruit oblong, 2 cm. long, glabrous.
It is rather unusual for a species of Symplocos to range so widely,
but I find no characters for separating the Colombian and Costa
Rican trees.
OLEACEAE. Olive Family
Chiefly trees or shrubs; leaves commonly opposite, rarely alter-
nate, simple or pinnate, without stipules; flowers regular, 2-4-parted,
paniculate, cymose, or fasciculate; calyx inferior, usually small,
sometimes none; corolla very variable, sometimes absent; stamens
2-4, the filaments distinct, the anthers 2-celled, the cells longi-
tudinally dehiscent; ovary superior, 2-celled, the ovules few in each
cell, the style short or none; fruit a capsule, samara, berry, or drupe.
— The typical plant of the family is the olive, Olea europaea L.
(olivo). The genera Fraxinus (ash; Spanish, fresno) and Mayepea
also are represented in Central America, and the latter is to be
expected in Costa Rica.
FORESTIERA Poir.
Shrubs or trees; leaves opposite, deciduous, simple; flowers very
small, fasciculate, bracteate, incomplete and usually imperfect,
axillary or on twigs of the previous season; calyx tube short, the
limb 4-6-lobate; corolla none; stamens 2 or 4; ovules 2 in each cell;
fruit a drupe, usually 1-seeded.— No other species are recorded for
Central America.
Forestiera cartaginensis Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 396.
1897. Puipute. Cartago, 1,580 meters, Cooper 5849. Collected
also at San Rafael de Cartago, Cerros de Zurqui, and along Rio
Reventado north of Cartago (probably the original locality), 1,400-
2,500 meters. Endemic. A shrub or tree, sometimes 6 meters high,
the young branches pubescent; leaves ovate-elliptic, short-petiolate,
5-7 cm. long, acuminate at each end, entire or serrate toward the
apex, pubescent beneath along the costa; flowers short-racemose,
short-pedicellate; drupes oblong, somewhat asymmetric, 8-9 mm.
long. The plant is abundant on open slopes along the Rio Reven-
tado, sometimes forming thickets. At high elevations it grows in
moist forest.
JASMINUM L. Jasmine
Shrubs, often scandent; leaves opposite, simple or pinnate;
flowers large, solitary or variously clustered ; calyx lobate or parted ;
corolla salverform, the tube cylindric, the limb deeply lobate,
the lobes imbricate; stamens 2, included; fruit fleshy, didymous.—
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 919
The species of this genus, many of which are noted for their fragrant,
showy flowers, are all natives of the Old World. Several of them
are cultivated commonly in Central American gardens, where they
are usually known by the name Jazmin.
Jasminum grandiflorum L. Jazmin. Royal jasmine. Often
planted in gardens. Native of southern Asia. A nearly glabrous
shrub, the branches usually long and recurved or subscandent;
leaves pinnate, with 5-7 leaflets; flowers white.
Jasminum humile L. Italian yellow jasmine. Cultivated in
gardens for ornament. Native of Asia. Vinelike in habit; leaves
pinnate; leaflets usually 5, ovate, acute; flowers bright yellow.
Jasminum pubescens (Retz.) Willd. Planted commonly in
gardens. Native of southeastern Asia. An erect shrub with tomen-
tose branches; leaves simple, ovate, acute to rounded at the apex,
entire, short-petiolate, densely pubescent beneath; flowers large,
white, almost sessile, the corolla lobes acute.
Jasminum Sambac (L.) Soland. Jazmin. Sometimes planted
for ornament, as in tropical America generally. Said to be native
of India. Rather similar to J. pubescens, but the leaves glabrate;
flowers often or usually double, with obtuse lobes.
LIGUSTRUM L. Privet
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, simple, entire; flowers
small, white, perfect, in terminal panicles; calyx small, truncate
or 4-dentate; corolla gamopetalous, funnelform, with a short tube,
the limb 4-lobate; stamens 2; ovary with 2 ovules in each cell;
fruit a 1-3-seeded berry. — All the species of this genus are natives
of the Old World.
Ligustrum vulgare L. Mirto. Planted for hedges and for
ornament about San Jose", and perhaps elsewhere. Native of Europe
and Asia. A densely branched shrub; leaves lanceolate to oblong
or elliptic, mostly 1.5-4 cm. long, acute or obtuse, glabrous; flowers
small, in dense, small, terminal panicles; fruits black, 4-6 mm.
long. This shrub is much planted for hedges in many temperate
regions of the earth.
LOGANIACEAE. Nux-vomica Family
Herbs, shrubs, or trees, sometimes scandent; leaves opposite,
entire or dentate, without stipules, but vthe petiole bases often
united by a stipular line; flowers perfect, large or small; calyx
920 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
inferior, with 4 or 5 lobes; corolla gamopetalous, the limb 4-5-
lobate; stamens as many as the corolla lobes and alternate with
them, inserted in the throat or tube of the corolla; style simple;
fruit capsular, baccate, or drupaceous. — The genus Plocosperma is
represented in Guatemala, and it is probable that there occurs in
Costa Rica Polypremum procumbens L., a small annual, common
in many parts of Central America.
BUDDLEIA L.
ft
Shrubs or small trees, the pubescence usually of stellate hairs;
leaves entire or dentate; flowers small, in dense cymes or heads,
these disposed in spikes or cymes; calyx 4-dentate; corolla with 4
small, imbricate lobes; stamens 4; fruit a small capsule. — Other
species are known from Central America.
Buddleia alpina Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 25. 1853.
Salvia. Volcan de Irazu, 3,000 meters, Oersted. Common on the
upper slopes of Irazu and Turrialba; Cerro de Las Vueltas; at
2,700-3,300 meters. Endemic. A shrub or tree, as much as 15
meters high, the crown dense and rounded; leaves petiolate, lan-
ceolate, acuminate, entire, almost glabrous above, densely brown-
tomentose or whitish beneath; flowers small, yellow, in terminal
panicles. This is the most common tree in the pastures of Turrialba.
It has rather handsome foliage, and is conspicuous because of the
whitish twigs and lower leaf surfaces.
Buddleia americana L. Salvia, Hoja de salbe (Pittier). Com-
mon in thickets and hedges, Meseta Central to the coasts, most
common on the Pacific slope; Guanacaste. Widely distributed in
tropical America. A shrub of 1-2.5 meters; leaves ovate, acumi-
nate, serrate, softly tomentose, petiolate; flowers small, pale yellow,
the heads arranged in panicled spikes. The plant is used commonly
in Central America in domestic medicine. Pittier states that the
crushed leaves are applied as poultices to reduce the inflammation
of bruises and wounds.
Buddleia Davidii Franch. Verbena, Panal, Silencio, Pluma de
la reina. A slender shrub of Chinese origin, with handsome, blue
flowers. Cultivated commonly in gardens, at least in the temperate
and cooler regions.
I do not know what the plant may be that is reported for Costa
Rica under the name B. elliptica Mart. & Gal. (Surubres, Biolley),
but it is surely not the Mexican species to which the name properly
belongs.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 921
Buddleia floccosa Kunth. Salvia. Regions of Cartago and
Dota. Also in Guatemala and Mexico. A shrub of 1-1.5 meters,
covered throughout with a dense, brown wool; leaves oblong or
lanceolate, acute or obtuse, serrulate, small; flowers greenish, the
heads very dense, arranged in simple or paniculate spikes. It is
said that the leaves are employed as a tonic.
CYNOCTONUM Gmel.
Annual herbs, the leaves opposite, entire, the stipules minute,
or the leaf bases connected by a stipular line; flowers small, whitish,
in one-sided, cymose spikes; calyx 5-parted; corolla urceolate,
5-10-lobate; stamens 5, included, the filaments short, the anthers
cordate; style short, divided below, united above by the common
stigma; capsule bilobate at the apex, the carpels divaricate, dehiscent
along the inner margin; seeds numerous, small, tuberculate. — A
single species is found in Central America.
Cynoctonum Mitreola (L.) Britton. Cynoctonum petiolatum
Gmel. Reported from La Boruca and Nicoya. Widely distributed
in tropical America. A small, glabrous annual; leaves petiolate,
ovate, entire; flowers minute, 2 mm. long, white, in spikes that
form axillary and terminal cymes; capsule 3 mm. long, bilobate at
the apex and resembling a miter.
POTALIA Aubl.
A low shrub, usually unbranched, with a thick stem; calyx
4-parted, the lobes rounded, imbricate in bud; corolla tubular-
campanulate, the limb 10-lobate; stamens 10, the very short fila-
ments adnate to the corolla tube; ovary 2-celled, the ovules numerous
in each cell; fruit baccate, indehiscent, turbinate. — The genus
consists of a single species.
Potalia amara Aubl. Collected at San Miguel by Wendland;
I have seen also a recent specimen, without locality. Guianas to
Brazil and Peru. A shrub of 1-2 meters, glabrous throughout;
leaves elongate-oblanceolate, 30 cm. long or much longer, acute,
long-attenuate to the base, short-petiolate or almost sessile, the
costa stout and very conspicuous beneath, the other venation
obsolete; flowers yellow-green, in terminal and axillary, trichotomous
cymes, the pedicels short and thick, squamose-bracteate; calyx 8 mm.
long; corolla about 12 mm. long. The plant is unknown elsewhere in
North America, and its occurrence in Costa Rica, far from its nearest
known occurrence in the Guianas, was scarcely to be expected.
922 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
SPIGELIA L.
Low, perennial herbs, almost glabrous, the stems simple or
branched; leaves entire, acute or acuminate, often sessile; corolla
tubular, small or large; capsule didymous, circumscissile.
Spigelia anthelmia L. Common in moist places of the tierra
caliente. Widely distributed in tropical America. A low plant,
the leaves lanceolate, the upper ones sessile and verticillate; flowers
1 cm. long, white or pinkish; capsule covered with small, spinelike
protuberances. In Panama the plant is known as Lombricera.
This species, like the following one, has a high reputation throughout
Central America as a remedy for intestinal parasites, especially
tapeworms.
Spigelia Humboldtiana Cham. & Schlecht. Lombricera.
Common in moist places, Meseta Central to the coasts; region of
San Ramon; Guanacaste. Widely dispersed in tropical America.
Similar to the preceding species, but the flowers smaller, and the
capsule smooth.
Spigelia splendens Wendl. Colmillo de puerco, Cresta de gallo.
Moist places of the Meseta Central, especially about Cartago, but
apparently rather rare. Also in Guatemala and southern Mexico.
An herb about 60 cm. high; leaves ovate or broader, somewhat
pubescent, verticillate; corolla red or flesh-colored, 2 cm. long.
A beautiful plant because of its large, bright-colored flowers.
STRYCHNOS L.
Scandent shrubs, often provided with spines or tendrils; leaves
opposite, entire, ovate or lanceolate, 3-5-nerved, acute; flowers
white or yellowish, about 2 cm. long, in terminal or axillary cymes;
corolla with a long, slender tube and 5 short lobes; fruit globose,
indehiscent, usually 4 cm. or more in diameter, with few or numerous
large, compressed seeds. — An Indian species yields the drugs nux-
vomica and strychnine, and it is probable that the seeds of the
Central American species possess poisonous principles. Other
species are known from Central America.
Strychnos chlorantha Prog, in Mart. Fl. Bras. 6, pt. 1: 273.
1868. Without locality, Hoffmann 790 (photo, seen of the type,
in herb. Berlin). Known only from the original collection. Glabrous;
leaves coriaceous, short-petiolate, obovate, 5-7.5 cm. long, 3.5-5
cm. wide, subobtuse or short-acuminate, acute at the base, 3-5-
nerved, lustrous; cymes pedunculate, terminal, equaling the leaves,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 923
many-flowered; calyx lobes broadly ovate, obtuse, ciliate; corolla
glabrous, green, the tube 12-14 mm. long, the lobes 4 mm. long.
Strychnos darienensis Seemann. Forests of the Atlantic
tierra caliente, also in Guanacaste. Panama. A woody vine,
armed with spines, the young branches appressed-pilose; leaves
coriaceous, acute at the base, glabrous or nearly so; flowers glabrous.
Strychnos panamensis Seemann. Common in forests and
thickets of the tierra caliente. Panama to Guatemala and probably
to southern Mexico. A large, slender vine, armed with stiff spines,
almost glabrous; leaves acute or acuminate, usually triplinerved,
rather thin; flowers white, glabrous; fruit globose, 4-8 cm. in
diameter, yellowish. This species is known in Panama by the
names Canjura and Fruta de murcie'lago.
Strychnos toxifera Benth. Forests of the tierra caliente.
Ranging to Brazil. A small or large vine, covered on all parts with
long, soft, spreading hairs. A widely known plant which received
in Brazil the name Urari, supplying at least one of the elements
of the drug curare, one of the most poisonous substances known.
Introduced into the blood stream in minute quantities, it paralyzes
almost instantly the motor nerves, and produces rapid death.
The drug is obtained from the bark of the roots. Curare has been
much used by the South American Indians for poisoning their
arrows, and it is stated that it is so used even today by the Indians
in some parts of Panama.
GENTIANACEAE. Gentian Family
Herbs, rarely shrubs, usually glabrous; leaves opposite, entire,
without stipules, sometimes reduced to scales; flowers regular,
perfect, terminal or axillary, small or large and showy; calyx inferior,
persistent, the segments more or less united; corolla gamopetalous,
the stamens alternate with the lobes, inserted in the throat or tube;
ovary 1-celled or imperfectly 2-celled; style simple or none, the
stigma entire or bilobate; fruit capsular, usually dehiscent by 2
valves. — Other genera are represented in Central America.
CENTAURIUM Gilib.
Annual herbs, simple or branched, the leaves sessile; flowers
small, usually pink, in cymes; calyx 4-5-lobate, the segments narrow;
corolla tube short or elongate; stamens 4 or 5, the anthers spirally
twisted; stigma bilobate. — A few other species are represented in
Central America.
924 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Centaurium quitense (HBK.) Robinson. Erythraea quitensis
HBK. Moist or grassy places of the central region, at 800-1,300
meters; region of San Ramon. Guatemala to Peru. A slender
herb about 30 cm. high, branched, the branches often spreading;
sepals narrowly attenuate; corolla pink, 8 mm. long.
Centaurium strictum (Schlecht.) Druce. Erythraea stricta
var. tereticaulis Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 398. 1897 (Surubres,
Biolley 7076). Frequent in meadows and oak forests of Dota,
1,500-1,800 meters. Ranging to Mexico. Plants simple or with
few erect branches; leaves linear or narrowly oblong; sepals acute
or almost obtuse.
CHELONANTHUS (Griseb.) Gilg
Annual or perennial herbs, simple or sparsely branched; flowers
in terminal cymes, often secund upon the branches; calyx 5-parted,
the segments not carinate; corolla tube dilated above, gradually
expanded into the lobes; stamens 5, inserted in the lower part of
the tube, the filaments usually unequal; anthers spirally coiled;
ovary almost 2-celled, the style filiform, the stigma 2-lamellate;
capsule globose or ovoid, much longer than the calyx. — A single
species is found in Central America.
Chelonanthus alatus (Aubl.) Pulle. Lisianthus alatus Aubl.
Plains of the Pacific coast; Boruca; Buenos Aires; region of San
Ramon, at 1,025 meters or less. British Honduras to Brazil. An
herb of 1-2 meters, simple or sparsely branched; leaves large, ovate
or lanceolate; flowers green, about 2 cm. long, disposed in large
cymes composed of one-sided racemes; stigma persistent; calyx
lobes rounded at the apex.
COUTOUBEA Aubl.
Annual or perennial herbs, simple or sparsely branched; leaves
chiefly opposite, sessile or clasping; flowers small, white or purplish,
sessile or nearly so, usually in terminal, dense spikes; calyx 5-parted,
the lobes carinate, acute; corolla tube short, cylindric, the limb
4-lobate, the lobes narrow, spreading; stamens 4, inserted in the
upper part of the tube, the filaments filiform, winged below, the
anthers erect, deeply cordate at the base; ovary 1-celled, the style
filiform, the stigma 2-lamellate; capsule septicidal. — In Central
America the genus is represented by a single species.
Coutoubea spicata Aubl. Plains of the Pacific coast; Boruca;
Buenos Aires; at 500 meters or less. British Honduras to Brazil.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 925
A sparsely branched herb, a meter or less in height; leaves sessile,
oblong or lance-linear; flowers 1 cm. long, white, in long, very
dense spikes.
CURTIA Cham. & Schlecht.
Slender, erect, annual herbs; leaves opposite or verticillate,
small, sessile; flowers small, densely corymbose-cymose or laxly
paniculate; calyx usually 5-parted, the segments narrow, acute,
carinate; corolla subfunnelform, the cylindric tube slightly ampliate
above, the lobes short, ovate or lanceolate, contorted; stamens
commonly 5, usually coherent, the filaments filiform, the anthers
usually included, ovate or oblong; ovary almost 2-celled, the style
short or elongate and filiform, the stigma capitate; capsule 2-valvate,
the small seeds foveolate. — In Central America a single species
is known.
Gurtia tenella (Mart.) Cham. Found at San Pedro and
Buenos Aires, 480 meters; also at various places in the region of
San Ramon, 1,200 meters or less. Honduras to Brazil. Plants
slender, annual, 20 cm. high or less, simple or sparsely branched;
leaves linear; flowers white, 5-7 mm. long, in few- or many-flowered
cymes. The plant grows usually in savannas or other grassy places.
ENICOSTEMA Blume
Perennial herbs; leaves sessile, lanceolate or linear-lanceolate;
flowers small, glomerate in the leaf axils; calyx narrowly cam-
panulate, deeply 5-cleft; corolla almost funnelform, the tube some-
what enlarged above the middle, the 5 lobes contorted, spreading;
stamens included, the filaments filiform, the anthers oblong, erect,
the connective apiculate; ovary 1-celled, the style short, the stigma
globose; capsule oblong, bivalvate. — A single species is known.
Enicostema verticillatum (L.) Gilg. Limon, Quirds 470.
Extending to West Indies, and in the Old World tropics. Plants
glabrous, branched, a meter high or less; leaves acuminate, 3-nerved,
4-10 cm. long; calyx 5 mm. long; corolla white, 6 mm. long; capsule
about equaling the calyx.
GENTIANAL. Gentian
Herbs, various in habit, the leaves opposite, commonly sessile;
flowers small or large, axillary or terminal, generally sessile; calyx
tubular, 4-7-lobate, often winged or carinate; corolla salverform,
funnelform, or tubular-campanulate, the throat often appendaged,
the lobes contorted; stamens as many as the corolla lobes, included,
926 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the anthers ovate to linear; ovary 1-celled; capsule bivalvate, the
seeds numerous, often winged. — The genus is a very large one, well
represented in temperate North America and in the Andes, but
probably no other species is native in Central America.
Gentiana sedifolia HBK. Rare in paramos of Cerro de Las
Vueltas, 3,000 meters. Ranging to Colombia and Ecuador. A very
small plant, only 1-2 cm. high, forming small, dense mats or clumps;
leaves oblong, acute, only 5 mm. long; flowers terminal, solitary,
white or blue, 7 mm. long. The plant is so small that it is difficult
to distinguish among the mosses and other small plants with which
it grows.
HALENIA Borck.
Perennial herbs; flowers yellowish or greenish, in terminal or
axillary cymes, or often paniculate; calyx 4-parted; corolla cam-
panulate, each lobe with a spur near its base; capsule 1-celled,
bivalvate. — Other Central American species grow in Guatemala.
Halenia Aquilegiella Standl., sp. nov. — Perennis, glabra, 9-20
cm. alta, caulibus paucis erectis vel adscendentibus gracilibus
simplicibus; folia basalia rosulam densam efformantia lineari-
oblanceolata, lamina 2-2.5 cm. longa, 3-5 mm. lata acutiuscula
basin versus longe sensim in petiolum elongatum attenuata; folia
caulina ca. 3 paria distantia sessilia linearia vel lineari-oblonga
usque ad 2 cm. longa; inflorescentia terminalis cymoso-paniculata
racemiformis pauciflora, pedicellis brevibus vel usque ad 1 cm.
longis; sepala 5 mm. longa anguste oblonga acutiuscula, apicibus
breviter recurvis; corolla luteo-viridis calcaribus exclusis 7-8 mm.
longa, lobis apice late rotundatis, calcaribus corolla duplo brevioribus
paullo incurvis. — Paramo of Cerro de Las Vueltas, Prov. San Jose",
3,000 meters, Standley & Valeria 43631 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb.) ;
also No. 43681 from the same locality. The species is quite distinct
from others known from Central America, but related to certain
species of the Andes of South America.
Halenia rhyacophila Allen, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 20: 168.
pi. 8, f. 6. 1933. H. rhyacophila var. procumbens Allen, op. cit.
170 (Volcan de Turrialba, Standley 35285); H. rhyacophila var.
macropoda Allen, loc. cit. (Volcan de Poas, Greenman & Greenman
5994). Potrero del Alto, Volcan de Poas, 2,460 meters, Pittier 2975.
Forests, thickets, and paramos of the upper slopes of the central
region, 2,200-3,000 meters. Endemic. An erect or ascending herb
of 30-60 cm., simple or branched; basal leaves oblanceolate, 7 cm.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 927
long or more; flowers green, arranged in a few- or many-flowered
panicle; corolla 8-15 mm. long, the spurs short, divaricate. This
plant has been reported from Costa Rica under the name H. multi-
flora Benth., a Mexican species. The two varieties mentioned have
no taxonomic importance.
LEIPHAIMOS Schlecht. & Cham.
Small, simple or sparsely branched, saprophytic herbs, without
chlorophyll, the leaves represented by scales; flowers solitary and
terminal or in cymes; calyx tubular or campanulate, 4-5-dentate or
deeply lobate; corolla salverform, the tube usually attenuate above,
the 4-5 lobes contorted, obtuse or acuminate; stamens included, the
filaments filiform or very short, the anthers connate or free; ovary
1-celled, the style filiform, the stigma capitate; capsule oblong
or linear, 2-valvate. — Several species are found in Central America,
most of them in Panama. Some of the plants are rather showy,
their flowers varying from white to yellow or blue. They are easily
recognized by the absence of chlorophyll, gamopetalous corolla, and
slender habit. They grow usually among decaying leaves in the
deepest forests.
Leiphaimos simplex (Griseb.) Standl. Voyria simplex Griseb.
Reported from Cerros de Ochoa, Valley of San Carlos, Pittier 9661,
9662. Panama to British Honduras. Plants small, saprophytic,
the stem slender, simple, 6-12 cm. long, white, the leaves repre-
sented by a few pairs of scales; flower solitary, terminal, blue;
corolla tube 8 mm. long, the 5 lobes spreading, 3^4 mm. long. There
has been reported from the same region L. flavescens (Griseb.) Gilg
(Voyria flavescens Griseb.), a plant with yellowish corollas. It is
probable that the collection so named belongs to one of the species
described from Panama by the present author.
LISIANTHUS L.
Reference: Perkins, Bot. Jahrb. 31: 489. 1902.
Annual or perennial herbs, usually branched; leaves lanceolate
or broader; flowers small or large, cymose or corymbose; stigma
capitate; capsule imperfectly 2-celled. — Several other species are
known from Central America.
Lisianthus arcuatus Perkins, Bot. Jahrb. 31: 492. 1902.
Type collected in Costa Rica or Panama by Warscewicz. Also at
Desengano, Hoffmann 832. Region of San Ramon; Guanacaste.
Endemic. Leaves oblong-lanceolate, 7-12 cm. long, acuminate;
928 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
flowers few, the branches of the cyme elongate; calyx 5 mm. long;
corolla tube 4.5 cm. long, the lobes only 5 mm. long.
Lisianthus corymbosus Perkins, Bot. Jahrb. 31: 491. 1902.
Type collected by Warscewicz, without indication of the exact
locality. Found also at Pacaca, Santa Barbara, Villa Colon, Tacares,
Catalina, and Rio Poas; region of San Ramon. Endemic. Leaves
ovate or oblong-ovate, 4-7 cm. long; inflorescence many-flowered,
dense, cymose; calyx 15 mm. long; corolla tube 2.5 cm. long, the
lobes 1 cm. long.
Lisianthus nigrescens Cham. & Schlecht. Pacaca, Oersted.
Guatemala and Mexico. Plants tall and branched, the leaves
oblong-lanceolate, acuminate; flowers cymose, blackish, forming a
large panicle; corolla about 4 cm. long, very narrow. Easy to
recognize because of the dark color of the corolla.
Lisianthus Seeniannii (Griseb.) Perkins. Leianthus Seemannii
Griseb. Collected by Endres, without indication of the exact locality.
Panama. Inflorescence cymose, many-flowered, dense; corolla lobes
oblong-lanceolate, cuspidate-acuminate; sepals not carinate.
MACROCARPAEA Gilg
Tall herbs or shrubs, the leaves often very large; flowers large
and showy, in terminal, few- or many-flowered inflorescences; calyx
short, the 5 lobes obtuse; corolla tube short, cylindric, campanulate-
ampliate above, the 5 lobes short, rounded; stamens inserted in the
dilated portion of the tube; ovary 1-celled, the style filiform, the
stigma bilamellate; capsule somewhat compressed. — No other Cen-
tral American species is known.
Macrocarpaea Valerii Standl., sp. nov. — Herba alta glabra
ut videtur sparse ramosa, caulibus obtuse tetragonis, internodiis
valde elongatis; folia caulina breviter petiolata rotundata ca. 7 cm.
longa et aequilata apice late rotundata vel truncata et breviter
cuspidato-apiculata, basi rotundata; inflorescentia cymoso-paniculata
multiflora 30 cm. longa et aequilata, floribus interdum recurvis,
pedicellis crassis ad 1.5 cm. longis; calyx campanulatus 1 cm. longus
basi obtusus vel rotundatus, lobis latis apice subtruncatis vel late
rotundatis vix 3 mm. longis; corolla 2.5 cm. longa vel ultra glabra,
lobis latis 6 mm. longis. — La Hondura de San Jose*, 1,300 meters,
Manuel Valeria 692 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). It is probable
that a collection I have not seen, Rancho Redondo, Pittier 1153,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 929
reported under the name Lisianthus thamnoides Griseb., a Jamaican
species, represents this same species.
SCHULTESIA Mart.
Annual herbs, the leaves narrow or broad; flowers small or large,
cymose, few or numerous; style deciduous; anthers not twisted.—
Other species are found in Central America.
Schultesia guianensis (Aubl.) Malme. Canchalagua. S. steno-
phylla Mart. Hills of Nicoya. Mexico to Brazil. Plants 30 cm.
high or less; leaves lanceolate or oblong; corolla pink, 2 cm. long;
sepals not winged. Pittier reports that the plant is employed in
domestic medicine as a depurative, in the treatment of diseases
of women.
Schultesia lisianthoides (Griseb.) Benth. & Hook. Thickets
near Capulin, region of San Ramon, at 1,000 meters or less, and
probably elsewhere in the Pacific tierra caliente. Guatemala to
Venezuela. A branched herb 30 cm. high or more; leaves large,
obovate or oblong; flowers 12 mm. long, numerous, pink; sepals
not winged.
SYMBOLANTHUS Don
Tall herbs or shrubs, the leaves broad, petiolate, acute or acumi-
nate; flowers few, terminal or axillary, very large, solitary or fascicu-
late; style persistent, the stigma bilobate; capsule incompletely
2-celled. — No other species are known from Central America.
Symbolanthus pulcherrimus Gilg, Bot. Jahrb. 22: 344. 1896.
Flor de la reina. Lisianthus pulcherrimus Donn. Smith in Pitt. Prim.
2: 166. 1898. Cartago, Hoffmann 673. Regions of Cartago, El
Copey, and San Ramon, at 1,100-2,500 meters. Also in Panama.
A tall herb or shrub; leaves oblong-lanceolate, 6-11 cm. long; sepals
green, 2-2.5 cm. long; corolla red or rose-colored, 9 cm. long, the
tube broad.
Symbolanthus rubroviolaceus Gilg, Bot. Jahrb. 22: 345. 1896.
Near La Paz, between Desengano and Cariblanco, Wendland 974.
Collected also at La Hondura, Yerba Buena, and La Palma de San
Ramon, 1,100-2,000 meters. Endemic. A shrub of 1-1.5 meters;
leaves oval-oblong, 10-20 cm. long; calyx almost 3 cm. long; corolla
10 cm. long or more. I have never seen these plants in flower, but
judge that they must be unusually conspicuous and showy.
930 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
MENYANTHACEAE. Bog-bean Family
The group is represented in Central America by a single genus.
By many authors the family is united with the Gentianaceae.
LIMNANTHEMUM Gmel.
A single species occurs in Central America.
Limnanthemum Humboldtianum (HBK.) Griseb. Nym-
phoides Humboldtianum Kuntze. Collections have been seen from
Buenos Aires and the region of Cartago, and it is probable that the
species is frequent in the tierra caliente. Widely distributed in
tropical America. A perennial, aquatic plant, growing in ponds or
lakes; leaves rounded-cordate or reniform, floating, entire, glabrous,
4-16 cm. wide, the petioles very long; flowers small, white, in umbels
that arise from the petioles; corolla 5-lobate, 1.5 cm. long, the
margins of the lobes laciniate; fruit a small capsule. Easy to recognize
because of the insertion of the flowers upon the petiole.
APOCYNACEAE. Dogbane Family
References: Robert E. Woodson, Jr., The American genera of
Echitoideae, Ann Mo. Bot. Gard. 20: 1-186. 1933; 22: 153-306.
1935; 23: 169-426. 1936.
Herbs, shrubs, or trees, often scandent, usually with milky latex;
leaves simple, without stipules, entire; flowers perfect, regular,
5-parted, variously disposed; calyx inferior, persistent, the lobes
imbricate in bud; corolla gamopetalous, the lobes convolute, often
twisted; stamens 5, alternate with the corolla lobes, inserted in the
tube or throat, the anthers 2-celled; ovary superior, of 2 distinct
carpels, or 1-celled and with 2 parietal placentae, or 2-celled; style
simple or divided, the stigma simple; fruit usually of 2 follicles or
drupes, sometimes of a single drupe, or a capsule; seeds often winged
or otherwise appendaged. — A few other genera are represented in
Central America.
ALLAMANDA L.
Shrubs, trees, or woody vines; leaves opposite or verticillate;
flowers large, in small, terminal cymes; calyx 5-parted, the segments
lanceolate or broader, foliaceous; corolla funnelform; anthers free
from the stigma, their sacs not appendaged; ovary 1-celled; fruit a
compressed, ovate, spiny capsule. — No other species are known from
Central America.
Allamanda cathartica L. Bejuco de San Jose", Jalapa. Occa-
sional in swampy forests of the Atlantic coast; cultivated for orna-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 931
ment in the tierra templada and elsewhere, as at San Jose". Central
America to West Indies and South America. A large, woody vine;
leaves ternate or quaternate, short-petiolate or sessile, mostly oblong
or oblanceolate, 6-15 cm. long, short-acuminate, attenuate to the
base, somewhat coriaceous, glabrous and lustrous above, more or less
pilose beneath; calyx lobes 10-15 mm. long; corolla bright yellow,
7-9 cm. long; capsule suborbicular, 4-6 cm. in diameter, densely
covered with rather soft spines. A handsome and showy vine, often
planted for ornament in tropical regions.
ALLOMARKGRAFIA Woodson
Large, woody vines; leaves opposite, on the lower surface bearing
several inconspicuous, glandular emergences indefinitely clustered at
the base of the costa; inflorescence lateral, racemose; calyx 5-parted,
the lobes subequal, bearing within many glandular squamellae;
corolla funnelform, the tube straight, narrowly cylindric below,
abruptly dilated into the broad, campanulate throat at the insertion
of the stamens, the limb 5-parted; stamens included, inserted at the
base of the corolla throat, the anthers connivent and agglutinated
to the stigma, the connective sagittate, obtusely 2-auriculate, peltate;
carpels 2, united at the apex; nectaries 5, distinct or somewhat con-
crescent at the base; follicles 2, terete, dehiscent along the ventral
suture; seeds numerous, truncate, apically comose. — No other species
are known from Central America.
Allomarkgrafia Brenesiana Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard.
24 : 15. 1937. Forest between La Balsa and Cataratas de San Ramon,
850 meters, Brenes 4509. Endemic, and known only from the region
of San Ramon. A large, woody vine, glabrous throughout; leaves
short-petiolate, oblong, 8-12 cm. long, 2-3.5 cm. wide, short-acumi-
nate, obtuse or rounded at the base, subcoriaceous; flowers fragrant,
whitish; calyx segments ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acute, 2-2.5 cm.
long; corolla tube 13-15 mm. long, the throat 2 cm. long, the lobes
2-2.5 cm. long.
Allomarkgrafia plumeriaeflora Woodson. Reported from the
region of El General, collected by Skutch. Colombia. A large vine,
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-elliptic, 14-16 cm. long,
5-5.5 cm. wide, short-acuminate, obtuse or rounded at the base,
coriaceous, obscurely multiglandular above along the costa; calyx
segments broadly ovate, obtuse, 3-4 mm. long, 2-glandular within
at the base; corolla tube 10-12 mm. long, the throat 7 mm. long, the
lobes 15 mm. long.
932 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Allomarkgrafia subtubulosa Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Card.
24: 16. 1937. In forest, hills near San Ramon, 975-1,000 meters,
Brenes 5457. A woody vine 10-15 meters long, glabrous throughout;
leaves short-petiolate, coriaceous, oblong-oval, 8-12 cm. long, 3-5 cm.
wide, obtuse or shortly obtuse-acuminate, obtuse at the base, multi-
glandular above at the base of the costa; inflorescences apparently
simple (branched in other species), the flowers creamy yellow; calyx
segments ovate, broadly acute or rounded, 2-2.5 mm. long; corolla
subtubular, the tube 2-2.5 cm. long, the lobes obliquely obovate,
1.7-2 cm. long.
ANECHITES Griseb.
Slender vines, the leaves opposite, petiolate, thin; flowers small,
white, in lax, long-pedunculate, racemiform inflorescences opposite
the leaves; calyx small, 5-cleft, glanduliferous within at the base;
corolla salverform, the tube contracted at the throat, the 5 lobes
sinistrorsely convolute; anthers oblong, the sacs not appendaged;
carpels 2, distinct; follicles linear, terete, stipitate. — The genus
consists of a single species.
Anechites Nerium (Aubl.) Urban. Changuinola Valley.
Extending to West Indies and Ecuador. Stems sparsely pubescent
with short, stiff hairs; leaves oblong-ovate, 5-10 cm. long, acute or
acuminate, rounded or subcordate at the base, with scattered, short
hairs above, sparsely pubescent beneath on the costa; peduncles
10-15 cm. long, the pedicels subfiliform, 8-15 mm. long; calyx 2-3
mm. long; corolla tube 6 mm. long, the limb 12-15 mm. wide;
follicles 6-8 cm. long, sparsely pubescent below, hispid above.
BEAUMONTIA Wall.
Beaumontia grandiflora Wall. Flor de Santa Ana. Planted
occasionally for ornament. Native of the East Indies. A large,
woody vine; leaves opposite, short-petiolate, oblong-obovate,
rounded and short-acuminate at the apex, attenuate to the base,
glabrous or nearly so; flowers very large and showy, white, in terminal
cymes, the calyx segments large and foliaceous; corolla funnelform,
as much as 20 cm. long. The vine is an exceedingly showy and hand-
some one, the pure white flowers strikingly similar to those of Datura.
CATHARANTHUS G. Don
Herbs, the leaves opposite; flowers rather large, axillary, solitary
or geminate; calyx 5-cleft, eglandular, with narrow lobes; corolla
salverform, the tube cylindric, slightly dilated above, the 5 lobes
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 933
broad; stamens included, the anthers not appendaged; disk of 2 large
glands; carpels 2, distinct; follicles narrow-cylindric, the seeds small,
not appendaged. — No other species are known from Central America.
Catharanthus roseus (L.) G. Don. Vinca rosea L.; Lochnera
rosea Reichenb. I have seen no Costa Rican specimens, but the plant
is undoubtedly in cultivation here, and doubtless naturalized, at
least in the Atlantic coast. The plants usually are found in the
cemeteries of the Central American tierra caliente, where they were
planted originally for ornament. Native probably of the Old World
tropics, but widely naturalized in America. An erect herb less than a
meter high, more or less pubescent; leaves short-petiolate, oblong
or oblong-oblanceolate, obtuse or retuse at the apex; calyx lobes
linear-subulate; corolla white or pink, the tube 2.5-3 cm. long, the
broad lobes somewhat shorter; follicles 2-3 cm. long.
CUFODONTIA Woodson
Shrubs; leaves alternate, entire, penninerved, eglandular; inflor-
escence irregularly paniculate, lateral or subterminal ; calyx 4-parted,
eglandular, the lobes imbricate, unequal, the outer 2 more or less
connate, the inner 2 much smaller and included; corolla salverform,
the tube cylindric, the throat with 5 minute, pilose scales, the limb
5-lobate; stamens included, the anthers free, 4-celled, not appendaged,
the filaments very short; carpels 2, distinct at the base, the ovules
numerous, the stigma fusiform-capitate; fruit probably follicular.—
The genus was named for Dr. Giorgi Cufodontis, who made a large
collection of plants in Costa Rica in 1930, as botanist of an Austrian
expedition to the country. Two other species are known, in Mexico
and Guatemala. The genus is well marked by the very unequal,
biseriate calyx lobes.
Cufodontia stegomeris Woodson, Archivio Bot. 10: 39. pi. 2.
1934. Osa Peninsula, Golfo Dulce, near Puerto Jime'nez, Finca
Santa Maria, 20 meters, Cufodontis 220. Leaves petiolate, obovate-
lanceolate or elliptic, 5-8 cm. long, 2-3.5 cm. wide, acuminate, acute
at the base, membranaceous, glaucescent beneath, glabrous; panicles
shorter than the leaves, many-flowered, minutely pale-puberulent;
calyx segments minutely puberulent-papillose, the outer ones 3-3.5
mm. long; corolla whitish, the tube 5-6 mm. long, the lobes obliquely
oblong, 5 mm. long.
ECHITES P. Br.
More or less frutescent vines; leaves petiolate, penninerved,
eglandular; inflorescence usually lateral, bracteate, with few or
934 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
numerous flowers; calyx 5-parted, the segments equal or nearly so,
bearing within at the base a solitary, often deeply dissected scale;
corolla salverform, the tube straight, the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely
convolute; anthers included, agglutinated to the stigma, the con-
nective sagittate, narrowly 2-auriculate; carpels 2, united at the
apex; nectaries 5, distinct or concrescent; follicles 2, terete, con-
tinuous, dehiscent along the ventral suture; seeds numerous, comose.
— Two other species are known from Central America.
Echites turbinata Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 21: 615.
1934; 22: 14. pi. 2, f. 2. 1935. Forests of Rancho Flores, Tonduz 2147.
Known only from the original collection. Leaves elliptic, 7.5-12 cm.
long, 3.5-7 cm. wide, acuminate, broadly obtuse at the base, glabrous;
calyx segments ovate, acuminate, 3 mm. long, glabrous; corolla
minutely puberulent-papillose, the tube 7-8 mm. long, the lobes
elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, 14-16 mm. long; ovary puberulent-
papillate.
Echites tuxtlensis Standl. Collected on Volcan de Barba by
Oersted. Mexico and British Honduras. Leaves short-petiolate,
lance-elliptic or obovate-elliptic, 6-10 cm. long, 1.5-3.5 cm. wide,
acuminate, cuneate at the base, glabrous; calyx segments ovate-
trigonous, acute or acuminate, 1-1.5 mm. long, glabrous; corolla
glabrous, the tube 8-10 mm. long, the lobes oblong-lanceolate or
elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, somewhat shorter than the tube;
ovary glabrous.
FERNALDIA Woodson
More or less frutescent vines; leaves petiolate, entire, eglandular,
the petioles subtended by several minute, pectinate stipular appen-
dages; inflorescence lateral, simply scorpioid, with several large,
white flowers; calyx segments equal or nearly so, scarious or only
slightly foliaceous, bearing solitary, opposite scales within at the
base; corolla funnelform, slightly gibbous or essentially straight,
the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely convolute, more or less arachnoid-
villous within; stamens included, the anthers connivent and aggluti-
nated to the stigma, the connective obtusely 2-auriculate, peltate;
carpels 2, united at the apex; nectaries concrescent, unequally 4-
lobate; follicles 2, terete, dehiscent along the ventral suture; seeds
numerous, truncate, comose. — The only other species is found in
Guatemala.
Fernaldia pandurata (A. DC.) Woodson. Collected in Costa
Rica by Hoffmann, the locality not indicated. Extending to Mexico.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 935
Leaves oblong-elliptic to broadly ovate, 4-13 cm. long, 1.5-8 cm.
wide, short-acuminate, cordate to obtuse at the base, membranaceous,
densely puberulent or velutinous-pilose; calyx segments ovate, acute
to obtuse, 2-3 mm. long; corolla glabrous outside or nearly so, the
tube 2 cm. long, the throat 9-12 mm. long, the lobes 10-13 mm. long,
acute or acuminate.
FORSTERONIA G. F. W. Meyer
Woody vines; leaves opposite, the upper surfaces with few or
several glandular emergences at the base of the costa, or eglandular,
usually foveate beneath in the axils of the nerves; inflorescence
terminal or terminal and lateral, cymose-paniculate or thyrsiform;
calyx 5-parted, the lobes equal or nearly so, with one or several
scales, or the scales absent; corolla rotate or subrotate, the tube
short; anthers exserted or included, connivent and agglutinate to the
stigma, the connective peltate, sagittate; carpels 2, united at the
apex; nectaries 5, distinct or more or less concrescent; follicles 2,
dehiscent along the ventral suture; seeds numerous, truncate,
comose. — Two other species are known from Central America.
Forsteronia myriantha Donn. Smith. Occasional in forests and
thickets of the tierra caliente, ascending to the Meseta Central, at
1,200 meters or less; Guanacaste; region of San Ramon. Guatemala.
Stems puberulent when young; leaves short-petiolate, elliptic to oval,
5-10 cm. long, 2^4.5 cm. wide, acute or acuminate, rarely obtuse,
obtuse to broadly acute at the base, glabrous or nearly so; inflor-
escence densely and broadly thyrsiform, the very numerous flowers
white; calyx 1 mm. long; corolla glabrous or minutely papillate, the
tube scarcely 1 mm. long, the lobes 2.5-3 mm. long.
Forsteronia spicata (Jacq.) G. F. W. Meyer. Thickets of
Guanacaste, at low elevations, collected only by Brenes. Mexico to
Cuba and Colombia. Young branches minutely ferruginous-tomen-
tulose when young; leaves short-petiolate, broadly oval to obovate-
elliptic, 6-16 cm. long, 3.5-9 cm. wide, subcaudate-acuminate,
rarely obtuse, broadly obtuse or rounded at the base, minutely and
sparsely pilosulous above, tomentulose or glabrate beneath; inflor-
escence thyrsiform or usually dense and spikelike; calyx 2.5^4 mm.
long; corolla tube 1.5-2 mm. long, the lobes 3.5-4 mm. long, puber-
ulent-papillate outside, pilosulous within; follicles 12-19 cm. long.
MALOUETIA A. DC.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, eglandular above, often
foveate beneath in the axils of the nerves; inflorescence terminal,
936 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
with few or rather numerous flowers; calyx 5-parted, the segments
subequal, bearing within solitary or rarely geminate, glandular
scales; corolla salverform, the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely convolute;
anthers almost completely exserted to wholly included, connivent and
agglutinated to the stigma, the connective sagittate, peltate; carpels
2, united at the apex; follicles 2, narrowly terete to broadly fusiform,
dehiscent along the ventral suture; seeds numerous, ecomose. — No
other species are known from Central America.
Malouetia guatemalensis (Muell. Arg.) Standl. Occasional in
forests of the Atlantic coast. Panama to Guatemala. A shrub or
small tree, sometimes 10 meters high; leaves short-petiolate, oblong
to ovate-elliptic, 6-25 cm. long, subcaudate-acuminate, obtuse or
acute at the base, glabrous; flowers greenish white; calyx lobes 1.5-2.5
mm. long, ovate, acute or obtuse; corolla tube 4-5.5 mm. long, the
lobes obliquely lanceolate to ovate-oblong, acuminate, 7-12 mm. long,
puberulent-papillate within; anthers included; follicles fusiform,
10-13 cm. long, 1-2 cm. in diameter.
MANDEVILLA Lindl.
Woody or suffrutescent vines; leaves mostly opposite, the lower
surface bearing several inconspicuous, glandular emergences at the
base of the costa or scattered along it, rarely eglandular; inflorescence
commonly lateral; calyx 5-parted, the lobes equal or nearly so,
bearing within 5 or more scales; corolla funnelform, salverform, or
tubular-salverform, the tube straight or somewhat gibbous, the limb
5-parted, dextrorsely convolute; anthers connivent and agglutinated
to the stigma, the connective sagittate, truncate, or obtusely biauricu-
late; carpels 2, united at the apex; follicles 2, terete, dehiscent along
the ventral suture; seeds truncate, comose. — A few other species are
known from Central America.
Mandevilla hirsuta (A. Rich.) Schum. Echites fluminensis
A. DC.; Mandevilla fluminensis Bonn. Sm. In thickets, tierra
caliente, ascending to the Meseta Central; Guanacaste; region of
San Ramon; at 1,200 meters or less. Guatemala to Bolivia and
Brazil. Stems hispid or glabrate; leaves petiolate, obovate-elliptic
or oblong-elliptic, 5-20 cm. long, 2-8 cm. wide, abruptly acuminate,
often deeply auriculate at the base, pilose on both surfaces; racemes
equaling or longer than the leaves, the flowers reddish yellow; calyx
lobes lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, 5-10 mm. long; corolla funnel-
form, puberulent or pilose, the tube 2-3.5 cm. long, the throat 1.5-2
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 937
cm. long, the lobes about 1.5 cm. long; follicles conspicuously monili-
form, 6-15 cm. long.
Mandevilla Pittieri Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 23: 379.
1936. Forests of Tuis (cited incorrectly as "Luis" in the original
description), 650 meters, Pittier 11551. Known only from the
original collection. Plants suffrutescent and scandent, from a
sub tuberous rhizome; leaves petiolate, oblong-elliptic, 7-8 cm. long,
3-3.5 cm. wide, short-acuminate, broadly obtuse or rounded at the
base, glabrous; calyx segments ovate, acuminate, 4.5-5 mm. long;
corolla funnelform, glabrous outside, the tube 13 mm. long, the
throat 14 mm. long, the lobes obliquely obovate, 16 mm. long.
Mandevilla subsagittata (R. & P.) Woodson. Echites micro-
calyx A. DC. Thickets of the Pacific slope, and perhaps elsewhere;
region of San Ramon; chiefly at 900-1,300 meters. Mexico to Peru.
A slender vine, glabrous or pubescent; leaves short-petiolate, mostly
lance-oblong, sometimes oblong-elliptic, 5-10 cm. long, 1.5-3 cm.
wide, usually long-acuminate, abruptly auriculate and almost sub-
hastate at the base, glandular along the costa on the upper surface;
calyx 1-1.5 mm. long, the lobes narrowly trigonous; corolla salver-
form, yellow, the tube 2-2.5 cm. long, the lobes broadly obovate,
acuminate, 1-1.5 cm. long; follicles slender, conspicuously monili-
form, 10-20 cm. long, glabrous.
Mandevilla veraguasensis (Seem.) Hemsl. Reported from
Turrialba and San Pedro de La Calabaza, Atlantic tierra caliente.
Extending to Ecuador. Leaves petiolate, broadly ovate to ovate-
elliptic, 5-13 cm. long, 2.5-7 cm. wide, short-acuminate, broadly
cordate at the base, glabrous above or nearly so, glandular at the
base of the costa, minutely pilose or glabrate beneath; flowers
purplish; calyx segments 3-6 mm. long, ovate-trigonous, acute;
corolla funnelform, glabrous or minutely papillate outside, the tube
2-2.5 cm. long, the throat 1.5-2 cm. long, the lobes obovate, acumi-
nate, 2.5-3 cm. long.
Mandevilla villosa (Miers) Woodson. Collected by Pittier
along Rio Toro Anarillo, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 300 meters.
Southern Mexico to Venezuela. Similar to M. subsagittata, but the
bracts of the racemes foliaceous or petaloid and 1-3.5 cm. long; in
that the bracts are scarious and only 5-10 mm. long.
MESECHITES Muell. Arg.
Suffrutescent vines; leaves opposite, the lower surface with 1-4
inconspicuous glandular emergences clustered at the base of the
938 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
costa; inflorescence lateral, racemose; calyx segments 5, subequal,
imbricate, bearing within several squamellae; corolla salverform,
the tube straight, slightly dilated at the insertion of the stamens,
the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely convolute; anthers included, con-
nivent and agglutinated to the stigma, the connective sagittate,
obtusely biauriculate; carpels 2, united at the apex; follicles terete,
dehiscent along the ventral suture; seeds truncate, comose. — No
other species is known from Central America.
Mesechites trifida (Jacq.) Muell. Arg. Echites trifida Jacq.
Frequent in the tierra caliente, ascending to the region of San Ramon,
at 1,200 meters or less; Guanacaste; growing usually in thickets.
Guatemala to Brazil. Plants glabrous or nearly so; leaves petiolate,
ovate to ovate-oblong, 5-12 cm. long, abruptly acuminate to obtuse,
obtuse or rounded at the base and often more or less cordate; inflores-
cence branched; calyx lobes broadly oblong, obtuse, 3-5 mm. long;
corolla greenish white or tinged with red or purple, the tube 1.5-2.5
cm. long, the lobes obliquely obovate-oblong, 7-15 mm. long; follicles
15-40 cm. long.
NERIUM L. Oleander
The species of the genus are natives of the Old World.
Nerium Oleander L. Narciso. Planted commonly for orna-
ment. Native of the Mediterranean region. A shrub or small tree,
the leaves mostly linear-oblanceolate, verticillate; flowers white or
pink, often double, very fragrant, especially at night.
ODONTADENIA Benth.
Woody vines; leaves opposite, eglandular; inflorescences lateral
or terminal and lateral, thyrsiform to simply scorpioid, bracteate,
usually many-flowered; calyx 5-parted, the segments equal or un-
equal, squamellate within; corolla usually funnelform, the tube
straight or nearly so, the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely convolute;
anthers connivent and agglutinated to the stigma, the connective
sagittate, narrowly bilobate; carpels 2, united at the apex; follicles 2,
terete or laterally compressed, dehiscent along the ventral suture;
seeds truncate, comose. — Two other species are listed for Central
America.
Odontadenia Hoffmannseggiana (Steud.) Woodson. 0.
speciosa Benth. Rio Goto, Pacific tierra caliente, collected by
Pittier. Ranging to Peru. A large, glabrous vine; leaves short-
petiolate, broadly elliptic to obovate-lanceolate, 13-22 cm. long,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 939
shortly subcaudate-acuminate, acute to obtuse at the base; calyx
segments broadly ovate, obtuse, 4-6 mm. long; corolla bright yellow,
often tinged with red or orange, the tube 5-10 mm. long, the throat
2.5-3.5 cm. long, the lobes broadly acuminate, 2-3 cm. long; follicles
stout, more or less falcate, 15-30 cm. long; seeds 3-4 cm. long. The
plant probably grows also in the Atlantic tierra caliente.
PELTASTES Woodson
More or less woody vines; leaves opposite, peltate, petiolate,
eglandular; inflorescence lateral, with few or several flowers; calyx
5-parted, the segments subequal, foliaceous, squamellate within at
the base; corolla funnelform, large, the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely
convolute; anthers connivent and agglutinated to the stigma, the
connective sagittate; carpels 2, united at the apex; follicles 2, terete,
acuminate, dehiscent along the ventral suture; seeds numerous,
rostrate, comose. — No other species are known in North America.
The plants may be recognized readily in the family by the peltate
leaves.
Peltastes isthmicus Woodson. « Collected at Nicoya by Tonduz.
Panama. Stems ferruginous-lanulose when young; leaves long-
petiolate, broadly ovate, 10-30 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate,
broadly rounded at the base, glabrate above, ferruginous-lanulose
beneath when young; calyx lobes oblong-ovate, 3 cm. long; corolla
glabrous outside, the tube 2.5 cm. long, the throat 2 cm. long, the
lobes 3.5 cm. long; follicles 22-25 cm. long.
PLUMERIA L. Frangipani
Reference: Woodson, An evaluation of the genera Plumeria L.
and Himatanthus Willd., Ann. Mo. Bot. Card. 25: 189. 1938.
Trees or shrubs with very thick branches and abundant, milky
latex; leaves alternate, petiolate; flowers large, bracteate, in terminal,
pedunculate cymes, often produced when leaves are absent; calyx
small, fleshy, 5-cleft, eglandular; corolla salverform, the 5 lobes
sinistrorsely convolute; stamens included, the anthers obtuse, their
sacs not appendaged; carpels 2, distinct; follicles 2, coriaceous,
rather thick, usually divaricate; seeds compressed, winged. — A few
other species are known from Central America.
Plumeria rubra L. Cacalojoche, Flor blanca, Juche. P. Lam-
bertiana Lindl.; P. acutifolia Poir. Frequent on open hillsides of the
Pacific tierra caliente; Guanacaste. Mexico to South America. A
large shrub or small tree, seldom more than 9 meters high, deciduous,
940 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the branchlets usually pubescent; leaves oblong to elliptic, 15-30
cm. long or larger, acute to long-acuminate, glabrous, with numerous
parallel lateral nerves; corolla white or red, 6-7 cm. long, the slender
tube equaling or shorter than the lobes; follicles thick, 10-25 cm. long,
sometimes 4 cm. in diameter. This and other species of the genus
are often planted for ornament in Central America, and in many
other tropical regions of the earth. The large flowers are handsome
and intensely fragrant. The corollas are firm and do not wither
easily and on that account often are strung to make garlands used as
decorations. The latex is said to contain rubber. As treated
recently by Woodson, the usual cultivated, red-flowered plant of
this relationship is typical Plumeria rubra, known in Central America,
apparently, only in cultivation. The native plant with white
flowers is f. acutifolia (Ait.) Woodson.
Plumeria bracteata DC. is listed by Pittier from La Cana Blanca,
borders of Rio Virilla, Pacific slope, Pittier 2029. No material has
been seen of this number, which may be referable to Himatanthus
articulata (Vahl) Woodson.
Plumeriopsis Ahouai (L.) Rusby & Woodson probably occurs in
Costa Rica, since it is found in Central America both north and
south, but I have seen no local specimens. It is related to Thevetia,
but is distinguished by the salverform rather than funnelform
corolla.
PRESTONIA R. Br.
Woody or suffrutescent vines; leaves opposite, eglandular;
inflorescences lateral, racemose or corymbose, bracteate; calyx
5-parted, the segments equal or nearly so, with a solitary squamella
within at the base of each; corolla usually salverform, the tube
straight or almost so, usually with 5 epistaminal appendages within,
the limb 5-parted, dextrorsely convolute; anthers connivent and
agglutinated to the stigma, the connective sagittate; carpels 2,
united at the apex; follicles 2, dehiscent along the ventral suture;
seeds truncate, comose. — About nine other species are listed for
Central America.
Prestonia isthmica Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Card. 18: 555.
1931. P. longituba Schum. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 4, pt. 2:
188. 1895, nomen subnudum (Costa Rica, Hoffmann 522; photo,
seen of type in herb. Berlin). Between Aserri and Tarbaca, Prov.
San Jose', 1,200-1,700 meters, Standley 41332. Frequent in thickets,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 941
Meseta Central to the Pacific coast; Guanacaste; region of San
Ramon. Endemic. A stout, woody vine, the stems ferruginous-
tomentose; leaves short-petiolate, broadly obovate to oblong-
elliptic, 9-20 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate, obtuse or rounded
at the base and more or less cordate, tomentulose beneath; calyx
lobes ovate or ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 2-2.5 cm. long; corolla
villosulous outside, the tube 2.5-3.5 cm. long, the lobes short-
acuminate, 13-17 mm. long; follicles 7-12 cm. long, hispid. Material
of this species has been referred erroneously to P. ipomoeifolia A. DC.
and P. mexicana A. DC.
Prestonia portobellensis (Beurl.) Woodson. P. macrocarpa
Hemsl. Thickets of the tierra caliente; region of San Ramon, at
1,100 meters or less. Panama to southern Mexico. Stems glabrate;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong-elliptic, 10-25 cm. long, obtuse to
abruptly short-acuminate, obtuse or rounded at the base, glabrous;
flowers purplish yellow; calyx lobes oblong-elliptic, acuminate, 11-17
mm. long; corolla glabrous or nearly so, the tube 11-17 mm. long,
the lobes short-acuminate, 10-15 mm. long; follicles about 35 cm.
long, glabrous.
Prestonia versicolor Woodson. Region of San Ramon, at 1,200
meters. Panama. Plants rather slender, glabrous; leaves short-
petiolate, oval or oblong-elliptic, 10-17 cm. long, abruptly short-acu-
minate, obtuse or rounded at the base; calyx lobes oblong-elliptic,
acute or acuminate, 8-10 mm. long; corolla glabrous, the tube 12-16
mm. long, the lobes short-acuminate, 7-9 mm. long. The flowers are
said to be greenish.
RAUWOLFIA L.
Reference: Markgraf, Repert. Sp. Nov. 20: 111. 1924.
Shrubs, the leaves opposite or more often verticillate; flowers
small, white or greenish, in pedunculate cymes; calyx 5-cleft, eglan-
dular; corolla salverform, the 5 lobes sinistrorsely convolute; stamens
included, the anthers obtuse, the sacs not appendaged; carpels 2,
distinct or connate, with 2 ovules in each carpel; fruit of 2 drupes,
these usually connate, very juicy. — Two or three additional species
occur in Central America.
Rauwolfia canescens L. The typical form of the species is
widely distributed in tropical America, and probably is to be found in
Costa Rica, since it occurs both north and south. It is distinguished
from var. glabra by having the leaves densely or sparsely pilose beneath.
The species is represented in Costa Rica by the following variety:
942 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Rauwolfia canescens var. glabra Muell. Arg. Cohataco,Guataco.
R. heterophylla R. & S. Frequent in thickets or waste places of the
Pacific tierra caliente; Guanacaste. Mexico to West Indies and
northern South America. A branched shrub, usually 1 meter high
or less; leaves verticillate, unequal, on very short petioles, mem-
branaceous, oblong-obovate to broadly obovate, mostly 5-12 cm.
long, broadly rounded to acute or short-acuminate at the apex,
acute or obtuse at the base, glabrous or sometimes sparsely pilose
beneath; flowers greenish white, in very small, dense, more or less
pubescent cymes; calyx lobes rounded, ciliate, about 1.5 mm. long;
corolla greenish white, in bud rounded at the apex, not elongate,
the lobes definitely shorter than the tube; fruit 5-7 mm. in diameter,
at first bright red, finally black. The shrub is a common one in many
parts of Central America. The fruit has the reputation of being
poisonous, which may well be the case, since many plants of the
family are known to possess poisonous properties. The juice of the
fruit is sometimes employed as a substitute for ink.
Rauwolfia indecora Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 24: 12.
1937. Catalina, Guanacaste, 600 meters, Stork 2800. Collected in
the same region also by Brenes; endemic. A shrub of 1-1.5 meters,
the branchlets minutely puberulent; leaves ternate, subsessile, ovate,
1-2.5 cm. long, acuminate, obtuse at the base, glabrous above,
minutely puberulent beneath; inflorescences 1-3-flowered; calyx
lobes ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, 1-1.5 mm. long; fruit bluish black,
about 8 mm. in diameter. Well marked by the very small leaves.
Rauwolfia mollissima Markgraf, Repert. Sp. Nov. 20: 119.
1924. Forests of Nicoya, Tonduz 13940. Thickets of the Pacific
tierra caliente. Colombia. A shrub 1.5 meters high or less, the
young branches pilose; leaves opposite or ternate, almost sessile,
ovate or obovate, conspicuously unequal, 12 cm. long and 6 cm. wide
or smaller, acute or acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, densely
pilose beneath; cymes many-flowered, small, pilose; calyx lobes
acuminate, 1 mm. long; corolla white, pubescent, the tube 3 mm.
long, the lobes of about the same length, the upper part of the corolla
in bud elongate and narrowed, not globose; fruit 6-8 mm. in diameter,
red at first, turning black.
Rauwolfia Woodsoniana Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex, ramis
gracilibus glabris, internodiis solemniter elongatis subteretibus in
sicco fuscis; folia plerumque ternata valde inaequalia breviter
petiolata membranacea, petiolo glabro usque 7 mm. longo; lamina
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 943
elongato-lanceolato-oblonga vulgo 7-12 cm. longa 2-3 cm. lata
longissime anguste attenuato-acuminata, basi attenuata, foliorum
minorum interdum oblongo-elliptica atque multo brevior, glabra,
nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 10; cymae axillares solitariae
vel fasciculatae pauciflorae 1.5-3.5 cm. longe pedunculatae glabrae,
pedicellis plerumque 2-3 mm. longis; calycis lobi subrotundati 2.5
mm. longi minutissime ciliolati; corolla extus glabra, tubo crasso
3 mm. longo, lobis rotundatis fere duplo brevioribus rotundatis,
alabastro apice late rotundato. — La Calera de San Ramon, April,
1929, Brenes 6801 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). The type specimen
has been examined by Dr. Robert E. Woodson, who has remarked
that it is either a new species of Rauwolfia or else a representative of a
new genus. From other local species it differs conspicuously in its
narrow leaves and elongate, lax inflorescence.
The genus Rhabdadenia is probably represented along the Atlantic
coast by R. biflora (Jacq.) Muell. Arg., but no Costa Rican specimens
or records have been found. *
STEMMADENIA Benth.
Reference: Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 15: 341. 1928.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, petiolate, the petioles
meeting in a ring around the stem and enclosing numerous small,
fusiform glands; inflorescence a terminal, reduced raceme of several
flowers; calyx 5-parted, the lobes imbricate, unequal, bearing small,
fusiform glands within; corolla large, funnelform or salverform, white
or yellow, the lobes dextrorsely reflexed ; stamens included, the anther
sacs not appendaged; carpels 2; fruit of 2 divaricate, coriaceous
follicles; seeds numerous, ecomose, immersed in a fleshy pulp. — A few
other species are found in Central America.
Stemmadenia Alfari (Bonn. Smith) Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot.
Gard. 15: 360. 1928. Guijarro. Tabernaemontana Alfari Donn.
Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 396. 1897. Limoncito y Vuelta (Canas Gordas),
1,100 meters, Pittier 11094. Frequent in forests, region of San
Ramon; mountains of Guanacaste; at 600-1,100 meters. Endemic.
A shrub or tree, 9 meters high or less; leaves short-petiolate, mostly
oblong-elliptic, 7-11 cm. long, abruptly long-acuminate, acute to
attenuate at the base, glabrous; corolla salverform, bright yellow,
the tube 3-3.5 cm. long, the limb 1-1.5 cm. wide; calyx lobes 1.5-2
mm. long; follicles thick, 2-2.5 cm. long.
944 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Stemmadenia Donnell-Smithii (Rose) Woodson. Cojon de
cdballo. Tabernaemontana Donnell-Smithii Rose; T. Donnell-Smithii
var. costaricensis Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 397. 1897 (Rio Toro
Amarillo, Llanos de Santa Clara, 300 meters, J. D. Smith 6646).
Plains of Santa Clara and tierra caliente of the Pacific coast; Guana-
caste. Extending to Mexico. A shrub or small tree; leaves broadest
above the middle, acuminate, 6-8 cm. long, minutely glandular-
puberulent or glabrate above, barbate beneath in the axils of the
nerves; corolla yellow, salverform, the tube 2.5-3 cm. long, the limb
1.5-2 cm. long; calyx 2-2.5 cm. long, the lobes 1.5-2 cm. wide;
follicles 3.5 cm. long, 3 cm. broad, rounded at the apex.
Stemmadenia Galeottiana (A. Rich.) Miers. Guijarro, Bi-
jarro. S. insignis Miers; S. bella Miers. Regions of San Jose" and
San Ramon, at about 1,100 meters. Southern Mexico. A shrub or
tree of 10 meters or less; leaves obovate-elliptic, mostly 9-12 cm.
long, acuminate, acute or attenuate at the base, glabrous or nearly
so, short-petiolate; corolla yellow, the tube 8-10 mm. long, the throat
4-5 Qm. long, 1-1.3 cm. wide, the limb 2.5-3 cm. long; calyx lobes
10-14 mm. long, 4-7 mm. wide; follicles 2-2.5 cm. long, 15-17 mm.
broad. Pittier states that the sticky sap is sometimes used as bird-
lime, for catching small birds. It is reported highly poisonous, and
it is stated that use of ashes from the wood in treating corn for
making tortillas has sometimes caused grave accidents.
Stemmadenia glabra Benth. Huevos de caballo, Guijarro.
Regions of San Jos£ and Cartago, in thickets or hedges. Ranging to
Honduras. A shrub or tree of 10 meters or less; leaves obovate-
elliptic, 14-20 cm. long, acuminate, short-petiolate, glabrous; corolla
funnelform, pale yellow or creamy white, the tube 2-2.5 cm. long,
the throat conical, 2 cm. long, the segments 1.5-2.5 cm. long; calyx
lobes 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 8-10 mm. wide; follicles 5 cm. long and 3-3.5
cm. broad. The sap is employed in Costa Rica for removing corns
and as a remedy for toothache.
Stemmadenia grandiflora (Jacq.) Miers. Tabernaemontana
grandiflora Jacq. Collected in Costa Rica by Tonduz, the locality
unknown; to be expected in the tierra caliente of either coast.
Mexico to Surinam. A shrub or small tree; leaves mostly 6-8 cm.
long, acuminate, glabrous, short-petiolate; corolla yellowish white,
salverform, the tube 3-3.5 cm. long, the limb 1.5-2 cm. broad; calyx
lobes 10-15 mm. long and 8-12 mm. wide; follicles 3-3.5 cm. long,
2-3 cm. broad, acute.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 945
Stemmadenia Greenmanii Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard.
15: 360. 1928. San Ramon, 1,100 meters, in 1901, Brenes 14275.
Known only from the region of San Ramon. A shrub or tree, 6
meters high or less; leaves 8-12 cm. long, acuminate, petiolate, gla-
brous; corolla yellowish white, funnelform, the tube 1.5 cm. long, the
throat 2 cm. long and 8 mm. wide, the limb 1-1.5 cm. broad; calyx
lobes 5-7 mm. long, 3-4 mm. wide.
Stemmadenia obovata (Hook. & Am.) Schum. Collected at
Salinas, in Guanacaste, and in the region of San Ramon, at 1,100
meters or less. Ranging to Mexico. A shrub or tree, 10 meters high
or less; leaves oblong-obovate, 10-20 cm. long, abruptly caudate-
acuminate, pubescent beneath and barbate in the axils of the nerves,
glabrous above; corolla yellow, funnelform, the tube 1.5-2.5 cm.
long, the throat 1.5-3 cm. long, 2-2.5 cm. broad at the orifice, the
limb 1.5-2.5 cm. long; calyx lobes 1.5-2.5 cm. long, 8-10 mm. wide;
follicles 4-4.5 cm. long, 3-3.5 cm. broad, acute.
Stemmadenia obovata var. mollis (Benth.) Woodson. Guitil,
Guijarro. S. mollis Benth. Thickets of the Pacific tierra caliente,
especially in Guanacaste. Southern Mexico to Bolivia. Similar to
the typical form, but the leaves persistently tomentose on the upper
surface.
Stemmadenia Robinsonii Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard.
15: 369. 1928. Mountains of Talamanca, Pittier 8617. Atlantic
tierra caliente, in forests. Endemic. A shrub or small tree; leaves
oblong-elliptic or oblong-obovate, 12-16 cm. long, abruptly acumi-
nate, short-petiolate, glabrous; corolla salverform, pale yellow, the
tube 2-2.5 cm. long, the limb 1-1.5 cm. broad; calyx lobes linear-
lanceolate, 1.5-2 cm. long, 3-4 mm. wide. The calyx is white in the
fresh flowers, but becomes darkened in drying.
TABERNAEMONTANA L.
Shrubs or small trees, usually glabrous; leaves opposite, petiolate;
flowers usually white, medium-sized or small, cymose; calyx 5-lobate,
glanduliferous at the base within, the lobes imbricate; corolla salver-
form, the 5 lobes sinistrorsely contorted; stamens inserted on the
corolla tube, the anthers sagittate, the sacs not appendaged; carpels
2; follicles short, coriaceous or fleshy, indehiscent. — A few other
species are known from Central America.
Tabernaemontana amygdalifolia Jacq. Cojon. Occasional
in thickets of the Pacific tierra caliente. Mexico to South America.
946 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
A shrub, usually 2 meters high or less, glabrous throughout; leaves
slender-petiolate, elliptic to narrowly lance-oblong, 5-15 cm. long,
acute to long-acuminate, acute at the base; corolla white, the tube
about 1 cm. long, the lobes broad, spreading; tips of the anthers
conspicuously exserted; cymes few-flowered, short-pedunculate;
follicles 4-6 cm. long, 1.5-2 cm. thick.
Tabernaemontana aphlebia Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex 3-
metralis omnino glaber, ramulis crassiusculis subteretibus ochraceis;
folia petiolata chartacea, petiolo crassiusculo 2-2.5 cm. longo; lamina
anguste oblanceolato-oblonga 13-23 cm. longa 4-6 cm. lata acuta
vel breviter subacuminata, basin versus longe sensim attenuata
et plus minusve ad petiolum decurrens, supra fusco-viridis, venis
obsoletis, subtus multo pallidior, costa crassiuscula prominente, nervis
vix manifestis tenerrimis angulo fere recto abeuntibus; inflorescentia
multiflora ca. 5 cm. longe pedunculata, laxe ramosa, ramis basalibus
divaricatis paten tibus, pedicellis crassiusculis usque 8 mm. longis,
bracteis minutis; calyx ca. 3 mm. longus, segmentis late rotundatis
bene imbricatis; corolla glabra in alabastro apice anguste rotundata,
tubo crasso 5 mm. longo, lobis aequilongis; antherae inclusae.—
Cataratas de San Ramon, April, 1935, Brenes 20551 (type in Herb.
Field Mus.). La Hondura, Prov. San Jose", 1,300-1,700 meters,
Standley 36356. Easily separated from other Costa Rican species
by the obsolete lateral nerves of the leaves. The foliage is suggestive
of that of Psychotria uliginosa Swartz.
Tabernaemontana chrysocarpa Blake. Cachitor. Occasional
in thickets of the tierra caliente; reported also from the region of
Dota; Guanacaste. Mexico and Central America. A glabrous shrub
or small tree, sometimes 6 meters high; leaves large, short-petiolate,
rather thick, oblanceolate-oblong to oblong-obovate or elliptic, 6-20
cm. long, acute or rounded and abruptly short-acuminate, attenuate
to the narrow base; flowers white, in dense or lax, pedunculate, many-
flowered cymes; corolla tube 6-8 mm. long, not inflated at the base;
anthers included.
Tabernaemontana longipes Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 24: 397.
1897. Hacienda de La Conception, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 180
meters, J. D. Smith 6650. Forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente;
apparently frequent in the region of San Ramon; at 1,650 meters or
less. Endemic. A shrub or tree, sometimes 5 meters high, glabrous;
leaves thin, obovate-oblong or elliptic-oblong, mostly 10-15 cm. long,
abruptly acuminate, acute at the base; cymes usually long-peduncu-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 947
late and almost equaling the leaves, few- or many-flowered; corolla
white, the tube about 8 mm. long, somewhat inflated at the base;
anthers included; follicles about 3 cm. long and slightly more than
1 cm. thick. A specimen collected at San Luis by Austin Smith is
accompanied by the following notes: In forest shade, a common
under-story tree; maximum size 6 meters in height, with a trunk
diameter of 15 cm. Bark dull gray-olive. Freshly cut wood light
yellow, giving off an abundant, milky sap. Flowers and buds amber-
yellow, the flowers suggesting those of jasmine (Jasminum) in form.
THEVETIA Adans.
Shrubs or small trees, usually with thick branches and very
abundant latex; leaves alternate, 1-nerved or pinnate-nerved;
flowers large, yellow, in terminal cymes; calyx 5-parted, the segments
glandular within at the base; corolla funnelform, the tube cylindric,
abruptly expanded into the campanulate throat; anther sacs not
appendaged; fruit drupaceous, broader than long, obcompressed, the
endocarp nutlike, 2-celled, the seeds large, with acute edges. — One
or two other species are known from Central America.
Thevetia ovata (Cav.) A. DC. Chirca venenosa. Thickets of
Guanacaste. Mexico and Guatemala. A shrub of 3-4 meters;
leaves petiolate, narrowly cuneate-oblong to broadly obovate, 6-11
cm. long, obtuse or rounded at the apex, attenuate to the base, thick,
glabrate and lustrous above, densely and finely pubescent beneath;
corolla 6-8 cm. long, the tube shorter than the throat; fruit 3.5-4 cm.
broad, 2-3 cm. long. The seeds of this as of other species have the
reputation of being highly poisonous.
Thevetia peruviana (Pers.) Merrill. Chirca. Planted frequently
for ornament, and often found in hedges or thickets near settlements
in the Meseta Central and along the Pacific tierra caliente. Widely
distributed in tropical America, the original habitat doubtful; not a
native of Central America. A small tree, sometimes 10 meters high,
glabrous; bark gray; leaves linear, 7-15 cm. long; lustrous, long-
attenuate at the base and apex; corolla bright yellow, 7 cm. long;
fruit 3-4 cm. broad. The tree is a handsome and showy one when in
flower. The flowers are very sweet-scented.
Thevetia plumeriaefolia Benth. Chirca venenosa. Region of
Limon. Ranging to southern Mexico. A glabrous tree; leaves
oblanceolate-oblong to oblong-obovate, 13-20 cm. long, 4.5-7 cm.
wide, acute or abruptly short-acuminate, attenuate to the base, thick
948 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
and lustrous; corolla pale yellow, 4-5 cm. long, the tube longer than
the throat; fruits bright red at maturity.
TONDUZIA Pittier
Trees or shrubs; leaves verticillate, narrow, more or less coria-
ceous; flowers small, in terminal or pseudoterminal, many-flowered
cymes; calyx small, the 5 segments obtuse; corolla salverform, the
lobes sinistrorsely convolute; anthers cordate-lanceolate, acute;
carpels 2; follicles 2, terete, ventrally dehiscent; seeds numerous,
compressed, ciliate. — Five other species are known, all Central
American, except for one in Brazil. The genus was named for Adolfo
Tonduz, Swiss by birth, who devoted most of his life to botanical
exploration of Costa Rica.
Tonduzia parvifolia Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 103.
/. 5, 6. 1908. Hacienda Belmira, near Santa Maria de Dota, 1,450
meters, Tonduz 11619. Frequent in thickets or forest of the central
region, descending into the upper part of the Atlantic tierra caliente,
700-1,650 meters; region of San Ramon. Ranging to southern
Mexico. A glabrous shrub or tree, sometimes 12 meters high, with a
trunk 30-40 cm. in diameter; leaves dark green, lustrous, short-
petiolate, linear-lanceolate, mostly 6-12 cm. long, long-acuminate
or attenuate, attenuate at the base; flowers white, in rather dense,
many-flowered cymes; calyx about 1 mm. long; corolla tube 4-5 mm.
long, the lobes shorter; follicles slender, about 12 cm. long.
VALLESIA Ruiz & Pavon
Shrubs or small trees, glabrous or pubescent; leaves short-
petiolate, alternate; flowers small, in pedunculate cymes opposite
the leaves; calyx eglandular, small, with 5 short lobes; corolla salver-
form, the tube enlarged at the insertion of the stamens; anthers
cordate, the sacs not appendaged; fruit a 1-2-seeded drupe; seeds
naked. — One other Central American species occurs in Guatemala.
Vallesia flexuosa Woodson, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 24: 14. 1937.
Forests of the hills of Zarcero, 1,550 meters, Brenes 4156. Known
only from the region of the type. A glabrous tree; leaves short-
petiolate, obovate-oblong, 6-14 cm. long, 2.5-4 cm. wide, acuminate,
obtuse or subtruncate at the base; calyx lobes acuminate, 1-1.5 mm.
long; corolla tube 8-9 mm. long, the lobes obtuse, 3-4 mm. long.
A recent collection by Austin Smith bears the following notes:
Growing at upper limit of tropical zone. A small tree of scattered
distribution; none seen more than 10 cm. in base diameter; trunk
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 949
gray-brown. Growing on hilltop at edge of woodland. Sap sticky
but colorless. Flowers white, star-shaped. Fruits 25 mm. long and
15 mm. thick, pale cream-colored when mature.
ASCLEPIADACEAE. Milkweed Family
Perennial herbs, often scandent, sometimes shrubs or small trees,
usually with a milky latex; leaves entire, without stipules, opposite
or alternate; flowers perfect, regular, cymose or umbellate; calyx
inferior, the sepals short-connate or almost distinct, imbricate or
separated in bud ; corolla rotate to campanulate, urceolate, or funnel-
form, 5-lobate, the lobes usually reflexed; a 5-parted or 5-lobate
corona present between the corolla and stamens and adnate to one or
the other; stamens 5, inserted on the corolla, the filaments short and
stout, mostly connate; anthers attached by their bases to the fila-
ments, introrsely 2-celled, connivent around the stigma or more or
less united with each other, the anther sacs tipped with an erect or
inflexed, scarious membrane, or unappendaged, sometimes appen-
daged at the base; pollen coherent into waxy or granular masses, one
or rarely 2 such masses in each sac, connected with the stigma in 2's
or 4's by 5 glandular corpuscles alternate with the anthers; disk none;
ovary of 2 carpels, the styles 2, short, connected at the summit by the
peltate, discoid stigma; ovules numerous, pendulous; fruit of 2
follicles, the seeds compressed, usually appendaged by a long, silky
coma. — The family is noteworthy for the complicated structure of
the flowers, more complicated, probably, than those of any other
family of plants. The Mexican and Central American members of
the group have never been monographed properly, and their classi-
fication is at present in a decidedly chaotic state. Fortunately, the
Asclepiadaceae are much less abundantly represented in Central
America than in Mexico.
ASCLEPIAS L. Milkweed
Perennial herbs, never scandent; flowers small or medium-sized,
often brightly colored, umbellate; calyx segments small, acute, often
glandular within; corolla deeply 5-parted, the segments usually
valvate, reflexed in an thesis; corona column usually present; corona
of 5 concave hoods, each having within it a slender or subulate,
incurved horn; filaments connate into a tube, the anther wings
broadened below; stigma almost flat, 5-angulate or 5-lobate; follicles
acuminate, the seeds comose. — A few other species are known from
Central America.
950 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Asclepias curassavica L. Viborrana. Frequent along road-
sides or in pastures, Meseta Central and occasionally in the tierra
caliente. Generally distributed in tropical America. An erect,
usually simple herb, a meter high or less, glabrous or nearly so;
leaves opposite, short-petiolate, oblong to narrowly lanceolate,
5-12 cm. long, long-acuminate; flowers showy, the corolla lobes red-
purple, the inner flower parts orange-yellow; follicles glabrous or
pubescent, 3-10 cm. long. Var. flava Kuntze, with all the flower
parts orange-yellow, occurs occasionally about Cartago. The plant
is one of the common weeds of Central America, and the only species
of the genus at all common there. In Costa Rica the latex is some-
times applied to warts, to destroy them, just as that of other species
is employed in the United States. Pittier reports the Brunka narwe
as Kin-shi-kra.
Asclepias glaucescens HBK. In pastures or on dry hillsides,
Meseta Central and Pacific tierra caliente, but apparently infrequent.
Ranging to northern Mexico. Plants stout, erect, glabrous or nearly
so, the stems and lower leaf surfaces usually glaucescent; leaves
sessile, thick, oblong to linear-oblong, obtuse or subacute; flowers
dirty white, the sepals pinkish; pedicels pilose.
Asclepias longicornu Benth. Leche de perro. Paso Tempisque,
Guanacaste, 80 meters, Stork 4021. Extending to Mexico. Plants
low, stout, erect, not glaucous, the stems villosulous; leaves petiolate,
lance-oblong, narrowed to an obtuse or rounded apex, sparsely
villosulous and rough to the touch; umbels few-flowered, short-
pedunculate, the flowers large, pale green, the hoods long-stipitate.
Asclepias mexicana Cav. In pastures, La Cruz de Guanacaste,
250 meters, Pittier 2796. Extending to Mexico; rare in Central
America and perhaps known only from Costa Rica. A slender
perennial, the stems glabrous or glabrate; leaves linear, opposite or
verticillate, glabrous or nearly so; umbels few, the pedicels puberu-
lent; flowers greenish white. The collection was determined originally
by Captain Smith as A. verticillata L. var. subverticillata Gray.
BLEPHARODON Dene.
Slender vines, herbaceous or suffrutescent, glabrous; leaves
opposite, not cordate, petiolate, usually subcoriaceous; flowers small
or medium-sized, umbellate; calyx 5-parted, 5-glandular within at
the base; corolla rotate, 5-lobate, the lobes usually valvate and
ciliate; corona scales 5, adnate to the stamen tube, concave; stamens
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 951
attached to the base of the corolla, the filaments connate into a short
tube, the anthers terminated by an inflexed membrane, with long
basal auricles; stigma depressed or umbonate; follicles short, thick,
smooth. — No other species are known from Central America.
Blepharodon mucronatum (Schlecht.) Dene. Thickets of the
Pacific slope, at middle elevations; region of San Ramon; Atlantic
tierra caliente. Extending to Mexico. Leaves short-petiolate,
oblong to elliptic, 3-7 cm. long, cuspidate, obtuse or rounded at the
base, pale beneath; umbels pedunculate, few-flowered, the pedicels
filiform; corolla 1 cm. broad, greenish, the lobes lance-oblong, obtuse,
glabrous outside, papillose within toward the tips; corona lobes oval,
obtuse, shorter than the gynostegium.
CYNANCHUM L.
Slender vines, herbaceous or suffrutescent, glabrous or pubescent;
leaves usually petiolate, small or large; flowers small, often minute,
umbellate, yellowish green or greenish white; calyx 5-lobate, often
glandular within, the lobes acute or obtuse; corolla campanulate-
rotate, the lobes contorted; corona attached to the stamen tube,
shallowly lobate; stigma conic; follicles slender, smooth. — A few
other species probably are to be found in Central America.
Cynanchum reflexum (Hemsl.) Pittier. Las Vueltas de
Tucurrique, 600-700 meters, collected by Tonduz (see Pittier, Contr.
U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 100. 1910). Nicaragua. Stems villous; leaves
densely strigose-pilose, short-petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, 6-10 cm.
long, acuminate, rounded at the base; umbels about 4-flowered,
almost sessile, the pedicels 2-3 cm. long; calyx 4-4.5 mm. long, the
lobes narrowly lanceolate; corolla greenish, sparsely pilose outside,
the lobes 7.5 mm. long, 3 mm. wide.
Cynanchum sepiurn (Dene.) Standl. Frequent in thickets or
forests of the central region, mostly at 1,200-2,800 meters; region of
San Ramon; mountains of Guanacaste, at 600-700 meters. Ranging
to Mexico. A very slender vine, the branches sparsely puberulent or
glabrous; leaves slender-petiolate, narrowly lanceolate to ovate-
lanceolate, mostly 3-5 cm. long, narrowly long-attenuate, obtuse or
acute at the base, sparsely puberulent above; umbels pedunculate
or subsessile, mostly 4-6-flowered, the flowers greenish white, about
1.5 mm. long, the buds globose; follicles very slender, attenuate,
about 4 cm. long.
952 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
EXOLOBUS Fourn.
Scandent herbs, the leaves opposite, petiolate, cordate; flowers
rather large, in axillary, umbelliform cymes; calyx small, glandular
within, the lobes acute or acuminate; corolla rotate, the lobes narrow,
dextrorsely convolute; corona double, the outer ringlike, ciliate, the
inner of 5 distinct scales; anthers membranous-appendaged at the
apex; stigma flat; follicles large, ovoid, 5-costate. — No other species
are known from Central America. The genus is similar to Vince-
toxicum, being separated by the ciliate outer corona.
Exolobus marginatus Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 108.
/. 16. 1910. Chirripo Farm, Plains of Zent, Atlantic coast, Pittier
160^0. Thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente. Panama. A large,
slender vine, the stems short-hirsute; leaves slender-petiolate,
broadly ovate to lance-oblong, mostly 5-9 cm. long, acuminate, deeply
and openly cordate at the base, glabrate above, somewhat paler
beneath and sparsely pubescent; peduncles short, the pedicels 2-4 cm.
long, pubescent; sepals lanceolate, 1 cm. long, densely pubescent
outside; corolla 4 cm. broad, the lobes linear-lanceolate, attenuate,
4 mm. wide or less, pubescent outside, almost glabrous within.
FIMBRISTEMMA Turcz.
Plants scandent, suffrutescent, pilose; leaves opposite, cordate;
flowers in many-flowered, trichotomous or laxly few-flowered cymes,
the inflorescence short-pedunculate; calyx 5-parted, with narrow
segments; corolla subrotate-campanulate, deeply 5-lobate, the lobes
oblong; corona attached to the stamen tube, cyathiform, hyaline,
the 5 outer lobes alternate with the stamens, fimbriate in the sinuses,
the inner corona 5-lobate and everywhere fimbriate; stamens attached
to the corolla tube, the anthers unappendaged; stigma depressed.—
Two other species are listed from Central America.
Fimbristemma Warscewiczii (Karst.) Hemsl. Biol. Centr.
Amer. Bot. 2: 336. 1882. Callaeolepium Warscewiczii Karst. Fl.
Columb. 2: 123. pi. 165. 1866. Type collected by Warscewicz in
Costa Rica or Guatemala. A slender, pubescent vine; leaves ovate-
cordate, 5 cm. long, acute, paler and subhirsute beneath; cymes many-
flowered, shorter than the leaves; flowers 1 cm. broad, pedicellate;
calyx lobes linear-lanceolate, acute; corolla pale pink, glabrous.
FISCHERIA DC.
Large vines, herbaceous or suffrutescent; leaves opposite, more
or less cordate; cymes umbelliform or short-racemose, the flowers
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 953
rather large, usually dark brown-purple; calyx 5-parted, glandular
within, the segments usually narrow; corolla subrotate, the lobes
contorted in bud; outer corona annular, fleshy, adnate to the corolla,
the interior corona of 5 fleshy, obtuse scales; stigma depressed.—
One or two other species are known from Central America.
Fischeria funebris (Bonn. Smith) Blake, Journ. Wash. Acad.
Sci. 14: 293. 1924. F. Martiana Dene. var. funebris Donn. Smith,
Bot. Gaz. 24: 398. 1897. Chilamate, Rio Sarapiqui, Biolley 7385.
Frequent in thickets and forests of the tierra caliente; region of San
Ramon, at 1,000 meters or less; Guanacaste. Panama to Honduras.
A large vine, the stems densely hispid; leaves slender-petiolate,
oblong to rather broadly elliptic, mostly 9-16 cm. long, thin, caudate-
acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the base and auriculate, densely
hirsute; umbels long-pedunculate, few-flowered, the flowers long-
pedicellate, often short-racemose; sepals linear or lance-linear, as
much as 15 mm. long.
FUNASTRUM Fourn.
Herbaceous or suffrutescent vines, glabrous or pubescent; leaves
petiolate, often auriculate at the base; flowers medium-sized, white
or purplish, in axillary, umbelliform cymes; calyx small, 5-parted;
corolla subrotate, 5-lobate, the lobes contorted in bud; exterior
corona annular, adnate to the corolla, the interior corona of 5 broad,
fleshy scales; follicles usually slender, smooth, terete. — One or two
other species are found in Central America.
Funastrum clausum (Jacq.) Schlechter. Mata-t6rsalo. Phili-
bertia crassifolia Hemsl. Thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente;
region of El General. Mexico to northern South America. A
slender vine; leaves short-petiolate, lance-oblong to elliptic, 3-7 cm.
long, acuminate or cuspidate, obtuse or rounded at the base, glabrous
or sometimes pubescent beneath; umbels long-pedunculate, many-
flowered, the flowers 10-14 mm. broad, whitish, sericeous outside;
follicles 5-6.5 cm. long, about 1 cm. thick. The crushed leaves are
applied at the point in the skin where the larva of the dipterous
insect known as tdrsalo is located, and the latter is soon killed by the
acrid sap. The tough stems are often used in Central America as a
substitute for string.
Funastrum odoratum (Hemsl.) Schlechter. Reported from
Surubres, near San Mateo, collected by Biolley. Guatemala. Plants
hirsute; leaves long-petiolate, orbicular-cordate, 3.5-5 cm. long,
954 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
abruptly linear-acuminate, pilosulous above, paler and densely
pubescent beneath; flowers 14-16 mm. broad, in 6-12-flowered
umbels, the pedicels 12-16 mm. long; calyx lobes 6 mm. long;
corolla pilose outside, the lobes ovate-oblong, obtuse.
Funastrum reflexum (Pittier) Schlechter, Repert. Sp. Nov.
13: 287. 1914. Philibertia reflexa Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb.
13: 96. /. 2. 1910. Near Nicoya, Pittier in 1903. Known only from
the original collection. Glabrous almost throughout; leaves petiolate,
ovate-cordate, 3-5 cm. long, long-acuminate, paler beneath; umbels
many-flowered, the pedicels 2.5-3 cm. long; calyx lobes ovate,
obtuse, 3-4 mm. long; corolla about 2 cm. broad, the lobes oblong-
lanceolate, rounded at the apex.
MARSDENIA R. Br.
Reference: Rothe, Bot. Jahrb. 52: 354-434. 1915.
Plants scandent, usually somewhat frutescent, glabrous or
pubescent; leaves opposite, usually more or less cordate; flowers
small or medium-sized, in umbelliform cymes; calyx 5-parted,
glandular within, the lobes acute or obtuse; corolla campanulate,
the throat usually villous, the lobes contorted, appendages sometimes
present in the sinuses; corona scales 5, adnate to the stamen tube;
stigma depressed or rostrate; follicles thick, usually smooth. — A few
other species are listed for Central America.
Marsdenia Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex scandens, caulibus
ochraceis striatis, novellis pilis incurvis vel subadpressis brevibus
dense pilosis; folia modica graciliter petiolata membranacea, petiolo
2-3 cm. longo incurvo-pilosulo; lamina late cordato-ovata ca. 9 cm.
longa atque 6 cm. lata abrupte breviter cuspidato-acuminata,
acumine angusto ca. 1 cm. longo attenuate, basi profunde late
cordata, utrinque dense pilis brevibus subpatentibus molliter pilosa,
subtus pallidior arete reticulato-venosa; flores cymosi, cymis breviter
pedunculatis dense multifloris petiolo brevioribus ramosis, ramis
dense pilosulis, floribus breviter pedicellatis; calycis lobi late oblongi
obtusi puberuli adpressi; corolla in alabastro ovoidea extus glabra
fere 3 mm. longa intus dense barbata; styli rostrum breve conicum
obtusum. — Isla del Caballo, Pacific coast, June, 1932, Brenes 15685
(type in Herb. Field Mus.). The relationship of this probably en-
demic species is with the Mexican M. Bourgaeana (Baill.) Rothe
and M. Coulteri Hemsl.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 955
Marsdenia Engleriana Rothe, Bot. Jahrb. 52: 419. /. 6. 1915.
Type collected in Costa Rica, Warscewicz 237 (photo, and fragment
of the type seen, ex herb. Berlin). Regions of Nicoya and San
Ramon. Endemic. A large, somewhat woody vine, the stems
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-ovate or oblong-oval, mostly
6-12 cm. long, rounded at the apex and sometimes abruptly short-
acuminate, rounded at the base or subcordate, glabrous above,
beneath more or less tomentose or pilose; inflorescences umbelli-
form, many-flowered, very dense and headlike, the pedicels stout,
short; calyx lobes obovate, acutish, pilosulous; corolla fleshy, gla-
brous outside, about 7 mm. long; beak of the stigma slender and
elongate. Rothe describes the leaves as glabrous but in fragments
of the type that I have examined they are actually finely and rather
densely pubescent beneath. Some of the Costa Rican material
has been referred to M. propinqua Hemsl., to which M. Engleriana
is closely related if, indeed, it is distinct.
Marsdenia laxiflora Donn. Smith. Reported from Nicoya,
collected by Tonduz. Guatemala and British Honduras. Glabrous
throughout; leaves short-petiolate, lance-oblong, 7-15 cm. long,
narrowly long-acuminate, acute at the base; inflorescences very lax,
on long, slender peduncles, about equaling the leaves, the pedicels
long and slender; calyx lobes ovate, obtuse; corolla subrotate, 1 cm.
broad or more, the lobes oblong, obtuse. In appearance this is
unlike other species of Marsdenia. Rothe placed it among the
doubtful and excluded species, stating that it probably represented
a new genus.
Marsdenia macrophylla (Humb. & Bonpl.) Fourn. Mountains
of Guanacaste, 600 meters, in forest. Mexico to Venezuela. A large,
woody vine, glabrous throughout or nearly so; leaves short-petiolate,
ovate to elliptic or oval, 7-15 cm. long or more, acute or abruptly
short-acuminate, rounded or subcordate at the base, glabrous, pale
beneath; cymes many-flowered, short-pedunculate, dense and head-
like; calyx lobes obtuse; corolla yellowish, 5-6 mm. long, sometimes
dark purple within.
Marsdenia nicoyana Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 102.
f.ll. 1910. Bejuco de sapo. Nicoya, Tonduzl3909. Known only from
the original collection. Leaves petiolate, elliptic-ovate, 5-10 cm.
long, 2-5 cm. wide, short-acuminate, rounded at the base, glabrous,
glaucous beneath; flowers greenish, the umbels pedunculate; calyx
4 mm. long, the lobes rounded, pilose and ciliate; corolla 4-7 mm.
956 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
long, glabrous outside; stigma obtusely pointed. There is little
difference, apparently, between this and M. Engleriana, and it is
probable that the latter should be reduced to synonymy.
METASTELMA R. Br.
Slender, herbaceous vines; leaves small, opposite, not cordate;
flowers very small, whitish or greenish, in axillary, umbelliform
cymes; calyx 5-parted, usually glandular in the sinuses; corolla
campanulate or subrotate, deeply 5-lobate; corona simple, 5-parted,
with narrow segments; gynostegium sessile or stipitate; stigma flat;
follicles small, slender, smooth. — A few other species have been re-
corded for Central America.
Metastelma(?) filisepalum Standl., sp. nov. — Suffrutex scan-
dens, caulibus gracillimis teretibus dense hirtellis, internodiis foliis
brevioribus vel longioribus; folia parva breviter petiolata membra-
nacea in sicco fusco-viridia, petiolo 1-2 mm. longo hirtello; lamina
late ovata vel elliptico-ovata, interdum oblongo-ovata, 8-17 mm.
longa 7-10 mm. lata, obtusa et breviter apiculata, interdum acuta,
basi truncata vel subcordata, supra sparse puberula vel pilosula,
subtus pallidior sparse breviter pilosula, costa prominula, nervis
lateralibus utroque latere ca. 3; inflorescentiae axillares simpliciter
umbellatae vel ramosae graciliter pedunculatae, pedicellis plerum-
que 5-8 mm. longis gracillimis pilis brevibus adscendentibus albidis
pilosulis, bracteis linearibus brevibus; sepala filiformi-linearia 3-4
mm. longa patentia vel adscendentia incurvo-puberula; corolla
extus glabra vix ultra 2 mm. longa, lobis oblongis apice rotundatis
intus glabris recurvis. — Entre San Ramon y La Palma de San
Ramon, June, 1928, Brenes 6179 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). The
plant is a curious one, noteworthy for the filiform and relatively much
elongate sepals, which greatly surpass the corolla in bud as well as
in anthesis. I have found no similar calyx in any American member
of the family.
Metastelma pedunculate Dene. M. sepicola Pittier, Contr.
U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 98. /. 5. 1910 (hedges near San Jos<§, 1,150
meters, Tonduz 10130}. Regions of San Jos£ and Cartago, mostly
at 1,100-1,300 meters, in hedges or thickets. Ranging to southern
Mexico. Stems very slender, bifariously puberulent; leaves on short,
slender petioles, lance-oblong to oval, 1.5-3 cm. long, acute or acu-
minate, rounded at the base, glabrous or nearly so; umbels few-
flowered, on short or elongate peduncles, the flowers greenish white,
2-3 mm. long; gynostegium distinctly stipitate; corona scales liguli-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 957
form; follicles very slender, about 4.5 cm. long. Monographic work
on the genus may show that M. sepicola is a distinct species, endemic
in Costa Rica, but the Costa Rican material seems to agree well
enough with type material of M. pedunculare, which was described
from Guatemala.
OXYPETALUM R. Br.
Herbaceous vines, the leaves opposite, cordate; flowers rather
large, in umbelliform cymes; calyx 5-parted; corolla with a short-
campanulate or subglobose tube and 5 very narrow, elongate lobes;
corona scales 5, erect; stamens borne at the base of the corolla tube,
the filaments connate, the anthers with a membranous appendage;
stigma 2-cleft or 2-parted; follicles smooth or tuberculate. — No
other species have been found in Central America.
Oxypetalum cordifolium (Vent.) Schlechter. 0. riparium
HBK. Collected at Aguacate, and in the regions of San Ramon and
El General, at 1,050 meters or less. Mexico to West Indies and South
America. Plants rather slender, velutinous-pilose almost through-
out; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate-cordate, 5-10 cm. long, cuspidate-
acuminate, deeply cordate at the base, paler beneath; umbels
few-flowered, the flowers yellowish, on elongate pedicels; calyx lobes
linear-lanceolate; corolla lobes linear-attenuate, 1.5-2 cm. long;
follicles about 8 cm. long, long-acuminate.
VINCETOXICUM Walter
Herbaceous or suffrutescent vines; leaves opposite, petiolate,
usually cordate; flowers rather large, mostly green or purple-brown,
in axillary, umbelliform cymes; calyx 5-parted, usually 5-glandular
within; corolla rotate, 5-parted, the tube very short, the lobes con-
volute in bud; corona double, annular or cupuliform, adnate to the
corolla; stamens inserted at the base of the corolla, the filaments
connate; anthers not appendaged, inserted along or just below the
margin of the flat-topped stigma; follicles thick, acuminate, smooth
or tuberculate, often angulate. — Other species are known from
Central America.
Vincetoxicum dubium (Pittier) Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad.
Sci. 17: 14. 1927. Gonolobus dubius Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb.
13: 106. /. 15. 1910. Jerico Farm, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 300
meters, Pittier 131+16. Leaves on slender, minutely pubescent peti-
oles 2-4 cm. long, ovate-acuminate, 4-7 cm. long, 2-5 cm. wide,
cordate at the base, with rounded auricles, glabrate above, sparsely
958 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
pilose beneath, the veins minutely hirsute; umbels 1-4-flowered,
the pedicels minutely pubescent, the peduncles 1-2 cm. long; calyx
lobes lance-acuminate, 1 cm. long, minutely pubescent outside;
corolla 3^4 cm. in diameter, stellate-pubescent outside, glabrous
within, greenish yellow, the lobes longitudinally striate with darker
lines, narrowly triangular-acuminate, the exterior corona reduced to
a ciliate ring, the inner corona of 5 fleshy scales.
Vincetoxicum edule (Hemsl.) Standl. Cuayote, Guayote. Gono-
lobus edulis Hemsl. Frequent in thickets of the central region at
middle elevations; region of Dota. Extending to southern Mexico.
Stems sparsely or densely pilose with rather long, spreading hairs;
leaves slender-petiolate, broadly ovate to oblong-lanceolate, mostly
5-7 cm. long, acuminate, shallowly and broadly cordate at the base,
soft-pilose, dark green above, paler beneath; umbels mostly 3-5-
flowered, pedunculate, the pedicels 1-3 cm. long; calyx lobes pilose
outside, lanceolate, about 1 cm. long; corolla yellowish green, pubes-
cent outside, white-lanate within near the base, the lobes 12-14 mm.
long or more, broadly lanceolate; outer corona 5-lobulate, the inner
of 5 trapezoid scales; fruits large, longitudinally winged. The
young and tender fruits of this species, and probably of the others
listed here, are sometimes cooked and eaten.
Vincetoxicum magnifolium (Pittier) Standl. Contr. U. S. Nat.
Herb. 23: 1188. 1924. Gonolobus magnifolius Pittier, Contr. U. S.
Nat. Herb. 13: 104. /. 13. 1910. Forests of Las Vueltas de Tucu-
rrique, Reventazon Valley, 700 meters, Tonduz 13022. Collected
also at Tuis. Southern Mexico. Stems hirtellous and puberulent;
leaves rounded-cordate, 13-24 cm. long, acute or acuminate, densely
pubescent; cymes few-flowered, the peduncles 5-8 cm. long, the
pedicels 5-6 cm. long or less; calyx lobes broadly elliptic, 10-14 mm.
long, obtuse; corolla brownish or greenish, 4 cm. broad, pubescent
outside, glabrous within; outer corona ringlike, the inner corona
thick, torulose, with 5 erect, rounded lobes.
Vincetoxicum pseudobarbatum (Pittier) Standl. Journ. Wash.
Acad. Sci. 17: 14. 1927. Gonolobus pseudobarbatus Pittier, Contr.
U. S. Nat. Herb. 13: 105. /. 14. 1910. Cerro de San Isidro, near San
Ramon, 1,300 meters, in 1901, Brenes 14504- Known only from the
original collection. Stems pilose with long and short hairs; leaves
slender-petiolate, rounded-ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 4-6 cm. long,
2-4.5 cm. wide, acuminate, cordate at the base, sparsely pilose on the
upper surface, pale beneath, covered with minute, purple, glandlike
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 959
hairs, pilose on the veins; umbels 6-10-flowered, the peduncles 2 cm.
long, the pedicels 3 cm. long; calyx lobes lanceolate, acute, 5 mm. long,
densely long-pilose; corolla lobes ovate, obtuse, 7 mm. long, greenish
yellow with dark veins, covered outside with long, soft hairs, glabrous
inside except on the villous right-hand margin; corona fleshy, torulose,
with 5 spatulate appendages.
Vincetoxicum Quirosii standl., sp. nov. — Suffrutex scandens,
caulibus gracilibus teretibus dense furfuraceo-puberulis et breviter
hirtellis, quoque pilis longis patentibus fulvis sat dense hirsutis,
internodiis elongatis; folia longipetiolata membranacea, petiolo
gracili 3-5 cm. longo sicut caulis induto; lamina late rotundato-
cordata ca. 6 cm. longa atque 4 cm. lata subabrupte acuminata,
basi profunde cordata, sinu anguste rotundato, lobis late rotundatis,
supra viridis, dense pilis longis et brevibus intermixtis rigidulis
pilosa, subtus paullo pallidior dense breviter velutino-pilosa, glandu-
loso-puberula; pedunculi longi graciles, floribus paucis (1-3) longi-
pedicellatis, pedicellis usque 2.5 cm. longis; calyx pallide viridis
fere ad basin partitus, lobis oblongo-lanceolatis acuminatis 8 mm.
longis longiciliatis trinerviis extus sparse pilosis; corolla fere 2.5 cm.
lata extus puberula, intus glabra atque ubique arete conspicue
reticulato-venosa, venis brunneo-purpureis, breviter lobata, lobis
late triangularibus subobtusis. — Manzanillo, Puntarenas, June, 1937,
Manuel Quirds C. 732 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Near Cafias,
Guanacaste, 125 meters, June, 1930, Brenes 12685.
Gonolobus reflexus Hemsl. is listed by Pittier as occurring in the
Atlantic tierra caliente, but I have seen no specimens from Costa
Rica. It is a Nicaraguan species that is to be expected here.
Vincetoxicum Rothschuhii (Schlechter) Standl., comb. nov.
Gonolobus Rothschuhii Schlechter in Loes. Bot. Jahrb. 60: 368. 1926.
In thickets, region of San Ramon; mountains of Tilaran; at 600-
1,200 meters. Nicaragua, whence originally described. A stout
vine, the stems hispid with long, spreading, stiff hairs; leaves on long
or short petioles, narrowly oblong to oblong-elliptic, mostly 7-15 cm.
long, narrowly long-acuminate, rounded or subtruncate at the base,
hispid; umbels few-flowered, sessile or short-pedunculate, the pedicels
hispid; calyx lobes lanceolate or linear, 7-10 mm. long, usually
reflexed; corolla green outside, purplish within, about 13 mm. long,
the lobes oblong-lanceolate, subacute, glabrous within, puberulent
or hispidulous outside. Easily recognized by the abundant, hispid
pubescence.
960 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Vincetoxicum viridiflorum (Mey.) Standl. Region of San
Ramon, El General, and elsewhere on the Pacific slope, at low or
middle elevations; reported from Cartago. Extending to northern
South America. A slender vine, the stems short-hirsute; leaves on
long, slender petioles, oblong-elliptic to broadly elliptic, mostly 7-10
cm. long, acuminate, rounded at the base and auriculate, dark green
and glabrate above, pale beneath and inconspicuously pubescent;
umbels short-pedunculate or subsessile, few-flowered, the pedicels
elongate; sepals lanceolate, 6 mm. long; corolla yellowish green,
about 1.5 cm. long, glabrous outside or nearly so, thinly short-pilose
within, conspicuously reticulate- veined.
CONVOLVULACEAE. Morning-glory Family
Herbs, rarely shrubs or trees, usually scandent; leaves alternate,
without stipules, simple or compound ; flowers small or large, perfect,
regular or nearly so, axillary and solitary or cymose; calyx gamo-
sepalous and 5-lobate or of 5 distinct sepals; corolla gamopetalous,
generally with an elongate tube and a 5-lobate, angulate, or entire
limb; stamens 5, inserted in the tube of the corolla, alternate with the
lobes; ovary superior, 2-6-celled; fruit capsular or baccate. — One or
two other genera are represented in Central America.
ANISEIA Choisy
Prostrate or twining herbs; leaves linear to ovate, often mucro-
nate; flowers axillary, solitary or in few-flowered inflorescences;
sepals herbaceous, unequal, the 3 outer ones larger and often decur-
rent as wings on the pedicels; corolla funnelform, with 5 hairy bands
outside; stamens and style included; ovary 2-celled, with 2 ovules in
each cell; stigma biglobular; capsule globose, 4-valvate, 4-seeded. —
No other species are known from Central America.
Aniseia martinicensis (Jacq.) Choisy. Wet thickets of the
Pacific coast, collected only by Brenes. Widely dispersed in tropical
America. Plants glabrous or sparsely sericeous-pilose, forming dense
tangles; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate or oblong-elliptic,
obtuse or emarginate and mucronate, acute at the base, 3-8 cm. long;
peduncles 1-3-flowered; outer 3 sepals decurrent upon the pedicel,
1.5-2 cm. long; corolla white, 2.5 cm. long; capsule 1.5-2 cm. long.
GALON YCTION Choisy. Moon-vine
Scandent herbs, the stems sometimes aculeolate; leaves large,
cordate, with elongate petioles, entire; flowers large, axillary, solitary
or cymose, the pedicels thickened above; sap milky; sepals glabrous;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 961
corolla large, the tube slender and greatly elongate, or enlarged
above; stamens included or exserted; capsule 4-valvate, 4-seeded.—
One or more additional species grow in Central America.
Galonyction aculeatum (L.) House. Flor de luna, Bejuco
trompeta. In thickets, Meseta Central to the coasts; region of San
Ramon. A species of wide distribution. A large or small vine, the
stems usually provided with fleshy, spinelike protuberances; sepals
terminated by long, slender, fleshy appendages; corolla white, the
tube 8-12 cm. long; stamens exserted. A beautiful plant because of
its large, pure white flowers. The corolla opens rapidly just before
nightfall, and closes early the following morning. The vine is culti-
vated in many parts of the world for ornament. In some regions of
Central America the latex is employed for coagulating the native
rubber (Castillo).
Calonyction clavatum Don. Thickets of the Pacific tierra
caliente; sometimes planted for ornament. Widely distributed in
tropical America. A large vine, the stems and petioles hirsute with
long, spreading hairs; leaves broadly cordate, entire or angulate,
acuminate, glabrous or nearly so; corolla blue and white, as much as
15 cm. broad, or smaller, very showy; sepals acute, not appendaged
at the apex.
Calonyction ventricosum Hallier. Vicinity of San Jos£ and
Santa Maria de Dota, and elsewhere on the Pacific slope. Extending
to Guatemala and Mexico. A large, glabrous vine, the stems smooth ;
sepals 1 cm. long or larger, not appendaged; corolla white, 7-8 cm.
long, the tube enlarged above.
CUSCUTA L. Dodder
Reference: Yuncker, Revision of the North American and West
Indian species of Cuscuta. 1921.
Parasitic herbs, scandent over herbs and shrubs, the very slender
stems yellow or orange, the leaves reduced to small scales; flowers
small, in dense or open cymes; calyx with 5 lobes or sepals; corolla
white, campanulate or urceolate, with small, fimbriate or crenulate
scales within alternating with the lobes; capsule small, irregularly
dehiscent or circumscissile. — A few other species occur in Central
America. In some parts of the world certain species of the genus do
much damage to cultivated plants, especially clover, alfalfa, beets,
and peppers (Capsicum). In Central America the name Fideos is
sometimes given to the plants. The seeds of Cuscuta germinate in
962 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the soil, the young plant soon becoming attached to some host, from
which it thereafter extracts all its nourishment, the attachment to the
soil being quickly lost. Some authors place the genus in a separate
family, Cuscutaceae.
Guscuta corymbosa Ruiz & Pavon, var. grandiflora Engelm.
Occasional in the Meseta Central. Mexico and Central America,
the typical form of the species in South America. Flowers large, 5-7
mm. long, in open cymes; corolla lobes obtuse; capsule circumscissile.
Cuscuta glandulosa (Engelm.) Small. Region of Cartago,
growing on Polygonum punctatum. Extending to the United States.
Flowers 2 mm. long, in dense cymes; corolla lobes obtuse; capsule
indehiscent.
Cuscuta odontolepis Engelm. var. fimbriata Yuncker. Col-
lected by Warscewicz, without indication of the locality. Also in
Mexico. Flowers 3-5 mm. long, in dense cymes; corolla lobes acute;
capsule circumscissile.
DICHONDRA Forst.
Slender, small, repent herbs, glabrous or sericeous; leaves reni-
form or cordate-orbicular, entire; flowers small, pedicellate, solitary
in the leaf axils; sepals distinct, subequal, usually spatulate; corolla
broadly campanulate, deeply 5-lobate; stamens shorter than the
corolla; ovary bilobate, each lobe 2-celled and 2-ovulate; styles 2
between the lobes, filiform, the stigmas capitate; fruit of 2 capsules,
these usually 1-seeded. — A single species grows in Central America.
Dichondra repens Forst. var. sericea (Sw.) Choisy. Common
in grassy places of the Meseta Central, 1,100-1,500 meters; region
of San Ramon. A species of wide distribution. A perennial herb,
very slender, prostrate and rooting at the nodes, sericeous; leaves
reniform, 1-2 cm. wide, the petioles elongate; flowers minute, axillary,
solitary; corolla 5-parted; fruit of 2 small, 1-2-seeded capsules.
EVOLVULUS L.
Reference: Van Ooststroom, A monograph of the genus Evolvulus.
1934.
Small herbs, erect or procumbent, annual or perennial, pubescent;
leaves small, entire; flowers small, generally axillary or solitary and
racemose; corolla funnelform or almost rotate, the limb 5-angulate or
5-lobate; stamens included or exserted; capsule 2-celled, the 1-4
seeds glabrous.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 963
Evolvulus alsinoides L. Common in pastures and savannas,
Meseta Central to the Pacific coast; region of San Ramon; Guana-
caste. A species of wide distribution. Plants slender, perennial,
pubescent, branched, procumbent; leaves almost sessile, oblong or
elliptic, obtuse, rounded at the base; peduncles axillary, usually
longer than the leaves, with 1 or more flowers; corolla blue, 5.5-7
mm. wide.
Evolvulus filipes Mart. Pastures and savannas of the Pacific
coast. A species of wide distribution in tropical America. Plants
slender, erect or ascending, with few or numerous branches, pubes-
cent; leaves almost sessile, linear or narrowly lanceolate, acute or
obtuse, acute at the base; peduncles commonly longer than the
leaves, 1-2-flowered; corolla blue or white, 3-4.5 mm. wide. This
plant has been referred by many authors to E. linifolius L., an
African species.
Evolvulus nummularius L. Pastures and other grassy places
of the Pacific coast. Widely distributed in tropical America. A
slender, prostrate plant, rooting at the nodes, perennial; leaves
small, elliptic or rounded, somewhat cordate or truncate at the base,
rounded or emarginate at the apex, glabrous or pubescent beneath;
flowers sessile, white.
Evolvulus sericeus Swartz. Pastures and savannas of Guana-
caste. A species of wide distribution. Plants erect or ascending,
sericeous-pubescent, branched; leaves linear, almost sessile, acute
at the apex and base; flowers axillary, almost or quite sessile; corolla
white or pale blue, 7-12 mm. wide.
Evolvulus tenuis Mart. Rio Liberia northeast of Liberia,
Guanacaste, 100 meters, C. W. Dodge 6242. In its various varieties
and forms the species ranges from Yucatan to Paraguay. Plants
slender, erect, usually 50 cm. high or less, branched; stems and
leaves variously pubescent, in the Costa Rican material sparsely
sericeous; leaves subsessile, broadly ovate to lanceolate or oblong,
acute or obtuse; peduncles filiform, usually much longer than the
subtending leaves, 1 -few-flowered; sepals 2.5-3 mm. long; corolla
blue or white, 10 mm. wide.
IPOMOEA L. Morning-glory
Herbs or shrubs, generally scandent or prostrate; leaves mostly
cordate in the Costa Rican species and entire or lobate; flowers large
or small, axillary, solitary or cymose; sepals herbaceous or coriaceous,
964 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
equal or somewhat unequal; corolla usually funnelform; stamens
included; ovary typically 2-4-celled and 4-ovulate; stigma capitate,
entire; fruit capsular. — Many other species grow in Central America.
The arborescent species, with white bark and flowers, which are so
characteristic of the Pacific coast in certain regions of northern
Central America, extend only to Nicaragua. The name Churristate
is given commonly in Costa Rica to all species of this genus and its
relatives. In other parts of Central America most usual name is
Campanilla. In the banana-growing regions one often hears the
name Gloria de la manana given to the plants, a literal translation
of the name employed by the North Americans. Pittier reports the
Brunka name of Sebe"-srut for an undetermined species of Ipomoea.
Ipomoea Amparoana Pilger, Repert. Sp. Nov. 17: 125. 1921.
Type cultivated in the garden of Dona Amparo de Zeledon, San Jose".
Leaves broad, ovate, shallowly cordate at the base, glabrous above,
sericeous-pubescent beneath; cymes with few or numerous flowers,
the peduncle 3-4 cm. long; sepals coriaceous, rounded at the apex,
7-8 mm. long, pubescent; corolla pink, the tube 5 cm. long, the limb
8 cm. wide. Related (fide Pilger) to /. Morelii Duchass. & Walp.
Ipomoea Batatas (L.) Lam. Camote. Common in waste ground,
Meseta Central to the Atlantic coast; Cocos Island. Common in
cultivation. Native of tropical America, but now distributed
throughout tropical and subtropical regions of the earth. Plants
prostrate, almost glabrous; leaves cordate, angulate or lobate;
peduncles with few or numerous flowers; sepals coriaceous, glabrous,
obtuse to acuminate; corolla 5 cm. long, pink or white; capsule
2-celled. It is said that capsules of this species are extremely rare.
The sweet potato has long been propagated by its large, edible,
tuberous roots. It has every appearance of being adventive in
Central America, although it probably has been cultivated there
for many centuries. Pittier reports as Indian names: Araba (Bribri) ;
Deki (Te"rraba).
Ipomoea carnea Jacq. Region of San Ramon, at 800-900
meters. Yucatan to West Indies and Venezuela. A large, scandent
shrub, the stems velutinous-puberulent, at least when young; leaves
long-petiolate, broadly ovate to suborbicular, 5-15 cm. long, obtuse
to acuminate, cordate to truncate at the base, puberulent on both
surfaces; peduncles stout, equaling or shorter than the petioles,
several-flowered; sepals suborbicular, 5-9 mm. long, puberulent;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 965
corolla violet-pink or sometimes white, 6-7 cm. long, sericeous out-
side; capsule ovoid, 1.5 cm. long; seeds long-lanate.
Ipomoea cathartica Poir. Churristate. Common in thickets
of the tierra caliente. A species of wide distribution. An almost
glabrous vine; leaves cordate, entire or trilobate; sepals herbaceous,
attenuate, 15-20 mm. long, usually glabrous; corolla purple or pink,
about 8 cm. long. A handsome and showy plant because of its large
flowers. Among all the flowers of the Atlantic tierra caliente of
Central America, there are few so beautiful and abundant as the
Ipomoeas, which in early morning spread mantles of elegant color
over trees and shrubs of the coastal regions. They are often especi-
ally profuse in growth on the thickets bordering lowland streams.
Ipomoea costaricensis Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 443. 1891. Baguar
and Angostura, Kuntze. A vine, the leaves cordate, pilose, entire;
flowers corymbose, "red-brown," the peduncles much longer than
the leaves; sepals broad, obtuse, ovate, herbaceous, puberulent; corolla
large; ovary 2-celled; seeds covered with long hairs. An imperfectly
known species.
Ipomoea crassicaulis (Benth.) Robinson. North of Piedades
de Santa Ana, 940 meters, Soils 137; also cultivated in the garden
of Dona Amparo de Zeledon, San Jose*, Brenes & J. Valeria 81.
Mexico to South America. Plants erect, 1-2 meters high, more or
less woody; leaves long-petiolate, lance-cordate to ovate-cordate,
10-25 cm. long, long-acuminate, minutely puberulent or glabrous;
corolla pink or purple, 5-8 cm. long; sepals about 7 mm. long,
rounded at the apex, coriaceous, very minutely puberulent; seeds
black-hairy.
Ipomoea digitata L. Reported from swamps of the Atlantic
coast. A species of wide distribution. A vine, the leaves deeply
lobate, the 3-7 lobes entire; sepals rounded, obtuse, coriaceous, 8-10
mm. long, glabrous; corolla lilac, 4-6 cm. long; seeds pilose.
Ipomoea gracilis R. Br. Reported for Costa Rica, probably
from Nicoya. A species of wide distribution. A glabrous vine;
leaves cordate, sometimes more or less hastate; peduncles 1-5-
flowered; sepals ovate, the inner ones rounded and mucronate at
the apex, the outer acuminate, 6-8 mm. long; corolla rose-purple,
4-5 cm. long.
Ipomoea hirsutula Jacq. Churristate. I. affinis Mart. & Gal.;
/. mexicana Gray. Common in thickets, Meseta Central to the
966 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Pacific coast. Widely distributed in tropical America. A densely
pilose vine, the leaves trilobate; peduncles with 1 or few flowers;
sepals herbaceous, attenuate, covered with long, stiff hairs, 8-15 mm.
long, narrow; corolla rose-purple, 2.5-3 cm. long; ovary 3-celled.
Ipomoea iostemma House, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 18: 207.
1908. Nicoya, Tonduz 13680. Guanacaste. Also in Mexico. A
vine, the leaves cordate, entire or somewhat hastate-trilobate, more
or less pubescent; peduncles shorter than the petioles, mostly 1-
flowered; sepals linear, herbaceous, 10-12 mm. long, glabrous;
corolla purple, 2-3 cm. long; ovary 2-celled; seeds glabrous.
Ipomoea Learii Paxton. Cocos Island. Probably a native of
the Old World but frequent in cultivation. A pubescent vine, the
leaves lobate or angulate; peduncles with 3-9 sessile flowers; sepals
herbaceous, linear-lanceolate, 2 cm. long; corolla blue, 5-6 cm. long.
It is probable that this is the species seen so often in gardens of
the temperate region, where it is conspicuous for its large, bright
blue flowers.
Ipomoea Meyeri (Spreng.) G. Don. Thickets of the Pacific
coast; region of San Ramon, at 700 meters or less. Widely dis-
tributed in tropical America. A slender vine, glabrous or somewhat
pilose; leaves cordate, entire or lobate; peduncles short or elongate,
1-10-flowered; sepals herbaceous, linear-lanceolate, pilose, 2-3 cm.
long; corolla purple, 2.5-3 cm. long; seeds pubescent.
Ipomoea minutiflora (Mart. & Gal.) House. Grassy places
near Nicoya. Mexico and Brazil. Plants small, prostrate or ascend-
ing, very delicate; leaves small, rounded-cordate, entire, pubescent
above, glabrous beneath; peduncle filiform, 1-3-flowered; sepals only
2 mm. long; corolla yellow, 1-1.5 cm. long. Easy of recognition
because of the very small, yellow flowers.
Ipomoea Morelii Duchass. & Walp. Thickets of the tierra
caliente; also about San Jose*. Mexico to Colombia. An almost
glabrous vine, the leaves narrowly ovate-cordate or almost oblong,
entire or somewhat hastate-lobate; peduncles 1-5-flowered; sepals
coriaceous, obtuse, glabrous, 5-8 mm. long; corolla pink, 5-6
cm. long.
Ipomoea muricata Cav. Near Escasu, Solis 303. Arizona and
New Mexico to Colombia. A slender, erect perennial, 30 cm. high or
less, from a tuberous root, simple or branched, puberulent or almost
glabrous; leaves pedately parted into numerous linear or filiform
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 967
segments less than 1.5 cm. long; corolla about 2.5 cm. long, bright
pink. Easily recognized by the tuberous roots, erect habit, and
narrow segments of the parted leaves; in appearance most unlike
other Central American species of the genus.
Ipomoea mutabilis Lindl. San Vicente, 1,300 meters. Mexico
to Brazil. A vine, the leaves broad, somewhat cordate at the base,
trilobate, sparsely sericeous beneath; sepals herbaceous, linear-
lanceolate, 10-15 mm. long; corolla purple, 7-8 cm. long.
Ipomoea nicoyana House, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 18: 231. 1908.
Forests near Nicoya, Tonduz 13671. Forests of Guanacaste, and
elsewhere in the Pacific tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; at
900 meters or less. Panama. A herbaceous vine, the leaves large,
shallowly cordate at the base, entire, somewhat pubescent beneath;
peduncles shorter than the petioles, few-flowered; sepals coriaceous,
lanceolate, acute, pubescent or glabrous; corolla blackish purple,
8-6 cm. long; capsule ovoid, rostrate, the seeds covered with long
hairs. The species is well marked by the very unusual color of its
corollas. Probably it is synonymous with /. costaricensis.
Ipomoea Nil (L.) Roth. In thickets, Meseta Central to the
Pacific coast; region of San Ramon. Almost pantropic in distribu-
tion. A more or less hirsute vine, the leaves lobate; sepals herbaceous,
linear, narrow-attenuate, 2-3 cm. long, hispid; corolla purple,
4.5-6 cm. long.
Ipomoea parasitica (HBK.) G. Don. Pudreoreja. Common
in thickets, Meseta Central to the coasts; region of San Ramon.
Widely distributed in tropical America. An almost glabrous vine;
leaves large and broad, cordate, entire; petioles very long, the pedun-
cles shorter, 5-9-flowered; sepals coriaceous, broad, 4-5 mm. long,
the inner ones rounded at the apex, the outer ones acutish; corolla
purple, 3 cm. long, pubescent outside in bud.
Ipomoea Pes-caprae (L.) Roth. Pudreoreja de playa. A
characteristic plant of sea beaches of both coasts; Cocos Island.
Pantropic. Plants prostrate upon the sand, the tough, stout stems
as much as 10 meters long, glabrous; leaves rounded or oval, thick
and succulent, rounded at the base, often emarginate at the apex;
sepals rounded, glabrous; corolla purple, 4-5 cm. long. The specific
name signifies "goat-foot," an allusion to the shape of the leaves.
Ipomoea phillomega (Veil.) House. Churristate. I. syringi-
folia Meisn. Thickets of the tierra caliente. Widely distributed in
968 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
tropical America. An almost glabrous vine, the leaves broad,
shallowly cordate at the base, entire; peduncles usually long and
many-flowered; sepals coriaceous, rounded, glabrous, 5-6 mm. long;
corolla pinkish purple or pink, 3-3.5 cm. long. A handsome plant
because of its beautifully colored flowers.
Ipomoea purga (Wender.) Hayne. Mechoacan, Churristate.
Common in thickets and hedges, Meseta Central to the coasts,
ascending to 1,800 meters; region of San Ramon. Mexico and
Central America. A glabrous vine, the leaves cordate, entire, the
upper ones almost sessile; peduncles short and commonly 1-flowered;
sepals coriaceous, glabrous, broad, obtuse and mucronate; corolla
purple-red, 5-8 cm. long or larger. A showy plant, with large
flowers of a brilliant shade of purple-red. The fusiform root, some-
times of considerable mass and weight, is one of the favorite purga-
tives in domestic medicine. The species has been reported from
Costa Rica under the name /. Jalapa.
Ipomoea purpurea (L.) Lam. Cultivated for ornament in
San Jose", and perhaps existing also in a wild state. Widely distrib-
uted in tropical and subtropical America. Stems slender, herbaceous,
twining, retrorsely pilose; leaves long-petiolate, broadly ovate-
cordate, acute or acuminate, sparsely pilose; peduncles usually
longer than the petioles, 1-5-flowered; sepals herbaceous, lanceolate
or oblong-lanceolate, acute, 10-16 mm. long, pilose near the base;
corolla purple, blue, or white, 5-6 cm. long; ovary usually 3-celled;
seeds glabrous.
Ipomoea Purpusi House. Reported from the region of El
General, determined by C. V. Morton. Southern Mexico. Plants
large and scandent, the stems densely pilose; leaves broadly ovate,
deeply 3-lobate, the lobes acuminate, densely appressed-pilose above,
more densely pilose beneath; peduncles elongate, 1-5-flowered;
sepals oblong-lanceolate, acute, apiculate, the inner ones 8-10 mm.
long, ciliate near the apex, otherwise glabrous, the outer ones shorter,
pubescent and ciliate; corolla 3 cm. long.
Ipomoea reptans (L.) Poir. Banks of streams and margins
of marshes, Atlantic coast. Pantropic. Plants aquatic, the stout,
succulent stems rooting at the nodes; leaves sagittate or hastate, the
segments narrow and entire; sepals coriaceous, obtuse; corolla white
or pinkish, 4 cm. long.
Ipomoea squamosa Choisy. Pacific slope; region of San
Ramon; Guanacaste; thickets of the regions of Cartago and Santa
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 969
Maria de Dota, 1,200-1,600 meters. Nicaragua to Brazil. An almost
glabrous vine; leaves ovate-cordate, entire; peduncles shorter than
the petioles, with 1 or few flowers; sepals somewhat coriaceous,
obtuse, glabrous, about 12 mm. long; corolla 4.5-8 cm. long, white,
greenish white, or pale yellowish.
Ipomoea stolonifera (Cyrill.) Poir. Beaches of the Atlantic
coast. Almost pan tropic. Plants prostrate, rooting at the nodes;
glabrous; leaves small, oblong, emarginate at the apex and base,
thick; sepals somewhat coriaceous, 3-5 mm. long. A characteristic
plant of the beaches, much smaller in all its parts than I. Pes-caprae,
and much less common.
Ipomoea tiliacea (Willd.) Choisy. Pudreoreja, Churristate.
Common in thickets, Meseta Central to the Atlantic coast, ascend-
ing to 1,800 meters; region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in
tropical America. A glabrous or somewhat pubescent vine; leaves
cordate, entire; sepals broad, coriaceous, glabrous, mucronate;
corolla purple or pink, 5-6 cm. long.
Ipomoea tricolor Cav. Pudreoreja, Churristate. Common in
thickets and hedges of the Meseta Central and upper Pacific slope;
region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America.
An almost glabrous vine, the leaves broad, cordate; peduncles hollow,
thick, longer than the petioles, the pedicels elongate; sepals narrow,
5-6 mm. long, pale-marginate; corolla purple, 5-6 cm. long.
Ipomoea trifida (HBK.) Don. Thickets of the Pacific tierra
caliente; region of San Ramon; at 1,050 meters or less. Southern
United States to South America. A sparsely pubescent or almost
glabrous, herbaceous vine; leaves long-petiolate, broadly ovate-
cordate and usually more or less trilobate, acuminate; peduncles
longer than the petioles, bearing few or rather numerous, crowded
flowers; sepals coriaceous, unequal, glabrous, about 1 cm. long,
acuminate and mucronate; corolla rose-purple or violet-purple,
about 3 cm. long.
Ipomoea triloba L. Churristate. Common in thickets of the
Meseta Central, extending to the Pacific coast; region of San Ramon.
Widely distributed in tropical America. A slender vine, somewhat
pubescent; leaves trilobate, the lobes acuminate; peduncles elongate,
few-flowered; sepals coriaceous, acuminate, pubescent or at least
ciliate; corolla pink or purple, 2-3 cm. long.
Ipomoea Tweediei Hook. Vicinity of San Jose". Extending to
Paraguay. A slender, glabrous vine; leaves cordate, acuminate,
970 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
entire, the petioles of the upper leaves short; peduncles 1-2-flowered;
sepals unequal, ovate, coriaceous, obtuse or acute, the margins
pale; corolla blue or purple, about 2.5 cm. long.
Ipomoea umbraticola House, Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 18: 259.
1908. Nicoya, Tonduz 13677. Endemic. A vine, the leaves cordate,
entire or trilobate, pubescent on the upper surface, almost glabrous
beneath; peduncles longer than the leaves, many-flowered; sepals
coriaceous, rounded, 5 mm. long, glabrous, corolla 4 cm. long; capsule
2-celled, the seeds glabrous.
JACQUEMONTIA Choisy
Herbaceous vines, the leaves mostly cordate, entire; flowers
small or medium-sized, in cymes or heads; corolla campanulate or
rotate-campanulate, the limb 5-angulate; stamens shorter than the
corolla; ovules usually 4; stigmas 2, compressed; capsule 2-celled.
—Other species occur in Central America and probably also in
Costa Rica.
Jacquemontia azurea (Desr.) Choisy. Carrillos de Poas,
collected only by Brenes. Southern Mexico to South America.
Plants slender, herbaceous, sordid-glandular-pilose almost through-
out, but especially in the inflorescence; leaves ovate-oblong to
rounded-ovate, 1-4 cm. long, usually long-acuminate, pilose; cymes
with 3-several flowers, dense, the pedicels very short; sepals long-
acuminate, pubescent; corolla blue, 1 cm. long.
Jacquemontia ciliata Sandwith. Las Vueltas, Tucurrique, 635
meters. Also in Panama and Trinidad. Leaves ovate-cordate,
pilose, acuminate; flowers numerous, in dense, pedunculate cymes;
corolla blue, 12-18 mm. long, glabrous outside; sepals 4-5 mm. long,
rounded at the apex, ciliate.
Jacquemontia menispermoides Choisy. Reported from the
region of El General, determined by C. V. Morton. Extending to
Brazil. Leaves broadly ovate to oblong-ovate, 3.5-6 cm. long,
obtuse and mucronulate, shallowly cordate at the base, pilose above,
rather densely stellate-tomentose beneath; peduncles elongate,
rather dense and many-flowered, the flowers short-pedicellate;
sepals 6 mm. long, broadly rounded or almost truncate and muticous
at the apex, glabrous, ciliolate; corolla 2 cm. long, blue.
Jacquemontia nodiflora (Desr.) Don. El Rodeo, Lankester
1309; region of San Ramon, at 700-800 meters. A species of wide
distribution. Plants sometimes suffrutescent, tomentose; leaves
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 971
ovate-cordate; cymes dense and many-flowered, almost sessile;
corolla white, 12 mm. long, glabrous outside; sepals rounded at the
apex, glabrous.
Jacquemontia pentantha (Jacq.) Don. J. violacea Choisy.
Reported from the Pacific tierra caliente. Widely distributed in
tropical America. Similar to J. ciliata, but the sepals acute and
not ciliate; corolla blue.
Jacquemontia Perryana Duchass. & Walp. Buenos Aires, 480
meters, M. Valeria 926. Mexico to South America. Flowers white,
in large heads subtended by broad bracts; corolla 3.5 cm. long,
densely pilose outside.
MARIPA Aubl.
Woody vines; leaves alternate, coriaceous, not cordate; flowers
rather small, in many-flowered cymes, these corymbose or paniculate
at the ends of the branches; sepals ovate, obtuse, coriaceous, sub-
equal, persistent; corolla campanulate, the limb plicate, shallowly
or deeply 5-lobate; stamens included or exserted, the anthers oblong
or linear; ovary 2-celled, 4-ovulate; fruit ovoid, oblong, or globose,
fleshy or indurate, indehiscent, usually by abortion 1-seeded. — Two
other species are known from Central America, both in Panama.
Maripa nicaraguensis Hemsl. Forests of the tierra caliente.
Extending to British Honduras. A large, scandent shrub, almost
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong or oval, entire, short-acumi-
nate, obtuse or rounded at the base; flowers about 1.5 cm. long, pale
purple, in dense, terminal or axillary cymes; corolla densely pilose
outside; sepals rounded at the apex; fruit large, globose.
MERREMIA Dennstedt
Scandent herbs, the leaves entire and cordate or palmate-parted
or palmately compound; flowers small or large, axillary, solitary or
cymose; sepals usually unequal; corolla campanulate or funnelform,
white or yellow, glabrous; stamens and style included; ovary 2-4-
celled, 4-ovulate; capsule dehiscent by valves, the seeds 4 or fewer.—
A few other species grow in Central America.
Merremia aegyptia (L.) Urban. M. pentaphylla Hallier;
Ipomoea aegyptia L. Thickets of the Pacific coast. A species of wide
distribution. A large vine, hirsute throughout with long, stiff hairs;
leaves compound, the 5 leaflets elliptic, acuminate, entire; flowers
in pedunculate cymes; corolla white, 2.5-3.5 cm. long.
972 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Merremia cissoides (Vahl) Hallier. Ipomoea cissoides Griseb.
Thickets of the Pacific coast; region of San Ramon. A species of
wide distribution. A small vine, covered in all parts with stipitate
glands and a few long, stiff, spreading hairs; leaves compound, the 5
leaflets oblong or lanceolate, dentate; peduncles with 1 or few
flowers; sepals glandular and pilose, acuminate; corolla white, 2.5
cm. long.
Merremia quinquefolia (L.) Hallier. Ipomoea quinquefolia L.
Thickets of the Pacific tierra caliente. A species of wide distribution.
Similar to the last preceding species; sepals obtuse, glabrous; corolla
white, 2-2.5 cm. long.
Merremia umbellata (L.) Hallier. Churristate. Ipomoea
umbellata Mey. ; /. polyanthes Roem. & Schult. Common in thickets,
Meseta Central to the coasts. A species of wide distribution. A
glabrous or somewhat pubescent vine; leaves cordate, sometimes
almost orbicular, acuminate, entire; cymes umbelliform, many-
flowered; sepals obtuse, glabrous; corolla yellow, 2.5-3.5 cm. long;
seeds pubescent. A species easy of recognition in its group because
of its showy, bright yellow flowers.
OPERGULINA Manso
Scandent herbs, glabrous or nearly so; leaves cordate, entire or
lobate; flowers large, axillary, solitary or cymose; sepals large,
scarious, glabrous, in fruit accrescent and somewhat coriaceous;
corolla campanulate or funnelform, pink or yellow; style 1, the
stigma biglobulose; capsule large, circumscissile, with 1-4 glabrous
seeds. — Other species are known from Central America.
Operculina alatipes (Hook.) House. Mechoacan. Thickets
of the Pacific tierra caliente. Mexico to Colombia. A glabrous herb ;
leaves lanceolate or ovate-cordate, acuminate; peduncles conspicu-
ously winged; sepals 2.5 cm. long; corolla pink or purple, the tube
4-5 cm. long.
Operculina tuberosa (L.) Meisn. Common in thickets and
forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente. A species of wide distribution.
A large vine; leaves deeply 7-lobate, the lobes acuminate, almost
glabrous; peduncles not winged; sepals large, in fruit as much as 6 cm.
long; corolla bright yellow, 5 cm. long; capsule very large. A highly
ornamental plant because of its large, showy flowers. It is often
planted for ornament.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 973
QUAMOCLIT Moench
Twining herbs, annual or perennial; leaves entire, lobate, or
pinnately parted; flowers medium-sized or large, showy, solitary
or in cymes or racemes; corolla with a slender tube and a rotate,
5-angulate limb; stamens and style exserted, the stigma capitate;
ovary 2-celled, 2-ovulate; fruit capsular. — It is probable that there
are no other Central American species.
Quarnoclit coccinea (L.) Moench. Cundeamor. Ipomoea
coccinea L. Thickets of the Meseta Central, 1,100-1,400 meters,
and probably in other regions; region of San Ramon. A species of
wide distribution. Leaves glabrous, cordate, sometimes somewhat
angulate, narrow-acuminate; peduncles few-flowered; corolla scarlet,
2-4 cm. long. An ornamental plant, often cultivated in gardens of
Europe and North America.
Quamoclit pennata (Desr.) Bojer. Cundeamor. Occasional in
thickets, Meseta Central to the coasts. A species of wide distri-
bution. Leaves small, pinnately parted, the segments linear, numer-
ous; peduncles 1-6-flowered; corolla scarlet, rarely white, 2.5-3.5
cm. long. Often cultivated as an ornamental plant.
Quamoclit vitifolia (Cav.) Don. In thickets, region of the
Meseta Central to the Pacific coast, ascending to 1,800 meters;
region of San Ramon. Central America and Mexico. A large vine;
leaves deeply 3-lobate, almost glabrous; flowers bronze-yellow,
1.5-2 cm. long, the cymes many-flowered, the peduncles elongate.
RIVEA Choisy
More or less woody vines, sometimes wholly herbaceous; leaves
cordate; flowers large or medium-sized, in pedunculate, axillary
cymes; sepals ovate to lanceolate, spreading and little enlarged in
fruit; corolla campanulate or funnelform; ovary 2-celled or 4-celled,
the stigmas 2; fruit dry, somewhat ligneous, indehiscent, 1-celled and
usually 1-seeded; seeds glabrous. — A single species is known from
Central America.
Rivea corymbosa (L.) Hallier. Turbina corymbosa Raf. Thickets
of the Pacific coast. A species of wide distribution. Plants scandent,
often somewhat woody; leaves cordate, entire, glabrous or pubescent;
peduncles with few or numerous flowers; sepals scarious, 1 cm. long;
corolla white, campanulate, 2-3 cm. long; stamens included.
974 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
STICTOCARDIA Hallier
Woody vines, the leaves commonly large and broad, long-
petiolate; flowers large and showy, axillary; sepals becoming greatly
enlarged and enclosing the fruit; corolla funnelform or campanulate;
ovary 4-celled, the cells 1-ovulate; style 1, the stigma globose; fruit
baccate, indehiscent. — A single species is found in Central America.
Stictocardia campanulata (L.) Standl. Rivea campanulata
House. Playa Blanca, Golfo Dulce, M. Valeria 445; Los Loros,
Brenes 22047. A species of wide distribution. A herbaceous or
somewhat woody vine, almost glabrous; leaves large, broadly cordate,
acute, entire, the petioles elongate; flowers cymose, the cymes long-
pedunculate; sepals large, obtuse; corolla pink, funnelform, 7-8 cm.
long; stigmas 2, linear; fruit 2-2.5 cm. broad, enclosed in the accres-
cent sepals.
POLEMONIACEAE. Phlox Family
Herbs or rarely shrubs, sometimes scandent; leaves alternate or
opposite, entire or dentate or variously parted; flowers perfect,
regular or rarely bilabiate, usually terminal, solitary, paniculate,
capitate, or corymbose; sepals 5, more or less connate; corolla gamo-
petalous; stamens 5, inserted on the corolla, free, included or exserted,
the filaments filiform, glabrous or barbate at the base, the anthers
ovoid ; ovary superior, inserted on a more or less distinct disk, usually
3-celled, sessile, the ovules 1 to many in each cell; style filiform, the
usually 3 stigmas short-linear; fruit capsular, usually loculicidally
dehiscent. — No other genera are known from Central America.
COBAEA Cav.
Reference: Standley, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 17: 448. 1914.
Scandent herbs; leaves alternate, sessile, pinnate, with a multifid,
terminal tendril, the leaflets usually 3 pairs; flowers axillary, solitary
or geminate, long-pedunculate; calyx cleft nearly to the base; corolla
campanulate or funnelform-campanulate, longer than the calyx;
filaments barbate at the base, exsertedr capsule coriaceous, septi-
cidally dehiscent; seeds large, compressed, broadly winged. — A few
other species are found in Central America.
Cobaea Aschersoniana Brand, Helios 21 : 87. /. 2. 1904. Rosen-
bergia Aschersoniana House, Muhlenbergia 4: 25. 1908. Forests of
La Esmeralda, Volcan de Barba, 2,000 meters, Biolley 7178. Region
of Dota and on the slopes of Volcan de Turrialba, at 1,600-2,500
meters. Endemic(?); perhaps also in Panama. Stems pilose; leaf-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 975
lets elliptic or oblong, 3-8 cm. long, acuminate, glabrous above,
hirsute beneath on the nerves; peduncles densely villous, 14-20 cm.
long; calyx segments densely villous, linear-lanceolate, 3-3.5 cm.
long; corolla greenish yellow, twice as long as the calyx, the lobes
broadly ovate at the base, abruptly contracted into a long-linear tip;
capsule elliptic, 5 cm. long, the seeds 2-2.5 cm. long. Illustrated by
Brand, Pflanzenreich IV. 250: /. 7, A.
Cobaea gracilis (Oerst.) Hemsl. Garden 17: 352. 1880. Rosen-
bergia gracilis Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 31. 1856. Naranjo,
Oersted. Regions of Dota and San Ramon, at 1,200-2,500 meters;
reported also from the region of Cartago. Panama. Stems glabrous;
leaflets elliptic or oblong, 3-9 cm. long, acuminate; peduncles 15-27
cm. long, glabrous; calyx lobes 2 cm. long, glabrous; corolla yellow,
the tube 2 cm. long, the lobes 3-4 cm. long, narrowly long-attenuate
from the base. Illustrated, Oersted, L'Ame'rique Centrale pi. 15;
Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 17: pi. 28.
Cobaea lutea Don (C. macrostema Pavon) has been reported
from Costa Rica (see Brand, Pflanzenreich IV. 250: 26. 1907), but
it is probable that the report is erroneous.
Cobaea minor Mart. & Gal. Slopes of Turrialba and Irazu, at
about 2,400 meters. Southern Mexico. Stems slender, glabrous;
leaflets elliptic, 1.5-4 cm. long, short-acuminate, mucronulate;
peduncles slightly shorter than the leaves; calyx lobes ovate-lanceo-
late, acute; corolla pink, twice as long as the calyx, the lobes short,
broadly ovate, obtuse or rounded at the apex. I have seen the plant
in flower but once, on the lower slopes of Irazu and Turrialba, where
the large, bell-shaped flowers, delicately colored with pale pink,
were a most beautiful sight, dangling from the branches over which
the vines were draped.
Cobaea scandens Cav. Campanula. Cultivated occasionally
for ornament in the temperate regions. Perhaps native in Mexico.
A large, glabrous vine; leaflets ovate or elliptic, 9-11 cm. long,
glabrous; calyx segments rounded-ovate, united for half their length,
green, rounded and apiculate at the apex; corolla twice as long as
the calyx, green and brown-purple. The vine is grown occasionally
for ornament also in the United States, and it has long been known
in cultivation in Europe. The large flowers are not especially con-
spicuous, and because of their unusual coloring are bizarre rather
than beautiful.
976 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
LOESELIA L.
Annual or perennial herbs or low shrubs; leaves mostly alternate,
usually dentate; flowers solitary, geminate, or capitate in the leaf
axils and often subtended by numerous imbricate bracts; calyx
tubular or campanulate; corolla bilabiate; stamens glabrous, the
filaments exserted; capsule ovoid or oblong, with 3 to many seeds. —
No other species are known from Central America.
Loeselia ciliata L. Thickets of the Pacific coast; Guanacaste.
Panama to Mexico. A slender annual, 60 cm. high or less, with pale
stems; leaves petiolate, ovate, acutely dentate; bracts of the inflores-
cence very numerous and conspicuous, rounded-cordate, sessile, the
teeth ending in long bristles; corolla pale yellow, about 1 cm. long.
Loeselia glandulosa (Cav.) G. Don. Common at middle
elevations in the central region, at 1,000-1,800 meters, in hedges,
thickets, and pastures, or on open, dry slopes. Arizona to Colombia.
An erect annual with brittle stems, usually 30-60 cm. high, much
branched, glandular-pubescent, especially in the inflorescence; leaves
short-petiolate, lanceolate or ovate, serrate, cuneate at the base;
flowers densely glomerate, the bracts linear-lanceolate, the outer
ones green; corolla purple, 1-1.5 cm. long. An unattractive and
rather weedy plant, common in many localities about San Jose"
and Cartago.
HYDROPHYLLACEAE. Waterleaf Family
Reference: Brand, Pflanzenreich IV. 251. 1913.
Annual or perennial herbs, rarely shrubs or small trees; leaves
alternate or opposite, simple or variously parted; flowers perfect,
regular, terminal and axillary, the branches of the inflorescence
usually more or less scorpioid; sepals normally 5, short-connate,
persistent and often accrescent in fruit; corolla gamopetalous, usually
5-lobate, cylindric to funnelform, campanulate, or rotate; stamens
usually 5, inserted on the corolla, included or exserted, the filaments
glabrous or barbate, filiform, the anthers oblong, ovoid, or sagittate;
ovary superior, usually 1-celled, sessile, with 2 usually parietal
placentae, the ovules 2 to many; styles 1 or 2, filiform, the 2 stigmas
capitate or rarely subulate; fruit capsular, usually loculicidal and
bivalvate.— The genus Nama is represented in Central America by
two species, one of which may be expected in the tierra caliente of
Costa Rica.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 977
HYDROLEA L.
Annual or perennial herbs of wet soil, often armed with spines;
leaves alternate, entire; inflorescence usually corymbose; calyx
parted almost to the base; corolla campanulate-rotate, deeply parted,
blue; filaments dilated at the base, glabrous, naked; styles usually 2;
ovules very numerous; capsule ovoid or globose; seeds minute,
longitudinally rugose-striate. — A single species is known from
Central America.
Hydrolea spinosa L. Wet places of the tierra caliente, appar-
ently not common. Widely distributed in tropical America. A stout,
erect herb, usually 50 cm. or less in height, branched, densely
viscid-pilose, armed with numerous stiff, slender spines; leaves
sessile or short-petiolate, lanceolate to oblong or elliptic, 3-12 cm.
long, acute, narrowed to the base, entire; flowers short-pedunculate,
bright blue, scattered or congested at the ends of the branches;
sepals oblong, acute, 5-7 mm. long, glandular-pilose; corolla 10-12
mm. broad; stamens equaling or slightly longer than the corolla;
capsule irregularly dehiscent.
WIGANDIA HBK.
Shrubs or small trees, densely hairy; leaves very large, petiolate,
more or less dentate; flowers large and showy, purple or purplish,
forming large panicles; calyx parted to the base; corolla funnelform-
campanulate or short-salverf orm ; stamens short-exserted, the
filaments usually barbate, naked, the anthers sagittate; styles 2,
elongate; ovules very numerous; calyx loculicidally dehiscent;
seeds minute, brown, winged. — Only one or two species are found in
Central America.
Wigandia caracasana HBK. Ortiga de montana, Ortiga. Fre-
quent in hedges or thickets of the Meseta Central; region of Dota;
mostly at 1,100-1,600 meters. Mexico to Venezuela. A large shrub
or small tree, seldom more than 3 meters high, branched, densely
covered with stiff or soft, usually whitish hairs; leaves ovate or oval,
often 50 cm. long and 35 cm. wide, or even larger, irregularly and
doubly crenate, whitish-tomentose beneath; sepals 10-15 mm. long;
corolla purple, about 3 cm. broad. The plant is a striking and rather
handsome one. The stiff hairs penetrate the skin easily, and sting
the flesh almost like a nettle. Some of the Costa Rican specimens
might well be referred to W. Kunthii Choisy, if one depends upon
the characters used by Brand in separating these two species. As
978 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
a matter of fact, I suspect that W. Kunthii is nothing more than a
variety of W. caracasana, separable by no constant character.
Pittier reports that an infusion of the leaves is a domestic remedy
for rheumatism.
BORAGINACEAE. Borage Family
Herbs, shrubs, or trees, rarely scandent, usually with rough,
harsh pubescence; stipules none; leaves alternate or rarely opposite,
entire or dentate; flowers regular, perfect, normally dichotomous-
cymose, with the flowers secund along the branches, but the inflores-
cence often otherwise, sometimes capitate or spicate; calyx inferior,
usually persistent, cylindric or campanulate, normally 5-dentate
or 5-lobate; corolla gamopetalous, funnelform, tubular, salverform,
campanulate, or subrotate, the limb usually 5-lobate, the lobes im-
bricate or rarely contorted ; stamens as many as the corolla lobes and
alternate with them, inserted on the corolla, the filaments filiform,
often dilated at the base, the anthers ovoid to linear, dorsifixed;
ovary superior, sessile, normally of two 2-ovulate carpels, or the
carpels sometimes 4-celled, the cells 1-ovulate, or the ovary distinctly
4-lobate; style short or filiform, entire or one or more times bifid,
the stigmas capitate or bilobate; fruit drupaceous and with a hard,
2-4-celled endocarp, or with 2-4 pyrenes, or often of 4 or fewer
dry nutlets.
BEURERIA P. Br.
Shrubs or trees; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire; flowers small
or rather large, white, in terminal, corymbiform cymes; calyx cam-
panulate, 2-5-lobate, the lobes valvate in bud; corolla salverform,
the limb 5-lobate; stamens inserted on the corolla tube; ovary 2-
celled or incompletely 4-celled, the styles 2-cleft or connate; fruit
drupaceous, with thin flesh, enclosing 4 bony nutlets. — One or two
additional species probably are found in Central America.
Beureria cumanensis (Loefl.) 0. E. Schulz. Near Lepanto,
.Guanacaste, Brenes 15703. West Indies, Colombia, Venezuela. A
tree of 3-6 meters; leaves short-petiolate, ovate to obovate, 3.5-5.5
cm. long, acute to rounded at the apex, subacute or obtuse at the
base, glabrous or when young pubescent; inflorescence 10-30-flowered,
the branches short-pilose; calyx 7-8 mm. long, glabrous or pubescent;
corolla 2-3.5 cm. long, glabrous; drupes 1 cm. long or more, the
pyrenes trigonous and cordate, the sides narrowly winged.
Beureria Huanita (Llave & Lex.) Hemsl. Quisjoche. La
Palma de San Ramon; between Rio Paquita and Rio Viejo, Province of
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 979
San Jose"; reported from Nicoya. Extending to Mexico. A medium-
sized tree; leaves petiolate, ovate-oblong to obovate, mostly 10-15
cm. long, acute or abruptly short-acuminate, obtuse or acute at the
base and often unequal, glabrous; calyx glabrous or finely pubescent;
corolla white, 2 cm. long or more; filaments pilose near the base;
fruit large, subglobose or ovoid. At first I believed that the Costa
Rican tree represented a distinct species, and this may well be the
case. It is, however, necessary to have more ample material for
study before this can be decided satisfactorily.
Beureria littoralis Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 25: 150. 1898.
Esquijoche. Forests of the plains of Salinas, Golfo Dulce, Pittier
2787, 2814- Known only from the collections cited. A small tree,
the branchlets and inflorescence pubescent; leaves long-petiolate,
oblong-ovate to elliptic, acute or obtuse at each end, 7-12 cm. long,
5-6 cm. wide, scaberulous above with broad-based hairs, pubescent
beneath; cymes laxly branched; calyx 4 mm. long, pilose outside;
corolla tube equaling the calyx, the lobes suborbicular, 8-9 mm.
long. I have seen no material of this species. The flowers are
reported to be very fragrant.
BORAGO L. Borage
Annual or perennial, erect, hispid herbs, the leaves alternate;
flowers in lax, usually bifid racemes, the branches elongate in age,
the bracts small or the lower ones foliaceous, the flowers blue, pedi-
cellate; calyx 5-parted, the segments linear; corolla tube short, the
limb rotate or short-campanulate; stamens exserted or included, the
filaments dilated toward the apex; nutlets 4, erect, muricate or
smooth.
Borago officinalis L. Borraja. Sometimes planted in gardens.
Native of Europe and Asia. A coarse, rough-hispid, perennial herb;
leaves oblong to obovate, long-petiolate, entire, obtuse to acuminate;
flowers large and showy, in terminal racemes. The plant is employed
in domestic medicine for its sudorific and emollient properties.
CORDIA L.
Shrubs or trees, often with harsh pubescence; leaves petiolate,
entire or dentate; flowers sessile, or nearly so, disposed in spikes or
heads, or in cymes with often scorpioid branches, small or large;
calyx tubular or campanulate, smooth or costate, 3-5-dentate,
persistent; corolla funnelform, salverform, or campanulate, usually
5-lobate; stamens as many as the corolla lobes, included or exserted;
980 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ovary 4-celled, the style elongate, bifid, the branches again bifid,
the stigmas capitate or clavate; fruit drupaceous, the putamen
usually osseous, the cells 4 or by abortion fewer. — Other species
occur in Central America, and it is probable that some of those not
listed here extend into Costa Rica.
Cordia alba (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult. Tiguilote, Jiguilote.
Common in dry thickets and forest of the Pacific tierra caliente;
Guanacaste; ascending to the region of San Jose'. Mexico to West
Indies and Venezuela. A large shrub or more often a rounded tree of
9 meters or less; leaves short-petiolate, elliptic to elliptic-ovate or
rounded, 5-12 cm. long, subacute to rounded at the apex, more or
less dentate or almost entire, very rough on the upper surface, some-
what pilose beneath; panicles often large and many-flowered; calyx
campanulate, 4-6 mm. long, 10-costate, hispidulous; corolla white,
10-15 mm. broad; drupes white, 1-1.5 cm. long. The tree is a showy
one when covered with the abundant, white blossoms, but for most of
the year it is most unattractive in appearance, being gnarled and
crooked. In some parts of Guanacaste it is exceedingly abundant,
forming extensive thickets, especially by roadsides. It is one of
the characteristic small trees through most of the drier parts of the
Pacific tierra caliente of Central America. The translucent fruits
have a viscid pulp that is intensely sweet. They are much eaten by
birds (hence probably the wide dispersal of the trees) and sometimes
by people. The wood is brownish, rather light in weight, firm,
fibrous, tough, and not durable.
Cordia alliodora (Ruiz & Pavon) Cham. Laurel, Laurel negro.
C. Gerascanthus Jacq., non L. Common in forests of the tierra
caliente; ascending the Pacific slope to the Meseta Central; Guana-
caste; region of San Ramon; usually at 1,200 meters or less. Widely
distributed in tropical America. A large or medium-sized tree, the
pubescence of minute, stellate hairs, abundant on the pale lower leaf
surface; leaves short-petiolate, mostly elliptic-oblong, acute or acumi-
nate, entire; flowers small, white, fragrant, in large panicles; calyx
tubular, about 5 mm. long, conspicuously 10-costate. The tree is
abundant in many regions, especially in the Pacific tierra caliente,
and it is well known almost throughout Central America. It is
exceptionally showy and conspicuous in flower because of the great
abundance of white blossoms. These remain upon the tree for a
long time, finally turning brown and making the tree quite as
conspicuous as when the corollas were pure white. The crushed
foliage has an odor suggestive of garlic, hence the specific name.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 981
The joints of the branchlets nearly always are swollen and inhabited
by tiny ants that inflict painful bites. The wood is apparently of
two kinds, perhaps dependent upon age of the tree or its habitat:
(1) grayish or yellowish, (2) variegated brown, suggesting walnut
(Juglans). It is easy to work, finishes smoothly, holds its place well
when manufactured, and has many uses, as for piling, railway cross-
ties, and furniture. Pittier reports the Bribri name of Dze-ui. The
species is easily recognized by its stellately branched pubescence.
Cordia cyrnosa (Bonn. Smith) Standl., comb. nov. Cornutia
cymosa Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 40: 10. 1905. Pastures at La Palma,
Prov. San Jose", 1,460 meters, Tonduz 12555 (J. D. Smith 7383).
Apparently frequent in the region of San Ramon. Endemic. A tree
of 5-8 meters, the branchlets ferruginous-tomentose; leaves petiolate,
broadly elliptic or rounded-ovate, 20-28 cm. long, 14-23 cm. wide,
very obtuse or rounded at the apex, subacute to subcordate at the
base, hispidulous above, very densely and softly villosulous-pilose
beneath; inflorescence cymose-paniculate, 20-30 cm. broad, the
flowers sessile or subsessile; calyx tubular-campanulate, 3 mm. long,
ecostate; corolla white, the tube equaling the calyx; drupes globose,
glabrous, 8 mm. in diameter. Easy of recognition because of the
unusually large leaves.
Cordia diversifolia Pavon. C. Johnstoni Cufodontis, Archivio
Bot. 10: 41. 1934 (near Finca Waldeck, 28 miles from Limon, 20
meters, Cufodontis 365). Thickets and forest of the Atlantic tierra
caliente. Panama to Mexico. A shrub or small tree, rarely more
than 5 meters high, the branches hispid; leaves short-petiolate,
lanceolate or lance-oblong, mostly 10-20 cm. long, subobtuse to
long-acuminate, obtuse or acute at the base, more or less serrate
near the apex or entire, rough and short-hirsute on the upper surface,
short-hirsute beneath; flowers small, white, cymose-paniculate, the
panicles usually small and often few-flowered; calyx conspicuously
costate, cylindric, 5-6 mm. long; drupes ovoid, glabrous, 7 mm. long.
The type of this species was ascribed originally to Ecuador, but there
is no doubt that it is really from the Sess£ and Mocino collections,
and obtained in Mexico or Guatemala. I have seen three photo-
graphs of authentic material, including the type, also specimens
from the Sess£ and Mocino Herbarium. These are exactly like
other material that has been referred in recent years to C. diversifolia,
and also like C. Johnstoni, part of the type of which has been kindly
supplied by Br. Cufodontis. The species is a rather common one
along the Atlantic tierra caliente of Central America.
982 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Cordia ferruginea (Lam.) Roem. & Schult. Varilla negra.
Thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente; occasional in thickets and
hedges of the Meseta Central, at 1,600 meters or less; Canton de
Dota; region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America.
A shrub of 4.5 meters or less, the branches often long and recurved
or drooping; leaves short-petiolate, ovate or broadly ovate, acute or
acuminate, usually rounded at the base, more or less serrate, very
rough on the upper surface, hirsute beneath; flowers small, white,
in interrupted, elongate, usually paniculate spikes; calyx not costate,
campanulate, 3 mm. long, hispidulous; corolla white, twice as long
as the calyx. The shrub is a characteristic species of second-growth
thickets.
Cordia Gerascanthus L. Golfo Dulce, Manuel Valerio 573.
Ranging to southern Mexico and West Indies. A large tree; leaves
petiolate, elliptic-oblong, acute or acuminate, acute at the base,
entire, glabrous; flowers white, fragrant, in dense, more or less pubes-
cent cymes; calyx tubular, about 1 cm. long, not costate; corolla
almost 3 cm. broad.
Cordia glabra L. Niguito, Buriogre. C. collococca L. In
thickets and dry forest of the Pacific slope, especially in the tierra
caliente; ascending to San Jose" and San Ramon. Extending to
Mexico and West Indies. A tree of 5-15 meters; leaves short-
petiolate, oblong to obovate or rounded-obovate, very irregular in
shape, obtuse to acuminate, acute at the base, entire or nearly so,
glabrous or glabrate; flowers small, white, cymose-paniculate, the
panicles small or large, usually lax and many-flowered; calyx cam-
panulate, hispidulous, 2-3 mm. long, not costate; fruit cherry-red,
1 cm. in diameter, with very viscid, sweet pulp.
Cordia guanacastensis Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex, ramulis
gracilibus nigrescentibus pilis longis paten tibus sat dense hispidis;
folia parva breviter petiolata crasse membranacea, petiolo 7-10 mm.
longo hirsute; lamina oblongo-lanceolata 6-7.5 cm. longa 2-3 cm.
lata acuminata basin versus longiattenuata, remote grosse serrata,
supra hispida vel glabrata asperrima, pilis basi verrucoso-dilatatis,
subtus glandulosa, pilosa et ad nervos pilis longis patentibus hirsuta ;
flores arete sessiles spicati, spicis solitariis longissime pedunculatis
clavatis ca. 3 cm. longis et corollis exclusis 1 cm. crassis, pedunculo
dense hispido; calyx late campanulatus 3 mm. longus dense hispidulo-
strigosus 5-dentatus, den tibus tubo brevioribus triangularibus acutis;
corolla alba ca. 7 mm. longa. — Camino de Canas a Bagaces, cerca"
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 983
de Las Canas, Guanacaste, 110 meters, June, 1930, Brenes 12713
(type in Herb. Field Mus.). Entre Liberia y Guachipelin, Brenes
15503.
Cordia littoralis Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 18: 253.
/. 104. 1917. On the strand near Limon, Pittier 3641. Thickets of
the Atlantic tierra caliente. Endemic. A shrub 3.5 meters high
or less, the branches densely glandular and sparsely puberulent;
leaves petiolate, ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate, mostly 9-14 cm.
long, attenuate to the apex, obtuse or rounded at the base and
abruptly decurrent, irregularly and remotely serrate or dentate or
entire, scaberulous above, paler beneath and finely pilosulous;
flowers small, white, in elongate, interrupted spikes; calyx campanu-
late, not costate, 3.5 mm. long, 5-dentate, puberulent; corolla tube
somewhat longer than the calyx, the lobes short, spreading.
Cordia macrostachya (Jacq.) Roem. & Schult. Thickets of
the Atlantic tierra caliente. Extending to southern Mexico and
northern South America. A shrub of 1-3 meters; leaves oblong or
lanceolate, narrowed to the obtuse or acute apex, acute at the base,
dentate or subentire, scabrous on the upper surface, paler beneath
and hirsute- tomentose or pilosulous; flowers small, white, in long,
usually dense spikes; calyx campanulate, not costate, puberulent.
Cordia nitida Vahl. Buriogre amarillo, Muneco, Buriogre de
montana. Forests of the tierra caliente; region of San Ramon, at
1,200 meters or less. Central America and West Indies. A small
or medium-sized tree, the branchlets puberulent; leaves elliptic to
oblong, short-petiolate, acute or acuminate, rounded to acute at
the base, entire, glabrous, lustrous on the upper surface; flowers
small, white, in small or rather large panicles; corolla campanulate,
4 mm. long, not costate, dentate, usually glabrous or nearly so;
corolla 1 cm. broad; drupes bright red, 8 mm. in diameter.
Cordia polycephala (Lam.) I. M. Johnston. Escoba negra,
Varilla negra, Cuajatinta. C. corymbosa Don; C. ulmifolia DC.
Common in thickets of the tierra caliente, especially of the Pacific
slope; region of San Ramon; Guanacaste. Widely dispersed in
tropical America. A slender, often densely branched shrub, 3 meters
high or less; leaves small, short-petiolate, lance-oblong to ovate-
elliptic, acute to long-acuminate, acute to attenuate at the base,
coarsely dentate, very rough on the upper surface, softly or harshly
pubescent beneath; flowers capitate, the small heads less than 1 cm.
in diameter, dense, slender-pedunculate; calyx campanulate, not
984 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
costate, 3 mm. long, acutely dentate; corolla white, 5 mm. long;
drupes small, red. The shrub is a characteristic species of second-
growth thickets. The name Cuajatinta is derived from the fact that
the plant was used formerly in extracting dye from the indigo plant
(Indigofera suffruticosa).
Cordia Storkii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex vix ad 1 m. altus,
ramis vetustioribus nigris teretibus, novellis dense stellato-tomen-
tosis; folia inter minora petiolata subcoriacea, petiolo crasso 7-15
mm. longo dense stellato-tomentuloso; lamina ovata vel late ovata
5.5-7.5 cm. longa 3-5 cm. lata apicem obtusum versus paullo angus-
tata, basi rotundata vel truncata et vulgo abrupte contracta atque
decurrens, grosse inaequaliter crenato-dentata, supra dense minute
asperulo-stellato-pubescens, subtus dense molliter stellato-pilosa;
flores capitati albi, capitulis globosis densissime multifloris corollis
exclusis 2 cm. diam. longissime pedunculatis; calyx extus minute
stellato-pilosulus, basin versus glabratus, tubo anguste campanulato
ca. 7 mm. longo, lobis filiformibus saepe aequilongis; corolla magna
calyce plus quam duplo longior. — Catalina, Guanacaste, in pasture,
June, 1928, H. E. Stork 2758 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Bebedero,
in thickets, 25 meters, Brenes 12546, Orillas del camino de Las Canas,
Guanacaste, 120 meters, Brenes 12715. Near C. globosa (Jacq.)
HBK.; noteworthy for the abundant, stellate pubescence.
Cordia Toqueve Aubl. C. heterophylla Roem. & Schult. Guana-
caste; San Ramon. Guatemala to Brazil. A tree, usually 5-8 meters
high, the young branches more or less brown-hirsute; leaves rather
large, broadly oblong to oblong-elliptic, acute or acuminate, obtuse
or rounded at the base and usually oblique, entire, very rough on
the upper surface, densely and softly pilose beneath; flowers small,
white, cymose-paniculate, the panicles mostly rather small and few-
flowered; calyx campanulate, 2.5-3 mm. long, not costate; corolla
scarcely twice as long as the calyx.
EHRETIA L.
Trees or shrubs; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire or serrate;
flowers small, white, arranged in chiefly terminal panicles; calyx
5-parted, open in bud; corolla small, the tube short, the 5 lobes of
the limb obtuse, spreading; style bifid; fruit a small drupe. — One
additional species of the genus may occur in northern Central America.
Ehretia Austin-Smithii Standl., sp. nov.— Laurel. Arbor 25-
30 m. alta, trunco usque 2 m. diam., ramulis glabris pallide sparse
lenticellatis, internodiis brevibus; folia mediocria petiolata rigide
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 985
herbacea in sicco saepius fusca, petiolo 10-12 mm. longo glabro;
lamina late ovata vel ovato-elliptica 6-9 cm. longa 4-5 cm. lata acuta,
basi rotundata vel truncata, fere ad basin inaequaliter adpresso-
serrata, supra sublucida sparse scabra, tactu asperula vel interdum
asperrima, subtus fere concolor, sat dense pilis albidis hispidula vel
scaberula, interdum glabrata, costa elevata, nervis lateralibus
utroque latere ca. 8 angulo lato abeuntibus; inflorescentia terminalis
dense cymoso-paniculata foliis vix longior, ca. 7 cm. longa, multi-
flora, ramis glabris vel glabratis, floribus sessilibus vel brevissime
pedicellatis; calyx 2 mm. longus ad medium vel profundius lobatus,
glaber, lobis late ovalibus apice rotundatis ciliatis; corolla extus
glabra, tubo vix calyce longiore, lobis latis patentibus. — Zarcero, in
pasture, 1,850 meters, March, 1938, Austin Smith H528 (type in
Herb. Field Mus.); September, 1937, No. A384- In potrero, Santa
Maria de Dota, 1,500 meters, Standley & Valeria 44145 (sterile).
Reported also from Cerro de La Carpintera. The Costa Rican tree
has been referred to E. Luxiana Donn. Smith, a Guatemalan species,
in which the leaves are glabrous. E. Austin-Smithii is related to the
Mexican E. latifolia DC., but in that the calyx lobes are narrow and
acute. Regarding this tree, Mr. Smith's notes supply the following
information: Growing alone in a wet pasture, or in the open along
roadsides; crown very broad, the branching low, sometimes with
several trunks from the base; bark thick, dark brown to nearly black,
roughened, corrugated, and sutured; cambium layer thick, cream-
colored, cutting like cheese; corollas bell-shaped, white, 5-lobed,
5 mm. broad, the lobes reflexed, the stamens shortly exserted;
anthers brown; fruits ovoid, to 20 mm. long and 15 mm. thick, rich,
creamy yellow, turning dark brown in age; leaves very scabrous,
used locally for scrubbing and scouring.
HACKELIA Opiz
Reference: Brand, Pflanzenreich IV. 252: 117. 1931.
Usually perennial herbs, erect, the leaves alternate, membra-
naceous; flowers small, blue, pedicellate, in scorpioid racemes, these
usually paniculate; calyx deeply parted; corolla funnelform to
campanulate or rotate; stamens included; style and stigma simple;
fruit of 4 small nutlets, these armed with small spines. — One other
Central American species has been described from Guatemala.
Hackelia costaricensis (Brand) I. M. Johnston, Contr. Gray
Herb. 68: 46. 1923. Lappula costaricensis Brand, Repert. Sp. Nov.
18: 310. 1922. "San Jose"," Hoffmann 152. Endemic. Known
986 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
certainly only from the original collection. Plants 30 cm. high or
more, branched above, the stems villous; cauline leaves elliptic,
6-7 cm. long, 1.5-2.2 cm. wide, pilose; corolla 3 mm. long; nutlets
all alike, 4 mm. long, covered on the outer surface with spines that
are all equal in length.
Hackelia mexicana (Cham. & Schlecht.) I. M. Johnston.
Echinospermum mexicanum Hemsl.; Lappula mexicana Greene.
Frequent in thickets on the upper slopes of the central mountains,
2,400-3,000 meters; Cerro de La Muerte. Mexico to Ecuador.
Plants a meter high or less; basal leaves long-petiolate, obovate or
elliptic, pilose or hirsute; pedicels elongate in fruit and recurved;
corolla 3-4 mm. long; nutlets dissimilar, 1 or 2 with long spines,
the other 1-3 with very short spines. Most of the specimens seen are
in flower and without nutlets, so it can not be determined to which
of the two Costa Rican species (if these are really distinct) they are
to be referred.
HELIOTROPIUM L.
Herbs or shrubs; leaves alternate, entire; flowers small, white or
blue, mostly in dichotomous, terminal, corymbose cymes; calyx
5-parted, the segments narrow; corolla tube cylindric, sometimes
ampliate at the insertion of the stamens, naked in the throat, the 5
lobes broad or narrow; stamens included; ovary undivided, 4-celled,
the style terminal, simple; fruit drupaceous, small, fleshy or corky,
the 4 pyrenes usually distinct. — Other species have been collected
in Central America.
Heliotropium angiospermum Murr. Cola de alacran. H.
parviflorum L. Thickets or waste ground of the Pacific tierra caliente.
Generally distributed in tropical America. Plants slender, often
much branched, usually a meter high or less, herbaceous or suf-
frutescent, sparsely hirsute or hirtellous; leaves lanceolate to ovate,
3-10 cm. long, acute or obtuse, petiolate; spikes mostly slender and
often much elongate, not bracteate; corolla white, 2 mm. long; fruit
at maturity separating into two 2-celled nutlets.
Heliotropium curassavicum L. Saline flats along the Pacific
coast. Widely distributed in tropical and subtropical regions of
both hemispheres. Plants annual or perennial, prostrate or decum-
bent, very fleshy, glabrous; leaves narrowly or broadly oblanceolate,
2-4 cm. long, often glaucous; flowers white, in bractless, solitary or
geminate, scorpioid spikes 1-10 cm. long; corolla 2-3 mm. long. A
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 987
characteristic plant in some regions of America, confined to saline
or strongly alkaline soil; infrequent in Central America.
Heliotropium indicum L. Alacr&n, Alacrancillo, Lagartillo.
A common weed of the Pacific tierra caliente, growing in waste
ground or thickets, ascending the Pacific slope to the Meseta Central,
but there infrequent; occasional in the Atlantic tierra caliente;
Guanacaste. Widely distributed in the tropics of both hemispheres;
probably of American origin. A coarse, erect,, pale-hirsute annual,
usually less than a meter high, branched; leaves petiolate, broadly
ovate or elliptic to lanceolate, repand or undulate, acute, subcordate
to acute at the base; flowers pale blue, in long, bractless, scorpioid
spikes; corolla 5-8 mm. long; fruit glabrous, deeply bilobate, breaking
up into 4 angulate nutlets 2-3 mm. long. The crushed leaves are
applied as poultices to boils, to bring them to a head. A decoction
of the roots is employed in domestic medicine as a diaphoretic. This
weed is abundant in many parts of the Central American tierra
caliente, but quite lacking in others.
Heliotropium lagoense (Warm.) Guerke. Buenos Aires, 480
meters; reported from the region of El General; probably a plant
of savannas. Extending to Bolivia and Brazil. Plants annual,
the stems slender, prostrate, appressed-pilose with rather long,
white hairs; leaves oblanceolate, 5-15 mm. long, obtuse or sub-
acute; flowers borne singly along the very leafy stems, extra-axillary;
pedicels 1-3 mm. long; corolla white, 3-4 mm. long; nutlets 1.5-2
mm. long, glabrous.
Heliotropium peruvianum L. Heliotropio. Heliotrope. Culti-
vated in gardens as an ornamental plant. Native of Peru. Note-
worthy for its very fragrant, usually purple flowers, borne in dense,
terminal inflorescences.
Heliotropium procumbens Mill. H. inundatum Swartz.
Frequent in the Pacific tierra caliente, along roadsides or most often
in dried stream beds, or about dried-up ponds; collected also as a
weed about San Jose"; Guanacaste. Widely distributed in tropical
and subtropical America. Plants annual, sparsely or densely
appressed-pilose, usually grayish, the stems erect or decumbent,
10-50 cm. long, much branched; leaves elliptic, obovate, or broadly
oblanceolate, 1-4 cm. long, obtuse or rounded at the apex, petiolate;
flowers small, white, in slender, scorpioid, mostly geminate or
ternate, bractless racemes; corolla 5 mm. long or less; fruit depressed-
globose, 4-lobate, strigose, the nutlets 0.5-1 mm. long.
988 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Heliotropium transalpinum Veil. Between Heredia and
Santo Domingo, 1,130 meters, Brenes 13230. Central America to
Argentina. Plants slender, suffrutescent, much branched, 1.5 meters
high or less; leaves short-petiolate, narrowly oblong-lanceolate,
mostly 5-12 cm. long, long-acuminate at each end, green and gla-
brate; flowers small, white, in long, slender, somewhat interrupted,
solitary, bractless racemes, the pedicels very short; corolla about
3 mm. long; fruit ovoid-globose, 4 mm. long. The minute hairs
found on some parts of the plant are malpighiaceous, that is, straight,
closely appressed, and attached by the middle.
MYOSOTIS L.
Low, annual or biennial herbs, more or less pubescent, branched;
leaves alternate, entire; flowers small, blue or white, in elongate,
bractless, more or less scorpioid racemes; calyx 5-cleft, the segments
narrow; corolla salverform, the limb 5-lobate, the throat crested;
stamens included; ovary 4-parted, the style simple, filiform; fruit of
4 nutlets, these erect, glabrous or pilose, attached by their bases to
the receptacle. — No species of the genus are native in Central
America.
Myosotis arvensis (L.) Hill. Naturalized in the potreros of
Volcan de Turrialba, doubtless imported with grass seed. Native
of Europe. Plants slender, erect, hirsute, 50 cm. high or usually
lower; leaves oblanceolate, obtuse, sessile or petiolate; racemes lax,
the fruiting pedicels longer than the calyx; hairs of the calyx, at
least in part, uncinate at the tip; corolla blue, 3-4 mm. broad.
Myosotis scorpioides L. No-me-olvides. Forget-me-not. Some-
times grown in gardens as an ornamental plant. Native of Europe.
Hairs of calyx straight and closely appressed; corolla 6-8 mm. broad.
TOURNEFORTIA L.
Usually scandent shrubs, the leaves alternate, entire, glabrous or
usually with harsh pubescence; flowers small, white or greenish,
secund, in terminal, usually dichotomous cymes, the branches often
greatly elongate; calyx 5-parted, persistent, the segments commonly
narrow; corolla most often salverform, the cylindric tube ampliate
above; stamens included; ovary 4-celled, the style terminal, bilobate
at the apex; drupe small, the exocarp fleshy or corky, containing 4
or fewer hard nutlets. — A few other species are known from Central
America.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 989
Tournefortia angustiflora Ruiz & Pavon. T. Billbergiana
Beurl. Thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente. Honduras to Peru.
A rather stiff shrub, sometimes not at all scandent, but often a large
vine, the stems sparsely hispidulous or glabrate; leaves short-petio-
late, ovate to elliptic, mostly 7-12 cm. long, acute or obtuse, obtuse
or acute at the base and abruptly decurrent, sparsely puberulent or
almost glabrous; branches of the cymes short and rather densely
flowered; sepals broadly ovate, about 1.5 mm. long; corolla greenish
white, 15 mm. long, sparsely strigillose, the lobes broadly ovate,
apiculate; fruit globose, elobate, white, glabrous.
Tournefortia bicolor Swartz. Frequent in thickets and forest,
of the tierra caliente; region of San Ramon, at 1,200 meters or less;
Villa Colon. Widely distributed in tropical America. A small or
large, woody vine, the branches sparsely pilose or almost glabrous;
leaves petiolate, ovate to lance-ovate or elliptic, mostly 6-14 cm.
long, acute, obtuse or rounded at the base, sparsely short-pilose,
especially beneath, or almost wholly glabrous; inflorescence much
branched, often large, dense at first but open in age; sepals lanceolate
or ovate, 1-2.5 mm. long; corolla white, the tube 4-5 mm. long,
strigose, the limb 6-7 mm. broad; fruit juicy, white, glabrous, 8 mm.
long, elobate. This, like other species of the genus, is often a weedy
shrub of cutover lands.
Tournefortia bicolor var. calycosa Donn. Smith. Los Angeles
de San Ramon, Brenes 6123. Guatemala to Peru. Like the typical
form of the species, but the sepals 3-4 mm. long, linear or lanceolate.
The single Costa Rican specimen is in fruit and not altogether satis-
factory for study. Possibly it represents a species distinct from
T. bicolor, for the sepals are almost filiform and about 5 mm. long.
Tournefortia Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex ut dicitur
1 m. tantum altus, vulgo simplex, caule dense foliato crasso subtereti,
ramulis novellis dense adpresse villoso-tomentosis, foliis in axillis
aliis valde reductis saepe auctis; folia inter maxima breviter petiolata
membranacea, petiolo gracili usque 3 cm. longo sed saepe fere ad
basin marginato; lamina anguste oblanceolato-oblonga ad oblongo-
obovata 18-35 cm. longa 5.5-10 cm. lata vel ultra, acuminata, basin
versus longe sensim attenuata, supra in sicco fusco-viridis glabra,
subtus paullo paHidior ubique minutissime sparsissime strigillosa, ad
nervos venasque minute puberula, nervis lateralibus utroque latere
ca. 15 valde obliquis angulo semirecto adscendentibus, costa crassa,
nervis gracillimis paullo prominentibus; inflorescentia laxa multi-
990 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
flora foliis aequilonga vel paullo brevior repetite dichotoma longi-
pedunculata, ramis breviter viscido-hirtellis, floribus sessilibus vel
usque 2 mm. longe pedicellatis; sepala lineari-lanceolata 3-4 mm.
longa attenuata minute puberula in statu fructifero vix aucta;
corolla alba extus sparse puberula, tubo late ovoideo 6 mm. longo,
lobis anguste triangulari-oblongis longiacuminatis ca. 4 mm. longis
patentibus; drupa alba succosa late ovoideo-globosa ca. 7 mm. lata
elobata. — El Silencio (Los Angeles) de San Ramon, February, 1933,
Brenes 17103 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). La Palma de San Ramon,
1,300 meters, Brenes 3925, 3758, 5530, 3999. Near Tapesco de
Zarcero, 2,000 meters, Austin Smith H422. An exceptionally well
marked species because of the very large and narrow, almost gla-
brous leaves. It is probably related to T. subspicata Bonn. Smith,
the type of which I have not seen. If, however, the description
of that species is at all accurate, it and the present plant are
quite distinct.
Tournefortia cuspidata HBK. T. obscura DC. Changuinola
Valley, and doubtless elsewhere in the Atlantic tierra caliente.
Extending to West Indies and Bolivia. A small or large, woody vine,
the branches densely covered with very long, brown, spreading hairs;
leaves short-petiolate, lance-ovate to lanceolate or elliptic-oval, 7-15
cm. long, narrowly long-acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the base,
densely pilose on both surfaces; inflorescence usually very dense and
often congested, hirsute, the spikes short; sepals subulate or linear,
7-9 mm. long; corolla white, the tube 5-8 mm. long, densely strigose;
fruit white, juicy, ovoid, 8 mm. long, glabrous, elobate.
Tournefortia glabra L. Maiz de gallo. Frequent in thickets
of the Meseta Central; region of Dota; region of San Ramon; Atlantic
tierra caliente; Guanacaste, at least on Atlantic slope, up to 2,000
meters. Southern Mexico to Panama and West Indies. A scandent
shrub, or often erect, said to be sometimes a tree of 6 meters with
brown or light gray bark, the branchlets puberulent or glabrate;
leaves thin, slender-petiolate, lanceolate to ovate, mostly 8-15 cm.
long, acuminate at each end and often long-decurrent upon the
petiole, sparsely short-pilose or sericeous or almost glabrous; spikes
slender and often greatly elongate, the inflorescence lax and open;
calyx lobes lanceolate, long-acuminate, about 2 mm. long; corolla
pale green or whitish, the tube 4 mm. long, the lobes narrow, long-
acuminate; fruit white, juicy, as much as 9 mm. long, not lobate.
This is probably the most common species of the genus in Costa
Rica. The wood is bright yellow when cut.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 991
Tournefortia hirsutissima L. Thickets and forests of the
Pacific tierra caliente, ascending to 1,000 meters; region of San
Ramon; Guanacaste; reported from the region of Dota. Widely
distributed in tropical America. A large or small, woody vine, the
branches densely hirsute or hispid; leaves thin, short-petiolate, lance-
oblong to elliptic or ovate, mostly 7-12 cm. long, acuminate or
narrowly long-acuminate, rounded to acute at the base, very scabrous
above, usually hirsute beneath; flowers white, the inflorescence
large or small, usually dense, hirsute; sepals linear or oblong, acute,
3 mm. long or less; corolla tube 4-5 mm. long, the lobes broad,
rounded, apiculate; fruit small, subglobose, densely hispidulous.
The stiff hairs penetrate the flesh easily, and are somewhat irritant.
Tournefortia Johnstonii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex scandens
vel suberectus usque 3.5 m. altus, ramulis crassis obtuse quadrangu-
latis dense breviter hispidis, foliis in axillis aliis parvis stipuliformibus
auctis; folia magna petiolata crasse membranacea, petiolo crasso
1.5-5.5 cm. longo hispido; lamina elliptico-ovata vel elliptico-
lanceolata 13-27 cm. longa 5.5-11 cm. lata longe anguste acuminata,
basi acuta vel saepius abrupte longiacuminata, supra asperrima
dense hispida vel hispidula, subtus densissime albido-papillosa
atque hispida; inflorescentia longipedunculata 2-3-dichotoma, spicis
dense vel laxe multifloris 6-12 cm. longis, floribus arete sessilibus;
sepala anguste lineari-attenuata ca. 9 mm. longa hispidula et albido-
papillosa; corolla viridi-flavescens extus breviter hispidula, tubo
gracili superne non dilatato 1 cm. longo, lobis patentibus vel sub-
recurvis 4-5 mm. longis late triangularibus subulato-acuminatis. —
Wet forest, Cerro de Las Caricias, north of San Isidro, Prov. Heredia,
2,000-2,400 meters, Standley & Valeria 52087 (type in U. S. Nat.
Herb.), 52121. La Hondura, Prov. San Jos<§, 1,300-1,700 meters,
Standley 36601. Las Nubes, Prov. San Jose*, 1,500-1,900 meters,
Standley 38671.^ Yerba Buena, northeast of San Isidro, 2,000
meters, Standley & Valeria 50076, 49777. La Hondura de San Jose",
1,300 meters, M. Valeria 772. An unusually well marked species,
not clearly related to any other of the region. It is named for
Dr. Ivan M. Johnston, who has monographed the genus Tournefortia
as represented in northeastern South America.
Tournefortia paniculata Cham. In thickets or hedges, region
of San Ramon and in the Pacific tierra caliente, at 1,100 meters
or less. Extending to Brazil. A rather slender, woody vine, the
young branches rather densely fulvous-pilosulous; leaves rather
small, ovate to lance-ovate or elliptic-oblong, mostly 4-8 cm. long,
992 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
acute or acuminate, rounded to subacute at the base, at least when
young sparsely or densely fulvous-pilosulous; inflorescence slender
and lax, repeatedly branched, the spikes short; sepals 1-1.5 mm. long,
subulate to ovate; corolla greenish, the tube usually 3-4 mm. long,
sometimes longer, the lobes broad at the base, long-acuminate; fruit
small, conspicuously 4-lobate. The Costa Rican material is referred
by Johnston (Journ. Arn. Arb. 16: 49. 1935) to var. spigeliaeflora
(A. DC.) I. M. Johnston.
Tournefortia poasana Cufodontis, Archivio Bot. 10: 42. 1934.
Slopes of Volcan de Poas, 2,400 meters, Cufodontis 600 (type collec-
tion seen, in Herb. Field Mus.). Collected also by the present writer
at La Esperanza, southern slope of Volcan de Irazu. Endemic.
A shrub of 4 meters or less, the stout branchlets almost glabrous;
leaves slender-petiolate, ovate-lanceolate to broadly ovate, mostly
7-14 cm. long, acuminate, acute and more or less decurrent at the
base, glabrous above, very sparsely appressed-pilosulous beneath
along the nerves or almost wholly glabrous; inflorescence peduncu-
late, the few spikes 6 cm. long or less, the branches sparsely pilosu-
lous; sepals 5 mm. long, lanceolate, acute, sparsely strigose; corolla
green or yellowish, about 1 cm. long, sericeous-strigose; fruit white,
globose, 8 mm. in diameter.
Tournefortia ramonensis Standl., sp. nov.— Frutex 1-2-
metralis, ramulis obtuse tetragonis crassis densissime breviter
ferrugineo-tomentosis, internodiis elongatis; folia magna subcoriacea,
petiolo crasso 1.5-5 cm. longo dense tomentoso; lamina ovata vel
oblongo-ovata 13-18 cm. longa 5.5-7 cm. lata (interdum usque 14 cm.
lata atque sine dubio multo longior) anguste longiacuminata, basi
acuta vel saepius obtusa vel rotundata atque subito contracta et
longe decurrens, supra dense pilosula asperula, subtus densissime
molliter ferrugineo-tomentosa vel hispidula, costa crassa elevata,
nervis lateralibus parum conspicuis; inflorescentia 1-2-dichotoma
pedunculata, ramis fructiferis usque 17 cm. longis dense ferrugineo-
hispidulis multifloris, floribus sessilibus vel pedicellis crassis usque
2 mm. longis stipatis; sepala crassa lanceolata attenuata dense
ferrugineo-strigosa in statu florifero 3 mm. longa, serius accrescentia
atque usque 6 mm. longa; corolla extus densissime ferrugineo-
strigosa, vix ultra 5 mm. longa, lobis tubo duplo brevioribus latis
obtusis; drupa late ovoideo-globosa 5 mm. longa 7 mm. lata glabra. —
Los Angeles de San Ramon, April, 1928, Brenes 6118 (type in Herb.
Field Mus.). Alto de La Palma de San Ramon, 1,300 meters,
Brenes 3783.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 993
Tournefortia subspicata Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 25: 151.
1898. Plateau of Volcan de Turrialba, 2,700 meters, Pittier 877.
Plants almost glabrous outside the inflorescence; leaves long-petio-
late, obovate-elliptic, 10-12 cm. long, 4-6 cm. wide,, acuminate at
each end, minutely lepidote on the upper surface, sparsely pubescent
beneath on the nerves; inflorescence several times dichotomous,
flavescent-strigillose; sepals glabrous, ovate-lanceolate, 4 mm. long;
corolla strigillose, the tube 7 mm. long, the lobes ovate-lanceolate,
acute; ovary glabrous.
Tournefortia syringaefolia Vahl. T. peruviana Poir. Thickets
of the Atlantic tierra caliente. British Honduras to Brazil and
Peru. A woody vine, the branches sparsely short-pilose or almost
glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, ovate to broadly lanceolate, mostly
4-10 cm. long, acuminate, rounded to acute at the base, sparsely
short-strigose or glabrate; inflorescence laxly branched, large or
small, the spikes 5 cm. long or less; pedicels much thickened in fruit,
short; corolla greenish white, the tube commonly 3-4 mm. long,
sometimes longer, the lobes long-acuminate; fruit yellow or yellow-
ish, conspicuously 4-lobate.
VERBENACEAE. Verbena Family
Herbs, shrubs, or trees, sometimes scandent; leaves opposite,
verticillate, or rarely alternate; flowers perfect, regular or irregular,
mostly spicate, racemose, cymose, or paniculate; calyx inferior,
commonly persistent, 4-5-lobate or 4-5-cleft; corolla gamopetalous,
the tube cylindric, the limb 4-5-cleft; stamens 4, didynamous, rarely
2, or as many as the corolla lobes, inserted on the corolla alternate
with the lobes, the anthers 2-celled, the sacs longitudinally dehiscent;
ovary superior, 2-4-celled, composed of 2 carpels, each carpel with
2 ovules, the 4-celled ovaries with 1 ovule in each cell; style terminal,
the stigmas 1 or 2; fruit dry and separating at maturity into 2-4
nutlets, or drupaceous and containing 2-4 nutlets. — The genus
Bouchea is represented in Central America, and perhaps in Costa Rica.
AEGIPHILA Jacq.
Reference: Moldenke, A monograph of the genus Aegiphila,
Brittonia 1: 245-477. 1934.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, entire or nearly so; flowers
small, in axillary or terminal, usually paniculate cymes; calyx
subtruncate, 4-dentate or rarely 5-dentate, more or less enlarged in
fruit; corolla tube cylindric, or dilated above, the limb usually
994 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
4-lobate, the lobes equal ; stamens usually 4, the anther sacs parallel ;
ovary incompletely 4-celled, the stigma lobes 2, filiform; fruit
drupaceous, containing 1-4 nutlets. — Several additional species
occur in Central America, and a few of them, known at present from
Nicaragua or Panama, may be expected in Costa Rica.
Aegiphila aculeifera Moldenke. Cerro de La Muralla de San
Ramon, 1,300 meters, Brenes 5709. Colombia. A shrub, the young
branches densely furfuraceous, often armed with minute, recurved
prickles; leaves opposite, obovate-oblong, mostly 12-20 cm. long,
acute or acuminate, attenuate to the acute base, more or less fur-
furaceous on both surfaces, especially along the nerves and veins;
inflorescences small, supra-axillary, the cymes mostly as long as
the petioles or shorter, laxly many-flowered, densely stellate-fur-
furaceous; calyx obconic, 0.7 mm. long, densely pulverulent, some-
what bilabiate, the lobes 2 mm. long; corolla white, the tube 8 mm.
long, the 4 lobes 6 mm. long. The recurved prickles which Moldenke
emphasizes as covering the branches and inflorescence of this species
are not in evidence in the Costa Rican collection, determined by
him. They are, however, very apparent in the type specimen of
the species, which was collected in Colombia.
Aegiphila anomala Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 12: 181.
/. 19. 1909. Tabaquillo. Forests of Rio Hondo, Llanos de Santa
Clara, Atlantic tierra caliente, Pittier 16711. Siquirres; region of
San Ramon; El Silencio de Tilaran. Endemic. A shrub or small
tree of 4.5 meters, the branches densely ochraceous-puberulent;
leaves short-petiolate, oblanceolate or oblong-obovate, mostly 10-20
cm. long, acute or abruptly short-acuminate, long-attenuate to the
base, entire, densely and minutely puberulent on both surfaces;
cymes small and dense, axillary, 3 cm. long or less, few-flowered,
the branches densely puberulent; calyx 1 cm. long, densely puberu-
lent, 3-5-lobate; corolla rotate or salverform, the tube 4.5-7 mm.
long, the 5 lobes 6 mm. long; fruit glabrous, globose, about 1 cm.
in diameter. Notes by Austin Smith, based upon material collected
recently about Zarcero, supply the following information: At 1,700-
1,950 meters, on clay ridges in open forest; a tree 11-15 meters high,
of open growth, the trunk 45-60 cm. in diameter; bark brown,
corklike in structure, well sutured, thick; cambium layer cream-
yellow; leaves soft and rather lax, light green, velvety to the touch;
flower buds buffy yellow, the corolla pure white.
Aegiphila costaricensis Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov. 33: 119.
1933. Forests of Shirores, Talamanca, 100 meters, Pittier & Tonduz
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 995
9167. Pacific tierra caliente and probably also in the Atlantic;
Guanacaste. Panama to Mexico. A shrub or small tree, the branches
glabrous; leaves opposite or ternate, almost sessile, lance-oblong to
obovate, 7-20 cm. long, acute or acuminate, attenuate to the base,
entire, glabrous; cymes axillary, usually 3-flowered, the pedicels
1-1.5 cm. long, glabrous; calyx 5 mm. long, glabrate, the limb
4-lobate; corolla tube 4 mm. long, the 5 lobes 6 mm. long; fruit ovoid,
5 mm. long, umbilicate. There is some doubt as to whether this plant
is properly referable to Aegiphila , or, in fact, to the Verbenaceae.
Aegiphila Deppeana Steud. Guanacaste; reported from San
Jose*. Mexico to Colombia and French Guiana. A shrub or tree,
7 meters high or less, sometimes subscandent, the branches densely
tomentose; leaves short-petiolate, ovate or oblong-ovate, 5-15 cm.
long, acute, acuminate, or short-cuspidate, cuneate at the base,
entire, glabrate above, tomentose beneath; cymes axillary and
terminal, half as long as the leaves, many-flowered, the branches
tomentose; calyx 4 mm. long, tomentose, 4-dentate; corolla white
or pale yellow, glabrous, the slender tube 5-12 mm. long, the 4 lobes
4 mm. long; fruit 8-10 mm. long.
Aegiphila elata Swartz. Thickets of the tierra caliente; region
of San Ramon; at 1,000 meters or less. Southern Mexico to West
Indies and Bolivia. A shrub, the branches sometimes long and sub-
scandent, glabrous or nearly so; leaves short-petiolate, ovate to
oblong or elliptic, mostly 8-15 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate,
obtuse or rounded at the base, entire, glabrous above, appressed-
pilose beneath along the nerves or almost glabrous; cymes axillary
and terminal, often forming a rather large and open panicle, the
pedicels 4-8 mm. long; calyx 2-4 mm. long, distinctly 4-lobate,
puberulent; corolla yellowish, the slender tube 4-8 mm. long, the
4 lobes 3-6 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 7 mm. long.
Aegiphila falcata Bonn. Smith. Atlantic tierra caliente.
Panama to Guatemala. A tree of 13 meters or less, or a shrub,
the branches glabrous; leaves opposite, short-petiolate, oval to
obovate-oblong, 17-35 cm. long, rounded to abruptly short-acumi-
nate at the apex, broadly rounded at the base, often somewhat
falcate, glabrous; cymes axillary and forming large, terminal, thyr-
soid panicles, the pedicels 3 mm. long or less; calyx 3.5 mm. long
and wide, subtruncate, acutish at the base, puberulent; corolla
pale yellow, the tube 3-15 mm. long, the 4 lobes 6 mm. long; fruit
subtetragonal, 4 mm. long.
996 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Aegiphila glandulifera Moldenke. Collected in the region of
Alajuela by Hoffmann. Extending to Peru. A shrub, the branches
glabrate; leaves short-petiolate, oblong, 12-20 cm. long, acute or
acuminate, acute at the base, entire, glabrate and punctulate on
both surfaces; cymes solitary, axillary and terminal, 9 cm. long
or less, many-flowered, forming a terminal panicle as much as 23
cm. long and 13 cm. wide, the branches glabrous or puberulent, the
pedicels 2 mm. long; calyx glabrate, cupuliform, almost 2 mm.
long, sub truncate; corolla pale yellow, the tube almost 8 mm. long,
the 4 lobes 4.5 mm. long.
Aegiphila magnifica Moldenke. Reported from Guanacaste
and Province of San Jose". Nicaragua to Panama. A shrub, some-
times scandent, the branches densely puberulent; leaves short-
petiolate, broadly oblong, 14-20 cm. long, short-acuminate, abruptly
acute at the base, entire, finely and obscurely puberulent on both
surfaces; cymes axillary and terminal, many-flowered, forming a
thyrsoid-pyramidal, terminal panicle as much as 30 cm. long and
broad, the branches puberulent; fruiting calyx indurate, cupuliform,
4 mm. long and 9 mm. wide, puberulent; fruit somewhat tetragonal,
7 mm. long.
Aegiphila martinicensis Jacq. Changuinola Valley, and doubt-
less elsewhere in the Atlantic tierra caliente. Extending to West
Indies and Venezuela. A shrub or small tree, the branches very
minutely puberulent or glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, thin,
oblong-lanceolate to oblong, mostly 10-20 cm. long, acuminate or
narrowly long-acuminate, acute to rounded at the base, entire,
glabrous or sparsely and inconspicuously puberulent; cymes rather
lax, forming a thyrsoid, terminal panicle 17 cm. long or less, the
branches puberulent, the slender pedicels 2-4 mm. long; calyx 2-3
mm. long, truncate, minutely puberulent or glabrous; corolla white
or pale yellow, the tube 2-6 mm. long, the 4 lobes 3-6 mm. long;
fruit subglobose or ovoid, yellow or red, 5-13 mm. long.
Aegiphila odontophylla Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 25: 157. 1898.
A.fusca Oerst. in herb. Forests of southern slope of Volcan de Barba,
2,100 meters, Pittier 288. Wet forests of the central mountains,
at 2,000-2,400 meters. Endemic. A shrub or small tree, as much as
10 meters high, the trunk to 30 cm. in diameter, the bark gray or
grayish brown, roughened, the branches furfuraceous-tomentose;
leaves short-petiolate, opposite, oblong-obovate or elliptic-oblong,
7-15 cm. long, acute or short-acuminate, acute at the base, serrate
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 997
along almost the whole margin, more or less granulose-tomentose or
furfuraceous-pubescent on both surfaces; cymes all axillary, 2-4.5
cm. long, dense and many-flowered, densely tomentose, the pedicels
1-3 mm. long; calyx 5-6 mm. long, densely furfuraceous, 4-lobate;
corolla creamy white, the tube 8 mm. long, glabrous, the 4 lobes 5
mm. long; fruits pale yellow when ripe.
Aegiphila panamensis Moldenke. Thickets of the Atlantic
tierra caliente; region of San Ramon, at 1,100 meters or less. Pan-
ama. A slender shrub or small tree, the branches densely puberulent;
leaves short-petiolate, thin, blackening when dried, oblong-lanceolate
to oblong or obovate, 9-17 cm. long, abruptly acute to caudate-
acuminate, acute at the base, entire, rather densely puberulent on
both surfaces; cymes small, dense or lax, forming a terminal, thyrsoid
panicle 30 cm. long or less, the branches densely puberulent, the
pedicels 1-2 mm. long; calyx almost 3 mm. long, puberulent, trun-
cate; corolla pale yellowish, glabrous, the tube 5-7.5 mm. long, the
4 lobes 4 mm. long; fruit subglobose, 1 cm. long, truncate.
Aegiphila paniculata Moldenke. Changuinola Valley, and
doubtless elsewhere in the Atlantic tierra caliente. Nicaragua to
Colombia. A shrub or tree, 10 meters high or less, the bark grayish
white, the wood creamy white, the branches glabrous or puberulent;
leaves thin, short-petiolate, dark when dried, lanceolate or oblong,
11-18 cm. long, long-acuminate, acuminate or acute at the base,
entire, minutely puberulent on both surfaces; inflorescence a terminal,
dense, narrow panicle about 14 cm. long, the branches glabrous or
puberulent, the pedicels 1-2 mm. long; fruiting calyx cupuliform,
truncate, puberulent, 2 mm. long and 7 mm. wide; fruit 1 cm. long,
yellow, truncate at the apex. The species is close to A. panamensis
and perhaps should be united with it.
Aegiphila Standleyi Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov. 33: 140. 1933.
La Hondura, Prov. San Jose", 1,300-1,700 meters, Standley 37570.
Known only from the original collection. A shrub of 3 meters, the
branches glabrate; leaves opposite, short-petiolate, obovate, 45 cm.
long and 16 cm. wide or smaller, acute or short-acuminate, attenuate
to the base, repand-dentate, finely and sparsely puberulent on both
surfaces; cymes all axillary, many-flowered, equaling or shorter than
the petioles, short-pedunculate, the pedicels 3 mm. long; calyx
cupuliform, 3.5-4 mm. long, puberulent, subtruncate; corolla gla-
brous, the tube 1.3 mm. long, the 4 lobes 1.8 mm. long; fruit sub-
globose, 7 mm. long, glabrous.
998 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Aegiphila Valerii Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 15: 481. 1925.
Tilaran, Guanacaste, 750 meters, Juvenal Valeria 148. Known only
from the mountains of Guanacaste. A shrub or tree, 13 meters high
or less, with a broad crown, the branchlets pale-tomentose; leaves
opposite, short-petiolate, obovate, 11-25 cm. long, acute or short-
acuminate, cuneate at the base, entire, sparsely and minutely puberu-
lent above, paler beneath and rather densely short-pilose; cymes all
axillary, small, 1.5-2 cm. long, rather densely many-flowered, sessile
or short-pedunculate, the pedicels very short or none; calyx 4-5 mm.
long, truncate, puberulent; corolla glabrous, the tube 3.5 mm. long,
the 5 lobes 3 mm. long; fruit 8 mm. long.
AVICENNIA L. Black mangrove
Trees, the leaves opposite, coriaceous, entire; flowers small,
whitish, in pedunculate panicles; calyx cupuliform, sericeous, the
5 lobes persistent; corolla campanulate, the tube short, the spreading
limb 4-lobate; stamens 4; ovary sessile, 1-celled, 4-ovulate, the style
short, bilobate; fruit capsular, obliquely apiculate; seeds usually
germinating in the capsule. — One other species is known from
Central America (Salvador and Panama, and perhaps Costa Rica).
Avicennia nitida Jacq. Palo de sal, Culumate. Abundant in
mangrove (Rhizophora) swamps of the Pacific coast, and doubtless
also of the Atlantic. Widely distributed in the tropics of both
hemispheres. A tree of 15 meters or less, the bark shallowly fissured,
dark and scaly, the branchlets minutely grayish-pubescent; leaves
short-petiolate, narrowly oblong-lanceolate to oblong, mostly 8-13
cm. long, somewhat narrowed to the obtuse or rounded apex, acute
at the base, coriaceous, glabrate above, pale beneath, very densely
and minutely pubescent; panicles dense, 2-5 cm. long, the flowers
densely glomerate; corolla about 1 cm. broad, the lobes rounded;
capsule oblong or elliptic, 2-5 cm. long, sparsely pubescent. This
species, which often is only a shrub, is one of the characteristic and
usual components of the mangrove belt of the seashores of Central
America. Avicennia grows most often at the landward edges of these
swamps, especially on saline flats that are inundated at high tide.
The heartwood is dark brown, oily, very hard, heavy, tough, of
medium texture and interlocked grain, laminated, and durable, but
tending to split at the phloem layers in the wood. It is little used.
Avicennia Tonduzii Moldenke, Phytologia 1: 273. 1938. Palo
de sal. Punta Mala, Pacific coast, Tonduz 6776. Endemic. Similar
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 999
to A. nitida, of which it may be only a form or variety, but differing
in its somewhat smaller flowers.
CALLICARPA L.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite; flowers small, purple
or white, in axillary cymes; calyx small, campanulate, 4-dentate or
truncate; corolla tube short, dilated above, the limb 4-cleft, the
lobes equal; stamens 4, equal, exserted, the anther sacs parallel;
ovary incompletely 2-celled, the ovules 2 in each cell; style slender,
the stigma lobes 2; fruit a berry-like drupe, containing 1-4 nutlets.—
No other species are native in Central America.
Callicarpa acuminata HBK. Occasional in thickets of the
tierra caliente. Mexico to Bolivia. A shrub of 2-3 meters, the
branches densely stellate- tomentose; leaves short-petiolate, ovate-
oblong to elliptic, mostly 8-15 cm. long, acute to long-acuminate,
acute at the base, more or less dentate or subentire, green above and
glabrate, densely stellate- tomentose beneath or sometimes glabrate;
cymes small or large, densely many-flowered, densely stellate-
tomentose; calyx 1-1.5 mm. long, truncate; corolla white, 2.5-3.5
mm. long; drupes dark purple or black, glabrous, subglobose,
3-4.5 mm. long.
CITHAREXYLUM L.
Trees or shrubs; leaves opposite, entire; flowers small, in terminal
or axillary spikes or racemes, the pedicels bracteolate; calyx narrowly
canpanulate or tubular, minutely 5-dentate, persistent; corolla
salverform, the limb 5-lobate, slightly asymmetric; stamens 4 or 5,
the fifth one usually sterile or rudimentary, the filaments filiform;
ovary incompletely 4-celled, the stigma bilobate; fruit drupaceous,
fleshy, the osseous stone separating into two 2-seeded nutlets. — A
few additional species are known from Central America.
Citharexylum caudatum L. Dama. In thickets of the
Atlantic coast. Yucatan to Mexico and West Indies. A shrub or
small tree, the branches terete, glabrous; leaves oblong, 7-15 cm.
long, obtuse or rounded at the apex, acute at the base, glabrous,
lustrous above, short-petiolate; racemes slender and greatly elongate,
the pedicels 2-3 mm. long; calyx campanulate, 3 mm. long, sub-
truncate; corolla white, the tube twice as long as the calyx, the limb
4-5 mm. broad; drupe globose-oblong, black and shining. The long
and graceful racemes of fruit make the tree a rather showy one.
1000 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Citharexylum Cooperi Standl. Changuinola Valley. Adjacent
Panama. A small tree, the branchlets acutely quadrangular, short-
pilose at first with spreading hairs, later glabrate; leaves short-
petiolate, pale, ovate to oblong-elliptic, 7-16 cm. long, acuminate,
acute and sometimes decurrent at the base, glabrous above or nearly
so, densely velutinous-pilose beneath; racemes paniculate, 2-5 cm.
long, dense, the rachis short-pilose, the pedicels less than 1 mm.
long; calyx narrowly campanulate, 4 mm. long, sparsely hirtellous;
corolla tube 2.5 mm. long, the obtuse lobes 2 mm. long, minutely
puberulent; fruit globose, 8 mm. long.
Citharexylum costaricense Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov. 37:
219. 1934. La Palma, Prov. San Jose", 1,460 meters, Tonduz 7369.
Collected also at San Pedro Coronado, 1,400 meters. Endemic.
Branches subtetragonous, glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-
elliptic, 10-20 cm. long, 7-10 cm. wide, acute or short-acuminate,
rounded at the base, glabrous; racemes paniculate, 8-20 cm. long,
the rachis glabrous or sparsely puberulent, the pedicels 1 mm. long
or less; calyx campanulate, 3.5 mm. long, glabrous, truncate; corolla
tube 3.5 mm. long, the lobes 2 mm. long, puberulent.
Citharexylum Donnell-Smithii Greenm. Dama. Frequent
in forests, thickets, and hedges of the central region, mostly at 1,200-
2,000 meters. Ranging to Guatemala. A tree, sometimes 15 meters
high, the trunk as much as 60 cm. in diameter, the crown dense and
usually rounded, the branches terete, glabrous; bark almost black,
much furrowed and roughened; leaves slender-petiolate, lanceolate
or lance-oblong, mostly 10-20 cm. long and 3-5 cm. wide, acute to
long-acuminate, acute at the base, glabrous; racemes terminal and
solitary, 10-35 cm. long, slender and recurved, the pedicels 2-3 mm.
long, the flowers fragrant; calyx tubular-campanulate, 3 mm. long,
glabrous; corolla white, 6 mm. long, glabrous outside; drupes gla-
brous and lustrous, 6 mm. long. The tree is a handsome and showy
one because of the abundant, long racemes of orange or red drupes,
which finally turn black. The fruits are said to be much eaten by
wild pigeons.
Citharexylurn integerrimum (Kuntze) Moldenke, Phytologia
1: 17. 1933. C. villosum Jacq. var. integerrimum Kuntze, Rev. Gen.
2: 504. 1891. Costa Rica, without definite locality, Kuntze. Col-
lected by Brenes in Guanacaste. Endemic. Branches sharply
quadrangular, minutely pilosulous or glabrate; leaves ovate or elliptic,
slender-petiolate, about 6 cm. long and 3 cm. wide, acute or short-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1001
acuminate, abruptly contracted and decurrent at the acute base,
glabrous; racemes slender, paniculate, 2-5 cm. long, the rachis
minutely pilose, the slender pedicels 1-1.5 mm. long; calyx narrowly
campanulate, 2.5 mm. long, sparsely puberulent, conspicuously
dentate; corolla twice as long as the calyx, the lobes sparsely puberu-
lent outside. No proper description of this species has been published,
the present one being drawn from the Brenes collection, which may
not be typical.
Citharexylum Lankesteri Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov. 37:
229. 1934. Paso Ancho, Volcan de Irazu, 1,700 meters, Lankester
243. Known only from the original collection. Branchlets obtusely
quadrangular, densely stellate- tomentose; leaves slender-petiolate,
ovate-oblong or oblong-elliptic, 17-21 cm. long, 7-8 cm. wide,
acuminate, acute and decurrent at the base, glabrous above or nearly
so and lustrous, densely stellate- tomentose beneath; racemes axillary
and terminal, simple, 10-25 cm. long, the rachis stellate-tomentose,
the pedicels 2 mm. long or less; calyx campanulate, 3.5 mm. long,
puberulent, 5-dentate; corolla tube 3.5 mm. long, the lobes almost
3 mm. long, pubescent.
Citharexylum macradenium Greenm. Field Mus. Bot. 2:
188. 1907. La Palma, Prov. San Jose*, 1,460 meters, Tonduz 7407.
In forests, mountains of the central region, mostly at 1,100-2,000
meters; region of San Ramon. Endemic. A large shrub or small
tree, glabrous throughout, the branches 4-angulate; leaves petiolate,
lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 7-15 cm. long, 2-3.5 cm. wide,
acute at each end; racemes simple or paniculate, erect or recurved,
short or elongate, the pedicels 1.5 mm. long or less; calyx cam-
panulate, 2.5 mm. long, subtruncate; corolla white, the tube 4 mm.
long, the lobes 2 mm. long, puberulent; fruit lustrous, subglobose,
1 cm. long or less.
Citharexylum recurvatum Greenm. Field Mus. Bot. 2: 189.
1907. Rio Reventado, Prov. Cartago, 1,830 meters, Cooper 5889.
Also in Panama. Branchlets terete, glabrous; leaves petiolate, lance-
oblong to subovate, 4-11 cm. long, 1.5-3.5 cm. wide, obtuse to acute,
acute at the base, glabrous; racemes simple or paniculate, the pedicels
2-3 mm. long; calyx tubular-campanulate, 3 mm. long, minutely
5-denticulate, glabrous; fruit oblong, 5-7 mm. long, bluish black.
Citharexylum Standleyi Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov. 37: 234.
1934. Forests of Sipurio, Talamanca, 100 meters, Tonduz 8735.
Known only from the original collection. Branchlets acutely quad-
1002 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
rangular, puberulent or glabrate; leaves slender-petiolate, elliptic or
oblong-elliptic, 5-18 cm. long, 2.5-7.5 cm. wide, acute or abruptly
short-acuminate, acute at the base, lustrous on both surfaces,
glabrous or beneath sparsely and minutely puberulent; racemes
terminal, simple, recurved, 14-45 cm. long, laxly many-flowered,
the pedicels 1-1.5 mm. long; calyx 3.5-4 mm. long, tubular-campanu-
late, glabrous, truncate.
Citharexylum viride Moldenke. Puerto Jime'nez, Pacific coast,
Brenes 12332. Panama. A shrub of 2.5-3 meters, sometimes a tree
of 7 meters, the branches acutely quadrangular, puberulent or
glabrate; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-elliptic to subobovate, 7-13
cm. long, 3-5.5 cm. wide, green and lustrous when dried, acute or
acuminate, acute at the base, sparsely puberulent above, densely
puberulent beneath and often barbate along the costa; racemes simple
or paniculate, 3-14 cm. long, densely many-flowered, the pedicels
1 mm. long, puberulent; fruiting calyx 3.5 mm. long, minutely
puberulent or glabrate, 5-dentate; fruit oblong, 7 mm. long.
CLERODENDRON L.
Shrubs, herbs, or small trees, sometimes scandent, often armed
with spines; leaves opposite, entire or dentate; flowers large or small,
in terminal or axillary cymes or panicles; calyx 5-dentate or 5-parted;
corolla salverform or funnelform, the tube short or elongate; stamens
4, somewhat unequal, exserted; ovary 4-celled, the stigma bilobate;
fruit drupaceous, the 4 nutlets free or united in pairs. — One other
species is native in Central America.
Clerodendron costaricense Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex scandens
5-metralis praeter inflorescentiam glaber, ramis gracilibus sub-
teretibus ochraceis, internodiis elongatis; folia breviter petiolata
subpapyracea, petiolo crassiusculo ca. 1.5 cm. longo; lamina oblongo-
elliptica vel late elliptica 11-14 cm. longa 6-9 cm. lata abrupte
breviter obtuso-acuminata, basi obtusa vel rotundata, integra, supra
viridis lucida, costa nervisque vix elevatis, subtus fere concolor
sublucida, costa prominente, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 6
angulo lato adscendentibus arcuatis prominentibus, venulis prominu-
lis laxe reticulatis; inflorescentiae axillares triflorae graciliter 3-6 cm.
longe pedunculatae, bracteis foliaceis anguste oblongo-lanceolatis
1.5-2.5 cm. longis attenuato-acuminatis, pedicellis usque 7 mm.
longis; calyx in alabastro clausus, extus prope basin sparse minute
strigillosus, aliter glaber, ellipsoideus, 10-12 mm. longus, obscure
costatus, breviter lobatus, lobis late ovatis apice breviter caudato-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1003
apiculatis; corolla glabra hypocrateriformis, tubo 12 mm. longo
tereti 2 mm. crasso, superne non dilatato, lobis paten tibus oblongis
obtusis tubo aequilongis. — La Pena de Zarcero, 1,650 meters, April,
1938, Austin Smith H588 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Los Angeles
y La Paz de San Ramon, April, 1928, Brenes 6147. The type speci-
men is accompanied by the following notes: A scandent shrub in
Caribbean cloud forest, at edge of woodland; bark light brown;
leaves semirigid, moderately shining; flowers 4-parted; style with
bilobed, curling stigmas; corolla very pale, greenish yellow when
opening, fading to brown.
Clerodendron fragrans Vent. Milflor, Verbena. Planted com-
monly in gardens in the central region, and often thoroughly natural-
ized in waste places. Native of the Old World tropics. Plants
suffrutescent, branched or simple, a meter high or less, very leafy;
leaves long-petiolate, large, broadly ovate, cordate or truncate at
the base, acute, coarsely dentate, pubescent; flowers large, white
or pinkish, fragrant, in dense, terminal cymes, the corolla 2.5 cm.
broad. The form found in Costa Rica is var. pleniflora Schauer,
with double flowers.
Clerodendron Pittieri Moldenke, ined. Los Loros, Pacific
coast, Brenes 22048. Also in Panama. A shrub with stiff branches,
the stipule scars often conspicuously elevated and spinelike, the
branches densely and minutely appressed-pubescent; leaves short-
petiolate, oblong-obovate, 1-2 cm. long, obtuse or rounded at the
apex, acute at the base, entire, glabrous, densely puncticulate
beneath; flowers long-pedicellate, mostly solitary; calyx 3 mm. long,
minutely puberulent or glabrate, truncate; corolla about 2 cm.
long, with a long, slender tube.
Clerodendron Thomsonae Balfour. Fucsia. Often grown in
gardens for ornament. Native of western tropical Africa. A slender
vine, the branches puberulent; leaves short-petiolate, ovate-elliptic,
abruptly acuminate, entire, glabrate; flowers showy, in terminal
panicles; calyx white, 5-angulate, 1-1.5 cm. long, the broadly ovate
lobes acuminate; corolla 2.5 cm. long, the limb crimson.
CONGEA Roxb.
Scandent shrubs; leaves opposite, entire; flowers in pedunculate,
headlike cymes, these disposed in large, terminal panicles; bracts
at the base of the cymes involucre-like, large and showy; calyx
funnelform, 5-dentate; corolla tube slender, little exceeding the
1004 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
calyx, the limb bilabiate; stamens 4, exserted; ovary incompletely
2-celled; fruit small, drupaceous, globose, almost dry.
Congea tomentosa Roxb. Japonesa. Planted for ornament
about San Jose*. Native of southeastern Asia. A large vine; leaves
ovate, acute, about 7 cm. long, soft-pilose beneath; bracts large and
conspicuous, oblong or oval, pink, densely and softly pubescent;
corolla white.
CORNUTIA L.
Reference: Moldenke, A monograph of the genus Cornutia, Repert.
Sp. Nov. 40: 153. 1936.
Shrubs or small trees with brittle branches, the branchlets quad-
rangular; leaves petiolate, large and broad, densely pubescent, en-
tire; flowers small, blue or violet, in terminal, panicled cymes; calyx
campanulate, with 4-5 short teeth; corolla tube cylindric, the limb
bilabiate; perfect stamens two, 2 staminodia also present; ovary 4-
celled, villous, the style with 2 short, unequal lobes; fruit small,
drupaceous, globose, the stone 4-celled. — One or two additional
species are known from Central America.
Cornutia grandifolia (Schlecht. & Cham.) Schauer. Pavilla.
C. pyramidata var. dentata Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 506. 1891 (type
from Costa Rica, Kuntze). Frequent in thickets and forest of the
central region, at 1,950 meters or less; region of San Ramon; Atlantic
tierra caliente. Panama to Mexico. A shrub or tree of 3-9 meters,
the trunk sometimes 45 cm. in diameter, the bark rugose and corky,
creamy gray or pale brown, the branchlets densely villous-tomentose
with spreading hairs; leaves long-petiolate, elliptic to broadly ovate,
10-30 cm. long, somewhat dentate or entire, densely short- villous
beneath; panicles thyrsoid, 15-40 cm. long; calyx 1-1.5 mm. long;
corolla bluish violet or purple, about 8 mm. long; fruit 3-4 mm.
long, densely pilose. The tree is a showy and handsome one when
decorated with the abundant, large panicles of bright-colored flowers.
Cornutia grandifolia var. nornralis (Kuntze) Moldenke.
Murcielago. Thickets of the tierra caliente. Panama. Differing
from the typical form of the species in having the pubescence on the
branches, leaves, and inflorescence much shorter and more appressed,
the young flower buds being conspicuously hirsute with long, spread-
ing hairs. Like other varieties assigned to this species, this appears
to be a form of scant systematic importance.
Cornutia grandifolia var. quadrangularis (Oerst.) Moldenke
("Oerst. et Moldenke" in the original publication), Repert. Sp. Nov.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1005
40: 168. 1936. Pavilla. C. quadrangularis Oerst. ex Moldenke, loc.
cit. in syn. Near Cartago, Oersted 11200. Also in Guanacaste.
Endemic. Differing from the typical form in having the nodes
annulate with large, prominent, corky, shelflike projections;
branches of the inflorescence usually more acutely tetragonal or even
4-alate.
Cornutia grandifolia var. Storkii Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov.
40: 169. 1936. Along roadside, Santa Maria de Dota, Prov. San
Jose", 1,680 meters, Stork 1743. Known only from the region of the
type; endemic. A shrub or tree of 7 meters or less; differing from the
typical form in having a larger calyx, 2.5 mm. long.
Cornutia microcalycina Pa von. Differing from C. grandifolia
in having the branches and the rachis of the inflorescence pilose,
puberulent, or subglabrate rather than densely short-pubescent;
perhaps only a variety of that species. The typical form ranges
from Colombia to Peru. The species is represented in Costa Rica by
the following variety:
Cornutia microcalycina var. u no ma hi Moldenke. Cocos
Island. Also in Panama. Differing from the species in having the
pubescence of the leaves denser and of long, white, lustrous, multicel-
lular hairs which are appressed on the upper surface and more or
less matted beneath.
DURANTA L.
Shrubs or small trees, often armed with spines, the branches
usually long and pendent or subscandent; leaves opposite or verti-
cillate, entire or dentate; flowers small, in terminal or axillary racemes;
calyx campanulate or tubular, truncate or 5-dentate; corolla funnel-
form or salverform, the cylindric tube straight or slightly curved,
the limb oblique, 5-lobate; stamens 4, didynamous, included; ovary
partially 8-celled, the stigma oblique, sometimes 4-lobate; drupe
included in the calyx, containing 4 nutlets. — No other species are
known from Central America.
Duranta costaricensis (Donn. Smith) Standl., sp. nov. D.
repens var. acuminata Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 507. 1891 (Turrialba,
900 meters, Kuntze). D. Mutisii L. var. costaricensis Donn. Smith,
Bot. Gaz. 20: 9. 1895. La Estrella, Prov. Cartago, 1,320 meters,
Cooper 6007. Occasional in thickets and forest of the central moun-
tains, 900-1,400 meters or more. Panama. A shrub or small tree
of 2-6 meters, the long and arching branches densely short-pilose,
1006 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
armed with stout, straight, spreading spines; leaves short-petiolate,
lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, about 7 cm. long, narrowly long-
acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, entire, puberulent or glabrate
above, densely villosulous beneath; calyx tube 6 mm. long, densely
short-pilose, the narrow teeth long and slender; corolla about 1.5 cm.
long, puberulent; the fruit pale yellow. The Costa Rican plant is
apparently worthy of specific rank, and distinct from D. Mutisii, a
species of the South American Andes.
Duranta repens L. D. Plumieri Jacq. Planted for ornament
in gardens about San Jose* and doubtless elsewhere. Widely dis-
tributed in tropical America, but probably not native in Costa
Rica, unless along the Pacific coast. A shrub or small tree, the
branches usually pendent, pubescent or glabrate, armed or unarmed;
leaves slender-petiolate, broadly ovate-elliptic to oval or obovate,
2-5 cm. long, obtuse or acute, coarsely serrate or entire, glabrate;
calyx 3-4 mm. long, the teeth minute; corolla lilac or sometimes
white, puberulent, the limb 7-9 mm. wide; fruit globose, yellow,
7-11 mm. in diameter, enclosed in the accrescent, rostrate calyx.
HOLMSKIOLDIA Retz.
Shrubs with elongate, more or less clambering branches; leaves
opposite, petiolate, entire or dentate; flowers racemose or cymose;
calyx large, brightly colored, rotate; corolla cylindric, curved, the
oblique limb with 5 short lobes; stamens 4, didynamous, exserted;
fruit drupaceous, obovoid, 4-lobate.
Holmskioldia sanguinea Retz. Sombrero chino. Planted for
ornament in gardens about San Jose". Native of southern Asia.
A straggling shrub of 3-9 meters, pubescent or glabrate; leaves
ovate, entire or dentate, conspicuously gland-dotted beneath, 5-8
cm. long; flowers in dense, terminal racemes; calyx red or orange,
2.5 cm. broad, entire; corolla brick-red or orange, 2-2.5 cm. long.
LANTANA L,
Shrubs, often armed with prickles, the pubescence mostly rough,
the branchlets usually quadrangular; leaves opposite or verticillate,
dentate; flowers small, capitate or spicate, bracteate; calyx campanu-
late, truncate; corolla salverform, the tube slender, often somewhat
curved, the limb 4-5-lobate, somewhat asymmetric; stamens 4,
didynamous, included; ovary 2-celled, the stigma oblique; fruit small,
drupaceous, juicy, the nutlets 2-celled or separating into 2 one-seeded
nutlets. — A few other species may be found in Central America.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1007
Lantana Camara L. Cinco negritos, Mora de caballo, Jarilla,
Jaral, Soterre. Common in thickets and hedges of the Meseta Cen-
tral, and almost throughout the Pacific slope; not recorded from the
Atlantic tierra caliente, but doubtless to be found there. Widely
dispersed in tropical America, and introduced into the Old World
tropics, where in some regions, as in Hawaii, it has become a noxious
weed. A shrub of 1-2 meters, rough-pubescent throughout, armed
with small, recurved prickles or unarmed; leaves broadly ovate to
oblong-ovate, mostly 3-10 cm. long, obtuse to acuminate, rounded
to acute at the base, coarsely crenate-serrate; flower heads not or
scarcely elongating in fruit, the bracts lanceolate or oblong-lanceo-
late, green; corolla yellow or orange, changing to red; drupes black
and shining. The plant is abundant in many places, especially in
second-growth, and often is a troublesome weed in fields. It is
somewhat variable in foliage and pubescence, also in color of the
flowers. An infusion of the aromatic leaves is employed in domestic
medicine as a stimulant and tonic. The heads of ripe fruits bear a
striking resemblance to blackberries, an appearance that has sug-
gested the local names of Cinco negritos and Mora de caballo. Forms
of this species, often greatly modified by cultivation, are much
grown for ornament in temperate regions; in the United States they
are highly esteemed as bedding plants.
Lantana costaricensis Hayek, Repert. Sp. Nov. 2: 162. 1906.
San Jose", 1,230 meters, in 1853, Scherzer. Known only from the
original collection. Branches unarmed; leaves short-petiolate, ovate,
cuspidate-acuminate, attenuate to the petiole, crenate-serrate, rough-
setulose above, glandular beneath and sparsely pilose along the
nerves; heads not elongating, the bracts ovate, acuminate, about
equaling the corolla tube, setose, the outer ones hispidulous and
as much as 1.5 cm. long, almost twice as long as the flowers; corolla
5-7 mm. long, puberulent and glandular-punctate. Of this species
I have seen only a leaf, from the type. It is closely related to
L. hispida, to judge from the description, and may be distinct.
Lantana hispida HBK. Soterre bianco, Jaral, Mora de caballo.
Common in thickets and hedges of the central region, at middle
elevations; region of San Ramon. Extending to Mexico. A shrub
of 1-2 meters, unarmed; leaves ovate-oblong to ovate or elliptic,
3-9 cm. long, acute or acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, crenate,
scabrous above, hispidulous-strigose beneath along the nerves;
peduncles equaling or shorter than the leaves, the heads not elongat-
1008 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ing in fruit or scarcely so; bracts ovate to lanceolate, large, green;
corolla white, purple, or lilac; fruit black.
Lantana trifolia L. Frequent in thickets of the tierra caliente,
also in hedges and thickets about San Jose*. Widely distributed
in tropical America. A low shrub; leaves mostly ternate (opposite
in other species listed here), lanceolate to ovate, acute to long-
acuminate, contracted and decurrent at the base, scabrous above,
rather softly puberulent beneath, crenate-serrate; flowers spicate,
the spikes elongate, at least in fruit, often equaling or exceeding
the leaves, the bracts mostly lanceolate or lance-ovate, green;
corolla lilac or purple; fruit purple. The fruits of this and other
species often are eaten by children.
LIPPIA L.
Shrubs, trees, or perennial herbs; leaves opposite, usually dentate;
flowers small, mostly white, bracteate, spicate or capitate; calyx
small, ovoid, campanulate, or sometimes compressed and somewhat
2-alate, 2-4-dentate; corolla salverform, the limb somewhat oblique
and bilabiate, 4-lobate; stamens 4, didynamous; ovary 2-celled, the
style short, the stigma oblique or recurved; fruit drupaceous but
dry, finally separating into 2 nutlets. — Other species are found in
Central America.
Lippia alba (Mill.) N. E. Brown. Juanilama. Thickets of the
Pacific tierra caliente, ascending to the region of San Jose"; Guana-
caste; sometimes cultivated, probably for medicinal purposes.
Widely distributed in tropical America. An aromatic shrub, a meter
high or less, with slender branches; leaves petiolate, ovate to oblong,
2-7 cm. long, acute or obtuse, acute at the base, crenate, densely
short-pilose, rough on the upper surface; peduncles usually 2 at each
node, shorter than the leaves, the heads globose or short-oblong,
about 8 mm. thick, the bracts ovate, acute, not accrescent; calyx
2-dentate; corolla purple or white, the tube 4-5 mm. long. The
plant finds various uses in domestic medicine.
Lippia Berlandieri Schauer. Oregano. Cultivated frequently
in gardens. Native of Mexico, and perhaps ranging more widely.
A slender shrub, usually a meter high or less, the branches short-
pilose; leaves petiolate, oblong to ovate or oval, mostly 1.5-3.5 cm.
long, obtuse or usually rounded at the apex, rounded at the base,
crenate, densely pubescent, especially beneath; heads oblong, 4-12
mm. long, slender-pedicellate, usually 4 or more at each node, the
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1009
bracts conspicuously 4-seriate; corolla white. The aromatic leaves
are used in Costa Rica for flavoring food, also medicinally.
Lippia Brenesii Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex vel arbuscula 1-5-
metralis ut videtur dense ramosa, ramulis gracilibus sat dense pilis
brevibus albidis strigosis, internodiis brevibus vel elongatis; folia
inter minora graciliter petiolata subcoriacea, petiolo 5-14 mm.
longo strigilloso-scabro; lamina late elliptica usque ovata, interdum
oblongo-ovata, 3-6.5 cm. Tonga 1.5-4 cm. lata breviter acuminata
usque obtusa, basi cuneato-acuta vel attenuata et saepe contracto-
decurrens, arete serrata vel crenato-serrata, supra scabra dense albo-
punctata, saepe propter nervos impressos subbullata, subtus scabra
asperrima, costa nervisque valde prominentibus, nervis lateralibus
utroque latere ca. 6; flores capitati, capitulis ad nodum 2-6, peduncu-
lis gracilibus 1-2.5 cm. longis strigilloso-scaberulis; capitula in statu
fructifero vix elongata globosa 8-10 mm. lata, bracteis viridibus late
ovatis acutis vel subacuminatis scabris vel glabratis usque 6 mm.
longis in statu fructifero vix auctis; calyx compressus bidentatus vix
ultra 1 mm. longus dense albido-pilosulus; corolla alba ca. 3 mm.
longa, tubo gracili extus glabro, limbo 1.5 mm. lato, lobis late rotun-
datis extus dense puberulis intus sparsius puberulis. — Santiago de
San Ramon, camino de San Gerardo, December, 1928, Brenes 6477
(type in Herb. Field Mus.). Volcdn de Turrialba, 1,200 meters,
Pittier 7519. Caminos entre la carretera Alajuela-Grecia y el Tajo
del Rio Resales, Brenes 17509. Piedades Sur (Quebrada Honda)
por La Palma de San Ramon, Brenes 5855. Hills of Nicoya, Tonduz
13631. Between Aserri and Tarbaca, 1,200-1,700 meters, Standley
4.1349. Piedades de San Ramon, 1,000 meters, Brenes 4756. Camino
en los alrededores de Heredia, parte noroeste, 1,100 meters, Brenes
13238. Tablazo, 1,800 meters, M. Valeria 1521. Material of this
plant has been referred previously to L. myriocephala Schlecht. &
Cham., from which it is amply distinct, and to L. asperifolia Rich.
Lippia dulcis Trevir. Orozuz. Common in fields and waste
places, tierra caliente and Meseta Central, at 1,500 meters or less.
Mexico to West Indies and Colombia. Plants herbaceous and pro-
cumbent, or sometimes erect and suffrutescent, usually 30 cm. high
or less; leaves long-petiolate, oblong-ovate to broadly ovate, mostly
2-4 cm. long, acute or obtuse, coarsely crenate; flower heads solitary
in the leaf axils, long-pedunculate, about 6 mm. in diameter, elongat-
ing in age, the flowers white. The plant is decidedly aromatic. A
tea made from it is a popular local remedy for coughs and colds.
1010 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Lippia myriocephala Schlecht. & Cham. Thickets about San
Jose; region of Tilaran, Guanacaste. Ranging to Mexico. A shrub
or tree, sometimes 9 meters high ; leaves short-petiolate, lanceolate or
lance-oblong, 6-18 cm. long, usually long-acuminate, acute to atten-
uate at the base, scaberulous or smooth above, sparsely and rather
softly puberulent beneath or glabrate, sometimes tomentose, finely
serrate or entire; heads usually numerous at each node, globose or
somewhat elongate, 5-7 mm. thick, the peduncles long and slender,
the bracts not or scarcely accrescent in age; corolla white or lilac.
A good many Costa Rican collections have been referred to this
Mexican species, but I have seen only two that seemed properly
referable here, and those I am unable to distinguish from the typical
form. It may be, however, that careful study will show that the
collections I have placed here are properly referable elsewhere.
Lippia nodiflora (L.) Michx. Reported from the Atlantic coast,
growing on or near beaches. Widely distributed in tropical and
subtropical regions of both hemispheres. Plants perennial, herba-
ceous, prostrate and rooting at the nodes; leaves petiolate, rather
thick, spatulate to oblanceolate or obovate, 1-5 cm. long, usually
obtuse, cuneate at the base, serrate above the middle, minutely
pubescent or glabrate; peduncles usually longer than the leaves,
the heads at first globose, elongate and cylindric in age, 1-2.5 cm.
long; corolla purple or white, little longer than the bracts.
Lippia oxyphyllaria (Bonn. Smith) Standl., sp. nov. Caragra.
L. substrigosa Turcz. var. oxyphyllaria Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 23:
249. 1897. Te"rraba, Prov. Puntarenas, 240 meters, Pittier 3951.
Collected also at Buenos Aires, 300 meters. Endemic. A shrub or
small tree, the branches densely pilose; leaves petiolate, oblong-
elliptic or lance-oblong, mostly 6-9 cm. long, acute or acuminate,
cuneate at the base, often contracted and decurrent, closely crenate,
rather thick, rugose, densely short-pilose above, asperulous, more
densely and softly pilose beneath, the nerves and veins very promi-
nent; heads usually 2 in each axil, subglobose, 2.5 cm. wide, the
peduncles long and recurved, the bracts large, broadly ovate, accres-
cent in age. It is probable that most of the material reported from
Costa Rica as L. umbellata Cav. is referable to this endemic species,
which is distinguished from other local species by the broad heads
with accrescent bracts.
Lippia Torresii Standl., sp. nov. — Caragre. Arbor 4-12-metra-
lis, ramulis novellis acute angulatis dense breviter pilis sordidis
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1011
hispidulis; folia majuscula petiolata membranacea, petiolo gracili
1.5-2.5 cm. longo dense hispidulo; lamina ovato-oblonga plerumque
12-21 cm. longa atque 6-9 cm. lata acuta vel subacuminata, basi
subabrupte cuneato-attenuata, supra sparse villosula tactu mollis,
plus minusve ob venulas arete reticulatas bullata, subtus multo
pallidior ubique dense pilis rectis patentibus sed plus minusve inter-
textis velutino-pilosa, costa gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque
latere ca. 10 arcuatis angulo latiusculo adscendentibus, toto margine
arete crenulato; flores dense capitati, capitulis in statu fructifero
globosis 1 cm. diam., pedunculis axillaribus fasciculatis gracillimis ca.
1.5 cm. longis dense hispidulis; bracteae pallido-virides ut videtur in
statu fructifero accrescentes membranaceae venosae ciliolatae fere
glabrae apice late rotundatae; calyx fere 2 mm. longus dense villo-
sulus; corolla viridi-alba extus fere omnino glabra sed ad lobos
puberula, tubo gracili 2 mm. longo, lobis latis 1 mm. longis.—
Tapezco de Zarcero, 1,950 meters, March, 1938, Austin Smith H436
(type in Herb. Field Mus.). Zarcero, 1,350 meters, Smith Hi 87,
4183. Wet forest, Viento Fresco, Prov. Alajuela, 1,600-1,900
meters, February, 1926, Paul C. Standley & Ruben Torres Rojas
47937. Near El Copey, Prov. San Jose", 2,300 meters, December,
1925, Standley 43519. Available material is rather ample, showing
that the plant represented is clearly a species distinct from all others
enumerated here. The large leaves, with finely crenate margins, are
noteworthy for the very dense, velvety or almost tomentose indu-
ment of the lower surface. Regarding this species, Austin Smith's
notes give the following information: Growing in the open along
roadways or in forest; trunk 15-35 cm. in diameter, the bark dark
brown to neutral gray, roughened and with moderate striations;
cambium layer greenish; leaves aromatic; flowers chrome yellow.
PETREA L.
Reference: Moldenke, A monograph of the genus Petrea, Repert.
Sp. Nov. 43: 1. 1938.
Usually scandent shrubs, glabrous or with rough pubescence;
leaves opposite, coriaceous, entire; flowers in elongate, terminal or
axillary racemes; calyx tube turbinate, 5-15-costate, the 5 lobes
oblong, spreading, bright-colored, greatly enlarged after an thesis;
corolla tube shbrt, cylindric, the limb oblique, 5-lobate; stamens 4,
didynamous, included; ovary imperfectly 2-celled, the stigma thick,
usually oblique, didymous; fruit included in the calyx, dry or nearly
so, 2-seeded or by abortion 1-celled and 1-seeded. — One other Central
American species occurs in Panama.
1012 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Petrea volubilis L. Choreque. Frequent in thickets and dry
forests of the Pacific tierra caliente; Guanacaste; region of San
Ramon; sometimes cultivated for ornament about San Jose. Widely
distributed in tropical America. A large, woody vine; leaves short-
petiolate, elliptic-oblong to elliptic-oval or obovate-oblong, 5-14
cm. long, obtuse or acute, often subcordate at the base, scaberulous
or somewhat pilose or sometimes glabrate; flowers bright blue, in
long, pendent racemes; calyx lobes oblong or linear-oblong, in fruiting
state 1.5-2 cm. long, obtuse or acute; corolla about 1 cm. long. In
Florida, where the vine is sometimes grown for ornament, it is known
by the name Purple wreath. It is exceptionally handsome when in
flower, the pendent racemes being somewhat suggestive of the
wistaria. A white-flowered form, P. volubilis f. albiflora Standl.,
comb. nov. (P. arborea f. albiflora Standl. Field Mus. Bot. 11: 140.
1932; P. volubilis var. albiflora Moldenke, Rev. Sudamer. Bot. 5:
2. 1937), has been collected in British Honduras, and may be
expected in Costa Rica. In passing, it may be remarked that most
botanists agree in according the status of form rather than variety
to casual color forms. All or most Central American material prev-
iously referred to P. arborea HBK. is really P. volubilis L.
PRIVA Adans.
Reference: Moldenke, Repert. Sp. Nov. 41: 1. 1936.
Perennial herbs with harsh pubescence; leaves opposite, thin,
sessile or petiolate, dentate; inflorescence racemose, terminal or
axillary, the flowers small; calyx tubular, 5-costate, with 5 short
teeth, accrescent in age and closely investing the fruit, contracted
at the apex; corolla salverform or funnelform, somewhat zygomorphic,
the tube straight or somewhat curved, the limb somewhat bilabiate;
stamens 4, didynamous, included; ovary 4-celled or by abortion 2-
celled, the stigma bilobate; fruit dry, composed of two 2-celled cocci,
which separate easily at maturity. — One other species is known from
Central America.
Priva aspera HBK. Churrite. A weed in waste places of the
tierra caliente, ascending to the Meseta Central. Ranging to
Mexico. An herb, usually erect, a meter high or less, the stems
acutely quadrangular, short-pilose; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate
to oval, mostly 6-10 cm. long, acute or acuminate, obtuse or acute
at the base, crenate-serrate, scabrous above, short-pilose beneath;
racemes 7.5-30 cm. long, many-flowered, the pedicels 1-2 mm. long;
calyx 4.5 mm. long; corolla pink to purple, almost 1 cm. long; cocci
of the fruit 3 mm. long, subglobose, the inner surface deeply excavate.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1013
Priva lappulacea (L.) Pers. Waste places of the Atlantic tierra
caliente, and perhaps elsewhere. Widely distributed in tropical
America. Similar to the preceding species, but the stems rather
obtusely angulate and rather more slender; leaves ovate, subtruncate
or subcordate at the base, coarsely crenate; racemes mostly shorter;
calyx 2-3 mm. long in anthesis; corolla somewhat shorter, blue;
cocci flat on the inner surface, not excavate. Called Mozotillo in
Nicaragua. The pubescence of the plant consists in part of small,
uncinate hairs, by means of which the leaves and calyces adhere
closely to clothing and other objects. Forms with white corollas are
found occasionally. This and the preceding are common dooryard
and roadside weeds in many parts of tropical America.
REHDERA Moldenke
Reference: Moldenke, A monograph of the genus Rehdera,
Repert. Sp. Nov. 39: 47. 1935.
Shrubs or small trees; leaves opposite, triplinerved, petiolate,
entire; inflorescence racemose, short, nutant; calyx tubular, indurate,
splitting in age and sometimes deciduous; corolla salverform, regular,
the tube as long as the calyx, the limb 5-lobate; stamens 4, didyna-
mous; style glabrous, the stigma somewhat bilobate; ovary 2-car-
pellate, 4-celled; fruit drupaceous, obovoid-oblong. — Two other
species are known in the genus, both Guatemalan.
Rehdera trinervis (Blake) Moldenke. Citharexylum trinerve
Blake; C. macrocarpum Standl. Forests or thickets of Nicoya.
Extending to Salvador and Yucatan. A tree of 10 meters or less,
with rounded crown, the branchlets glabrate or puberulent; leaves
slender-petiolate, coriaceous, broadly elliptic or obovate, 2-9 cm.
long, acute to rounded at the apex, acute at the base, glabrous or
nearly so, conspicuously triplinerved; racemes simple, 2-4 cm. long,
the rachis puberulent, the pedicels 1 mm. long or less; calyx 5 mm.
long, glabrous; corolla tube 4.5-5 mm. long, the lobes of equal length,
pubescent within; fruit 8 mm. long and 6 mm. wide, almost dry,
glabrous, splitting at maturity into 2 cocci.
STACHYTARPHETA Vahl
Annual or perennial herbs or low shrubs; leaves mostly opposite,
dentate; flowers spicate, solitary and sessile in the axils of bracts or
sunken in furrows in the rachis; calyx 5-lobate; corolla tube cylindric
or somewhat dilated above, the limb spreading, 5-lobate; stamens 2,
included; ovary 2-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell; fruit included in
1014 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
the calyx, dry, separating at maturity into 2 nutlets. — Two or three
other species are known from Central America.
Stachytarpheta cayennensis (L. Rich.) Vahl. Thickets and
waste places of the Pacific slope, ascending to 1,800 meters. Widely
distributed in tropical America. Plants herbaceous or somewhat
frutescent, usually a meter high or less, slender, branched, the
branches pilose or glabrate; leaves slender-petiolate, broadly ovate
to elliptic, 3-7 cm. long, obtuse or acute, obtuse to cuneate at the
base and decurrent, coarsely serrate or crenate, more or less pilose
on both surfaces, usually rough above; spikes 25 cm. long or less,
slender, the furrows almost as broad as the rachis; corolla blue,
rarely white, the limb about 5 mm. broad.
Stachytarpheta Frantzii Polak. Linnaea 41: 593. 1877. Road-
sides near Barba, Polakowsky 343 (photo, of type seen, ex herb.
Berlin). Occasional in thickets, hedges, and waste places of the
Meseta Central, and in the upper part of the Atlantic tierra caliente,
chiefly at 750-1,200 meters. Endemic. Plants stout, much branched,
often woody, 2.5 meters high or less, the branches densely pilose;
leaves petiolate, 10 cm. long or less, oval to ovate, obtuse or acute,
abruptly contracted and decurrent at the base, coarsely serrate,
pilose and scabrous above, densely pilose beneath or tomentose;
spikes 30 cm. long or less, very stout, the rachis much broader than
the furrows; corolla purple, the slender tube 1.5 cm. long. Material
of this species has been referred to S. mutabilis (Jacq.) Vahl, to
which the plant is related, if, indeed, it is distinct.
Stachytarpheta jamaicensis (L.) Vahl. Thickets of the
Atlantic tierra caliente, often growing on sea beaches; also on the
Pacific slope, at middle or low elevations; Guanacaste. Widely
distributed in tropical regions of both hemispheres. Plants stout,
herbaceous, a meter high or less, the stems glabrous or sparsely
and inconspicuously pilose; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong to ovate
or oval, 3-8 cm. long, very obtuse, narrowed at the base, crenate,
glabrous or nearly so; spikes stout, 10-25 cm. long, almost glabrous,
the rachis much broader than the furrows; corolla blue, about 1 cm.
long, the limb 8 mm. broad.
VERBENA L.
Reference: Lily M. Perry, A revision of the North American
species of Verbena, Ann. Mo. Bot. Gard. 20: 239-362. 1933.
Mostly herbs, the leaves opposite, often deeply lobate or parted;
flowers bracteate, often large and showy, in terminal spikes; calyx
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1015
tubular, 5-angulate, 5-dentate; corolla commonly salverform, the
limb spreading, regular or nearly so; ovary 4-celled, the style bilobate;
fruit dry, enclosed in the calyx, finally separating into four 1-seeded,
linear or oblong nutlets. — One or two additional species occur in
Central America.
Verbena litoralis HBK. Verbena. Frequent in waste places,
often in cultivated fields, tierra caliente, ascending to the Meseta
Central, mostly at 1,300 meters or less, but sometimes at somewhat
higher elevations. Widely distributed in tropical America. Plants
erect, a meter high or less, the stems quadrangular, glabrous or
sparsely strigillose, slender; leaves slender-petiolate to subsessile,
lanceolate to oblong, attenuate to the base, coarsely serrate, sparsely
strigillose, scabrous above; spikes very slender, dense or interrupted;
calyx 2-2.5 mm. long; corolla small, purple, the limb 2.5-3 mm.
wide; nutlets scarcely 2 mm. long. The plant is employed in domestic
medicine as a remedy for fevers.
Verbena teucrioides Gill. & Hook. Verbena. Cultivated com-
monly in gardens as an ornamental plant. Native of southern
South America. The common garden verbena, with flowers ranging
from white to pink, red, or purple, is a favorite garden flower of
Central America, especially in the temperate regions. The proper
specific name of the garden plants, which may be in part of hybrid
origin, is somewhat uncertain.
LABIATAE. Mint Family
Herbs, shrubs, or small trees, mostly aromatic, the stems usually
quadrangular; leaves opposite, simple, entire or dentate; stipules
none; flowers perfect, usually irregular, variously arranged; calyx
inferior, persistent, 5-dentate or 5-lobate, usually bilabiate but
sometimes regular, the upper lip bilobate or entire, the lower lip
commonly 3-lobate; stamens borne on the corolla tube, typically 4
and didynamous, sometimes 2, the filaments alternate with the
corolla lobes, the anthers normally 2-celled; ovary 4-lobate or 4-
parted, superior, each division 1-ovulate; style arising from the
center of the ovary, bilobate at the apex; fruit of four 1-seeded
nutlets. — A few other genera are represented in Central America.
COLEUS Lour.
Rather succulent herbs, the leaves broad, dentate or incised;
flowers small, blue or lilac, verticillate in terminal spikes or racemes;
calyx campanulate, 5-dentate; corolla bilabiate, the lower lip
1016 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
elongate, concave, entire; stamens 4, declined, the anthers 1 -celled;
nutlets smooth. — No species of this genus are native in America.
Coleus amboinicus Lour. Grown commonly in gardens as an
ornamental plant. Native of southeastern Asia. Plants sometimes
suffrutescent; leaves broadly deltoid-ovate, crenate, pilose- tomentose,
at least beneath; flowers almost sessile, on very short pedicels.
Coleus Blumei Benth. A common garden plant. Native of the
East Indies. Plants herbaceous, puberulent or glabrate; leaves
highly variable in shape and color, often variegated, dentate or
incised; flowers on pedicels 1.5-2.5 mm. long.
CUNILA L.
Herbs or shrubs; leaves usually small, serrate or entire, mem-
branaceous; flowers small, in dense or lax verticels, these axillary
or in terminal racemes or cymes; calyx tubular, 10-13-nerved,
densely white-barbate in the throat, the 5 teeth subequal; corolla
small, bilabiate; stamens 2. — No other species are known from
Central America.
Cunila polyantha Benth. Region of Santa Maria de Dota,
1,500-1,800 meters, in thickets. Ranging to southern Mexico.
Plants very slender, densely branched, herbaceous or somewhat
woody, often somewhat scandent and 3 meters long, the branches
villosulous; leaves narrowly lanceolate to broadly ovate, 2-5 cm.
long, acute to long-acuminate, entire or serrulate, almost sessile,
thinly tomentose or glabrate beneath, almost glabrous above;
corolla white, 4 mm. long, almost twice as long as the calyx; stamens
long-exserted. The leaves have the odor of American pennyroyal
(Hedeoma).
HYPTIS Jacq.
Reference: Epling, Synopsis of the genus Hyptis in North
America, Repert. Sp. Nov. 34: 73. 1933.
Herbs or shrubs, usually erect and branched, the leaves mostly
dentate, the flowers variously disposed; calyx tubular to campanu-
late, equally 5-dentate, the teeth acute or aristate; corolla bilabiate,
the upper lip erect or spreading, the lower saccate and pendent;
stamens 4, declined, the anthers 2-celled; nutlets smooth or rough.
— A few other species are known from Central America.
Hyptis brachiata Briq. Savannas and other grassy places,
Pacific tierra caliente. Extending to Colombia and Venezuela.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1017
Plants stout, erect, usually a meter high or less, simple or sparsely
branched, the stems densely tomentose; petioles only 3-5 mm.
long; leaf blades ovate, 4-6 cm. long, thick, obtuse, rounded at the
base, serrate-crenate, villous above, densely ferruginous-tomentose
beneath; flowers capitate, the heads 2 cm. or less in diameter, on
stout peduncles 2 cm. long or less, the bracts ovate-lanceolate, 6-8
mm. long; calyx in an thesis 5-6 mm. long, the teeth setaceous, equal-
ing the tube; corolla tube 5-6 mm. long.
Hyptis brevipes Poit. Region of San Ramon, at about 1,000
meters, and elsewhere on the Pacific slope. Widely distributed in
tropical America. A slender annual, 60 cm. high or less, branched,
the stems appressed-hirsute; leaves petiolate or sessile, mostly
elliptic-lanceolate and 4-6 cm. long, acute, long-attenuate to the
base, serrate, villous-hirsute; flowers capitate, the heads 1 cm. or
slightly more in diameter, the peduncles only 3-15 mm. long, the
bracts narrowly lanceolate, villous-ciliate, 4-6 mm. long; calyx
tube 2.5-3 mm. long, the teeth setaceous, 1.5-2.5 mm. long; corolla
white, the tube 2.5-3 mm. long.
Hyptis capitata Jacq. Churrite, Coquita, Biojo. Frequent in
thickets or waste places about the Meseta Central, and in the Atlantic
tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; Cocos Island. Widely dis-
tributed in tropical America. A coarse, annual or perennial herb,
1-2 meters high, or often lower, the stems sparsely villous with
spreading or subappressed hairs or almost glabrous; leaves petiolate,
thin, ovate or broadly ovate, 5-12 cm. long or larger, acute or obtuse,
cuneate-attenuate to the base, serrate, sparsely pilose or glabrate;
flowers capitate, the heads 2-2.5 cm. in diameter, long-pedunculate;
bracts ovate-lanceolate; calyx tube in fruit about 1 cm. long, glabrous
or nearly so, the teeth subulate; corolla white, the tube 3-4 mm. long.
The plant is a common weed about dwellings and in waste places
generally. All or most of the Costa Rican material would be placed,
according to Epling's treatment, in H. decurrens (Blanco) Epling,
which does not seem to the present writer to be definitely separable
from H. capitata, of which it may represent a variety. As indige-
nous Indian names Pittier reports Sure"m-kra (Brunka) and Kun-guo
and Kung-ua (TeVraba).
Hyptis conferta Pohl var. angustifolia Benth. H. constricta
Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 217. 1898 (near Turrialba, Pittier
3719). Savannas or other grassy places of the Pacific tierra caliente.
Widely distributed in tropical America. A branched, perennial herb
1018 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
60 cm. high or less, the stems glabrous to hirsute; leaves subsessile;
narrowly elliptic, 6-10 cm. long, acutish at each end, pubescent or
hirsute, sometimes almost glabrous; flowers capitate, the heads 2 cm.
in diameter, on villous peduncles 1-3 cm. long; bracts ovate-lanceo-
late, cinereous-pubescent, 7-8 mm. long; calyx tube at anthesis
2-2.5 mm. long, the teeth subulate, the tube in fruit 5-6 mm. long;
corolla white, the tube 4-5.5 mm. long.
Hyptis lantanaefolia Poit. H. lantanaefolia var. costaricensis
Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Geneve 2: 222. 1898 (savannas at
Buenos Aires, Pittier 3716). Savannas and other grassy places of
the Pacific tierra caliente, also in the region of San Ramon, ascending
to 1,200 meters; Las Concavas, south of Cartago. Widely dis-
tributed in tropical America. A branched perennial, the stems
mostly decumbent and sometimes rooting at the lower nodes,
appressed-hirsute or villous; leaves subsessile, ovate to elliptic, 1.5-5
cm. long, obtuse at each end, sometimes subcuneate at the base,
crenate-serrate, hirtellous or hirsute above, often pale beneath and
hirsute- villous; flowers capitate, the heads 12-20 mm. in diameter,
the bracts ovate or obovate, 5-8 mm. long, often serrate, hirsute,
the peduncles 2-7 cm. long; calyx tube at anthesis 1.5-2.5 mm. long,
in age 4-5 mm. long, pilose outside at the base, the teeth subulate,
1.5-3.5 mm. long; corolla pink or white, the tube 4 mm. long.
Hyptis Mociniana Benth. Asterohyptis Mociniana Epling;
H. alopecuroides Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 201. 1898 (near
San Mateo, Biolley 7099); H. Biolleyi Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard.
Geneve 2: 200. 1898 (between San Mateo and San Ramon, Biolley
7010). Pacific slope, at 1,000 meters or less; region of San Ramon;
Guanacaste. Extending to Mexico. A slender shrub, 1-2.5 meters
high, the branches brownish, villous-hirsute; leaves petiolate to sub-
sessile, ovate, mostly 2-4 cm. long, acuminate, obtuse to subcordate
at the base, serrate, tomentulose beneath; flowers sessile in dense
clusters, these arranged in long, narrow, panicled spikes; calyx small,
densely hirtellous, the teeth slender, stiff, spinose, spreading in fruit;
corolla white. Easily recognized by the shrubby habit and the stiff,
spinelike, spreading calyx teeth.
Hyptis mutabilis (A. Rich.) Briq. Churrite, Chan. Common
in fields and thickets of the Meseta Central, and at lower elevations
on the Pacific slope, probably descending to the coast; region of San
Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America. A branched herb,
usually 1.5 meters high or less, the branches glabrous to villous;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1019
leaves petiolate, thin, ovate or rhombic-ovate, mostly 3-6 cm. long,
acute or acuminate, rounded and abruptly decurrent or cuneate at
the base, crenate-serrate, hirtellous to tomentose beneath or rarely
glabrate; flowers in dense, bracteate clusters, these arranged in dense
spikes, the bracts elliptic-ovate, acuminate; calyx tube in flower
1.5-2 mm. long, in fruit 4 mm. long, villosulous near the base, the
teeth setaceous, 1 mm. long; corolla purple, the tube 3-4 mm. long.
The plant is an abundant weed in many places about the Meseta
Central, often forming dense thickets.
Hyptis oblongifolia Benth. is reported by Epling from Costa
Rica, but the single specimen cited (from Volcan El Viejo) is actually
Nicaraguan. The species is found also in Panama, and is to be
expected, therefore, in Costa Rica.
Hyptis pectinata Poit. Thickets, fields, and hedges, Meseta
Central and region of San Ramon, mostly at 1,000-1,200 meters;
perhaps also at lower elevations. Widely distributed in tropical
America. A much branched herb, usually 1-2 meters high, the
branches scaberulous or pubescent; leaves slender-petiolate, mostly
ovate and 2-7 cm. long, acute or acuminate, rounded or subcordate
at the base, crenate-serrate, puberulent to tomentose beneath;
flowers in small, very dense, headlike cymes, these racemose or
spicate, on peduncles scarcely more than 2 mm. long, the bracts
linear-setaceous; calyx tube at an thesis 1 mm. long, the teeth seta-
ceous, of about the same length; corolla white. A common weed in
many localities.
Hyptis obtusiflora Presl. Waste places of the Atlantic tierra
caliente; region of San Ramon. Ranging to Bolivia. Plants herba-
ceous or suffrutescent, a meter high or less, the stems appressed-
pilose; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate to oblong-ovate,
mostly 3.S-6 cm. long, acute at each end, serrate, sparsely villous-
pilose on both surfaces; flowers capitate, the heads globose, 1 cm.
or less in diameter, on stout peduncles shorter than the heads; calyx
very small, the short teeth triangular; corolla white.
Hyptis pulegioides Pohl. Collected near San Jos£ and in the
region of El General. Widely distributed in tropical America.
Plants annual, simple or branched, the stems appressed-hirsute;
leaves short-petiolate or subsessile, elliptic-lanceolate, 3-8 cm. long,
acute, cuneate-attenuate to the base, serrate, hirsute; flowers capi-
tate, the heads globose, 1 cm. in diameter, the bracts linear, the
1020 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
peduncles 1 cm. long or less, often none; calyx in flower 2.5 mm.
long; corolla tube 2 mm. long.
Hyptis recurvata Poit. Pacific slope, at 1,200 meters or less;
region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America.
Plants annual or perennial, herbaceous, a meter high or less, branched,
the stems villous; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate or broadly ovate,
3-9 cm. long, acute, rounded and often cordate at the base, irregu-
larly serrate, hirsute on both surfaces; flowers capitate, the heads
globose, 1 cm. in diameter, on peduncles 2^4 cm. long, the bracts
linear-setaceous; calyx in flower 3 mm. long, hispidulous, the teeth
equaling the tube, setaceous; corolla white, the tube 5 mm. long.
Hyptis savannarum Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Geneve 2:
216. 1898. Savannas near Boruca, Pittier 4511. Collected also at
Canas Gordas and in the region of Cartago. Panama to Salvador.
Plants perennial, usually a meter high or less, the stems glabrous;
leaves short-petiolate or sessile, elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic, 6-12 cm.
long, acute, cuneate-attenuate to the base, coriaceous, acutely
serrate, almost glabrous; flowers capitate, the heads globose, in age
2-3 cm. in diameter, the bracts 8-15 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate,
glabrous, acute, the peduncles mostly 3-7 cm. long; calyx tube in
anthesis 3.5 mm. long, in age 7-8 mm. long, glabrous or nearly so,
the teeth acicular, 3-5 mm. long; corolla tube 6-7 mm. long.
Hyptis sidaefolia Briq. Reported by Epling from Rio Tiliri
near San Jose", Tonduz 3143. Guatemala to Venezuela and Peru.
Plants erect, branched, the stems pilose- villous; leaves petiolate,
ovate, 3-5 cm. long, acute, rounded at the base, irregularly serrate,
soft-hirsute above, short- villosulous and pale beneath; flowers in
headlike cymules, these on peduncles 2-3 cm. long, about 1 cm. in
diameter, arranged in leafy panicles, the bracts linear-subulate;
calyx in flower 2.5 mm. long, the teeth subulate, 1 mm. long; corolla
pale purple, the tube 4 mm. long. I have not seen the Costa Rican
specimen reported by Epling. The speqies, however, is very close
to H. urticoides, and it seems probable, since only a single specimen
referable to this species has been found among all the material col-
lected about San Jose", that the number listed as H. sidaefolia is
nothing more than H. urticoides.
Hyptis sinuata Pohl. Region of Boruca, 450 meters. H.
sinuata var. borucensis Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Geneve 2: 228.
1898 (near Boruca, Pittier 3746). Widely distributed in tropical
America. An erect, branched herb, a meter high or less, the branches
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1021
villous; leaves petiolate, broadly ovate, mostly 6-8 cm. long, sub-
acute, truncate and abruptly decurrent at the base, crenate, hirsute-
villous, especially beneath; flowers capitate, the heads 1.5-2 cm. in
diameter, the bracts linear-lanceolate, 10-12 mm. long, ciliate, the
peduncles villous, 1-3 cm. long; calyx tube in anthesis 2-2.5 mm.
long, in age 4-7 mm. long, glabrous, the teeth subulate, 1-1.5
mm. long, hispid- villous; corolla white, the tube 4.5-6 mm. long.
Hyptis suaveolens (L.) Poit. Chian, Chan. Frequent in waste
places or thickets of the Pacific tierra caliente; Guanacaste; region
of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America. Plants
coarse and stout, essentially annual, branched, 1.5 meters high or
less, the stems glandular- villous and hirsute; leaves long-petiolate,
ovate, 4-10 cm. long, usually acute, rounded or subcordate at the
base, serrate, villosulous or hirsute; flowers in small, dense cymules,
these mostly solitary in the upper axils, or subspicate; calyx in flower
4-5 mm. long, the tube in fruit 5-7 mm. long, villous or hirsute, the
teeth long, subulate, rigid; corolla bluish or purple, the tube 4-6
mm. long. The seeds, which exude mucilage when soaked in water,
are often employed for preparing a refreshing beverage. The
aromatic, dried foliage is sometimes placed in rooms to keep away
mosquitoes. Pittier reports the Te"rraba name of Tshian-ko.
Hyptis urticoides HBK. Frequent in thickets and fields of
the Meseta Central, and on the upper part of the Pacific slope, mostly
at 1,000-1,800 meters; region of San Ramon. Extending to southern
Mexico. Plants rather slender, erect, branched, 1-2 meters high,
herbaceous, the branches crisp-pubescent and pilose; leaves thin,
slender-petiolate, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 3-8 cm. long, obtuse
or acute, rounded at the base, serrate, hirtellous above, villous or
tomentose beneath and often pale; flowers in dense, headlike
cymules on slender peduncles 1-2.5 cm. long, forming large, leafy
panicles, the bracts linear or filiform; calyx in flower 2.5-3 mm. long,
villous, the teeth subulate, equaling the tube, the teeth somewhat
unequal, in fruit as much as 2 mm. long; corolla pale purple, the
tube 3.5-4 mm. long.
Hyptis verticillata Jacq. Juanilama mocha, Canilla de mula.
Frequent in thickets of the tierra caliente; Guanacaste. Widely
distributed in tropical America. A slender, densely branched shrub,
usually 2.5 meters high or less, the branches appressed-pilosulous;
leaves short-petiolate, lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 3-10 cm.
long, acute, attenuate to the base, serrate, puberulent or glabrate;
1022 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
flowers very small, white, in dense verticels, these forming elongate,
slender, much interrupted, leafy spikes or racemes, the bracts small,
setaceous; calyx tube 1 mm. long, glabrate, the teeth ovate-deltoid,
almost as long as the tube; corolla 3 mm. long. Pittier states that
an infusion of the plant is a domestic remedy for colic, and this
species is much used medicinally throughout Central America.
Hyptis vilis Kunth & Bouche". Regions of San Ramon and
Navarro; La Hondura de San Jose'; at 1,000-1,500 meters. Also
in Nicaragua and Venezuela. Plants herbaceous, often decumbent,
the stems mostly 30-60 cm. long, villous; leaves sessile, narrowly
lance-oblong, 8-10 cm. long, acute, narrowed to a truncate or
subcordate base, serrate, sparsely hirsute; flowers capitate, the heads
globose, about 1.5 cm. in diameter, the bracts oblong-lanceolate,
5-6 mm. long, the peduncles 3-5 cm. long; calyx at anthesis 4 mm.
long, the teeth subulate, almost equaling the tube; corolla white,
the tube 4-4.5 mm. long.
LEONURUS L.
Herbs with palmate-lobate or dentate leaves; flowers small,
white or pink, verticillate in the leaf axils; calyx tubular-campanulate,
5-nerved, almost equally 5-dentate, the teeth rigid, subulate or aristi-
form; corolla bilabiate, the upper lip erect, entire, the lower lip
spreading or deflexed, 3-lobate; anthers 2-celled; nutlets 3-angulate.
—No species of the genus are native in America.
Leonurus sibiricus L. Chiquiza. Naturalized abundantly
along roadsides, in fields, and in waste places about the Meseta
Central, sometimes found rather high on the slopes of the volcanoes.
Native of the Old World. Plants annual or biennial, erect, usually
less than a meter high, branched, puberulent or glabrate, the stems
quadrangular; leaves long-petiolate, 3-parted into narrow, acute
or acuminate, incised segments; calyx 6 mm. long, glabrous or
puberulent; corolla purple-pink, densely puberulent, 8-12 mm. long.
LEPECHINIA Willd.
Perennial herbs; leaves usually rugose and dentate, the floral
leaves reduced to small bracts; flowers small, verticillate, the verticels
remote or aggregate to form a dense spike; calyx broadly campanu-
late, 10-nerved and reticulate-veined, subbilabiate, the teeth aristate,
the calyx enlarged in fruit, declinate; corolla tube shorter than the
calyx, the limb shortly bilabiate, the upper lip suberect, plane,
emarginate, the lower 3-lobate; stamens 4, didynamous, the anthers
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1023
2-celled; nutlets ovoid, smooth. — One other Central American species
occurs in Guatemala.
Lepechinia alpina (Oerst.) Standl., comb. nov. Sphacele alpina
Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 1852: 36. 1853. Alguelagum alpi-
num Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 572. 1891. Alpine region of Volcan de
Irazu, at 2,880-3,000 meters, Oersted 15775 (photo, of type seen,
ex herb. Copenhagen). Paramo thickets of Cerro de Las Vueltas,
at 3,000 meters. Endemic. Plants about 30 cm. high, the stems
simple, or branched above, hirsute- villous; basal leaves long-petiolate,
oblong-triangular and subhastate, about 8 cm. long and 4 cm. wide,
narrowed to the obtuse apex, truncate at the base, undulate-crenate,
green above, glandular and sparsely long-pilose, paler beneath,
densely long- villous; verticels of flowers few and distant, the pedicels
about 2 mm. long; calyx in fruit 15 mm. long, costate, glandular-
punctate and densely long- villous; corolla pale blue.
MARSYPIANTHES Mart.
Small herbs with viscid pubescence; leaves small, petiolate,
dentate; flowers small, bracteate, capitate; calyx campanulate,
accrescent in age, the 5 teeth subequal; corolla bilabiate, the lower
lip saccate; stamens 4, didynamous, declinate, the anthers 1-celled;
nutlets ovoid, flattened, with a membranous, fimbriate wing.—
No other species are found in Central America.
Marsypianthes Chamaedrys (Vahl) Kuntze. Yerba de San
Carlos. M. hyptoides Mart. Frequent in the Meseta Central, in
thickets, woods, or waste places; region of San Ramon. Widely
distributed in tropical America. Stems slender, much branched,
prostrate, often forming small mats, 80 cm. long or less, sparsely or
densely viscid- villous; leaves ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 1-4 cm.
long, acute or obtuse, coarsely dentate or crenate, acute or obtuse at
the base, sparsely villous-pilose; heads axillary, globose, 1-2 cm. in
diameter, dense, short-pedunculate, the bracts linear-lanceolate;
calyx usually purplish, thin, viscid-villous, the teeth ovate or tri-
angular, attenuate, finally spreading; corolla purple to white, the
tube about equaling the calyx. The plant is an inconspicuous
weed, usually almost hidden by the taller vegetation among which
it grows.
MENTHA L. Mint
Aromatic, perennial herbs; leaves sessile or petiolate, dentate,
punctate; flowers very small, white or pink, verticillate, the verticels
axillary or forming terminal spikes; calyx 10-nerved, the teeth equal
1024 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
or nearly so; corolla tube shorter than the calyx, the limb 4-cleft;
stamens 4, equal, erect, included or exserted, the anthers 2-celled;
nutlets ovoid, smooth. — No species of the genus is native in Central
America, although one species, at least, is native in Mexico. Mentha
Piperita L., peppermint, and M. viridis L., spearmint, two Old
World species cultivated and naturalized in some parts of North
America, are well known for their use in flavoring food and for their
medicinal properties.
Mentha citrata Ehrh. Yerbabuena. Frequent in pastures or
marshes about the Meseta Central and on the lower slopes of the
volcanoes; region of Dota. Native of Europe. A perennial with
leafy stolons, the stems weak, decumbent or ascending; leaves
petiolate, oblong to ovate, mostly 4-5 cm. long, obtuse or acute,
sharply serrate, glabrous or nearly so; verticels forming short,
terminal spikes. In Costa Rica this plant rarely if ever blossoms.
OCIMUM L. Basil
Herbs or low shrubs, erect, branched; leaves petiolate, usually
dentate; flowers verticillate; calyx deflexed in fruit, the tube cam-
panulate or ovoid, 5-lobate, the lobes conspicuously unequal, the
lower ones partially united; corolla white or pale purple, the tube
usually shorter than the calyx, the lobes subequal; stamens 4, didyna-
mous, the lower pair appressed to the lower lip of the corolla; nutlets
smooth or rugose. — Probably no other species are found in Central
America.
Ocimum Basilicum L. Albahaca. Often planted in gardens for
use in domestic medicine and for flavoring food. Native of tropical
Asia. An erect, densely branched annual, usually 60 cm. high or
less, glabrous below, pubescent above with short, recurved hairs;
leaves elliptic to ovate or oblong, 2-4 cm. long, remotely dentate or
entire, glabrous; verticels forming spikes 20 cm. long or less, the
pedicels almost obsolete; calyx in fruit 5 mm. long; corolla 4-5 mm.
long. This is the cultivated basil, used in many regions of the earth
for flavoring food.
Ocimum micranthum Willd. Strangely enough, I find no
Costa Rican specimens or records of this species, but there is no
doubt that it occurs in the country, since it is common in most
inhabited parts of Central America. Widely distributed in tropical
America. A low, bushy herb, 60 cm. high or less, pilose; leaves
ovate or elliptic, dentate, 3-5 cm. long, obtuse or acute, rounded to
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1025
acute at the base; flowers on slender pedicels 2-3 mm. long; fruiting
calyx 4-5 mm. long, the upper tooth obovate, the 2 lateral ones
subulate- tipped, the 2 lower ones subulate.
PRUNELLA L.
Low, perennial herbs, usually decumbent; leaves entire to dentate
or pinnatifid, the floral leaves reduced to bracts; flowers small, in
6-flowered verticels, forming a dense, oblong, terminal spike, the
bracts broad and imbricate; calyx tubular-campanulate, subcom-
pressed, 10-nerved and reticulate-veined, bilabiate; corolla tube
exserted, the limb bilabiate, the upper lobe erect, entire, the lower
one 3-lobate; stamens 4, didynamous, the anthers 2-celled; nutlets
ovoid or oblong, smooth. — No other species is known from Central
America.
Prunella vulgar is L. Potreros of Turrialba and Irazu, abun-
dant in many places; doubtless introduced with grass seed. Native
of the North Temperate Zone. Plants pilose or almost glabrous, the
stems erect or usually decumbent, mostly 30 cm. high or less, simple
or sparsely branched; leaves petiolate, oblong or oblong-lanceolate,
obtuse or subacute, narrowed at the base, entire or crenate, 3-10 cm.
long; spikes 10 cm. long or less, about 1.5 cm. broad, the bracts
broadly ovate-orbicular; corolla usually violet or purple, twice as
long as the calyx. Although this plant is native in some parts of the
United States and Mexico, I have no doubt that in Costa Rica it is
an importation.
ROSMARINUS L. Rosemary
Shrubs; leaves linear, entire, coriaceous, the margins strongly
revolute; flowers small, bluish or white, in short, axillary racemes;
calyx ovoid-campanulate, bilabiate; corolla tube exserted, the limb
bilabiate; perfect stamens 2; nutlets subglobose, smooth. — The
genus consists of a single species.
R os mar inns officinal is L. Romero. Commonly grown in gar-
dens for the sweet-scented foliage. Native of the Mediterranean
region. A densely branched shrub, a meter high or less, the branches
densely leafy, whitish-tomentose; leaves 2-3 cm. long, white-
tomentose beneath.
SALVIA L.
Reference: Fernald, A synopsis of the Mexican and Central
American species of Salvia, Proc. Amer. Acad. 35: 489-556. 1900.
1026 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Herbs or shrubs with entire or dentate leaves; flowers verticillate,
the verticels forming spikes, racemes, or panicles; calyx usually
naked in the throat, bilabiate, the upper lip entire or 3-dentate, the
lower bilobate or bidentate; corolla conspicuously bilabiate, the
upper lip entire, emarginate, or bilobate, the lower lip spreading,
3-cleft or 3-lobate; fertile stamens 2, the anthers 1-celled or imper-
fectly 2-celled; nutlets smooth, often developing mucilage when
wet. — Numerous other species occur in Central America. The
genus is a vast one, especially well developed in Mexico and in the
Andes. Best known of its species is the common garden sage, S.
officinalis L., Old World in origin, whose leaves are used in many
regions for flavoring food. I do not remember ever to have seen this
plant in cultivation in Central America.
Salvia Alvajaca Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 1852: 38. 1853.
Albajaca cimarrona. S. inaequilatera Cufodontis, Archivio Bot. 9:
201. 1933 (southwestern slope of Volcan de Irazu, near Guayabillos,
2,250 meters, Cufodontis 443). In forest between Cartago and Cande-
laria, and on Volcan de Irazu, 1,800-2,100 meters, Oersted 15751
(photo, of type seen, ex Herb. Copenhagen). In forest, sometimes
along streams, mountains about the Meseta Central; region of San
Ramon; at 1,050 meters or more. Panama. A branched herb, 50-
100 cm. high, the branches glabrate; leaves long-petiolate, thin,
elliptic or elliptic-ovate, mostly 7-12 cm. long, acuminate, gradually
or abruptly narrowed at the base, serrate, glabrous or nearly so,
slightly paler beneath; flowers white, the verticels remote, forming an
interrupted raceme, the pedicels 5-8 mm. long, minutely pilosulous;
calyx campanulate, green, in fruit 8-10 mm. long, glabrous or nearly
so, the upper lip entire, the lower bifid, the teeth shortly subulate-
acuminate; corolla about 1 cm. long. On the label of the type speci-
men of S. Alvajaca the locality is described as between Cartago and
Candelaria.
Salvia bella Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 169. 1898. Along
Rio del Convento, Pittier 10636. A shrub, the branches glabrate,
pilose only at the nodes; leaves petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, about
15 cm. long and 5 cm. wide, acuminate, cuneate-attenuate at the
base, acutely serrate, glabrous or nearly so, somewhat paler beneath;
verticels about 2-flowered, forming interrupted spikes, the pedicels
in age 7-8 mm. long; calyx tubular, in fruit 17 mm. long, densely
short-puberulent, purplish, the upper lip entire, ovate-acuminate,
the lower 2-dentate, equaling the upper one; corolla red-purple,
about 4 cm. long, the 2 lips 6-7 mm. long.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1027
Salvia cataria Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 142. 1898.
Forests of Rodeo de Pacaca, Pittier 3256. A tall herb, the branches
densely and cinereously short-pilose; leaves long-petiolate, broadly
ovate or ovate-elliptic, about 10 cm. long and 6 cm. wide, acuminate,
rounded and shallowly cordate at the base, serrate, green and sub-
glabrous above, paler beneath and cinerous-puberulent on the
nerves; verticels 10-flowered, in dense, short or elongate spikes, the
bracts ovate, small, deciduous; calyx campanulate, 3 mm. long,
cinereous-puberulent, prominent-nerved, the upper lip ovate, short-
acuminate, the lower equally long, the 2 teeth acuminate; corolla
white, about 13 mm. long.
Salvia compacta Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 530. 1891. Jalacate,
Chirrite. The species was described with three varieties: latifolia
Kuntze, loc. cit. (Turrialba, 1,400 meters, Kuntze); irazuensis
Kuntze, loc. cit. (Irazu, at 3,000 meters, Kuntze) ; Oerstediana Kuntze,
loc. cit. (Pacaca, Oersted 29). S. menthiformis Fernald, Proc.
Amer. Acad. 35: 510. 1900 (Cartago, 1,300 meters, Cooper 5902).
Common in thickets of the Meseta Central and on the slopes
of the volcanoes; upper parts of the tierra caliente; region of San
Ramon; 500-3,000 meters. Perhaps also in Guatemala. Plants a
meter high or less, branched and often bushy, the stems cinereous-
puberulent; leaves thin, slender-petiolate, ovate to rounded-ovate,
acuminate, rounded and cordate at the base, crenulate-serrate,
2-5 cm. long, green and glabrate above, puberulent or glabrate
beneath ; racemes short and dense, with some remote lower verticels,
the pedicels about 1 mm. long; calyx green, 3-4 mm. long, hispidu-
lous, the teeth short, deltoid-subulate; corolla bright blue, pilose,
12 mm. long, the tube twice as long as the calyx. Costa Rican
specimens have been referred to S. polystachya Ortega and S. purpurea
Cav. The plant is common and well known in many parts of the
Meseta Central, where it often provides beautiful displays of color.
Salvia costaricensis Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 1852:
39. 1853. Hierba de corazon. Aguacate and Jaris, at 600-900 meters,
Oersted 15749 (photo, seen of type, ex Herb. Copenhagen). Occa-
sional in thickets and hedges of the Meseta Central, and in the upper
part of the Pacific slope, mostly at 600-1,300 meters. Endemic.
Plants weak and erect or decumbent, the stems 30-60 cm. long,
villous; leaves thin and soft, long-petiolate, broadly deltoid, some-
times 15 cm. long, acute or obtuse, sagittate-cordate at the base,
crenate-serrate, sparsely villous above, paler and almost glabrous
beneath; verticels few-flowered, lax, remote, the pedicels 2-3 mm.
1028 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
long or in age elongate; calyx campanulate, glandular-villous, 5 mm.
long; corolla blue, glabrate, almost 1 cm. long. Easily recognized
among local species by the broad, triangular, sagittate leaves.
Salvia drymocharis Epling in herb. Oak forest near Queb-
radillas, about 7 km. north of Santa Maria de Dota, Prov. San
Jose", 1,800 meters, Standley 42954- Also No. 4^910 from the same
locality. Plants suffrutescent, about a meter high, the branches
puberulent; leaves slender-petiolate, thin, lanceolate or elliptic-
lanceolate, mostly 15-17 cm. long and 3-6 cm. wide, attenuate-
acuminate, cuneately attenuate to the base, closely crenate-serrate,
green above and sparsely short-villous, slightly paler beneath,
puberulent on the nerves and veins; verticels many-flowered, dense,
forming a rather dense or lax raceme, the pedicels in fruit as much
as 8 mm. long, puberulent; calyx in fruit 8 mm. long, glabrous,
the lips subequal, the upper entire, acuminate, the lower bilobate;
corolla white, 1.5 cm. long, sparsely short-pilose above, the tube
almost twice as long as the calyx, the lips subequal.
Salvia fratrum Standl., sp. nov. — Herba perennis ut videtur
erecta vel basi decumbens, ca. 30 cm. alta (vel altior), caulibus
plerumque simplicibus gracilibus sat dense pilis brevibus recurvis
cinereis puberulis; folia parva petiolata herbacea, petiolo gracili
usque 8 mm. longo cinereo-puberulo; lamina oblongo-lanceolata vel
lanceolata plerumque 1.5-2.5 cm. longa atque 3-6 mm. lata acuta
vel subobtusa, basi attenuato-acuta, arete adpresse crenato-serrata,
supra viridis, nervis impressis, scaberula, subtus parum pallidior
fere ubique breviter hispidulo-villosula; verticillastri pauciflori
racemum sat densum 6 cm. longum efformantes, bracteis non visis,
pedicellis 2-3 mm. longis dense cinereo-strigillosis; calyx tubulosus
4.5 mm. longus solemniter nervosus dense breviter cinereo-strigillosus,
dentibus subaequalibus brevissimis triangularibus erectis acuminatis;
corolla non visa. — Los Frailes, 1,600 meters, January, 1936, Manuel
Valeria 1370 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). The available material
is scant and in unsatisfactory condition for study, but it evidently
represents a species quite distinct from any other enumerated here.
Salvia hyptoides Mart. & Gal. S. hyptoides var. subspicata
Fernald, Proc. Amer. Acad. 35: 498. 1900 (San Francisco de Guada-
lupe, Tonduz 7228). Frequent in pastures and thickets about the
Meseta Central, also in the upper part of the Pacific slope; region of
San Ramon; one collection seen from the Atlantic coast, where per-
haps introduced; mostly at 1,300 meters or less. Panama to Mexico.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1029
Plants annual, usually 50 cm. high or less, simple or branched, the
stems sparsely pilose with chiefly appressed hairs; leaves small,
slender-petiolate, thin, broadly deltoid-ovate or elliptic-ovate, acute,
truncate or broadly cuneate at the base, crenate-serrate, villous on
both surfaces; verticels many-flowered, very dense and headlike,
forming a dense spike or the lower ones remote, the bracts conspicu-
ous, green or purple, very broad, broadly rounded at the apex and
abruptly short-pointed, long-ciliate; calyx hirsute, 4 mm. long. The
variety described from Costa Rica, while usually differing from the
common Mexican form in its dense spikes, is well matched by some
Mexican specimens, and is probably of no systematic importance.
Salvia iodochroa Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 161. 1898.
Ojo de Agua, 2,600 meters, Pittier 3451. Collected also on Cerro de
Las Vueltas, and elsewhere in the region of Copey, 2,450-3,000 meters,
growing in the uppermost forest belt. Endemic. An erect herb a
meter high, branched, the stems villous; leaves thin, long-petiolate,
broadly ovate, about 8 cm. long and almost as broad, obtuse to
acuminate, deeply cordate at the base, coarsely crenate-dentate, green
above, often purple beneath, sparsely villous; verticels about 6-
flowered, forming long, rather lax racemes, the pedicels 7 mm.
long or less; calyx tubular, 13 mm. long, purplish, sparsely glandular-
villous, the upper lip ovate, acuminate, the lower lip of equal length,
bidentate; corolla purple-red, 3 cm. long, the lower lip longer than
the upper, deflexed.
Salvia irazuensis Fernald, Proc. Amer. Acad. 35: 540. 1900.
Volcan de Irazu, Prov. Cartago, 3,000 meters, J. D. Smith 4920.
Collected also at La Esperanza, on the slopes of Irazu. Endemic.
Plants about a meter high, branched, the stem purple, crisp-pilose or
glabrate; leaves cordate-ovate, 6 cm. long or less, acuminate, serrate,
green and glabrate above, pale beneath and appressed-pilose on the
nerves; racemes elongate, 40 cm. long or less, the verticels all remote,
the pedicels 8 mm. long or shorter; calyx 8 mm. long, puberulent,
short-pilose on the nerves, the upper lip ovate, half as long as the
tube, the lower lip with 2 lance-ovate, setaceous-acuminate lobes;
corolla red-purple, 15 mm. long, the pilose galea shorter than the
lower lip.
Salvia occidentalis Swartz. Verbena. Common in thickets,
along roadsides, and in waste ground, Meseta Central to the coasts;
region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America.
Plants slender, decumbent or prostrate, rooting at the lower nodes,
1030 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
densely viscid-pubescent, at least on the stems and calyces; leaves
small, slender-petiolate, ovate, mostly 2-5 cm. long, obtuse to
acuminate, narrowed or truncate at the base, serrate; verticels few-
flowered, forming much elongate and interrupted spikes, the pedicels
very short; calyx 3 mm. long; corolla blue, 5 mm. long. One of the
commonest weeds of Central America, especially about dwellings.
The very viscid calyces adhere readily to clothing and to the skin
and feathers of animals, thus spreading the seeds widely. The plant
has a strong and disagreeable odor, and largely on that account,
probably, finds common use in domestic medicine.
Salvia ourophylla Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Bot. Geneve 2: 126.
1898. Cafias Gordas, 1,100 meters, Pittier 11169. Reported from
several localities of the central region, at middle elevations. En-
demic. A tall, branched herb, the stems short-puberulent or gla-
brate; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, about 12 cm. long
and 5 cm. wide, acuminate, cuneate-attenuate at the base, closely
crenate-serrate, sparsely pilose above, paler and glabrate beneath;
verticels 10-flowered, forming long and dense racemes, the pedicels
2-8 mm. long; bracts small and deciduous; calyx tubular or tubular-
campanulate, 5.5-9 mm. long, pilosulous on the nerves, the upper
lip ovate, short-acuminate, the lower 2-dentate; corolla white, 2-3
mm. longer than the calyx.
Salvia permixta Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 129. 1898.
Pastures of Rancho Flores, 2,030 meters, Pittier 1898. Collected
also at El Roble on Irazu, 2,000 meters. Endemic. Plants tall
and branched; leaves long-petiolate, ovate or ovate-elliptic, 6-9 cm.
long, 4-5 cm. wide, acuminate, rounded-cuneate at the base, crenate-
serrate, dark green and sparsely villous above, glabrous beneath;
verticels 6-flowered, forming interrupted racemes, the rachis and
pedicels glandular-puberulent, the bracts deciduous, the pedicels
2-10 mm. long; calyx campanulate- tubular, at first 3 mm. long,
in fruit as much as 10 mm., subglabrous, the upper lip ovate, acu-
minate, the lower lip of equal length, deeply cleft, the lobes lance-
acuminate; corolla violaceous, 5 mm. longer than the calyx, the
tube included, the lower lip deflexed, equaling the upper one.
Salvia Pittieri Briq. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30, pt. 1: 237. 1891.
Region of Tierra Blanca, slopes of Irazu, 2,000 meters, Pittier.
Endemic. Plants suffrutescent, the stems villous; leaves petiolate,
ovate-lanceolate, about 8 cm. long and 4 cm. wide, acute, acuminate
to the petiole, crenate, villous on both surfaces; verticels forming a
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1031
rather dense raceme 13 cm. long, the pedicels 4 mm. long or less;
bracts broadly ovate, caducous, covered with a yellow-red wool;
calyx tubular-campanulate, 13 mm. long, densely lanate; corolla
dark red, the tube included in the calyx, the upper lip 1.5 cm. long.
Salvia pteroura Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 139. 1898.
Along Rio de La Union, Pittier 10637. Apparently frequent in
forest and clearings in the region of San Ramon, also elsewhere
at middle elevations on the Pacific slope. Panama. A shrub
1.5-2.5 meters high, the branches glabrous; leaves slender-petiolate,
lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, mostly 7-10 cm. long and 3-4 cm.
wide, long-acuminate, attenuate to the base, closely serrate, glabrous
and green above, slightly paler beneath, pilosulous on the nerves,
elsewhere glabrous; verticels forming rather dense racemes, the
pedicels only 1-2.5 mm. long; calyx campanulate or campanulate-
tubular, 5-6 mm. long, or in age as much as 9 mm., purplish, pilose
on the nerves, elsewhere glabrous; corolla blue, 5 mm. longer than
the calyx, the tube included in the calyx, the lower lip shorter.
Salvia purpurea Cav. Reported by Fernald (Proc. Amer.
Acad. 35: 547. 1900) as collected in Costa Rica by Oersted, the
locality unknown. Extending to Mexico. A tall, branched herb,
the stems minutely puberulent or glabrate; leaves petiolate, ovate,
acute or acuminate, rounded or shallowly cordate at the base, serrate,
glabrate, paler beneath; verticels forming numerous dense, rather
short, panicled racemes, the bracts small and inconspicuous, decidu-
ous, the pedicels short; calyx tubular, tinged with purple, in flower
about 8 mm. long, densely appressed-pilose, the lips subulate-
acuminate; corolla purple, about 2.5 cm. long. The Costa Rican
record is very doubtful, and the collection on which it is based may
have been collected elsewhere, since no recent collector seems to
have found this showy plant in Costa Rica.
Salvia serotina L. S. micrantha Vahl. In waste ground,
Limon, Quiros 519. Southern Mexico to Panama and West Indies.
Plants low, short-pilose, much branched; leaves long-petiolate, ovate
or rounded-ovate, 1-4 cm. long, obtuse, rounded or subcordate at
the base, crenate-serrate; verticels forming slender racemes 2-10 cm.
long, distant; calyx longer than the pedicels, tubular, in age 5-8 mm.
long, glandular-pilose; corolla 6-10 mm. long, white or blue.
Salvia splendens Sellow. Cultivated for ornament about San
Jose", and doubtless elsewhere. Native of Brazil. Plants a meter
high or less, suffrutescent, puberulent or villous; leaves long-petio-
1032 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
late, ovate to broadly elliptic-ovate, acuminate, obtuse or con-
tracted and decurrent at the base, crenate-serrate, glabrous; calyx
tubular-campanulate, bright red, pubescent, 2 cm. long; corolla
scarlet, 3-4 cm. long.
Salvia tiliifolia Vahl. Thickets, forests, and cultivated fields,
frequent about the Meseta Central; region of Dota. Mexico to
Ecuador. Plants annual, a meter high or less, usually much branched,
the stems glabrate; leaves long-petiolate, thin, ovate to rounded-
ovate, obtuse or acute, truncate or rounded at the base, closely
crenate, almost glabrous; verticels forming numerous long and
rather lax racemes, the pedicels 4 mm. long or less; calyx green,
tubular-campanulate, in fruit 5 mm. long, hispidulous on the nerves,
elsewhere glabrous; corolla blue, only slightly exceeding the calyx.
A coarse and weedy plant, plentiful in some localities of the
central region.
Salvia Tonduzii Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 157. 1898.
Hedges near San Jose", Tonduz 1476. Regions of San Jose* and San
Ramon, 1,100-1,800 meters. Endemic. A shrub of 1.5 meters or
less, the branches glabrous; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong-lanceo-
late to broadly ovate, mostly about 12 cm. long and 5 cm. wide,
long-acuminate or caudate-acuminate, cuneate at the base, crenate-
serrate, glabrous or nearly so; verticels forming very dense, short
racemes, the bracts showy, broadly orbicular-ovate, large, apiculate,
purple-red, caducous, the pedicels short; calyx tubular, 12 mm.
long or in age larger, bright red, pilose; corolla bright red, 3 cm.
long, the tube ventricose above, the lips very short and inconspicuous.
Salvia Wagneriana Polak. Linnaea 41: 391. 1877. Hedges
and roadsides near San Jose", Polakowsky 387. Plants frutescent,
the branches glabrous, terete; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate-oblong,
acuminate, 10 cm. long and 4 cm. wide or smaller, cuneate at the
base, glabrous; bracts reniform, acuminate, 2 cm. long, red; calyx
inflated-campanulate, 1 cm. long, red, glandular-pilose, the lips
ovate, acuminate; corolla 3 cm. long, red. This and S. Tonduzii
are probably identical, but I have seen no material of S. Wagneriana,
and am not altogether certain that S. Tonduzii should be placed
with it in synonymy.
SCUTELLARIA L.
Reference: E. C. Leonard, The North American species of
Scutellaria, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 22: 703. 1927.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1033
Herbs or low shrubs; flowers blue or violet, in bracteate, often
secund, spikelike racemes, sometimes solitary or fasciculate in the
leaf axils; calyx campanulate, gibbous, bilabiate, the lips entire,
the upper one cristate or saccate dorsally; corolla glabrous within,
the limb bilabiate, the upper lip arched, entire or emarginate, the
lower lip spreading or deflexed; stamens 4, didynamous, the anthers
2-celled; nutlets papillose or tuberculate. — A few other species are
represented in Central America.
Scutellaria argentata Leonard, Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17:
170. 1927. La Florida, Lankester. A tall, slender herb, the branches
glandular-pubescent; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong-elliptic or
oblong-obovate, obscurely panduriform, acuminate, cordate at the
base, coarsely serrate, glandular-puberulent beneath on the nerves,
otherwise glabrous; flowers in a terminal raceme 8 cm. long, the
pedicels 2-2.5 mm. long; calyx 4 mm. long, glandular-pubescent;
corolla bright crimson, sparsely pubescent, 4-5 cm. long.
Scutellaria costaricana Wendland, Hamb. Gart. Zeit. 19: 29.
1863. Pavoncillo rojo. Type collected by Wendland in Costa Rica,
the locality not indicated. Frequent in forests of the central region,
descending to the tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; mostly at
1,400 meters or less. Endemic. Plants herbaceous, branched,
usually 1 meter high or often much lower, the branches sparsely
brown-puberulent; leaves short-petiolate, mostly oblong or ovate-
oblong, more or less panduriform, 8-12 cm. long or larger, acute or
acuminate, somewhat narrowed to a subcordate base, sinuate-dentate
or almost entire, minutely puberulent on the veins, otherwise
glabrous; racemes short, of few or numerous flowers, the pedicels
4 mm. long or less, puberulent; calyx 3-4 mm. long, puberulent;
corolla bright red, 4-5 cm. long, very slender, glabrous or nearly so.
A rather handsome and showy plant because of the large, brightly
colored flowers.
Scutellaria glabra Leonard, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 22: 715.
1927. Platanillo. Canas Gordas road, Pittier 11194- Mountains
south of Cartago, at about 1,400 meters; region of El General.
Endemic. Plants simple or branched, glabrous; leaves slender-
petiolate, elliptic-ovate, 10-16 cm. long, acuminate, cordate at the
base, sinuate-dentate or undulate; racemes 6-10 cm. long, the
pedicels 4 mm. long or less; calyx 3-4 mm. long; corolla bright red,
1.5-2 cm. long; nutlets tuberculate.
1034 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Scutellaria longifolia Benth. S. isocheila Bonn. Smith, Bot.
Gaz. 57: 426. 1914 (Cerro de Las Caricias, 1,800 meters, Pittier
16128). Frequent in forests of the central region, mostly at 1,300-
2,400 meters. Extending to Guatemala and perhaps to southern
Mexico. Plants slender, erect, less than a meter high, the stems
minutely puberulent; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate to oblong-
lanceolate, 4-10 cm. long, acute or subobtuse, rounded to acute
at the base, coarsely crenate-serrate, much paler beneath, minutely
puberulent on the veins, otherwise glabrous; flowers in short or
elongate racemes, the pedicels 6 mm. long or less, puberulent; calyx
3-6 mm. long, puberulent; corolla bright red, 2-3 cm. long, pubes-
cent; nutlets black, tuberculate.
Scutellaria orichalcea Donn. Smith. Laguna de La Escuadra,
near El Copey. Ranging to southern Mexico. Stems erect, mostly
25 cm. high or less, puberulent; leaves slender-petiolate, oblong-
ovate, 1-5 cm. long, obtuse, acutish to rounded at the base, remotely
crenate to entire, usually purplish, minutely puberulent on both
surfaces, the upper surface sparsely villous; racemes short and dense,
the pedicels 3-5 mm. long, puberulent; calyx 3-4 mm. long, puberu-
lent; corolla yellow, 2 cm. long, pubescent; nutlets black, granular.
Scutellaria purpurascens Swartz. Frequent in thickets of
the Meseta Central, descending to the Atlantic tierra caliente, at
1,500 meters or less. Panama and Lesser Antilles. Plants perennial,
erect or ascending, mostly 40 cm. high or less, rarely taller, the
branches densely puberulent; leaves slender-petiolate, deltoid-ovate,
3-7 cm. long, obtuse, rounded to cordate at the base, sinuate-crenate,
sparsely pubescent above, puberulent beneath on the veins, other-
wise glabrous; racemes short, few-flowered, 2-6 cm. long, the pedicels
3-4 mm. long, densely puberulent; calyx 2-3 mm. long, sparsely
puberulent; corolla blue or purple, 1-1.5 cm. long, pubescent; nutlets
brown, tuberculate.
Scutellaria purpurascens var. heterophylla Benth. Fre-
quent in thickets about the Meseta Central. Guatemala. Differing
from the species in having acute or acuminate leaves, mostly 2-4 cm.
long; flowers purple or red-purple.
STACHYS L.
Reference: Epling, Preliminary revision of American Stachys,
Repert. Sp. Nov. Beih. 80: 1-75. 1934.
Annual or perennial herbs; flowers verticillate, the verticels
generally forming an elongate, interrupted, leafy raceme; calyx
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1035
turbinate or campanulate, the teeth subequal, mostly spinose-
aristate; corolla tube usually slightly arcuate, the limb bilabiate,
the upper lip erect, concave, the lower spreading, trifid; stamens 4,
didynamous, the anthers 2-celled; nutlets smooth or verrucose.—
One or two other species are known from Central America.
Stachys costaricensis Briq. Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. 30: 240.
1891. San Jose", Pittier 3 4. Frequent in forest, thickets, pastures,
or marshy places of the central region, mostly at 1,100-1,800 meters.
Panama to southern Mexico. Plants repent or decumbent, weak,
rooting at the lower nodes, the stems pilose with retrorse-spreading
hairs or almost glabrous; leaves thin, long-petiolate, ovate, mostly
3-5 cm. long, obtuse or subacute, truncate or cordate at the base,
crenate-serrate, sparsely pilose; calyx 5-5.5 mm. long, short-hirtel-
lous; corolla pink, the tube 5-6 mm. long.
Stachys Pittieri Briq. Ann. Cons. Jard. Geneve 2: 119. 1898.
Valle de Los Arcangeles, Cerros de Escazu, Pittier 240. In forests,
slopes of the central mountains, 1,500-2,600 meters. Endemic.
Plants ascending or procumbent, 1 meter high or less, the stems
short-pilose; leaves slender-petiolate, deltoid-ovate, mostly 3^4 cm.
long, subacute, cordate at the base, crenate-serrate, soft-pilose;
calyx 6-8 mm. long, pilose; corolla tube 6-8 mm. long. Material
of this species has been confused with S. Macraei Benth., a
Chilean plant.
Teucrium vesicarium Mill. (T. inflatum Swartz) may well occur
in the Atlantic tierra caliente, since it is common in some parts of
the Central American coast, but I have seen no Costa Rican material
or records.
SOL AN ACE AE. Potato Family
By Paul C. Standley and C. V. Morton
Herbs, shrubs, or trees, sometimes scandent, occasionally epiphy-
tic; leaves alternate or rarely subopposite, without stipules, simple
and entire to pinnatifid; flowers perfect, regular or nearly so, mostly
cymose or solitary; calyx inferior, commonly 5-lobate; corolla gamo-
petalous, usually 5-lobate, the lobes induplicate-valvate or plicate in
bud; stamens as many as the corolla lobes and alternate with them,
inserted on the tube, all or only part of them fertile, the anthers
commonly 2-celled; ovules numerous, on axile placentae; style
slender, simple, the stigma terminal; fruit baccate or capsular.—
A few other genera are represented in Central America.
1036 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ACNISTUS Schott
Shrubs or small trees; leaves broad, entire, petiolate; flowers
small, in sessile, lateral fascicles, long-pedicellate; calyx campanulate,
persistent, truncate or with 5 short teeth; corolla subcampanulate
to almost funnelform, the limb spreading, 5-lobate; stamens 5, the
filaments slender, the anthers short, erect; ovary 2-celled, with many
ovules, the stigma bilamellate; fruit a globose berry; seeds com-
pressed, rugulose. — No other species are known from Central
America.
Acnistus arborescens (L.) Schlecht. Guitite. Frequent in
hedges and thickets in the region of Cartago, descending to the
Atlantic tierra caliente, in the region of Turrialba, mostly at 600-
1,400 meters; Zarcero, 1,500 meters. Guatemala to West Indies
and South America. Usually a shrub or tree of 3-6 meters, the
bark rough; leaves slender-petiolate, elliptic to oblong or ovate, thin,
mostly 5-15 cm. long, acute or obtuse, acute at the base, glabrous
above or nearly so, floccose-tomentose beneath; fascicles dense and
many-flowered, the pedicels 1.5-3 cm. long; calyx 4 mm. long, the
teeth short and rounded, glabrous; corolla white, 12 mm. long, gla-
brous outside, with very short, spreading lobes; berries yellow, 5-6
mm. in diameter. A common shrub in hedges around Cartago.
The fruit is edible, and is sometimes made into jelly. It is much
eaten by birds. The shrub is said to flower several times during
the year.
ATHENAEA Sendtn.
Plants herbaceous, unarmed, the leaves thin, entire or sinuate-
dentate or sublobate; pedicels fasciculate in the leaf axils; calyx
campanulate, shallowly or deeply 5-lobate, in fruit accrescent and
more or less enclosing the fruit; corolla subrotate, the lobes valvate;
fruit baccate. — A few other species may be found in Central America.
Athenaea sylvarum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Herba ramosa
erecta, 0.9 m. alta; rami angulati, superne strigosi; folia solitaria,
breviter petiolata, petiolo 0.5-1.2 cm. longo; lamina late lanceolata,
6-11 cm. longa, 2.3-4 cm. lata, acuminata, basi cuneata, mem-
branacea, integra, subtus in venis parce pilosula; inflorescentia axil-
laris, pauciflora, sessilis, pedicellis floriferis 5 mm. longis, fructiferis
7.5 mm. longis; calyces campanulati, floriferi 2.5 mm. longi, externe
puberuli, tubo 2 mm. longo, lobis triangularibus, fructiferi acuti, ca.
7 mm. longi, membranacei, inflati, non angulati, aperti; corolla
pentamera, pallide viridis, rotata, 5.5 mm. longa, lobis ovatis,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1037
margine puberulis; filamenta 3 mm. longa, gracilia, glabra; antherae
late oblongae, 1.2 mm. longae, longitrorsum dehiscentes; ovarium
et stylus glabri. — Finca La Cima, north of El Copey, Prov. San
Jose", alt. 2,100-2,400 meters, December, 1925, Standley 42812 (type
in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,252,975). Not closely related to other
North American species, from which it is distinguished by the very
small flowers and fruits. The genus differs from Capsicum in its
accrescent, membranous calyx, the slender, glabrous filaments, and
short anthers. From Physalis it may be distinguished by the open
fruiting calyx, with broad, not acuminate, connivent lobes and by
the clustered, not solitary flowers.
BROWALLIA L.
Plants annual, often with viscid pubescence; leaves thin, entire;
flowers showy, blue, white, or violet, solitary, lateral or in terminal,
one-sided racemes; calyx narrowly campanulate, 4-5-dentate; corolla
salverform, the limb somewhat asymmetric, spreading, 5-lobate;
perfect stamens 4, didynamous, included in the corolla, the fifth
one rudimentary or absent; ovary 2-celled, short-stipitate, the style
filiform, the stigma bilamellate; capsule enclosed in the calyx, the
valves 2-cleft; seeds reticulate. — No other species are known from
Central America.
Browallia americana L. B. demissa L. Common in fields
and along roadsides in the Meseta Central, also in forests on the
slopes of the central mountains, mostly at 1,800 meters or less;
descending to the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of San Ramon;
frequently grown in gardens for ornament. Widely distributed in
tropical America. Plants 60 cm. high or usually lower, branched,
glabrous, or glandular-pubescent above; leaves ovate, 2-6 cm. long,
acute or acuminate, acute to rounded at the base, slender-petiolate;
flowers mostly solitary, the slender pedicels 5-15 mm. long; calyx
in flower 3-4 mm. long, with narrow teeth; corolla bright blue or
violet, rarely white, the slender tube 10-13 mm. long, the limb 12
mm. broad; capsule 6-8 mm. long. Called Chavelita de monte in
Panama and No-me-olvides and Simpatica in Salvador. The plant
is sometimes grown in gardens in the United States and Europe.
Browallia speciosa Hook. Naranjo; mountains south of Car-
tago; 1,700-2,450 meters. Extending to Colombia. Plants larger
and stouter, probably perennial, almost glabrous; calyx in flower
1.5-2 cm. long, with long and narrow lobes; corolla purple, the tube
2.5-3.5 cm. long, the limb as much as 5 cm. wide, the lobes short-
1038 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
acuminate. This plant must be an exceedingly handsome and
showy one when in flower.
BRUNFELSIA L.
Shrubs or trees; leaves entire, mostly coriaceous; flowers large
and showy, terminal, solitary or clustered; calyx campanulate or
tubular, 5-lobate; corolla salverform, the limb 5-lobate, spreading,
the lobes obtuse or rounded at the apex; stamens 4, didynamous,
included; ovary 2-celled; fruit globose or ovoid, fleshy or coriaceous,
indehiscent or tardily dehiscent; seeds rugose. — No species are
native in Central America.
Brunfelsia nitida Benth. Iris. Planted for ornament at
Alajuela (collected by Estrella Umana), and probably elsewhere.
Native of the West Indies. A shrub or small tree, glabrous; leaves
oblanceolate or oblong-obovate, acute, attenuate to the base;
flowers short-pedicellate, the calyx lobes broad and foliaceous;
corolla white, the slender tube 10-11 cm. long, the limb broad
and spreading.
CAPSICUM L.
Annual or perennial herbs, or shrubs; leaves thin, entire or
repand-dentate; flowers solitary or in sessile, axillary or lateral
umbels, small, usually white; calyx campanulate, not or scarcely
accrescent, truncate or shallowly lobate; corolla almost rotate, the
tube very short, the 5 lobes imbricate; stamens 5, the anthers free,
longitudinally dehiscent; ovary 2-3-celled, the stigma clavate; fruit
baccate, often very pungent; seeds compressed. — A few other species
are found in Central America. The following treatment of this
genus is not an altogether satisfactory one as regards generic limits.
It seems decidedly questionable whether the common plants of
Central America having soft, succulent stems, broad, thin leaves,
and small, very juicy fruits should be included in the same genus with
such plants as Capsicum annuum and C. frutescens. Mr. Morton
suggests that ULycianthes is separated from Solanum on the basis of a
truncate calyx, Capsicum should, for the sake of consistency, be
divided similarly. He suggests, therefore, that Brachistus might
well be maintained as a distinct genus, and that the species with
truncate calyx might also be divided into two genera: Capsicum, with
slender, free, glabrous filaments, blue anthers, and a shining, pungent
berry; and Aureliana, with broad, partly connate filaments pubescent
within, yellow anthers, and a berry that is neither shining nor pun-
gent. In these matters I am quite in agreement with him, but for the
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1039
sake of convenience it seems advisable in the present treatment to
limit the genus Capsicum as here treated, leaving a more satis-
factory disposition of the species for a monographic study. The key
here presented has been prepared by Mr. Morton. It omits the
common hot peppers, C. annuum and C. frutescens, which are well
known plants. — P. C. Standley.
Key to species
Pubescence of stems, leaves, and calyces partly of simple, partly of
branched hairs.
Flowers pentamerous; calyx stellate-pilose C. aster otrichum.
Flowers tetramerous; calyx glabrous C. multiflorum.
Pubescence all of simple hairs.
Calyx margin deeply undulate-ruffled; corolla conspicuously
green-spotted; anthers orbicular, the connective thickened;
style clavate C. maculatum.
Calyx margin truncate or dentate, plane; corolla unspotted;
anthers ovate or oblong, the connective not much thickened;
style not clavate.
Calyx truncate; plants eglandular.
Calyx hairy externally.
Flowers tetramerous. Stems appressed-tomentose; inflores-
cence few-flowered; corolla lobes ovate. . C. tetramerum.
Flowers pentamerous.
Corolla tube slender, about 1.5 mm. wide, longer than the
lobes; stems appressed-pilose . . .C. fuscoviolaceum.
Corolla tube thick, 5 mm. wide, shorter than the lobes;
stems long-hirsute C. macranthum.
Calyx glabrous or merely ciliate.
Calyx ciliate; corolla tube 2.5 mm. long; inflorescence
many-flowered C. costaricense.
Calyx not ciliate.
Corolla tube (6-7 mm. long) longer than the lobes; calyx
4 mm. long; inflorescence many-flowered; leaf blades
oblong to broadly lanceolate C. macrophyllum.
Corolla tube (3 mm. long or less) shorter than the lobes;
calyx 1.5-2 mm. long; inflorescence 1-5-flowered;
leaf blades narrowly lanceolate. . . .C. stenophyllum.
1040 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Calyx dentate; plants glandular.
Calyx teeth subulate; leaf blades entire, obtuse or cuneate
at the base C. subulatum.
Calyx teeth low- triangular; leaf blades usually dentate,
truncate or cordate at the base C. stramoniifolium.
Capsicum annuuni L. Chile, Chile duke. Cultivated commonly
for the fruits. Native of America, the original habitat unknown.
Plants annual; fruits usually large and inflated but sometimes small,
sweet or often very hot. This cultivated plant, unknown in a wild
state, is presumably a derivative of C. frutescens and its forms. As
Indian names Pittier reports Dipa-boro-boro (Bribri) and Ibo-
friuri (T&Taba).
Capsicum asterotrichum Standl. C. solanaceum var. pubes-
cens Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 450. 1891 (Limon, Kuntze). Common in
forests and thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente, ascending the
slopes of the central mountains to 2,200 meters; Guanacaste; region
of San Ramon. Panama. A coarse herb, branched, the stems
brittle, soft, villous with spreading, at least in part branched hairs;
leaves large, ovate or elliptic, acute or acuminate, rounded to acute
and usually very unequal at the base, mostly entire or somewhat
repand, villous on both surfaces, part of the hairs branched; umbels
many-flowered, the flowers long-pedicellate; calyx truncate, 3-4 mm.
long; corolla white, 8 mm. long, densely tomentulose; berries juicy,
bright red, about 8 mm. in diameter. This species is one of a group
well represented in Mexico and Central America, the plants being
referred to Capsicum on technical grounds, although in habit, inflores-
cence, and fruit they are very unlike the common cultivated peppers.
Their fruits are not pungent. This genus of Solanaceae is badly in
need of revision, and some of the names used here are only pro-
visional. The specimens referred at present to C. asterotrichum may
well represent more than one species, but the lines along which they
are separable are not clearly evident.
Capsicum costaricense Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Rami
adpresso-pilosi ; folia geminata, valde inaequalia, petiolata, petiolis
foliorum majorum 2.5-3 cm. longis, petiolis foliorum minorum 5-7
mm. longis, lamina foliorum majorum ovato-elliptica, 12-17 cm.
longa et 7-8 cm. lata, acuta, basi oblique rotundata, integra, mem-
branacea, utrinque glabrata; lamina foliorum minorum ovata 2.7-6.5
cm. longa, basi rotundata; inflorescentia multiflora (-20), pedi-
cellis gracilibus, ca. 2 cm. longis, glabris, apice incrassatis; calyx 1.5
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1041
mm. longus, truncatus, glaber, ciliatus; corolla pentamera, tubo 2.5
mm. longo, lobis oblongis, 5.5 mm. longis, margine tomentulosis;
filamenta 1 mm. longa, intus pubescentia; antherae oblongae, 2 mm.
longae et 1 mm. latae; ovarium glabrum; stylus gracilis, 6.5 mm.
longus, glaber.— Suerre, Llanuras de Santa Clara, Prov. Limon, alt.
300 meters, February, 1896, J. D. Smith 6672 (type in U. S. Nat.
Herb., No. 1,335,162). This differs from all species listed, except
C. macrophyllum and C. stenophyllum, in the glabrous leaves and
calyces. From those two, the present species is distinguished by the
ciliate calyx. In addition, C. costaricense differs from C. macro-
phyllum in its smaller calyx (1.5 mm. as against 4 mm.), shorter
corolla tube (2.5 mm. as against 6-7 mm.), and in its more numerous
and slenderer pedicels. From C. stenophyllum it differs in its broader
leaf blades, and in its many-flowered inflorescences.
Capsicum frutescens L. Chile, Chilpete. Frequent in thickets
of the tierra caliente, ascending to the Meseta Central; found chiefly
about dwellings, but sometimes in remote places. Native of America,
the original habitat uncertain. Plants shrubby or herbaceous,
sometimes 2 meters high, densely branched; flowers solitary; fruit
small, oblong and narrowed to the apex, usually about 1 cm. long.
Indian names reported by Pittier are Ti^sh (Bribri), Ketshua-ka
(Brunka), Kras-kuo (TeYraba).
Capsicum frutescens var. baccatum (L.) Irish. Chile. Often
cultivated, and frequently escaped about dwellings. Differing from
the typical form of the species only in the form of the fruit, which is
globose and less than 1 cm. in diameter. This is the common chile or
hot pepper used in most tropical regions of the earth, as well as else-
where, for flavoring food. Chile is most popular in Mexico and in
Central America it is used but little, at least so far south as Costa
Rica. As local names Pittier reports Dipa-boro-boro (Bribri) and
Ibo-friuri (TeYraba), Sha (Cabe"cara), Dipa, Baca-ri-pa (Bribri),
leba, Dsheba (Brunka), lebo (TeYraba).
Capsicum fuscoviolaceum (Cufodontis) Morton & Standl.,
comb. nov. Brachistus fuscoviolaceus Cufodontis, Archivio Bot. 10:
44. 1934. B. poasensis Cufondontis, op. cit. 45 (Volcan de Poas,
2,200-2,400 meters, Cufodontis 596). Volcdn de Irazu, southwestern
slope near Guayabillos, 2,250 meters, Cufodontis 397. Also at El
Achote, slopes of Volcan Poas. Endemic. Plants herbaceous or
suffrutescent, sometimes shrubby and as much as 4 meters high, the
branches villous with simple hairs; leaves unequal, slender-petiolate,
1042 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
broadly lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate, about 12 cm. long and 6 cm.
wide, short-acuminate, obtuse or acute at the base, entire, villlous
or short- villous, especially beneath along the nerves; flowers densely
fasciculate, 5-15 in a cluster, the pedicels villous, mostly 2-3 cm.
long; calyx 4-5 mm. long, truncate, villous; corolla dark violaceous or
yellowish, 10-13 mm. long, densely and closely tomentulose outside;
fruits globose, red, glabrous, about 1 cm. in diameter. This species
probably is represented also by other collections from the higher
mountains that have been referred heretofore to C. macrophyllum.
We have seen type material of both the Brachistus species listed, and
are unable to see that they represent two species.
Capsicum macranthum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Herba
1.2-1.5 m. alta; rami hirsuti, pilis magnis flaccidis septatis; folia
saepe geminata, inaequalia, petiolata, petiolo hirsute, usque ad 7 cm.
longo; lamina foliorum majorum ovalis, 20-26 cm. longa, 10-14.5
cm. lata, acuta, basi rotundata, saepe obliqua, membranacea,
integra, supra parce hirsuta, subtus praesertim in venis hirsutula;
inflorescentia ca. 7-flora, sessilis, pedicellis reflexis, 2-2.5 cm. longis;
calyx 5-6 mm. longus, truncatus, cupulatus, externe densissime
hirsutus; corolla pentamera, ochroleuca, externe purpurascens, rotata,
ca. 2.5 cm. diam., tubo ca. 6 mm. longo, lobis ovatis ca. 1 cm. longis,
externe perspicue longe hirsutis; filamenta 3 mm. longa, ubique dense
pubescentia; antherae oblongae, 6 mm. longae, longitrorsum dehis-
centes; ovarium elongatum, glabrum; stylus glaber. — La Hondura,
Prov. San Jose", alt. 1,200-1,500 meters, March, 1926, Standley
& Valeria 51906 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., Nos. 1,306,906-7). Yerba
Buena, Prov. Heredia, Standley & Valeria 49702. La Estrella, Prov.
Cartago, Standley 89203, 39462. Vara Blanca de Sarapiqui, 1,500-
1,750 meters, Skutch 3179. The following specimens in the Herba-
rium of Field Museum, some of them not in the best condition for
study, are all apparently referable to this species: Santo Domingo de
Vara Blanca, 2,200 meters, M. Valeria 1565, 1567. San Antonio
de San Ramon, 1,300 meters, Brenes 3720. Los Angeles de San
Ramon, 1,025 meters, Brenes 3950. El Mufieco, 1,350 meters, Stork
2686; fruits red. La Brisa de Zarcero, 2,300 meters, Austin Smith
H401. Guadalupe de Zarcero, 1,250 meters, Austin Smith A364.
Mr. Smith's notes include the following data: Ravine slopes in cloud
zone, or among grass in forest glades; low-growing, soft-stemmed, all
parts of the plant with gray hairs; corolla cream-yellow with spots of
emerald green at the base of each lobe; anthers creamy white.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1043
Capsicum macrophyllum (HBK.) Standl. Frequent in
thickets of the Atlantic tierra caliente; ascending the mountains of
the central region to 2,000 meters; region of San Ramon. Guate-
mala to Colombia. Similar to C. aster otrichum; plants usually a
meter high or less, much branched, the stems pilose with simple,
chiefly appressed hairs; leaves large, usually acuminate, most of
them entire, glabrous or nearly so; flowers white or pale yellow, about
8 mm. long; fruits small, orange or bright red, juicy. It is doubtful
whether the specific name macrophyllum, based on Colombian
material, is really applicable to the Central American plant, but no
more satisfactory name seems to be available.
Capsicum maculatum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex
2 m. altus; rami angulati, sparse hirsuti; folia geminata, valde inae-
qualia, majora longe petiolata, petiolo 3.5-5 cm. longo; lamina
foliorum majorum plus minusve obovata, 27-28 cm. longa, 14-17 cm.
lata, acuminata, basi rotundata, integra, tenuiter membranacea,
utrinque pilis hyalinis flaccidis subadpressis parce instructa; inflores-
centia 4-8-flora, pedicellis 1.5-2 cm. longis, glabris, reflexis; calyx
3.5 mm. longus, glaber, perspicue undulato-crispatus sed margine
ipso integro; corolla pentamera, flavescens, perspicue viridimaculata,
tubo 5 mm. longo glabro, lobis ovatis, 8 mm. longis, externe longe
pilosis; filamenta subteretia, 0.75 mm. longa, intus pubescentia;
antherae orbiculares, 3 mm. longae et latae, connective lato, incras-
sato; ovarium glabrum; stylus clavatus, 6.5 mm. longus, glaber.—
Vara Blanca de Sarapiqui, Prov. Alajuela, alt. 1,500-1,750 meters,
July-September, 1937, Skutch 8335 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No.
1,643,403). Rio de La Paz Chiquito, 1,350 meters, Pittier 16162.
Capsicum multiflorum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Suffrutex
1.5-2.5 m. altus; rami angulati, fistulosi, adpresso-pubescentes, pilis
plerumque simplicibus; folia geminata, inaequalia, petiolo usque
ad 4.5 cm. longo; lamina foliorum ovata vel oblonga, usque ad 28 cm.
longa et 13 cm. lata, basi subcordata, membranacea, sparse pilosa,
pilis simplicibus aut praesertim in costa et venis ramosis; inflores-
centia multiflora, pedicellis gracilibus 1.5-2 cm. longis; calyx 1.5 mm.
longus, truncatus, glaber; corolla tetramera, viridi-flava, externe
purpurascens, 9 mm. longa, tubo 4.5 mm. longo, 1.8 mm. lato, lobis
oblongis, externe puberulis; filamenta 1 mm. longa, pubescentia;
antherae ovatae, 2 mm. longae; stylus gracilis glaber; baccae glo-
bosae, 4.5 mm. diam. — El Muneco, Prov. Cartago, alt. 1,400-1,500
meters, March, 1926, Standley & Torres 51170 (type in U. S. Nat.
Herb., No. 1,306,641; duplicate in Herb. Field Mus.).
1044 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Capsicum stenophyllum Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex
3-metralis omnino glaber, ramulis gracillimis teretibus viridibus
nodosis, internodiis elongatis; folia inaequalia saepe spurie geminata
vel ternata breviter petiolata membranacea, petiolo gracili usque 1
cm. longo; lamina oblongo-lanceolata vel anguste lanceolata 9-14 cm.
longa 1.5-4 cm. lata longe anguste attenuata, basin versus longe
cuneatim attenuata, integra, subtus pallidior, costa tenera promi-
nente, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 6 valde obliquis angulo
semirecto vel saepe multo latiore adscendentibus; inflorescentiae
sessiles axillares umbelliformes 2-5-florae, pedicellis gracilibus in
statu fructifero usque 2 cm. longis, in statu florifero multo breviori-
bus; calyx late campanulatus fere 2 mm. longus atque aequilatus
truncatus ecostatus; corolla flava extus minutissime sparse puberula
vel fere glabra 4 mm. longa fere ad basin lobata, lobis anguste
triangulari-oblongis attenuato-acutis. — El Muneco, Prov. Cartago,
1,500 meters, June, 1928, H.E. Stork 2663 (type in Herb. Field Mus.).
This may be only an extreme form of C. macrophyllum, to which it is
evidently related, but leaf and flower characters are perhaps sufficient
to justify specific rank. The following specimens in the United States
National Herbarium are referred here: Vara Blanca, Skutch 3313.
Santa Maria de Dota, Standley & Valeria 43317. La Estrella,
Standley 39236, 39213. El Muneco, Standley 33469: Standley & Torres
51011, 51169, 51191. Yerba Buena, Standley & Valerio 49729, 49738.
Fraijanes, Standley & Torres 47534- Pejivalle, Standley & Valerio
46919. Cerro de Las Caricias, Standley & Valerio 52041 . Quebrada
Serena, Guanacaste, Standley & Valerio 46214- Naranjos Agrios,
Guanacaste, Standley & Valerio 46430. Finca Montecristo, Standley
& Valerio 48640. In the Herbarium of Field Museum are several
recent collections: Zarcero, 1,350 meters, Austin Smith A441, H46,
A99. Zapote de San Carlos, 2,000 meters, Austin Smith H483.
Mr. Smith describes the plants as either suffrutescent and erect, or
as subscandent, the flowers yellow, the fruit scarlet.
Capsicum stramoniifolium (HBK.) Standl. A single collec-
tion from the region of San Ramon, at 1,100 meters, is probably
referable to this species, which extends to Mexico. Plants similar to
C. macrophyllum, but glandular, the leaves usually larger and
coarsely repand-dentate; flowers usually larger, more than 1 cm.
long, white or pale yellow; calyx dentate.
Capsicum subulatum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex 1.8
m. altus; rami perspicue quadrangulares, sursum glanduloso-puberuli ;
folia geminata, longe petiolata, petiolo 1.5-3.7 cm. longo; lamina
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1045
elliptica, usque ad 10.5 cm. longa et 5.7 cm. lata, acuminata, basi
obtusa vel late cuneata, Integra, membranacea, utrinque parce
puberula; inflorescentia pauciflora, pedicellis floriferis ca. 1 cm. longis,
glanduloso-puberulis; calyx 3.5 mm. longus, externe glanduloso-
puberulus, alte 5-lobatus, tubo ca. 1.8 mm. longo, lobis subulatis 1.7
mm. longis; corolla ochroleuca, 8.5 mm. longa, tubo 2.5 mm. longo,
lobis ovato-oblongis, externe pubescentibus; filamenta 1.5 mm.
longa, intus pilosa; antherae oblongae, 3 mm. longae, 1.5 mm. latae;
ovarium glabrum; stylus 6 mm. longus, glaber; bacca globosa, 6 mm.
diam. — Santa Maria de Dota, Prov. San Jose", alt. 1,500-1,800
meters, December, 1925, Standley & Valeria 43257 (type in U. S.
Nat. Herb., No. 1,253,159). Same locality, Standley & Valeria
43123.
Capsicum tetramerum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Herba
2.5 m. alta; rami angulati, dense subtomentosi, pilis simplicibus;
folia geminata, inaequalia, breviter petiolata, petiolo 1.3-2.8 cm.
longo; lamina ovata, majores 14-17.5 cm. longae, 8-9.5 cm. latae,
breviter acuminatae, basi oblique truncatae, membranaceae, paullo
sinuatae, utrinque pilis subremotis simplicibus flaccidis subadpressis
instructae; inflorescentia multiflora, pedicellis 1-1.3 cm. longis;
calyx hemisphaericus, 2 mm. longus, truncatus, extus ubique dense
pilosus; corolla tetramera, flava, 9 mm. longa, tubo 2 mm. longo,
lobis oblongis, extus ubique dense adpresso-pubescentibus; stamina 4,
filamentis latis, 1.5 mm. longis, extrorse glabris, intus basi longe
denseque pilosis, antheris oblongis, albis, 2 mm. longis; ovarium
globosum, glabrum; stylus gracilis, 6.5 mm. longus, glaber; bacca
aurantiaca, globosa, 4 mm. diam. — El General, Prov. San Jose", alt.
880 meters, August, 1936, Skutch 2862 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb.,
No. 1,642,734).
CESTRUM L.
Reference: Pierre Francey, Monographic du genre Cestrum L.,
Candollea 6: 46-398. 1935; 7: 1-132. 1936.
Shrubs or trees; leaves entire, petiolate; flowers yellow, white,
orange, or purple, cymose or paniculate; calyx campanulate or
tubular, 5-lobate or 5-dentate; corolla salverform or funnelform,
the tube long and slender, the lobes usually short, spreading; stamens
included, the filaments filiform, often pilose below and sometimes
with a dentiform appendage; ovary 2-celled, the stigma entire or
bilobate; fruit baccate; seeds smooth. — Numerous other species are
known from Central America. Species of the genus are sometimes
grown for ornament in hothouses of northern regions.
1046 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Oestrum acuminatum Francey, Candollea 6: 348. 1935.
Cerro de Las Caricias, north of San Isidro, Prov. Heredia, 2,000-
2,400 meters, Standley & Valerio 52237. Known only from the slopes
of Volcan de Barba. Endemic. A shrub of 1.5-2.5 meters, the
branches glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, 5.5-11
cm. long, 2-4.5 cm. wide, acuminate, membranaceous, glabrous;
pseudostipules narrowly lanceolate, 2-3 mm. long; racemes terminal
and axillary, the flowers 5-6, subspicate at the apex of the peduncle,
the pedicels 1.2 mm. long, the bracts narrowly lanceolate, petiolate,
4-25 mm. long; calyx 5.5 mm. long, glabrous, the teeth triangular-
lanceolate, acuminate, 1-2 mm. long; corolla green, usually tinged
with dark purple, almost 3 cm. long, the lobes 5.5 mm. long; filaments
dentate, pilosulous.
Oestrum alternifolium (Jacq.) 0. E. Schulz. Collected only at
Buenos Aires, Pacific coast, 480 meters. Yucatan to West Indies
and northern South America. A slender shrub, the young branchlets
sparsely pilose; leaves petiolate, ovate or oblong-ovate, 5-11 cm.
long, 2-5 cm. wide, short-acuminate, rounded and decurrent at the
base, membranaceous, sparsely pilose beneath along the costa;
pseudostipules none; inflorescences terminal and axillary, shorter
than the leaves, the flowers subsessile; calyx 3 mm. long, pilosu-
lous outside, glabrous within, the teeth triangular, 0.5-1 mm.
long; corolla greenish, 19-25 mm. long, glabrous outside, tomentose-
puberulent within; filaments edentate, glabrous.
Oestrum Baenitzii Lingelsh. Zorrillo. Frequent in thickets and
hedges of the central region, descending into the tierra caliente;
common in the region of Dota; region of San Ramon; at 1,800 meters
or less. Widely distributed in tropical America. A shrub or tree,
sometimes 7 meters high, the branchlets glabrous or nearly so; leaves
short-petiolate, larger than in other local species, oblong, mostly
15-30 cm. long, attenuate-acuminate, acute at the base, glabrous;
pseudostipules none; inflorescences axillary, often on naked branches
below the leaves, dense, the flowers sessile or nearly so; bracts none;
calyx 2.5-3 mm. long, minutely puberulent or glabrate; corolla
greenish white or pale green, 18 mm. long, glabrous; filaments
edentate; fruit black or violaceous, about 9 mm. long. The flowers
are not fragrant, in the daytime at least.
Oestrum calycinum HBK. Forests of the Atlantic tierra
caliente, at 900 meters or less. Ranging to Argentina. A shrub or
small tree, the branches stellate- tomentose; leaves short-petiolate,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1047
ovate-elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 5-15 cm. long, 2.2-7.5 cm. wide,
acute or acuminate, rounded to acute at the base, sparsely stellate-
tomentose above or in age glabrous, stellate-tomentose beneath;
pseudostipules none; racemes short, axillary, few-flowered, the
bracts ovate-elliptic, obtuse; flowers sessile; calyx long-campanulate
or tubular, 8-10 mm. long, villous-tomentose, the teeth 2 mm. long;
corolla pale green, tomentose outside, the tube 17 mm. long, the
lobes 4.5 mm. long; filaments without teeth at the base; fruit 12
mm. long.
Oestrum costaricense Francey, Candollea 6: 369. 1935. Volcan
de Barba, Brade 2306. Perhaps also in Panama. Branchlets glabrous;
leaves petiolate, ovate-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 6-9 cm.
long, 2.5-4 cm. wide, subcoriaceous, acuminate, acute to rounded at
the base, pale beneath and glabrous; pseudostipules none; flowers
in terminal panicles, the pedicels 2-3 mm. long, the bracts lance-
linear, 5-10 mm. long; calyx 4.5 mm. long, glabrous, the teeth 1 mm.
long; corolla violaceous, 2.5 cm. long, glabrous inside and outside;
filaments dentate, hirsute at the base.
Cestrum Donnell-Smithii Francey, Candollea 6: 247. 1935.
La Conception, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 250 meters, J. D. Smith
6676. Known only from the original collection. Branchlets gla-
brous; leaves petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate, 9-12 cm. long, 4-4.5 cm.
wide, acuminate, acutish to rounded at the base, subcoriaceous,
glabrous; pseudostipules none; racemes axillary, 6-7-flowered, the
flowers subsessile; calyx tubular, 2 mm. long, minutely verruculose-
glandular outside, glabrous within, the teeth triangular, 0.3 mm. long;
corolla 2 cm. long, glabrous outside; filaments edentate.
Cestrum dumetorum Schlecht. Reported from Nicoya and
Volcan de Irazu; Guanacaste (Libano). Ranging to southern Mexico.
A shrub or small tree, the branchlets glabrous; leaves long-petiolate,
elliptic-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 6.5-10 cm. long, 2.5-4.5 cm.
wide, acute or short-acuminate, acute at the base, membranaceous,
puberulent and subbarbate beneath along the costa; pseudostipules
none; racemes terminal and axillary, the flowers sessile, the bracts
minute; calyx tubular, 4-4.5 mm. long, villous-pilose outside,
pubescent within; corolla yellow or violaceous, 1.5 cm. long, glabrous;
filaments dentate, glabrous; berries 8 mm. long.
Cestrum Endresii Francey, Candollea 6: 281. 1935. At 1,500
meters, without definite locality, Endres 109. Region of El General.
Endemic. Young branchlets sparsely puberulent; leaves petiolate,
1048 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
oblong-lanceolate, 12-15 cm. long, 4-5 cm. wide, attenuate-acumi-
nate, obtuse or subacute at the base, membranaceous, glabrous;
pseudostipules none; flowers in terminal panicles, pedicellate, the
pedicels 8 mm. long, glabrous; calyx campanulate, 3.5 mm. long,
glabrate outside, glabrous within, the teeth triangular, 0.7 mm.
long; corolla 23 mm. long, green, glabrous, pilose within at the inser-
tion of the filaments; filaments edentate.
Oestrum fragile Francey, Candollea 7 : 27. 1936. Rio de La Paz,
upper Sarapiqui, 1,380 meters, Pittier 14168. Slopes of Irazu and
region of San Ramon, at 1,000-1,800 meters. Also in Panama. A
shrub, sometimes scandent, the branches slender, the young branch-
lets sparsely puberulent; leaves almost sessile, membranaceous,
ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 9-12 cm. long, 2.5-3.5 cm.
wide, long-attenuate, cordate or rounded at the base, glabrous;
pseudostipules falcate, ovate-lanceolate, sessile, 7-8 mm. long; flowers
in terminal thyrses; bracts filiform, 1.5-3 mm. long; calyx 3 mm.
long, sparsely pilose, glabrous within, the teeth cuspidate, 0.5-1.5 mm.
long; corolla pale greenish yellow, 23 mm. long, glabrous without and
within; filaments dentate, pilose below.
Oestrum fragile var. grandiflorum Morton, var. nov. — A var.
typica floribus majoribus (28-33 mm. longis) differt. — Los Ayotes,
near Tilaran, Guanacaste, 600-700 meters, January, 1926, Standley
& Valeria 45512 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,254,257). Same
locality, Standley & Valeria 45462. La Tejona, Guanacaste, Standley
& Valeria 45847. El Silencio, Guanacaste, Standley & Valeria
44645. Quebrada Serena, Guanacaste, Standley & Valeria 46199.
This larger-flowered variety is found at low elevations (300-700
meters) in Guanacaste. The typical form of the species is found
in the mountains, chiefly between 1,500 and 2,400 meters elevation.
The typical form (with corolla 19-23 mm. long) is represented as
follows in the National Herbarium: Cerro de Las Caricias, Standley
& Valeria 52031. Yerba Buena, Standley & Valeria 49719. Santa
Maria de Dota, Standley & Valeria 4330.4. Fraijanes, Standley &
Torres 47687.
Cestrum gracile Francey (Candollea 6: 366. 1935), although
listed by its author as Costa Rican, is, according to the locality cited
(Veragua, Warscewicz), presumably a plant of Panama.
Cestrum irazuense Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 450. 1891. C. palli-
dum Francey, Candollea 7: 85. 1936 (Laguna de La Escuadra,
northeast of El Copey, 2,000-2,300 meters, Standley 42073). C. Va-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1049
lerioi Francey, op. cit. 93. 1935 (Cerro de Las Vueltas, 3,000 meters,
Standley & Valeria 1$597). Volcan de Irazu, 2,600 meters, Kuntze.
Frequent in forests and thickets of Volcan de Irazu, Cerro de Las
Vueltas, and region of El Copey, at 2,000-3,000 meters. Endemic.
A shrub of 1.5-3 meters, glabrous; leaves petiolate, elliptic-lanceolate,
acuminate at each end, 6.5-10 cm. long, 1.7-3.5 cm. wide, coriaceous,
the margins revolute; pseudostipules lanceolate, short-petiolate,
1.5-2 cm. long; flowers in terminal and axillary corymbs, the pedicels
3 mm. long; bracts linear, 1.5 mm. long; calyx tubular-campanulate,
3-4 mm. long, glabrous without and within, the teeth triangular-
lanceolate, acuminate; corolla dull purple-red, 18-25 mm. long,
glabrous outside, pilose within at the insertion of the filaments;
filaments geniculate, short-dentate, pilose at the base; fruit white or
pink, oblong or subglobose, 1 cm. long. A handsome and showy
shrub in either flower or fruit.
Cestrum jacaltenanginum Loes. var. tomentosum Francey (Can-
dollea 6: 119. 1935; Veragua, Warscewicz 1} is reported by its author
from Costa Rica, but the locality, if properly stated, is in Panama.
Cestrum lanatum Mart. & Gal. Zorrillo, Zorrillo bianco. Fre-
quent in hedges and thickets of the central region, and on the upper
part of the Pacific slope, mostly at 1,000-2,000 meters, but reported
from Irazu at 2,700 meters; regions of San Ramon and Dota. Mexico
to Colombia. Usually a shrub of 2-5 meters, the branches densely
stellate-lanate; bark smooth, grayish green or pale brown; leaves
petiolate, ovate-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, mostly 7-14 cm.
long and 2.5-7 cm. wide, acute or acuminate, acute or obtuse at the
base, green and glabrate above, pale beneath and densely stellate-
tomentose; calyx 4-5.5 mm. long, stellate- tomentose; corolla pale
greenish yellow, partly closing in the daytime, 12-15 mm. long, the
tube glabrous outside, the lobes sparsely stellate- tomentose; berries
about 7 mm. long. The crushed leaves have a strong, mephitic odor,
but the flowers are fragrant. The species may be recognized at once
among Costa Rican Cestrums by the dense, stellate tomentum on
most parts of the plant. It is said to be sometimes a tree of 7.5
meters with a trunk 17 cm. in diameter, covered with quite smooth,
greenish gray bark.
Cestrum mariquitense HBK. var. latifolium (Francey)
Standl. & Morton, comb. nov. C. bogotense Willd. var. latifolium
Francey, Candollea 6: 211. 1935. El General, 600 meters, Pittier
10509. Known only from the type locality. The typical form of the
1050 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
species is Colombian. Branchlets hirtous-puberulent; leaves oblong-
lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 4-7 cm. long, 1.5-3.5 cm. wide,
cuspidate-acuminate, decurrent at the base, scaberulous beneath on
the nerves; pseudostipules none; flowers axillary, sessile; calyx 4
mm. long, glabrous outside, the teeth 1.2 mm. long; corolla yellowish
green, 3 cm. long, glabrous outside, pubescent within; filaments
appendiculate. The specific name bogotense of Willdenow (1819)
is antedated by that of HBK. Francey records C. Sendtnerianum
Mart, from Costa Rica (page 348 of his monograph), but Tonduz
(not Pittier as listed by Francey) 4734 from Boruca is exactly the
same as Pittier 10509 from El General, the type of his bogotense var.
latifolium. Oestrum Sendtnerianum is, therefore, to be excluded from
the flora of Costa Rica. It differs from C. mariquitense in having
smooth rather than hirtellous branchlets.
Oestrum nocturnum L. var. mexicanum O. E. Schulz.
Zorrillo. Occasional in thickets about the Meseta Central, and in
the tierra caliente; sometimes planted in gardens for ornament.
Mexico to Panama, the typical form of the species in Yucatan and
West Indies. A slender shrub, the branchlets glabrous; leaves long-
petiolate, membranaceous, oblong-elliptic to subovate, 5-12 cm.
long, acuminate, usually acute at the base, glabrous in age, some-
times pilosulous when young; pseudostipules none; panicles axillary
and terminal, many-flowered; calyx campanulate, 2-3 mm. long,
sparsely puberulent without and within, the teeth ovate, 1.2 mm.
long; corolla yellowish or greenish white, 17-20 mm. long, glabrous
outside, the tube pilose within at the insertion of the stamens;
filaments geniculate and dentate, pilose; berries 8-10 mm. long.
The flowers are intensely fragrant, at least at night. Pittier reports
the Guatuso name of Ko-kir for this plant.
Oestrum panamense Standl. C. racemosum R. & P. var.
panamense Francey. Thickets and forests of the tierra caliente;
region of San Ramon. Southern Mexico to Colombia. A tree of 9
meters or less, the branchlets puberulent or glabrate; leaves short-
petiolate, ovate-lanceolate, 21 cm. long and 7 cm. wide or smaller,
very thin, long-acuminate, usually rounded at the base, somewhat
puberulent beneath or almost glabrous; pseudostipules none; flowers
in small, axillary panicles, sessile; calyx 2-3 mm. long, pilosulous or
glabrate outside, glabrous within; corolla greenish, about 15 mm.
long, glabrous without and within; filaments edentate, glabrous;
fruit white, 8 mm. long.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1051
*
Cestrum Pittieri Francey, Candollea 6: 385. 1935. Near
Desamparados, Tonduz 1424- Regions of San Jos£ and San Ramon,
in hedges or thickets; sometimes planted for ornament. Panama to
Salvador. A shrub, the branches stout, glabrous; leaves petiolate,
elliptic-lanceolate, 8-15 cm. long, 2.5-4.5 cm. wide, acute, acute to
rounded at the base, chartaceous, minutely glandular-pilose beneath
or glabrate; pseudostipules few, lanceolate, 3 mm. long; inflorescences
short, dense, axillary, almost sessile, the flowers sessile or nearly
so; calyx 3-4 mm. long, sparsely puberulent outside, glabrous within,
the teeth broadly triangular, 0.5 mm. long; corolla 1.5 cm. long,
glabrous without and within ; filaments dentate, glabrous.
Cestrum poasanum Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 23: 253. 1902.
Slopes of Volcan de Pods, at 2,500 meters, J. D. Smith 6674. In
forests or thickets, slopes of Poas and Irazu, at 3,000 meters or less;
regions of San Ramon and Zarcero, at 1,000-2,300 meters or more.
Endemic. A slender shrub of 2-4 meters, often gregarious; the
branchlets glabrous; bark pale brown; leaves petiolate, ovate-
lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, mostly 8-15 cm. long, acuminate or
long-acuminate, acute to rounded at the base, glabrous; inflores-
cences terminal and axillary, dense and many-flowered, the flowers
short-pedicellate, the bracts lanceolate, long-acuminate, 6-7 mm.
long; calyx campanulate, 3.5 mm. long, glabrous without and within,
the teeth narrowly triangular, 1 mm. long; corolla violaceous or pale
greenish yellow, 21 mm. long, glabrous outside, pilose within at the
insertion of the stamens; filaments short-dentate, pilose at the base;
berries 8 mm. long.
Cestrum reflexum Sendtn. Thickets and forests of the tierra
caliente; region of San Ramon; Guanacaste; at 1,000 meters or less.
Ranging to Brazil and Bolivia. A slender shrub, described as some-
times subscandent, the young branches puberulent or glabrate;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, 8-10
cm. long, 3.5-5.5 cm. wide, membranaceous, attenuate-acuminate,
acute to obtuse at the base, glabrous or nearly so; pseudostipules
none or very few; inflorescences axillary or terminal and paniculate,
the floral leaves reduced but conspicuous, the flowers sessile; calyx
campanulate, 3-3.5 mm. long, sparsely puberulent outside, glabrous
within, the teeth triangular, 0.5-0.7 mm. long; corolla yellow or
yellowish green, 22-27 mm. long, glabrous; filaments edentate,
glabrous; fruit ellipsoid, 8.5 mm. long.
Cestrum rugulosum Francey, Candollea 7: 78. 1936. "Chemin
du Littoral," southeastern slope of Volcan de Irazu, Pittier 872.
1052 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Reported also from the slopes of Barba. Endemic. A shrub of 3-4
meters, the branchlets glabrous or somewhat puberulent-tomentose;
leaves long-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, atten-
uate-acuminate, acute at the base, not decurrent, membranaceous,
glabrous above, sparsely puberulent beneath; pseudostipules none;
inflorescences axillary, short, many-flowered, the bracts filiform,
2-2.5 mm. long, the pedicels 2 mm. long or less, pilose; calyx tubular-
campanulate, 4.5 mm. long, glabrous without and within, the teeth
triangular, 1.2 mm. long; corolla 23 mm. long, glabrous outside,
pilose within at the insertion of the stamens; filaments dentate at the
base and pilose.
Cestrum scandens Vahl. Region of Nicoya and perhaps else-
where. Nicaragua to Colombia. A scandent shrub, 2.5 meters
long or less, the branchlets puberulent or glabrous; leaves petiolate,
ovate to oblong-lanceolate, 5-13 cm. long, 2.5-7.5 cm. wide, attenuate
to acute at the apex, rounded or subcordate at the base, glabrous;
pseudostipules none; panicles large, terminal, sometimes axillary,
the bracts linear, 2-3 mm. long, the pedicels 1.5 mm. long or less;
calyx tubular-campanulate, 4-5 mm. long, glabrous outside or
obscurely glandular-puberulent, puberulent within below the teeth,
the teeth 1 mm. long; corolla greenish white, 21-31 mm. long,
glabrous without and within; filaments edentate, glabrous; fruit
blue, obovoid, 9 mm. long.
Cestrum Standleyi Francey, Candollea 6: 249. 1935. Wet
forest, Zurqui, Prov. San Jose", 2,000-2,500 meters, Standley & Valeria
48082. Known only from the original collection. A shrub, the
branches glabrous; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-lanceolate, 7-10
cm. long, 2.5-3.5 cm. wide, attenuate-acuminate, obtuse at the base,
subcoriaceous, glabrous; pseudostipules none; inflorescences axillary,
pedunculate, few-flowered, the bracts filiform, 2-5 mm. long, the
flowers sessile or nearly so; calyx tubular, 3.2 mm. long, glabrous
without and within, the teeth triangular, acute; corolla 19 mm. long,
glabrous without and within; filaments edentate, glabrous; fruit
oblong, 9 mm. long.
Cestrum Urbanii Francey, Candollea 6: 371. 1935. Slopes of
Volcan de Irazu, Hoffmann 167. Known only from the type locality.
Branchlets glabrous; leaves petiolate, oblong-lanceolate or elliptic-
lanceolate, acute or short-acuminate, cuneate and decurrent at the
base, membranaceous, glabrous; pseudostipules none; flowers in
small, terminal corymbs, the pedicels 2-6 mm. long; calyx long-
campanulate, 2.5 mm. long, glabrous without and within; corolla
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1053
19 mm. long, glabrous without and within; filaments dentate, the
teeth pilose; fruit oblong, 1 cm. long.
Cestrum Warscewiczii Klotzsch, Allgem. Gartenz. 19: 363.
1851. Zorrillo, Pavoncillo. C. aurantiacum Lindl. var. Warscewiczii
Francey, Candollea 6: 103. 1935. C. aurantiacum var. macrocalyx
Francey ex Cufodontis, Archivio Bot. 10: 45. 1934 (Volcan de Irazu,
above Guayabillos, 2,200-2,500 meters, Cufodontis 379}. Habro-
thamnus aureus Warsc. in herb. Volcan de Irazu, Warscewicz 1788.
Common in hedges and thickets of the Meseta Central, ascending
the slopes of the central mountains to about 2,700 meters; usually at
1,100-2,100 meters. Ranging to Guatemala and perhaps to southern
Mexico. A shrub or small tree, sometimes as much as 12 meters
high, with a trunk 25 cm. in diameter, the bark grayish, the young
branchlets somewhat tomentulose; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate or
oblong, mostly 4-6 cm. long and 2-3.5 cm. wide, short-acuminate,
acute or obtuse at the base, glabrous; calyx 5-8 mm. long, glabrous
outside, puberulent within, the teeth short, subulate; corolla orange,
2.5 cm. long, glabrous; filaments geniculate and subdenticulate;
fruit white, oblong, 12 mm. long. This is a common shrub in many
parts of the central region, especially in roadside hedges. Francey's
var. macrocalyx differs in having a larger calyx, 9-12 mm. long;
leaves 5.5-10.5 cm. long. C. aurantiacum f. flavum Kuntze (Rev.
Gen. 2: 450. 1891; type from Costa Rica, at 1,000 meters, Kuntze)
is a form described as having yellow rather than orange corollas.
CYPHOMANDRA Sendtn.
Shrubs or small trees, unarmed; leaves entire, 3-lobate, or pin-
natisect; flowers in simple racemes, or the racemes usually scorpioid
and forming a cyme; calyx small or large, 5-lobate, not accrescent in
fruit; corolla subrotate, the tube very short, the limb deeply 5-lobate,
the lobes valvate; filaments short, the anthers erect or incurved, the
connective more or less thickened, the cells dehiscent by introrse
slits; ovary 2-celled, the ovules numerous; fruit baccate, often very
large; seeds compressed. — A few additional species are known from
Central America.
Cyphomandra betacea (Cav.) Sendtn. Tomate cimarrdn.
Planted occasionally for its edible fruits. Native of Brazil. A shrub,
usually 3 meters high or less; leaves large, softly pilose, cordate-ovate,
acuminate, entire; flowers small, dull pink; fruits stalked, ovoid, about
5 cm. long, brownish red, obscurely striped. The fruits somewhat
suggest the tomato in both appearance and flavor.
1054 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Cyphomandra costaricensis Donn. Smith, Enum. PI. Guat.
6: 84. 1903. Pepinillo. C. heterophylla Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz.
27: 436. 1899, non Taub. 1893. C. dolichocarpa Bitter, Repert.
Sp. Nov. 17: 327, 1921 (La Hondura, 900 meters, Werckle). C.
mollicella Standl. La Emilia, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 250 meters,
J. D. Smith 6670. Frequent in thickets or in pastures of the tierra
caliente; region of San Ramon; at 1,000 meters or less. Panama to
Honduras. A treelike shrub or large herb, 2-3 meters high, usually
with a clean trunk and a spreading crown; leaves dimorphous, long-
petiolate, the lower ones very large, pinnate-lobate, the upper ones
broadly ovate and entire, abruptly short-acuminate, rounded or
cordate at the base, minutely and softly pubescent beneath or almost
glabrous; flowers green, in axillary, long, scorpioid racemes; calyx
almost 5 mm. long, with broad, shallow lobes; corolla 1.5 cm. long;
fruit ovoid or oblong, 10 cm. long or less. There is some doubt as to
whether C. dolichocarpa is really synonymous with C. costaricensis.
The former species was based upon apparently incomplete material,
and the long and verbose description gives no characters that are not
reconcilable with the common plant to which Captain Smith gave
the name costaricensis.
Cyphomandra homalophylla Standl. Trop. Woods 10: 50.
1927. Changuinola Valley, Cooper & Slater 39. Known only from
the type region. Young branches sparsely and minutely puberulent;
leaves short-petiolate, oblong-elliptic, 18-29 cm. long, 7.5-11 cm.
wide, acute, acute or abruptly short-decurrent at the base, entire,
densely and very minutely puberulent beneath; inflorescences
axillary, bifurcate, the pedicels 4-8 mm. long; calyx 4 mm. long,
5-lobate; corolla 1 cm. long. It is probable that the leaves in this
species are all similar in outline, rather than dimorphous.
DATURA L.
Reference: Safford, Synopsis of the genus Datura, Journ. Wash.
Acad. Sci. 11: 173-189. 1921.
Herbs, shrubs, or small trees; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire to
lobate; flowers large, solitary, erect or recurved, usually white or
purple; calyx spathaceous or tubular, often circumscissile near the
base; corolla funnelform, the limb plicate, 5-lobate or 5-angulate;
stamens included or slightly exserted; ovary 2-celled; fruit capsular,
4-valvate from the top, irregularly dehiscent, or indehiscent. — One
or two additional species may be found in Central America.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1055
Datura arborea L. Reina de la noche. Brugmansia arbor ea
Steud. Planted commonly for ornament, especially about the
Meseta Central, and in the temperate region generally, also in the
tierra caliente; sometimes found as an escape near settlements.
Believed to be native of the Andean region, perhaps of Peru. A
shrub or small tree; leaves long-petiolate, broadly ovate to oblong-
ovate, acuminate, entire or repand, villosulous or glabrate; calyx
large, green, spathaceous, split along one side but otherwise entire;
flowers very fragrant, pendent, the corolla white, about 25 cm. long;
fruit baccate. In recent years this species has been listed frequently
as D. Candida (Pers.) Pasq., the specific name under which it was
treated by Safford, but it now appears probable that the name
D. arborea L. is the correct one. This is one of the handsomest and
most showy of tropical shrubs, and a fine, large individual is a beauti-
ful object in the morning, when the flowers are at their best. There
are some long hedges of the plants in Costa Rica, and the showiest
one I have ever seen surrounds a large field at the village of Cot on
the lower slopes of Irazu. In some parts of Central America the
plant is called Floripondio. There is a popular belief that the heavy
fragrance of the flowers is conducive to sleep, and for that reason in
some regions the flowers are placed by the pillows of persons affected
with insomnia. Fruits are produced very rarely.
Datura Metel L. Manto de Cristo, Manto de viuda, Tulipan.
Planted for ornament, and apparently also naturalized in some places
of the central region. Native of the Old World. Plants annual,
much branched, usually a meter or less in height, glabrous or nearly
so; leaves ovate-lanceolate to elliptic, acute or acuminate, more or
less repand; calyx tubular, about 6 cm. long, with 5 short teeth;
corolla white within, usually violet outside, commonly 15 cm. long
or less; fruit a subglobose capsule, covered with very short, blunt
tubercles. Like other large-flowered Daturas, this plant is an
exceptionally showy one. The flowers often bear several corollas,
one within another.
Datura Stramonium L. Tapate. Occasional in waste ground,
but apparently not common, Meseta Central to the coasts. Widely
distributed in America and the Old World. Plants annual, large
and coarse, bushy-branched, glabrous or nearly so; leaves ovate,
acute or acuminate, irregularly sinuate-lobate or repand; flowers
white or violet, 7-10 cm. long; calyx tubular, 5-dentate, green;
capsule ovoid-globose, erect, 5 cm. long, densely covered with long,
sharp prickles. The black seeds contain a narcotic poison. They
1056 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
have been known to cause the death of children who happened to
eat them, and by some of the aboriginal inhabitants of North America
they were used as an anesthetic. Pittier reports that the leaves are
applied as poultices to ulcers and other sores (as commonly in some
parts of the United States), and that the dried leaves are made into
cigarettes that are smoked to relieve asthma.
JUANULLOA Ruiz & Pavon
Shrubs, usually epiphytic, with thick branches, glabrous or
stellate-tomentose; leaves entire; flowers rather large, solitary or
cymose; calyx colored, tubular or campanulate, 5-lobate, the lobes
valvate; corolla tubular, often ventricose above, the lobes small,
broad, imbricate; stamens included, the filaments filiform, short or
elongate, the anthers erect, oblong or linear, the cells longitudinally
dehiscent; ovary 2-celled, the stigma bilamellate; fruit baccate or
almost dry, indehiscent. — No other species are known from Central
America.
Juanulloa Sargii Bonn. Smith. Occasional in forests of the
tierra caliente; regions of San Ramon and El General. Panama to
Guatemala. A large or small, epiphytic shrub with thick, pale
branches; leaves membranaceous, rounded-elliptic to obovate or
elliptic, 7-20 cm. long, acute to rounded at the apex, usually acute at
the base, when young finely stellate-tomentose, especially beneath,
but in age glabrate, short-petiolate; flowers in cymes, pedicellate;
calyx densely reddish-tomentose, 2.5 cm. long, the lobes oblong,
acute; corolla densely yellow- tomentose outside, red within, twice as
long as the calyx.
LYCIANTHES (Dunal) Hassler
Reference: Bitter, Die Gattung Lycianthes, Abh. Naturw. Ver.
Bremen 24: 292-520. 1920.
Shrubs or herbs, often scandent, unarmed; leaves simple, mostly
entire (in all the Costa Rican species), the upper ones usually falsely
geminate and unequal; inflorescences umbelliform, commonly sessile
in the leaf axils, mostly few-flowered; calyx short-campanulate,
truncate, often bearing on the outside at or below the margin 5 or 10
subulate lobes or teeth; corolla rotate or stellate; filaments short,
equal or unequal, the anthers mostly ellipsoid, erect and connivent,
dehiscent by apical, introrse pores; fruit baccate, containing num-
erous seeds. — A large number of additional species are found in Cen-
tral America. The plants usually have been referred to Solatium, but
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1057
as treated by Bitter the genus, distinguished by the form of the calyx,
makes a natural and most convenient segregate from that group.
Lycianthes Austin-Smithii Morton & Standl., sp. nov.—
Arbor 6-7.5 m. alta, trunco 10-20 cm. diam., ramulis sat crassis,
novellis dense pilis minutis sordide ferrugineis stellatis indutis cito
glabratis, internodiis brevibus; folia inaequalia breviter petiolata
subcoriacea in sicco fusca, petiolo crassiusculo 5-10 mm. longo cito
glabrato; lamina (in foliis majoribus) lanceolata,. oblongo-lanceolata
vel oblongo-ovata 7-14 cm. longa 1.7-5 cm. lata longe anguste
acuminata vel rare acuta vel subobtusa, basi valde inaequali acuta et
subdecurrens, supra glabra sublucida, subtus fere concolor, in axillis
nervorum dense breviter barbata, aliter glabra, costa gracili promi-
nente, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 9 obliquis arcuatis angulo
latiusculo adscendentibus; inflorescentia umbelliformis vel corym-
bosa axillaris pauciflora usque 1.5 cm. longe pedunculata, pedicellis
crassiusculis 5-14 mm. longis dense ut ramulis stellate- tomentellis;
calyx campanulatus 3.5 mm. longus et aequilatus truncatus extus
sparse minute stellato-puberulus; corolla 8 mm. longa extus glabra
5-partita, lobis anguste oblongis; antherae oblongae 2.5 mm. longae;
bacca globosa glabra apice late rotundata 8 mm. longa. — Zarcero,
Prov. Alajuela, 1,950 meters, April, 1937, Austin Smith 4117 (type
in Herb. Field Mus.). Also Nos. 4105 and Hi 76 from the same
locality. "A tree on forested hillside with northern exposure; many
trees about, but all small. Bark dark brown or obscure gray, rough
to the touch. Flowers pale chalcedony yellow or pale greenish yellow.
Fruits at first green, then creamy white, finally dark violet." There
is some question as to the generic place of this plant, but if calyx
characters are used for segregating Lycianthes, it is definitely referable
there. On the other hand, the inflorescences are not strictly umbelli-
form, and they are not sessile.
Lycianthes dominicana Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex
ut videtur scandens, ramis gracilibus teretibus pallide brunnescenti-
bus glabratis, novellis sparse pilis adpressis sessilibus albidis longe
pauciradiatis conspersis; folia breviter petiolata crasse membranacea,
.petiolo gracili 5-8 mm. longo glabro vel pilis stellatis paucis con-
sperso; lamina elliptico-oblonga prope medium latissima ca. 9 cm.
longa atque 2.5-4 cm. lata anguste acuminata, basi acuta, integra,
supra sublucida ut videtur omnino glabra, costa prominente, subtus
concolor hinc inde sed praesertim ad nervos pilis sessilibus stellatis
pauciradiatis albidis remote conspersa, costa gracili prominente,
nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 6 arcuatis teneribus obliquis
1058 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
angulo ca. recto adscendentibus; umbellae ca. 7-florae sessiles,
pedicellis gracilibus usque 5 mm. longis glabris; calyx campanulatus
2.5 mm. longus (vel longior?) truncatus extus glaber 10-costatus,
infra marginem dentibus 10 alternatim inaequalibus onustus, denti-
bus subulatis, longioribus 1.5 mm. longis; corolla (in alabastro tantum
visa) extus dense albide stellato-tomentosa. — Santo Domingo de
Vara Blanca, 2,200 meters, February, 1937, Manuel Valeria 1550.
The material available is scant and incomplete, but sufficient to show
that a distinct species is represented, noteworthy for its almost
complete lack of pubescence on inflorescence and foliage.
Lycianthes ferruginea Bitter. L. ferruginea var. firmior
Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen 24: 340. 1920 (descent from La
Ardilla, near San Marcos, 900-1,355 meters, Tonduz 7666; also
Tonduz 7939 in part). Venezuela. A shrub, the branches con-
spicuously geniculate, densely stellate-tomentose with ferruginous,
chiefly short-stipitate hairs; leaves mostly solitary, short-petiolate,
broadly lanceolate or elliptic-lanceolate, 5.5-10.5 cm. long, 2.5-5 cm.
wide, acute or acuminate, obliquely rounded or obtuse at the base,
densely and closely stellate-pubescent on the upper surface, paler
beneath and densely and softly stellate-tomentose; inflorescences
about 4-flowered, the pedicels 10-15 mm. long; calyx 5 mm. long,
truncate and furnished with 10 teeth 1-2 mm. long, ferruginous-
stellate-tomentose outside; corolla white, 2 cm. broad ; berries globose,
10-12 mm. in diameter; ovary glabrous.
Lycianthes furcatistellata Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen
24: 401. 1920. Forests of La Palma, Prov. San Jose", 1,460 meters,
Tonduz 12612. Known only from the region of La Palma and nearby
slopes of Irazu, 1,400-1,600 meters. Endemic. A slender, scandent
shrub, the young branches densely covered with lax, stipitate, few-
rayed, stellate hairs; leaves subgeminate, those of a pair very unequal,
the larger on petioles 1.5-4 cm. long, broadly lanceolate or ovate-
lanceolate, mostly 8-10 cm. long and 3-5.5 cm. wide, rather long-
acuminate, obtuse to subcordate at the base and often very unequal,
green above and with numerous long-stipitate, mostly 2-3-radiate
hairs, especially on the veins, or some of the hairs simple, beneath
more densely stellate- villous; inflorescences 4-5-flowered, the pedicels
1.5-2 cm. long; calyx campanulate, 6-7 mm. long, the 10 teeth subu-
late, unequal, 2.5-4 mm. long; corolla violaceous, almost 2 cm. long,
villous outside with simple and branched hairs; ovary glabrous; fruit
globose, 5 mm. in diameter or larger.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1059
Lycianthes grandifrons Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen 24:
418. 1920. Llanos de Turrucares, 600 meters, Pittier 478. Plants
herbaceous, the branches pilose with simple hairs; leaves subgeminate,
unequal, short-petiolate, broadly and obliquely lanceolate or rhom-
bic-lanceolate, the larger 10-12 cm. long and 4.5-6 cm. wide, attenuate
to the apex, cuneate-attenuate to the base, membranaceous, villous
above with simple hairs, paler and villous beneath; flowers solitary,
the pedicels 2-2.5 cm. long; calyx 7-8 mm. long, with 10 unequal,
subulate teeth 4-6.5 mm. long, villous; corolla 3 cm. broad, more
or less villous outside; ovary glabrous.
Lycianthes heteroclita (Sendtn.) Bitter. Solatium heteroclitum
Sendtn. L. heteroclita var. gracilis Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen
24: 496. 1920 (based in part upon Costa Rican material). Forests
and thickets of the tierra caliente, ascending to 800 meters in the
region of San Ramon. Panama to Guatemala. Plants erect, herba-
ceous or merely suffrutescent, branched, glabrous or practically so;
leaves falsely geminate or ternate, membranaceous, glabrous, very
unequal, short-petiolate, mostly rhombic-lanceolate, 15-18 cm. long
or often much smaller, acuminate or long-acuminate, cuneately
narrowed to the base; inflorescences 7-10-flowered, the pedicels 2
cm. long or less, glabrous or sparsely pilose; calyx truncate, naked,
glabrous, in anthesis about 4 mm. long; corolla 14-16 mm. long,
greenish purple, almost glabrous; ovary glabrous; berries globose,
11 mm. or less in diameter.
Lycianthes inaequalis Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Arbuscula,
ramulis teretibus aspectu glabris sed re vera microscopice puberulis,
internodiis elongatis; folia spurie geminata, parium valde inaequalia,
minora suborbicularia vel rotundato-ovata atque ca. 2 cm. longa,
omnia firme membranacea, majora crasse ca. 1 cm. longe petiolata;
lamina valde obliqua oblanceolato-oblonga usque oblongo-obovata
vel late obovato-elliptica 13-23 cm. longa 5-9.5 cm. lata abrupte
breviter acuta vel acuminata, basi acuta vel interdum late cuneata,
in sicco subfusca, supra glabra, subtus vix pallidior, ad costam
nervosque microscopice puberula, aliter glabra, costa gracili promi-
nente, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 7 gracilibus valde obliquis
subarcuatis angulo semirecto vel latiore adscendentibus; inflores-
centiae breviter graciliter pedunculatae axillares usque 4 cm. longae
laxae pauciflorae, floribus subumbellatis vel breviter racemosis,
pedicellis filiformibus usque 1.5 cm. longis glabris; calyx campanu-
latus ca. 2.5 mm. longus atque 4 mm. latus glaber truncatus, margine
minute ciliolato; corolla viridescenti-alba 7 mm. longa extus glabra
1060 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ad medium vel profundius lobata, lobis acutiusculis ad marginem
tomentulosis; ovarium glabrum. — Changuinola Valley, Panama,
January, 1924, V. C. Dunlap 396 (type in Herb. Field Mus.); also
No. 85a from the same locality. Doubtless to be found in adjacent
Costa Rica. The plant has much similarity with Solanum Kenoyeri
Standl. of the Canal Zone in foliage characters, but the truncate
calyx, without appendages, seems to make necessary its reference to
Lycianthes rather than to Solanum.
Lycianthes Lankesteri Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Utvidetur
frutex erectus, ramis gracilibus plus minusve tortuosis teretibus
viridibus, novellis dense pilis ochraceis adpressis pilosis, internodiis
brevibus vel elongatis; folia breviter petiolata plerumque solitaria,
altero parvo majoribus simili sed tantum ad 3 cm. longo ad nodum
saepe adjecto, membranacea, petiolo vix ultra 6 mm. longo dense
adpresso-piloso; lamina valde obliqua oblongo-lanceolata 12-16 cm.
longa 3.5-5 cm. lata longe anguste attenuato-acuminata, basi solem-
niter obliqua uno latere attenuato-acuta, altero anguste obtusa,
supra in sicco fusco-viridis in statu adulto tantum ad costam nervos-
que adpresso-pilosa, subtus pallidior saltern ad nervos venasque
adpresso-pilosa, costa gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque
latere ca. 12 prominentibus, venulis laxissime inconspicue reticulatis;
pedicelli ad nodum pauci, plerumque 2-5, graciles, usque 8 mm. longi,
adpresso-hirsuti ; calyx extus hispidus, pilis pro parte furcatis albidis
patentibus, truncatus ca. 3 mm. longus, extus paullo infra marginem
lobis 10 filiformibus viridibus fere aequilongis onustus; corolla (per-
fecta non visa) extus in alabastro dense hispidula. — Navarro, Prov.
Cartago, July, 1924, C. H. Lankester 954 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb.;
photo, in Herb. Field Mus.). Related to the Guatemalan L. amatit-
lanensis (Coult. & Bonn. Smith) Bitter, which differs conspicuously
in the long, spreading pubescence of the leaves and other parts.
Lycianthes lenta (Cav.) Bitter. Solanum lentum Cav. Re-
ported by Bitter as collected by Oersted at Cartago and San Jose\
Mexico to Cuba and Venezuela. A scandent shrub, the young
branches covered with a rather dense but close pubescence of stellate,
short-stipitate hairs; leaves solitary or subgeminate, unequal,
petiolate, membranaceous, the blades ovate or broadly ovate, 4-8 cm.
long, 3-4 cm. wide, somewhat narrowed to an obtuse apex, rounded
at the base or abruptly short-decurrent, sparsely stellate-pubescent
above, paler beneath and densely and closely stellate- tomentose;
inflorescences 4-6-flowered, the slender pedicels 15-23 mm. long;
calyx 4.5-5 mm. long, with 10 subulate, unequal teeth 1-2 mm.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1061
long, stellate- tomentose; corolla violaceous or white, 14-16 mm.
long, stellate-tomentose outside; ovary glabrous; berries globose, red,
7-8 mm. in diameter.
Lycianthes multiflora Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen 24:
361. 1920. Tomatillo. L. multiflora var. extustomentosa Bitter, op.
cit. 363 (Turrialba, Oersted 1386); L. multiflora var. plicitomentosa
Bitter, loc. cit. (Naranjo, Oersted 1384)- Las Vueltas, Tucurrique,
635 meters, Tonduz 13173 (photo, seen of type, ex herb. Berol.).
Frequent in thickets and forests of the tierra caliente, ascending to
2,000 meters in the region of Zarcero; Guanacaste. Panama. A
shrub of 2-3 meters, more or less scandent, sometimes climbing to
20 meters, the young branches densely covered with close, short-
stipitate, stellate hairs; leaves solitary or subgeminate, those of a
pair often very unequal, the larger ones petiolate, ovate-lanceolate
to rounded-ovate, mostly 9-13 cm. long, abruptly long- or short-
acuminate, usually rounded at the base and often abruptly short-
decurrent, sparsely and finely stellate-pubescent above or almost
wholly glabrous, paler beneath, closely stellate-pubescent chiefly or
only on the nerves and veins; inflorescences 9-20-flowered, the
slender pedicels 6-8 mm. long or in age much longer; calyx 4 mm.
long, with 10 subulate teeth 1-1.5 mm. long, stellate-tomentose;
corolla white or whitish, almost 2 cm. broad; ovary glabrous; berries
subglobose, 7-10 mm. long.
Lycianthes Pittieri Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen 24: 360.
1920. In forest, San Lorenzo de Dota, 1,250 meters, Pittier 2277.
A shrub, the young branches ferruginous-stellate- tomentose; leaves
subgeminate, those of a pair very unequal, the larger ones petiolate,
ovate-lanceolate to broadly elliptic-lanceolate, 15-17.5 cm. long and
6-7 cm. wide, acuminate or long-acuminate, rounded or subcordate
at the base, stellate-subtomentose above at first but later glabrate,
stellate-tomentose beneath; inflorescences several-flowered, the
pedicels 5-6 mm. long; calyx 3 mm. long, bearing at the apex 10
short teeth 1 mm. long or less, ferruginous-stellate- tomentose;
corolla ferruginous-tomentose outside; ovary glabrous; berries sub-
globose, 6 mm. in diameter.
Lycianthes Storkii Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Arbuscula,
ramulis teretibus gracilibus dense pilis simplicibus ochraceis adscen-
dentibus vel subadpressis pilosis, internodiis brevibus; folia inter
minora breviter petiolata, paris inaequalia, minoribus majoribus
similibus et tantum minoribus, petiolo crassiusculo usque 6 mm.
1062 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
longo adpresso-piloso; lamina in foliis majoribus lanceolato-oblonga
5-12 cm. longa, 1.5-3 cm. lata, longe anguste attenuato-acuminata,
basi valde inaequali acuta vel attenuata, membranacea, supra in
sicco viridis subsparse adpressohirsuta, subtus multo pallidior sat
dense pilis pallidis rigidulis adpresso-pilosa, costa crassiuscula promi-
nente; flores axillares ut videtur solitarii, pedicellis gracilibus rectis
in statu fructifero ca. 2.5 cm. longis dense pilis adscendentibus
pilosis; calyx sub fructum persistens ca. 2 mm. altus atque 5 mm.
latus pallidus adpresso-pilosus truncatus 10-costatus, paullo infra
marginem dentibus 10 subaequalibus subulatis 1.5-3 mm. longis
onustus; bacca globosa 6 mm. longa apice rotundata glabra. — About
1 km. southeast of Santa Maria de Dota, Prov. San Jose", 1,710
meters, August, 1932, H. E. Stork 3138 (type in Herb. Field Mus.).
Zapote de San Carlos, March, 1937, Austin Smith H490. The follow-
ing additional collections are in the United States National Herba-
rium: Viento Fresco, Prov. Alajuela, 1,600-1,900 meters, wet forest,
Standley & Torres 47944- Santa Maria de Dota, moist forest, 1,500-
1,800 meters, Standley & Valerio 43350, 43302. A slender shrub of
1-1.5 meters, the fruit bright red.
Lycianthes synanthera (Sendtn.) Bitter. Solanum synan-
therum Sendtn. S. mitratum Greenm. ex Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 37:
211. 1904 (Atirro, Prov. Cartago, 600 meters, J. D. Smith 6673). L.
mitrata Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen 24: 500. 1920. Frequent
in the central region at middle elevations, chiefly 1,000-1,600 meters;
region of San Ramon. Panama to Guatemala. A shrub or small
tree, sometimes subscandent, the young branches sometimes with a
few small, stellate hairs, but commonly glabrous; leaves often gemi-
nate and unequal, the larger on petioles 1.5-3 cm. long, oblong or
elliptic-oblong, 7.5-20 cm. long, acuminate or long-acuminate, acute
to rounded at the base, glabrous or practically so; inflorescences
10-18-flowered, the pedicels in flower 12-20 mm. long; calyx 3 mm.
long, truncate, glabrous or nearly so, obscurely if at all costa te;
corolla blue- violet, 1.5-2 cm. broad, glabrous; ovary glabrous;
berries globose, 6-7 mm. in diameter.
Lycianthes Valerii Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex 1-2-
metralis ramosus, ramis gracilibus teretibus, junioribus tortuosis vel
subgeniculatis dense pilis simplicibus rigidulis patentibus vel subin-
curvis pilosis, internodiis brevibus; folia superiora spurie geminata
valde inaequalia membranacea breviter petiolata, minora sub-
orbicularia fere sessilia ca. 1 cm. longa, majora fere 1 cm. longe
petiolata; lamina in foliis majoribus anguste oblongo-lanceolata 10-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1063
14 cm. longa 2-3.2 cm. lata longe anguste attenuato-acuminata, basin
valde inaequalem versus sensim cuneato-attenuata, supra in sicco
viridis fere omnino glabra, tantum ad costam pilis paucis remotis
conspersa, subtus paullo pallidior pilis rigidulis albidis simplicibus vel
interdum apice furcatis subhirsuta, costa tenera prominente, nervis
lateralibus utroque latere 7-8 parum prominentibus obliquis arcuatis
solemniter irregularibus; flores axillares solitarii nutantes, pedicellis
crassiusculis in statu florifero vix ultra 3 mm. longis pilosis; calyx
campanulatus 3-4.5 mm. longus et aequilatus sparse pilis longis
patentibus pilosus viridis 5-costatus, truncatus, remote brevissime
5-dentatus, basi rotundatus; corolla lutescenti-viridis extus glabra
13 mm. longa ad medium 5-loba, lobis triangularibus acutis intus
glabris. — Near Santa Maria de Dota, Prov. San Jose", moist forest,
Standley & Juvenal Valeria 43307 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). There
is some question as to whether this plant is better referable to Lycian-
thes or to Solarium, but the former seems more reasonable and
satisfactory.
Lycianthes villosula Bitter, Abh. Naturw. Ver. Bremen 24: 420.
1920. El Brasil, Rio Virilla, Prov. Alajuela, 800 meters, Pittier 3676.
Plants low, herbaceous, probably decumbent, the stems villous;
upper leaves falsely geminate, unequal, short-petiolate, the blades
obliquely oblong-lanceolate, 5-7.5 cm. long or smaller, subacute at
the apex, cuneately narrowed to the base, villous on both surfaces
with principally simple hairs; flowers solitary, the pedicels about
2 cm. long; calyx 5-6 mm. long, with 10 unequal, subulate teeth 2
mm. long or less, villous; corolla yellowish white, 1.5 cm. long; ovary
glabrous.
LYCOPERSICON Mill. Tomato
Annual or perennial herbs; leaves pinnately or bipinnately
divided; flowers small, yellow, in lateral, irregular, raceme-like
cymes opposite the leaves; calyx 5-parted, with linear or lanceolate
segments; corolla rotate, the tube very short, the limb 5-cleft, plicate;
stamens inserted in the corolla throat, the filaments short, the
anthers linear, connate or connivent, dehiscent by introrse slits;
ovary 2-3-celled, the stigma capitate; fruit large or small, baccate.—
No other species are known from North America.
Lycopersicon esculent um Mill. Tomate. The common
tomato, perhaps originally from Peru, is cultivated in all inhabited
parts of Costa Rica, although in some regions its growth is difficult
because of a multiplicity of insect and fungus enemies. Pittier
reports the Guatuso name of Uli-kamo.
1064 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Lycopersicon esculentum var. cerasiforme (Dunal) Hort.
Tomate, Tomatillo. Frequent in waste ground about settlements;
probably an introduction in Central America, since the plants never
are found in places where they appear native. The wild plants are
probably mere degenerate forms derived from seeds of garden
plants. The variety differs from the common tomato only in its small,
globose fruits, usually about 2 cm. in diameter.
MARKEA L. Rich.
Epiphytic or scandent shrubs, glabrous or nearly so, the pubes-
cence, if any, of simple hairs; leaves entire, commonly coriaceous,
often approximate at the ends of the branches; flowers large, sub-
racemose along a short or elongate, conspicuously nodose rachis;
calyx 5-lobate, the lobes valvate; corolla funnelform or salverform,
the tube ampliate above, the lobes broad, imbricate, spreading in
anthesis; stamens included or short-exserted, the filaments filiform,
elongate, the anthers oblong or linear, erect, dehiscent by longi-
tudinal slits; ovary 2-celled, the style elongate, the stigma bilamel-
late; fruit baccate, oblong or globose, almost dry. — A few other
species are known from Central America.
Markea leucantha Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 31: 116. 1901.
Metternichia Wercklei Schum. ex D. Bois, Rev. Hort. 82: 149. 1910
(La Palma, Werckle). Merinthopodium leucanthum Blake, Contr.
Gray Herb. 52: 87. 1917. Estrella, Prov. Cartago, 1,800 meters, J. D.
Smith 5887. Frequent in the central region, ascending the slopes
of the mountains to at least 2,400 meters; region of San Ramon, at
1,000 meters or more. Panama. A small or large, epiphytic shrub,
often forming large, dense clumps, the branches stout and nodose;
leaves coriaceous, short-petiolate, obovate-oblong to oval, mostly
6-15 cm. long, acute to broadly rounded at the apex, slightly or
greatly narrowed to the base, glabrous; flowers clustered at the tips
of the leafy branches, often very numerous, pedicellate, the pedicels
usually pilose; calyx campanulate, 10-13 mm. long, pilosulous or
glabrous, the lobes broad, short-cuspidate; corolla white or yellowish,
about 6 cm. long; stamens exserted. This is one of the handsomest of
all the many epiphytic shrubs of Costa Rica, most abundant at the
edges of pastures on the upper mountain slopes, where it often forms
dense masses over old stumps. The large clusters of white flowers
are exceedingly handsome, and strongly fragrant. There seems to
be no good reason for placing the plant in some genus other than
Markea, as was done by Blake. Both this and the following species
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1065
agree in general characters with numerous South American plants
that have been referred to Markea. If Merinthopodium is a good
genus, which seems rather improbable, some of the South American
Markeas will have to be transferred to it.
Markea neurantha Hemsl. Biol. Centr. Amer. Bot. 2: 429.
1882. Merinthopodium neuranthum Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 23: 12.
pi. 1. 1897. Type, Endres 534, without definite locality. Frequent
in forests of the upper part of the Atlantic tierra caliente, ascending
to the upper slopes of the central region, to 2,500 meters or more;
region of San Ramon. Extending to Guatemala. A large or small,
epiphytic shrub, rarely terrestrial, glabrous except for the often
hirsutulous peduncles, pedicels, and calyx; leaves petiolate, sub-
coriaceous or membranaceous, elliptic-oblong to obovate-oblong,
mostly 10-25 cm. long, acuminate to attenuate-acuminate, acute at
the base; peduncles usually greatly elongate, slender, and pendent,
rarely short, flexible, nodulose near the tip, bearing at the apex few or
numerous slender-pedicellate flowers; calyx 2-2.5 cm. long, costate;
corolla green, 3.5-7 cm. long; fruits about 2 cm. long. A curious
plant, attracting attention because of the dangling inflorescences of
large, greenish flowers. In this respect it is much like the species
of Campanea (Gesneriaceae) that grow in the same region.
Markea venosa Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex epiphyticus;
rami subquadrangulati albidi glaberrimi; folia saepe subopposita
vel subverticillata, breviter petiolata, petiolo 4-7 mm. longo; lamina
late elliptica, 3.5-7 cm. longa, 2-4 cm. lata, breviter acuminata, basi
obtusa, subcoriacea, integra, glaberrima, venis supra obscuris, venis
et venulis subtus elevatis reticulatis; inflorescentia terminalis,
uniflora(?), pedicellis brevissimis; calyx 2-2.5 cm. longus, perspicue
angulatus, segmentis liberis oblongis, ca. 1 cm. latis, cuspidato-
subulatis, glabris; corolla albida, 5-5.5 cm. longa, anguste cam-
panulata, tubo 1.7-2 cm. lato, limbo 2.5-3 cm. lato, lobis ca. 1 cm.
longis, subaequalibus, integris; filamenta 9 mm. supra basin corollae
affixa, ca. 1 cm. longa, basi glanduloso-pilosula; antherae anguste
oblongae, 8 mm. longae; ovarium et stylus glabri. — Vara Blanca de
Sarapiqui, Prov. Alajuela, alt. 1,770 meters, October 1937, Skutch
3355 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,643,419). From Markea
leucantha the present species differs strongly in calyx characters. In
that species the calyx is not more than 13 mm. long, not angulate,
and the lobes are united to the middle. The relative length of calyx
and corolla is also different. In M. leucantha, moreover, the filaments
are inserted low in the corolla tube (4 mm. above the base), are long-
1066 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
pilose in the lower half, and are about 4 cm. long, thus placing the
anthers near the throat. In M. venosa the filaments are short, the
anthers being borne near the middle of the corolla tube. The calyx
lobes of M. venosa are similar to those of M. neurantha, but that
species has a very different inflorescence, a more broadly campanu-
late, wider-mouthed corolla, exserted stamens, and pubescent leaves
and calyces. From both these species M . venosa may be distinguished
by the leaves, which are markedly reticulate-venose beneath, with
elevated veinlets. In M. leucantha and M. neurantha the veinlets are
very obscure. Markea venosa is represented, apparently, also by an
imperfect specimen in the Herbarium of Field Museum: Santo
Domingo de Vara Blanca, 2,200 meters, M. Valerio 1548.
NICANDRA Adans.
Annual herbs, glabrous, branched; leaves alternate, membrana-
ceous, petiolate, sinuate-dentate or repand-lobate; flowers large,
pale blue, cernuous, solitary in the leaf axils, slender-pedicellate;
calyx 5-parted, deeply 5-angulate, greatly enlarged in fruit, green,
the segments connivent, cordate at the base; corolla broadly cam-
panulate, plicate; filaments filiform, dilated below and pilose, the
anthers oblong, dehiscent by longitudinal slits; fruit a nearly dry,
globose berry, enclosed in the calyx. — The genus consists of one species.
Nicandra physalodes (L.) Gaertn. Occasional in waste or
cultivated ground of the Meseta Central, and perhaps in other
regions. Widely distributed in tropical America. Plants much
branched, erect, a meter high or less; leaves ovate to oblong, acute
at the base; flowers 2.5-3.5 cm. long; corolla limb almost entire;
fruiting calyx 2.5-3.5 cm. long, the berry 1 cm. in diameter. The
plant is apparently not frequent in Central America. In appearance
it is much like Physalis, but the flowers are blue, rather than yellow.
NICOTIANA L. Tobacco
Herbs or shrubs; leaves alternate, entire or undulate, sessile or
petiolate; flowers in terminal racemes -or panicles; calyx tubular-
campanulate or ovoid, 5-lobate; corolla tube commonly longer than
the limb, the latter 5-lobate, with spreading lobes; filaments filiform,
the anthers dehiscent by longitudinal slits; capsule 2-valvate or
4-valvate at the apex, containing numerous small seeds. — One or
two species may be native in northern Central America.
Nicotiana Tabacum L. Tabaco. Tobacco is grown in consider-
able amounts from the temperate region to the coasts, for home
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1067
consumption and upon a larger scale for manufacture of cigars and
cigarettes. The common tobacco is presumed to be native of the
Andean region, since the closely related species are found wild there,
but it was known to the aborigines before the Spanish invasion of the
continent. Other native species also were utilized for smoking in
various parts of America, but probably not in Central America. As
indigenous names Pittier reports De"-ua (Bribri), Da-ua (Cabe'cara),
Du-uo (T^rraba), Tu-ua (Guatuso).
PETUNIA Juss.
Viscid herbs with branched stems; leaves entire; flowers small or
large and showy, axillary or terminal, solitary; calyx deeply 5-lobate,
with narrow segments; corolla funnelform or salverform, the limb
plicate, spreading, slightly asymmetric; stamens 5, 4 of them didyna-
mous and perfect, the fifth smaller or obsolete, the anthers ovoid;
ovary 2-celled, the stigma bilamellate; capsule bivalvate, containing
numerous small seeds. — The single native North American species
occurs in Mexico, but probably does not reach Central America.
Petunia hybrida Hort. The common garden petunia, with
variously colored, often variegated, sometimes double flowers is one
of the most common garden and house plants of Costa Rica, as else-
where in Central America. The cultivated plants are presumed to
be of hybrid origin, derived from species native in southern South
America, where the genus is best represented.
PHYSALIS L. Ground-cherry
Annual or perennial herbs or low shrubs; leaves petiolate, entire
or sinuate-dentate or repand; flowers mostly small, solitary in the
leaf axils, on slender pedicels; calyx campanulate, 5-dentate, in fruit
inflated, with only a small opening at the apex, enclosing the fruit,
membranaceous, somewhat 5-angled; corolla broadly campanulate
or almost rotate, the tube very short, the limb plicate, angulate;
anthers oblong, opening by longitudinal slits; fruit baccate, the
numerous seeds reniform, compressed. — Several other species occur
in Central America, and a few of them are to be expected in
Costa Rica.
Physalis angulata L. Waste or cultivated ground of the tierra
caliente, apparently infrequent. Widely distributed in tropical
America. Plants annual, erect, less than a meter high, glabrous or
nearly so; leaves usually ovate or elliptic and broadly cuneate at
the base, coarsely dentate; corolla yellow, 5-10 mm. broad, with a
1068 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
red-brown eye; fruiting calyx ovoid, 3 cm. long, not conspicuously
angled, green or yellowish.
Physalis Lagascae Roem. & Schult. Pacific tierra caliente,
and probably also in other regions. Widely distributed in tropical
America. A much branched annual, finely pubescent or glabrate;
leaves usually small, ovate, acute, obtuse or cordate at the base,
somewhat sinuate-dentate, short-pilose, at least on the nerves;
corolla small, greenish yellow, with a dark center; fruiting calyx only
1.5 cm. long, almost filled by the berry. Distinguishable from other
local species by the very small fruiting calyx.
Physalis nicandroides Schlecht. Occasional as a weed about
San Jos£ and elsewhere in the central region; region of Dota. Extend-
ing to Mexico. Plants annual, tall and coarse, much branched,
conspicuously pubescent on the stems and leaves; leaves slender-
petiolate, ovate to broadly elliptic, truncate to obtuse and very
unequal at the base, coarsely dentate; fruiting calyx larger than in
other species, broadly ovoid, cuspidate-acuminate, as much as 6 cm.
long and 4 cm. broad, acutely angulate.
Physalis pubescens L. Miltomate. Occasional as a weed about
the Meseta Central, extending to the coasts; region of San Ramon;
Guanacaste. Generally distributed in tropical America. Plants
annual, erect, branched, densely short-villous or pilose and more or
less viscid; leaves broad, rounded to cordate at the base, repand-
dentate; corolla 5-10 mm. broad, dull yellow with a purple-brown
eye; fruiting calyx 2.5-3 cm. long, angulate, depressed at the base.
SARACHA Ruiz & Pavon
Mostly annual herbs, glabrous or pubescent, usually erect,
branched; leaves petiolate, entire or sinuate-dentate; peduncles
short, axillary, umbellately few-flowered, the pedicels commonly
recurved; calyx broadly campanulate, shallowly 5-lobate, in fruit
greatly enlarged, green, spreading, exposing the fruit; corolla broadly
campanulate or subrotate, the limb broadly 5-lobate, plicate; fila-
ments filiform, somewhat dilated and usually villous at the base, the
anthers short, erect, the cells dehiscent by longitudinal slits; ovary
2-celled, the stigma emarginate or shortly bilamellate; fruit baccate,
globose, containing numerous compressed seeds. — Probably no
other species occur in Central America.
Saracha procumbens (Cav.) Ruiz & Pavon. Jaltomate, Yerba
de mora. S. umbellata (Roth) Don ; S. Jaltomata Schlecht. Occasional
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1069
in waste and cultivated ground, Meseta Central to the coasts; region
of San Ramon; ascending to 1,750 meters. Widely distributed in
tropical America. A branched herb a meter high or less, glabrous or
nearly so; leaves long-petiolate, large, membranaceous, ovate to
broadly elliptic, entire or sinuate-dentate, acuminate, acute at the
base; corolla sulphur yellow or pale green, about 1 cm. broad; calyx
in fruit 2 cm. or more in breadth; berries globose, purple-black, about
7 mm. in diameter.
SCHWENKIA L.
Annual or perennial herbs, usually slender, the leaves entire,
ovate or narrower; peduncles 1-few-flowered, forming a leafy or
naked panicle, the flowers greenish or whitish; calyx tubular or
campanulate, 5-dentate or 5-lobate; corolla tube slender and elongate,
not dilated in the throat, the limb small, plicate, the 5 primary lobes
reduced to teeth, the appendages of the sinuses narrow and elongate,
entire or variously bilobate; stamens exserted or included; anthers
longitudinally dehiscent; fruit a small capsule. — A few other species
are known from Central America. The commonest is S. americana
L., which is to be expected in Costa Rica, on the Pacific slope.
Schwenkia browallioides HBK. Surubres, near San Mateo, in
forest, Biolley 7079. Nicaragua to Venezuela. Plants apparently
erect and branched, the stems puberulent; leaves slender-petiolate,
ovate or lance-ovate, acuminate, entire, appressed-pilose, puberulent,
or glabrate; flowers short-pedicellate, the narrow calyx 1 cm. long,
the lobes linear-attenuate; corolla very slender, the tube 2 cm. long
or more, the filiform appendages about 8 mm. long. The determina-
tion is slightly uncertain, and it may be that the Central American
plant is really a distinct species.
SOLANDRA Swartz
Scandent shrubs, unarmed; leaves alternate, petiolate, entire;
flowers very large and showy, terminal, solitary; calyx tubular or
narrowly campanulate, 2-5-lobate; corolla funnelform, the throat
dilated, the 5 lobes of the limb broad, spreading, imbricate; stamens
declined, the filaments elongate, filiform, the anthers oblong; ovary
4-celled, the stigma bilamellate; fruit a large berry, containing
numerous seeds. — No other species, probably, are found in Central
America.
Solandra brachycalyx Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 453. 1891. Pa-
paturra, Papamiel. Volcdn de Irazu, Kuntze. Slopes of Irazu, 1,800-
2,500 meters. Endemic. A large, woody vine, apparently essentially
1070 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
epiphytic, glabrous; leaves long-petiolate, ovate to rounded-elliptic,
15 cm. long, or less, abruptly short-acuminate, rounded to acute at
the base; calyx 4-6 cm. long, the 2-3 lobes broad, apiculate; corolla
yellow, about 20 cm. long. The fruits are described as globose or
ovoid, and attaining a weight of 500-1,000 grams, sweet, and agree-
able in flavor. I have never seen this plant growing, but it must be
one of the showiest of all Costa Rican species, because of the huge
flowers, which resemble in shape those of Datura. The Costa Rican
species has been referred to S. grandiflora Swartz, of the West Indies,
from which it is apparently quite distinct.
SOLANUM L.
Herbs, shrubs, or small trees, sometimes scandent, often armed
with prickles, the pubescence frequently of branched hairs; leaves
simple and entire or dentate, or often pinnate-lobate or pinnate;
flowers small or large, umbellate, paniculate, or racemose; calyx
campanulate or rotate, sometimes accrescent in age, 5-dentate or
5-lobate; corolla rotate, the limb plicate, 5-angulate or 5-lobate;
filaments short, the anthers linear or oblong, connate or connivent
to form a cone, the cells dehiscent by a terminal pore or sometimes
by a short, terminal slit; ovary usually 2-celled; fruit baccate, com-
monly globose, the calyx persistent at its base or enclosing it. — A
vast genus, with numerous additional species in Central America.
The key here presented was prepared by Mr. Morton.
Key to species
A. Anthers blunt; plants unarmed (Pachystemonum).
B. Leaves pinnate or pinnatifid.
Inflorescences axillary (Bassovia).
Leaf blades trifoliolate S. phaseoloides.
Leaf blades 5-9-foliolate.
Blades 5-foliolate S. Pittieri.
Blades 7-9-foliolate .- S. trizygum.
Inflorescences terminal or extra-axillary.
Leaves partly simple, partly pinnatifid (Jasminosolanum).
S. Seaforthianum.
Leaves fully pinnate.
Pedicels articulate above the base (Hyperbasarthrum).
Plants woody vines S. juglandifolium.
Plants erect herbs.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1071
Fruits acute at the apex S. longiconicum.
Fruits rounded at the apex S. tuber osum.
Pedicels articulate at the base (Basarthrum).
Plants hirsute; leaf blades 3-7-f oliolate . . . S. Grossularia.
Plants glabrate; leaf blades 9-1 1-f oliolate. .S. suaveolens.
B. Leaves entire, or sometimes sinuate-dentate in S. nigrum.
C. Pubescence of simple hairs or absent.
Plant a small vine creeping on tree trunks. Leaf blades oval,
not over 4 cm. long; inflorescence racemose, extra-
axillary, the rachis zigzag S. evolvulifolium.
Plants erect herbs, shrubs, or trees.
Inflorescences terminal or extra-axillary; plants herbaceous
or rarely suffrutescent.
Corollas less than 1 cm. long; fruit small, globose (Mor-
ella).
Plants over 30 cm. high, glabrate or appressed-pubes-
cent; umbels pedunculate, many-flowered.
S. nigrum.
Plants less than 30 cm. high, long-hirsute; umbels
sessile or rarely short-pedunculate, 1-3-flowered.
S. deflexum.
Corollas over 1 cm. long; fruit ovoid, over 10 cm. long.
S. muricatum.
Inflorescences terminal or opposite the leaves; plants
shrubs or trees.
Inflorescences terminal. Leaf nerves bearded in the axils.
S. dotanum.
Inflorescences opposite the leaves (Leiodendron).
Leaf blades pubescent on the mesophyll.
S. incomptum.
Leaf blades not pubescent on the mesophyll, except
sometimes along the midvein.
Lateral nerves barbate in the axils on the lower
surface S. parcebarbatum.
Lateral nerves not barbate in the axils.
Inflorescences pedunculate, compound. Leaves
solitary or, if geminate, the smaller not
orbicular and stipule-like; corolla 1 cm. long;
calyx lobes truncate, mucronate. . S. Brenesii.
1072 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Inflorescences sessile or nearly so.
Smaller leaves rounded, orbicular, stipule-like.
Calyx lobes acuminate, almost equaling
the corolla S. enchylozum.
Smaller leaves acutish, more or less conform
with the larger ones.
Leaves entirely glabrous.
Inflorescence 1-flowered, the pedicel very
slender, over 1 cm. long; young stems
minutely puberulous S. pertenue.
Inflorescence several- to many-flowered;
stems glabrous, the epidermis often
peeling off in scales S. roblense.
Leaf veins hairy beneath.
Stems and leaf veins rather long-pilosulous;
leaves sessile or nearly so; inflores-
cences 1-3-flowered. . . .S. Valerianum.
Stems and leaf veins very minutely puberu-
lous; leaves petiolate; inflorescences
several-many-flowered. .S. copeyanum.
C. Pubescence of stellate hairs or scales.
Inflorescences axillary, 1- or rarely 2-flowered; calyx lobes
circumscissile at the base S. sanctae-clarae.
Inflorescences terminal or extra-axillary.
Inflorescences extra-axillary (Indubitaria).
Leaf blades densely tomentose on both sides, the hairs
long-stalked S. extensum.
Leaf blades sparingly scabrous, the hairs sessile or
subsessile S. Edwardsii.
Inflorescences terminal (Anthoresis).
Corolla violet; plants of high elevations (2,400-3,000
meters) : S. Storkii.
Corolla white; plants of lower elevations.
Stems with long-stipitate, stellate hairs.' Leaf blades
attenuate at the base S. umbellatum.
Stems with short-stipitate or sessile hairs.
Calyx merely lightly toothed. Leaf blades green
above, very pale beneath, short-petiolate.
S. salviifolium.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1073
Calyx lobed one- third to one-half its length.
Leaf blades rounded at the base.
Stems soft-tomentose, with minutely but com-
plexly branched hairs; calyx 4-5 mm. long;
corolla 8-9 mm. long; leaves long-petiolate.
Leaves tomentose above . . . S. verbascifolium.
Leaves with a few scattered, stellate hairs
above.
S. verbascifolium var. adulterinum.
Stems lepidote, the scales closely appressed,
with a flat disk and numerous rays spread-
ing in a single plane; calyx 2 mm. long;
corolla 5 mm. long; leaves very short-
petiolate S. celsum.
Leaf blades cuneate at the base. Ovary hairy
at the apex; leaves sparingly stellate-scabrous
beneath S. rugosum.
A. Anthers attenuate at the apex; plants prickly (Leptostemonum).
Leaves glabrous, the lower ones pinnate S. Wendlandii.
Leaves hirsute or stellate-pubescent.
Leaves deeply lobed, the divisions dentate S. guanicense.
Leaves entire or sinuate-lobed, the divisions entire.
D. Corolla lobed to near the base, the sinuses not plicate.
Pubescence partly or wholly of simple hairs; prickles straight;
fruits 2-5 cm. in diameter (Simplicipila) .
Calyx not aculeate; hairs all simple S. mammosum.
Calyx aculeate; hairs partly simple, partly stellate.
S. ciliatum.
Pubescence wholly of stellate hairs; prickles at least slightly
recurved; fruits less than 2 cm. in diameter (Juripeba).
Ovary pubescent.
Pubescence of the ovary of simple hairs; calyx 8-14
mm. long, the lobes nerved, unequal, accrescent;
pubescence of the stems ferruginous.
Stem appressed-pubescent, the hairs lacking a cen-
tral ray; corolla white; erect shrub. .S. accrescens.
Stem hirsute by the long, several-celled central rays
of the hairs; corolla violet; scandent shrub.
S. rubidum.
1074 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Pubescence of the ovary of stellate hairs; calyx 3-4 mm.
long (9 mm. in S. mirabile), the lobes equal,
not nerved, not strongly accrescent; pubescence
yellowish.
Calyx 3-4 mm. long, the lobes stellate-pubescent,
aculeate; pedicels 1-1.5 mm. thick; hairs of the
upper leaf surface sessile.
Hairs of the stem stipitate; hairs of the upper leaf
surface with a long central ray . . . . S. scabrum.
Hairs of the stem sessile; hairs of the upper leaf
surface without a long central ray.
S. lanceifolium.
Calyx 9 mm. long, the lobes hispid with long bristles,
these stellate at the apex, not aculeate; pedicels
3.5 mm. thick; hairs of the upper leaf surface
long-stipitate S. mirabile.
Oyary (and style) glabrous or stipitate-glandular.
Leaf blades sessile or nearly so, attenuate at the base.
S. jamaicense.
Leaf blades petiolate, usually rounded at the base.
Hairs of the stems long-stipitate; calyx strongly
aculeate; anthers 1 cm. long. .S. Donnell-Smithii.
Hairs of the stems short-stipitate or sessile; calyx
unarmed or sparingly aculeate; anthers 5.5-7.5
mm. long.
Calyx truncate, with 5 subulate teeth; leaf blades
18-26 cm. long, 10-19 cm. wide, sinuate-
lobed S. truncatum.
Calyx lobed nearly to the middle, the lobes
triangular; leaf blades not over 9 cm. long
and 4 cm. wide, entire S. Hoffmannii.
D. Corolla lobed to the middle or less deeply, the sinuses
plicate. Pubescence stellate.
Berry long-hirsute; filaments connate to the apex . . S. hirtum.
Berry glabrous, or with a few stellate hairs at the apex in
S. laurifolium.
Lowest flower only of the inflorescence fertile, this with a
corolla 25-35 mm. long (Andromonoecum) .
S. Melongena.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1075
Several flowers fertile, the corollas not over 20 mm. long
(Torvaria).
Ovary stellate-pilose at the apex; pubescence of stems
and lower leaf surface whitish ; corolla violet.
S. laurifolium.
Ovary glabrous or stipitate-glandular at the apex;
pubescence yellowish or ferruginous; corolla white.
Stems hispid with coarse bristles, these stellate at
the apex S. hispidum.
Stems soft-tomentose or scabrous-tomentose.
Pedicels and calyx with some gland-tipped hairs.
Pedicels erect in fruit S. torvum.
Pedicels recurved in fruit S. ferrugineum.
Pedicels and calyx eglandular.
S. ochraceo-ferrugineum.
Solarium accrescens Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex
erectus 1.5-3 m. altus; ramuli ferrugineo-pubescentes (pilis stellatis,
subsessilibus, radiis paten tibus 4-7, radio centrali nullo), parce
aculeati, aculeis 3-7 mm. longis rubescentibus glabris basi latis apice
paullo recurvis; folia solitaria, longe petiolata, petiolo 2-4 cm. longo;
laminae elliptico-ovatae, majores 12.5-22 cm. longae et 8-11.5 cm.
latae integrae acuminatae, basi rotundatae obliquae, costa interdum
aculeatae, supra sparse stellato-scabridae, pilis stellatis sessilibus
pauciradiatis, radio centrali nullo, subtus stellato-pubescentes, pilis
tenuibus, sessilibus vel substipitatis; inflorescentia extra-axillaris,
3-5-flora, pedunculo 1-3 cm. longo, pedicellis ca. 4 mm. longis;
calycis tubus 1.5 mm. longus, angulatus, stellato-pubescens, lobis
lanceolatis acuminatis trinerviis, extus parce stellato-scabridis, intus
basi stipitato-glandulosis, sursum stellato-pubescentibus, inaequali-
bus, 4 minoribus 10-11 mm. longis, 4 mm. latis, quinto ca. 14 mm.
longo; corolla alba, 13.5-16 mm. longa, tubo 2.5 mm. longo, lobis
lineari-lanceolatis, acutis, extus pubescentibus, sinu non plicato;
filamenta 1 mm. longa, libera, glabra, basi ampliata, antheris aequali-
bus, 8 mm. longis, attenuatis, poris terminalibus parvis; ovarium
simpliciter pilosulum, stylo quam antheris longiore, pilosulo; pedi-
celli fructiferi ca. 8 mm. longi, crassi, ca. 2 mm. diam.; calycis lobi
accrescentes, segmentis minoribus usque ad 18 mm. longis et 7 mm.
latis, quinto 10 mm. lato, valde nervoso; bacca viridis globosa, 13-15
mm. diam., persistente simpliciter pilosa; semina reniformia, ca.
3 mm. longa, 4 mm. lata, 1 mm. crassa, rubescentia. — El General,
1076 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Prov. San Jose", December, 1936, alt. 1,130 meters, Skutch 2979
(type in the U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,643,053). Los Ayotes, Guana-
caste, 600-700 meters, Standley & Valeria 45508. Tilaran, Guana-
caste, 500-600 meters, Standley & Valeria 44335. Distinguished
from S. rubidum by the closely appressed pubescence of the stems
and upper leaf surfaces, due to the absence of a central ray in the
stellate hairs. The calyx lobes are also larger and more prominently
3-nerved. The corolla is white rather than violet. The plants are
small shrubs, whereas S. rubidum is said by the collector to be
arborescent but with stems like a liana. The species is represented
in the Herbarium of Field Museum by one other collection: Forests
of La Palma de San Ramon, 1,100 meters, Brenes 5134-
Solan uni Brenesii Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex vel
arbuscula vulgo 1-2-metralis, interdum 4.5 m. alta, trunco ad 10 cm.
diam., fere omnino glabra, ramis crassiusculis subteretibus in sicco
saepe fuscescentibus, internodiis brevibus vel subelongatis; folia
magna alterna solitaria breviter petiolata membranacea vel sub-
coriacea, petiolo crasso plerumque 2-3 cm. longo superne marginato;
lamina valde variabilis oblongo-elliptica, oblongo-obovata vel
anguste oblanceolato-oblonga, vulgo 13-26 cm. longa atque 6-12 cm.
lata breviter acuminata, basi acuta vel basin versus cuneato-atten-
uata, supra in sicco viridis, venis saepe subimpressis, subtus paullo
pallidior brunnescens, interdum ad nervos sparse pilosula, costa
gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 10 subarcuatis
obliquis angulo latiusculo adscendentibus, venis prominentibus laxe
reticulatis; inflorescentiae oppositifoliae vel infra-axillares umbelli-
formes plerumque 5-15-florae densae 1-2 cm. longe pedunculatae
suberectae vel patentes, pedicellis superne subincrassatis in statu
florifero ca. 5 mm. longis, in statu fructifero valde incrassatis et
usque 12 mm. longis; calyx campanulatus extus minute puberulus
2-2.5 mm. longus ad medium 5-lobus, lobis latis semiorbicularibus
latioribus quam longis apice subtruncatis; corolla alba rotata extus
intusque glabra profunde 5-lobata, lobis oblongo-ovatis; antherae
fere 4 mm. longae; baccae globosae 1.5 chi. diam. apice late rotun-
datae. — San Juan, cerca de San Ramon, January, 1933, Brenes 16859
(type in Herb. Field Mus.). La Palma de San Ramon, Brenes 6261.
San Pedro de San Ramon, bosque de La Catarata, Brenes 21435,
21434- Bosque de Rio Nuevo, cerca de Puerto Jimenez de Osa,
10-15 meters, Brenes 13204- Zarcero, 1,950 meters, Austin Smith
Hi 40, 4110. Camino cerca de La Laguna del Arenal, Guanacaste,
600 meters, Brenes 12656. Piedades Norte y Los Angeles de San
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1077
Ramon, Brenes 6723. Northeast of San Ramon, Brenes 15012.
Orillas del Rio Nuevo cerca de Puerto Jime'nez de Osa, 15-20 meters,
Brenes 12214. Rio Barranca, near San Juan de San Ramon, 1,500-
1,600 meters, Tonduz 17688. Hacienda Quebrada Azul, lower slopes
of Volcan Tenorio, 400-600 meters, C. W. Dodge 6185. La Tejona,
north of Tilaran, Guanacaste, 600 meters, Standley & Valeria 45910.
Cerros de Zurqui, 2,000-2,400 meters, Standley & Valeria 50253.
Cerro de La Carpintera, 1,500-1,800 meters, Standley 35732. San
Ramon, Tonduz 17696. Tilaran, Standley & Valeria 46636, 44495.
The plant is a somewhat variable one, but all the material is without
doubt referable to a single species. Some of the specimens, with
very narrow leaves, represent a form that might be considered worthy
of varietal rank, but the presence of intermediate forms makes such
a segregation of doubtful value.
Solatium celsum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex 6 m.
altus; rami subteretes, flavido-lepidoti, squamis disciformibus
minutis spissis, margine multiradiatis; folia geminata inaequalia,
breviter petiolata, petiolo vix 1 cm. longo; lamina foliorum majorum
oblonga, 16-19 cm. longa, 6.5-7.5 cm. lata, longe acuminata, basi
rotundata, membranacea, integra, supra viridis, subtus minutissime
sublepidota; folia minora elliptica, 5.5-7 cm. longa, obtusiuscula;
inflorescentia suboppositifolia, ca. 9 cm. longa, longe pedunculata,
pedunculo communi 5 cm. longo, flavido-lepidoto, sursum pluries
dichotomo-ramoso, pedicellis 5-7 mm. longis; calyx 2 mm. longus,
ad medium lobatus, extus parce lepidotus, lobis obtusis; corolla
purpurascenti-alba, 5 mm. longa, stellata, tubo 1 mm. longo, lobis
4 mm. longis; filamenta brevia glabra; antherae oblongae, 2 mm.
longae; ovarium apice pilos paucos stellatos gerens; stylus basi parce
stellato-pilosus. — El General, Prov. San Jose", alt. 950 meters,
January, 1936, Skutch 2364 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,642,351).
The present species belongs to the section Lepidotum, no species of
which has been known from North America. From other Costa
Rican species of Solanum it may be distinguished by the character
of the hairs of the stems and inflorescence, and to a lesser extent of
the leaves. The hairs are sessile, and under a lens are seen to have
an obvious disk, with many rays radiating from the margin in a
simple plane. In addition, S. celsum differs from S. rugosum, S.
umbellatum, and S. bicolor in the rounded leaf bases, and from
S. verbascifolium in the very short petioles.
Solanum Cervantesii var. erythrocarpum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2:
454. 1891. Type collected by Kuntze on Volcan de Irazu, at 2,800
1078 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
meters. The identity of the plant is uncertain. It may be the one
here called S. Storkii.
Solanum ciliatum Lam. Jacq. Berengena, Rabo de chancho,
Huevos de perro. Frequent in forests or in waste ground of the central
region, extending to the upper part of the Atlantic tierra caliente,
mostly at 600-1,800 meters; Zarcero. Widely distributed in the
tropics of both hemispheres. Plants herbaceous or suffrutescent,
2.5 meters high or less, somewhat pilose or almost glabrous, the
branches densely covered with very long, straight, yellow prickles;
leaves long-petiolate, membranaceous, thin and lax, broadly ovate,
pinnate-lobate or repand, bearing long, yellow prickles on both
surfaces; flowers in few-flowered, pedunculate, lateral cymes; calyx
densely prickly and bearing a few long, weak hairs, not accrescent;
corolla white to pale yellow, about 12 mm. broad; berries globose,
red, mostly 2-3 cm. in diameter. The plant is common in some places
about San Jose' and Cartago. It is most offensively armed with long,
yellow prickles, but is rather handsome when covered with the large,
bright red fruits. Costa Rican material, as well as that from else-
where in Central America and from Mexico, has been referred gener-
ally to S. aculeatissimum Jacq., of which no Costa Rican specimens
have been seen. The two species are most easily separated (see
Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. Beih. 16: 147. 1923) by their seeds. Those
of S. ciliatum are 4.5-5 mm. wide and broadly winged, those of S.
aculeatissimum only 2-2.5 mm. wide and not at all winged. There
are also accompanying differences in foliage, especially pubes-
cence, which apparently distinguish the two plants easily in the
flowering stage.
Solanum copeyanum Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 54. 1922.
Forests of Copey, 1,800 meters, Tonduz 11689 (photo, and fragment
of type seen, ex herb. Berlin). Apparently frequent in forests of the
region of Dota, 1,500-2,100 meters; widely distributed in forests of
the central region, at middle elevations; Nicoya. Endemic. A shrub
a meter high, or sometimes a tree of 7 meters, unarmed, the branches
slender, minutely pilose or glabrate; leaves often geminate or sub-
geminate, those of a pair very unequal, short-petiolate, the larger
blades lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, mostly 12-16 cm. long and
3.5-5 cm. wide, long-attenuate at the apex, acute at the base and
more or less decurrent, entire, minutely pilose above on the costa,
elsewhere glabrous, beneath minutely puberulous on the nerves
and veins or sometimes glabrous; inflorescences lateral, opposite
the leaves, subumbelliform, 10-14-flowered, short-pedunculate, the
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1079
pedicels 9-10 mm. long; calyx 1.5-2.5 mm. long, deeply lobate, the
lobes elliptic, obtuse, papillose-pilose at the apex; corolla white, 1.5
cm. broad, glabrous outside; berries about 7 mm. in diameter. The
plant is somewhat variable as to pubescence, of which it has at best
but a very scant amount. As indicated by material in the Herbarium
of Field Museum, Bitter originally considered the two collections
that he cites (Tonduz 11689 and 11723, both from Copey) to represent
two distinct species, although it is hard to see upon what differences
two species might be distinguished.
Solarium deflexum Greenm. La Balsa del Rio Grande, Prov.
Alajuela, Pittier 3646. Ranging northward to Mexico. A slender,
erect annual, usually 30 cm. high or less, simple or often much
branched, the stems pilose with slender, pale, mostly spreading hairs;
leaves small, slender-petiolate, broadly ovate to lance-ovate, acute
or acuminate, rounded to acute at the base and often short-decurrent,
entire, white-pilose; inflorescences extra-axillary, umbelliform, few-
flowered, sessile or nearly so, the slender pedicels elongate, deflexed
in fruit; calyx small, green, deeply lobate, the lobes narrow, hispidu-
lous; corolla white, about 6 mm. long; berries globose, about 8 mm.
in diameter, glabrous.
Solatium Donnell-Smithii Coulter. Occasional in thickets of
the tierra caliente and sometimes at higher elevations, ascending
to 1,500 meters; El General. Extending to southern Mexico. A
small or large vine, the branches densely covered with mostly long-
stipitate, stellate hairs, densely armed with short, strongly recurved,
yellowish prickles; leaves short-petiolate, oblong to ovate, mostly
8-15 cm. long, acute, usually obtuse at the base, entire or nearly
so, hispid or stellate-hispidulous above, covered beneath with chiefly
stipitate, stellate hairs, usually armed with prickles beneath; inflores-
cences infra-axillary, racemose, short and few-flowered, the flowers
pedicellate; calyx stellate-hispid and often prickly; corolla white,
1.5 cm. long or less, deeply lobate; fruit glabrous, almost 1 cm. in
diameter. Easily recognized by the vinelike habit, numerous short,
recurved prickles, and stipitate, stellate hairs.
Solanum dotanum Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex 2-3-
metralis, ramulis obtuse angulatis inermibus glaberrimis, inter-
nodiis brevibus; folia alterna solitaria, omnia conformia, breviter
petiolata in sicco crasse membranacea et saepe fusca, petiolo cras-
siusculo 10-15 mm. longo glabro; lamina anguste lanceolato-oblonga
10-18 cm. longa 2.5-4 cm. lata, medio latissima, sensim acuminata,
basi plus minusve inaequali acuta vel longiacuminata, integra, supra
1080 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
sublucida glabra, venis subimpressis, subtus fere concolor, in axillis
nervorum densissime breviter albido-barbata, aliter glabra, costa
gracili elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 13 prominentibus
gracilibus valde curvis angulo lato fere recto adscendentibus, venis
laxe reticulatis vix prominulis; inflorescentiae umbelliformes, vulgo
apice rami racemosae vel subpaniculatae, sessiles vel pedunculatae,
floribus numerosis, pedicellis gracilibus curvis in statu fructifero
paullo crassioribus 7-23 mm. longis minute pilosulis vel glabratis;
calyx campanulatus 4 mm. longus glaber fere ad medium lobatus,
lobis elliptico-ovatis obtusis erectis; corolla alba ca. 8 mm. longa
fere ad basin lobata, lobis lanceolato-oblongis apicem versus sensim
attenuatis extus ad margines breviter villosulis; antherae extus
glabrae 4 mm. longae; fructus immaturus ca. 8 mm. diam. glaber,
apice late rotundatus. — (All the collections are from the region of
Dota, Prov. San Jose") Laguna de La Chonta, northeast of Santa
Maria de Dota, 2,000 meters, wet thicket, Standley 42265 (type in
U. S. Nat. Herb.; photo, in Herb. Field Mus.). El Copey, 1,800
meters, Tonduz 11928. Camino nuevo de La Estrella a Copey,
2,450 meters or less, M. Valeria 1049. Near Finca La Cima, above
Los Lotes, north of El Copey, 2,100-2,400 meters, moist thicket,
Standley 42764-
Solatium Edwardsii Standl. Vara Blanca de Sarapiqui; La
Estrella, Prov. Cartago; Orosi, Prov. Cartago; chiefly at 1,400-1,750
meters. Honduras. A shrub of 1.5-2.5 meters, sometimes sub-
scandent, unarmed; branches densely stellate-tomentose with sessile
or short-stipitate hairs; leaves thin, on short petioles, mostly
solitary, oblong-ovate or lance-oblong, narrowly long-acuminate,
rounded or obtuse and very oblique at the base, stellate-pilosulous
above, densely stellate-pilose beneath, entire; umbels supra-axillary,
sessile or pedunculate, mostly 2-4-flowered, the slender pedicels
elongate; calyx lobed almost to the base, the lobes oblong or
broadly oblong, 5-6 mm. long, accrescent after an thesis, obtuse
or rounded at the apex; corolla white; berry globose, glabrous, 7-8
mm. in diameter.
Solanum enchylozum Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 64. 1922.
Forests of Shirores, Talamanca, 100 meters, Pittier & Tonduz 9193.
Plants unarmed, suffrutescent(?), the branches glabrous; upper
leaves subgeminate, those of a pair very unequal, the larger ones on
petioles 8-12 mm. long, broadly oblong-lanceolate, 21-22 cm. long,
7.5-9.5 cm. wide, cuneately narrowed to each end, broadest at or
slightly below the middle, glabrous; inflorescences opposite the
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1081
leaves, sessile, about 6-flowered, the pedicels 5-6 mm. long, almost
glabrous; calyx 1.5-2 mm. long, the short lobes triangular, acute
or acuminate; corolla 8 mm. broad, glabrous outside; anthers 2 mm.
long; ovary glabrous. To this species perhaps belongs Standley
39854 from Orosi, Prov. Cartago. In this the leaves are rounded at
the very base, and they are slightly puberulous beneath on the veins.
Solanuni evolvulifolium Greenm. ex Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz.
37: 211. 1904. La Palma, Prov. San Jose", 1,460 meters, Pittier
7413. Frequent in forests of the central region ; region of San Ramon ;
mostly at 1,100-1,600 meters. Endemic. Plants herbaceous or
suffrutescent, usually epiphytic, pendent or subscandent, unarmed,
pubescent with short, incurved hairs; leaves short-petiolate, oblong-
ovate or oblong-lanceolate, 1.5-3.5 cm. long, acute or acuminate,
rounded or cordate at the base, entire, glabrous above, pilosulous
beneath on the costa and nerves; inflorescences small and few-
flowered; calyx 3-4 mm. long, shallowly 5-lobate; corolla white, 12
mm. long; berries ovoid or subglobose, 7-14 mm. long.
Solanum extensum Bitter. Thickets and hedges, region of
San Ramon, and doubtless elsewhere. Panama. An unarmed shrub
of 2-3 meters, the branches slender, often long and pendent or sub-
scandent, densely stellate- tomentose; leaves short-petiolate, ovate
to oblong-lanceolate, 5-11 cm. long, narrowly long-acuminate, obtuse
or rounded and often very unequal at the base, entire, thinly stellate-
hirtellous above, green, densely stellate- tomentose beneath; flowers
umbellate, the umbels few- or many-flowered, inserted below the
axils, sessile, the flowers long-pedicellate, white; calyx in flower 6
mm. long, greatly accrescent in fruit and spreading, lobed almost to
the base, the lobes ovate to elliptic, acute or short-acuminate;
corolla little longer than the calyx; berries globose, glabrous, lus-
trous, about 8 mm. in diameter.
Solanum ferrugineum Jacq. Berengena espinuda. S. mad-
reuse Fernald. Region of San Jose", in thickets; Nicoya; and doubt-
less elsewhere. Mexico to northern South America. An erect shrub,
the branches densely fulvous-tomentose with short-stipitate, stellate
hairs, armed with numerous short, stout, straight or slightly recurved
prickles; leaves large, petiolate, ovate or broadly ovate, 12-18 cm.
long, or often shorter, acute or obtuse, usually subcordate at the base,
subentire to sinuate-lobate, rough on the upper surface and stellate-
hispidulous, paler beneath, softly and densely stellate-tomentose,
unarmed; inflorescences lateral, subracemose, with few or numerous
flowers, the flowers pedicellate, the pedicels recurved in fruit; calyx
1082 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
densely stellate- tomentose, the lobes narrow, lance-subulate; corolla
white, 1.5-2 cm. long; fruit yellow, 1-1.5 cm. in diameter, glabrous.
Solanum Grossularia Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 10: 537. 1912.
Chiverrillo. Origin of the type material uncertain, but probably
collected in Costa Rica by Werckle". Frequent in forests of the
central region, chiefly at 1,100-1,800 meters; region of San Ramon.
Guatemala; a variety is described by Bitter from Colombia. Plants
herbaceous, unarmed, weak, procumbent or suberect, sometimes sub-
scandent, densely pilose with stiff, whitish, unequal hairs; leaves
with pseudostipules at the base of the petiole, pinnate, the leaf-
lets 5-7, petiolulate, lance-ovate or ovate, entire, acute, densely
pilose on both surfaces; inflorescences slender-pedunculate, raceme-
like, few-flowered, the pedicels slender, 12-13 mm. long or more;
calyx 5-parted, the lobes lanceolate, acute; corolla white, 1.5 cm.
broad, pilose outside; fruits ovoid or subglobose, about 2 cm. long.
The specimens show so much variation in pubescence that possibly
two species are represented by the material referred here.
Solanum guanicense Urban. Region of Nicoya, along road-
sides, and perhaps elsewhere. Panama to British Honduras and
West Indies. Plants annual, low, branched, abundantly armed on
the stems, leaves, and calyces with long, slender, yellowish, straight
prickles, the stems densely covered with very unequal, stellate,
sessile or stipitate hairs; leaves petiolate, cordate at the base, broad,
deeply pinnate-lobate with 3-4 lobes on each side, the lobes serrate-
dentate, stellate-pilose above, stellate- tomentose beneath; inflores-
cences extra-axillary, 1-2-flowered, pedunculate, the flowers slender-
pedicel ed; calyx 5-7 mm. long, the lobes aculeate, narrowly lanceolate,
long-acuminate; corolla pale blue or whitish, 1 cm. long, stellate-
pilose outside; berries partly enclosed in the accrescent calyces,
globose, 1-1.5 cm. in diameter, yellowish. Bitter has indicated
Costa Rican material of this species in the Berlin herbarium as
representing a new variety, so far unpublished.
Solanum hirtum Vahl. Occasional in thickets or waste ground,
Meseta Central and doubtless also in the Pacific tierra caliente;
region of San Ramon. Widely distributed in tropical America.
A shrub, usually about a meter high, bushy-branched, the branches
and petioles densely tomentose with long, soft hairs that are branched
at the apex, the stems densely armed with long, straight, yellow
prickles; leaves large and soft, sparsely prickly, broadly ovate to
suborbicular, acute or obtuse, cordate at the base, shallowly sinuate-
lobate, densely tomentose beneath; inflorescences lateral, few-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1083
flowered; calyx 1 cm. long, deeply lobate; corolla white, 1.5 cm. long;
fruit globose, about 2 cm. in diameter, yellow or orange, densely
covered with very long, soft, spreading hairs. A frequent weedy
plant in many parts of Central America.
Solanum hispidum Pers. Thickets of the central region,
chiefly at 1,300-2,000 meters. Extending to Mexico, and perhaps
also southward. A shrub or tree, 1.5-3 meters high, the branches
armed abundantly with stout, rather short, straight prickles, rather
densely covered with coarse, spreading hairs, these brownish or
rufous, stellately branched at the apex; leaves large, rough, obtuse
to subcordate at the base, entire or rather deeply lobate, often prickly
on the costa, densely stellate-tomentose, especially beneath, the
hairs at least in part stipitate; corolla white or whitish, 12-15 mm.
long; fruit 1-1.5 cm. in diameter.
Solanum Hoffmannii Bitter in herb., sp. nov. — Frutex plus
minusve scandens, ramis teretibus pilis sessilibus stellatis cinereis
vel subfulvis brevibus sat dense obtectis, aculeis ca. 2 mm. longis
lutescentibus basi valde dilatatis compressis recurvis dense armatis;
folia plerumque binata petiolata conformia subcoriacea, petiolo usque
2 cm. longo saepe multo breviore dense stellato-tomentoso atque
recurvo-aculeato; lamina lanceolata vel lanceolato-oblonga, interdum
oblongo-ovata 3-8 cm. longa 1.5-2.5 cm. lata acuta vel acuminata,
basi acuta atque subdecurrens, supra sparse pilis stellatis sessilibus
parvis conspersa vel fere glabra, subtus densissime pilis fulvis stellato-
tomentosa, saepe subtus ad costam prominentem recurvo-aculeolata;
inflorescentiae extra-axillares racemiformes, floribus 5 vel pluribus
graciliter pedicellatis, pedicellis fructiferis usque 14 mm. longis
erectis dense pilis eglandulosis stellate- tomentosis; calyx turbinato-
campanulatus ca. 3 mm. longus dense stellato-tomentosus, ad
medium 5-lobus, lobis triangularibus acutis; corolla alba extus
minute stellato-tomentosa fere 1 cm. longa fere ad basin 5-loba,
lobis lanceolato-linearibus attenuatis; antherae 5-6 mm. longae;
ovarium glabrum; baccae globosae aurantiacae vel subrubrae in
sicco lucidae ca. 8 mm. diam. — Costa Rica, without definite locality,
Hoffmann 1+76 (type in Herb. Field Mus.; duplicate in herb. Berol.).
One mile west of Cartago, 1,410 meters, Stork 2871. San Jose",
1,160 meters, M . Valerio 155. Colinas de San Pedro de San Ramon,
Brenes 1 7521 . Los Angeles de San Ramon, Brenes 6154. The species
has been confused with S. lanceifolium, from which it is abundantly
distinct. It is rather common, apparently, in the central region,
at middle elevations.
1084 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Solanum incomptum Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 60. 1922.
S. incomptum var. longipilosum Bitter, op. cit. 61 (La Verbena, near
Alajuelita, Tonduz 9096}. S. incomptum var. lugens Bitter, loc. cit.
(valley of Rio Poas, 2,100 meters, Pittier 2396). Llanos de Alajue-
lita, Tonduz 1468. Reported also from El General. Endemic. A
shrub, unarmed, the young branches short-pilose, soon glabrate;
leaves subgeminate, those of a pair very unequal, the larger ones
on petioles 1-2 cm. long, oblong-lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate,
7-12 cm. long, 3.5-4.5 cm. wide, usually widest above the middle,
narrowed to the subobtuse apex, cuneately long-attenuate to the
base, entire, sparsely short-pilose above, at least on the nerves,
paler beneath, short-pilose, especially along the costa; inflorescences
small, opposite the leaves, subracemose, 10-20-flowered, the pedicels
7 mm. long, pilose, especially above; calyx campanulate, 2 mm.
long, the 5 lobes ovate, obtuse, pilose outside; corolla 11 mm. broad;
ovary glabrous.
Solanum jamaicense Mill. Pejivalle, Talamanca, Tucurrique;
probably common throughout the Atlantic tierra caliente. Widely
distributed in tropical America. A shrub with recurved or often
subscandent branches, abundantly armed with stout, recurved
prickles, the branches stellate- tomentose; leaves sessile or nearly so,
in texture resembling flannel, oblong-lanceolate to elliptic, more
or less diamond-shaped, long-acuminate, cuneate at the base and
decurrent, angulate-lobate or subentire, densely stellate-tomentose
on both surfaces; flowers in sessile or subsessile umbels, slender-
pedicellate; calyx 4 mm. long, the linear lobes recurved; corolla white,
10-15 mm. broad; berries globose, bright red, lustrous, 5 mm. in
diameter. A common shrub in second-growth in many parts of the
Central American tierra caliente.
Solanum juglandifolium Dunal, var. Oerstedii Bitter, Repert.
Sp. Nov. 11: 461. 1912. Type Oersted 1465, probably Costa Rican,
but the locality not indicated (photo, seen of type, ex hb. Berol.).
The species and its varieties occur in Colombia and Ecuador. Plants
herbaceous or suffrutescent, probably scandent, unarmed, the
branches and pedicels stipitate-glandular and long-pilose; leaves
without pseudostipules, pinnate, the leaflets 7, with very small ones
usually interposed, slender-petiolulate, ovate-oblong or lance-oblong,
the larger ones about 10 cm. long and 3.5 cm. wide, acute or acumi-
nate, rounded and unequal at the base, scabrous above, rather densely
villous beneath; inflorescence lax and open, long-pedunculate, many-
flowered, the flowers long-pedicellate, the pedicels articulate below
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1085
the middle; calyx lobes 6 mm. long; corolla almost 3 cm. broad,
probably white.
Solanum lanceifolium Jacq. Frequent in thickets of the
tierra caliente. Mexico to West Indies and northern South America.
A small or large, scandent shrub, densely or sparsely covered with
sessile, stellate hairs, armed with few or numerous recurved prickles
1-2 mm. long; leaves petiolate, the petioles aculeolate, the blades
ovate or oblong-elliptic, 5-15 cm. long, acute or obtuse, subacute
to rounded at the base, entire or shallowly sinuate-lobate, sparsely
stellate-hispidulous and green above, more densely stellate-hispidu-
lous beneath and paler, usually prickly along the costa; inflorescences
lateral, raceme-like, few-flowered, the pedicels 10-12 mm. long;
calyx 3-3.5 mm. long, stellate-hirsute, the lobes acuminate; corolla
white, 9-12 mm. long, deeply lobate, the lobes oblong-lanceolate,
stellate-hirsute outside; ovary pilosulous at the apex; berries globose,
6-9 mm. in diameter, red, lustrous.
Solanum laurifolium Mill. Berengena. S. Hartwegii Benth.;
?S. glutinosum var. irazuense Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2: 454. 1891 (Volcan
de Irazu, at 2,800 meters, Kuntze). Frequent in thickets and hedges
in the region of Cartago, also about San Jose", and on the slopes of
Irazu; region of San Ramon; mostly at 1,100-1,500 meters. Extend-
ing to Mexico and West Indies. An erect shrub of 1-3.5 meters,
sparsely armed with short prickles, or many of the branches often
unarmed, stellate-tomentose with mostly whitish hairs; leaves short-
petiolate, chiefly oblong-elliptic, entire or repand-undulate, acute or
obtuse, acute to rounded at the base, rather rough above and coarsely
stellate-pilose, often pale beneath and very densely tomentose with
coarse, stellate hairs; inflorescence extra-axillary, corymbiform, small
but many-flowered, short-pedunculate, the flowers short-pedicellate;
calyx 5 mm. long, stellate-tomentose, deeply lobate, the lobes linear,
acuminate; corolla blue, 1.5 cm. long, stellate-tomentose outside;
berries 6-8 mm. in diameter, globose, sparsely stellate-tomentose or
glabrate. Hoffmann 104 from Irazu in the Berlin herbarium,
evidently referable to this species, has been indicated by Bitter as
a new species, still unpublished. The proper specific name to be
used for this Costa Rican plant is a matter of uncertainty.
Solanum longiconicum Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 10: 534. 1912.
Papayillo. La Palma del Irazu, 1,800 meters, Werckle 65 (photo, of
type seen, ex herb. Berol.). Frequent in forests of the central region,
chiefly at 1,800-3,000 meters. Endemic. Plants branched, herba-
ceous, unarmed, weak and decumbent or suberect, the stems glabrous
1086 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
or nearly so, the roots often bearing small, potato-like tubercles;
pseudostipules present at the base of the petiole; leaves pinnate,
long-petiolate, usually 7, without interposed smaller leaflets, short-
petiolulate, lanceolate to oblong-ovate, 5-6.5 cm. long, acute or
acuminate, entire or nearly so, sparsely pilose or beneath almost
glabrous; inflorescence many-flowered, lax, long-pedunculate, the
pedicels mostly 16-18 mm. long, articulate above the middle, short-
pilose; calyx in anthesis 5 mm. long, the lobes short, acuminate,
short-pilose outside; corolla white or violaceous, almost 2 cm. broad;
fruits long-conic, about 2 cm. long and scarcely half as thick. Sola-
num verrucosum Schlecht., a Mexican species, was reported by
Rydberg (Bull. Torrey Club 51: 153. 1924) from Volcan de Irazu,
on the basis of Popenoe 1015. Examination of the specimen cited
shows that it is actually referable to S. longiconicum.
Solarium mammosum L. Pichichio, Pichichinchivo. Thickets,
savannas, and pastures of the tierra caliente; Guanacaste; often
found as a weed about settlements in the Meseta Central, at least on
the Pacific slope. Widely distributed in tropical America. Plants
herbaceous or suffrutescent, 1.5 meters high or less, bushy-branched,
armed on the stems and leaves with very long, yellowish, straight,
compressed prickles, the stems densely covered with very long, soft,
multicellular hairs; leaves mostly 10-15 cm. long, petiolate, broad,
irregularly lobate, usually cordate at the base, densely long-pilose;
inflorescences umbelliform, lateral, few-flowered; calyx unarmed;
corolla violaceous, 2 cm. long; fruit 3-5 cm. in diameter, bright
yellow, abruptly contracted above into a short neck, depressed at
the base and somewhat 5-angulate, with rounded angles. A well
known plant in the Central American tierra caliente, where it is much
used in domestic medicine. In Costa Rica a decoction of the leaves
is employed in treating affections of the kidneys and bladder. The
fruit, however, is reputed to be highly poisonous. Pittier reports
the Cabe"cara name as Teros-ue.
Solanum Melongena L. Berengena. Eggplant. A plant of
Asiatic origin, sometimes grown in Costa Rica for its very large, dark
purple fruits, of various shapes, which are used as a vegetable.
Although the eggplant seems to do well in cultivation in Central
America, it is grown but little, and is evidently a far less popular
vegetable than in the United States.
Solanum mirabile Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex; ramuli
crassi, ca. 6 mm. diam., dense hispido-tomentosi (pilis ferrugineis
setiformibus apice radiatis, radio central! nullo), parce aculeati,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1087
aculeis minutis, vix 2 mm. longis, recurvis; folia solitaria vel sub-
geminata, breviter petiolata, petiolo 0.5-1.8 cm. longo, crasso, ca.
3.5 mm. diam., dense stellato-hispido, aculeate; laminae lanceolatae,
11-16.5 cm. longae, 4-7 cm. latae, acuminatae, basi rotundatae
obliquae, integrae, supra stellato-hispidae (pilis longe stipitatis,
radiis adscendentibus), non aculeatae, subtus densius stellato-
pubescentes; inflorescentia extra-axillaris, non aculeata, pedunculo
3.5-4 cm. longo, 3.5-4 mm. crasso, dense stellato-hispido, paucifloro,
pedicellis 5-7 mm. longis, 3.5 mm. crassis, dense stellato-hispidis;
calyx ca. 9 mm. longus, tubo brevi, lobis linearibus, extus longe
hispidis, pilis setiformibus apice stellato-radiatis; corolla ca. 15 mm.
longa, tubo brevissimo, lobis lineari-lanceolatis, extus dense hispidis,
intus glabris, sinu non plicato; filamenta brevissima, ad apicem con-
nata; antherae crassae, ca. 9 mm. longae; ovarium dense stellato-
tomentosum. — Las Vueltas, Prov. Cartago, January, 1899, alt.
635 meters, Tonduz 13049 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,324,808).
Not closely related to any other Costa Rican species. S. Donnell-
Smithii differs in its glabrous ovary, aculeate inflorescence, and less
dense pubescence of stems and foliage. In S. Donnell-Smithii the
stellate hairs of the upper leaf surface are sessile, and bear an erect
central ray. These hairs in S. crassipes are long-stipitate and lack
a central ray.
Solatium muricatum Ait. Pepino mango, Manguena. Culti-
vated occasionally in the temperate and cold regions for its edible
fruit. Believed to be native in the Andes, but perhaps known only
in cultivation. A bushy, unarmed herb, usually a meter high or less,
the branches glabrous or nearly so; leaves oblong-lanceolate to ovate,
acute or obtuse, attenuate to the base, entire or nearly so, petiolate,
sparsely soft-pilose; flowers bright blue; fruit ovoid, pendent, 10-15
cm. long, green or yellow with longitudinal, purple stripes, the flesh
yellow. Fruits of cultivated plants are usually seedless. The green
fruits are cooked and eaten, the ripe ones eaten raw.
Solatium nigrutn L. Yerbamora. Common in thickets and
cultivated ground, often also in primeval forest, ascending to 3,000
meters, and descending into the upper part of the tierra caliente, or
perhaps even to the coasts. Widely distributed in temperate and
tropical regions of the earth. Plants unarmed, usually herbaceous
and annual, but sometimes suffrutescent and a meter high, the
slender branches puberulent or villosulous; leaves long-petiolate,
mostly ovate, 10 cm. long or less, acute or acuminate, obtuse or
rounded at the base or often cuneately long-decurrent, entire or
1088 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
sinuate-dentate, thinly villosulous or glabrate; flowers white, umbel-
late, the umbels inserted below the axils, pedunculate, few-flowered,
the flowers slender-pedicellate; corolla usually white, 2-4 mm. long;
fruit globose, 5-7 mm. in diameter, black. S. nigrum var. amethys-
tinum Kuntze (Rev. Gen. 2: 455. 1891; Irazu, Kuntze) is a form with
bluish corollas, of occasional occurrence. The plant is a highly
variable one, and it is probable that careful study will show that the
tropical American material is divisible into several species, none of
which, perhaps, is true S. nigrum of the Old World. The Costa
Rican plant is undoubtedly native. The species is one of the common
weeds in most parts of Central America. In Salvador the young
shoots and leaves are cooked and eaten like spinach, for which they
make a good substitute. The sweet, insipid fruits are often eaten, at
least by children. Those of Old World plants are believed to have,
at least at times, poisonous properties, but the fruits of American
plants are eaten in many regions. Selected forms of the nigrum
group, with fruits much larger than in wild plants, are sometimes
cultivated in the United States for their fruits, used in making pies
and other dishes.
Solatium ochraceo-ferrugineum (Dunal) Fernald. Beren-
gena. S. diversifolium Schlecht., non Humb. & Bonpl. Common in
thickets of the tierra caliente, often in second-growth, ascending to
the Meseta Central. Panama to Mexico, and probably ranging even
more widely. An erect shrub of 1-3 meters, the branches stellate-
tomentose, armed with remote, short, somewhat recurved prickles,
the pubescence fine and appressed, nowhere glandular; leaves short-
petiolate, ovate-oblong to broadly ovate, mostly 10-15 cm. long,
usually rather deeply sinuate-lobate but sometimes entire, often
cordate at the base, densely and finely stellate-tomentose, usually
unarmed; flowers in small, lateral, pedunculate cymes; corolla white
or bluish, 12-16 mm. long, stellate-tomentose outside; anthers 5 mm.
long; ovary glabrous; berries globose, yellow, 1-1.5 cm. in diameter.
It seems probable that some earlier name will be found for this
common plant of Mexico and Central America, which probably
extends southward into at least northern South America.
Solatium parcebarbatum Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 51. 1922.
Forests of Te"rraba, 260 meters, Pittier 3991. Frequent in thickets
of the tierra caliente, also ascending to the forests of the temperate
region, at 2,100 meters or less; region of San Ramon. Panama to
Guatemala. Usually a shrub of 1-3 meters, but sometimes a tree of
10 meters with a trunk 10 cm. in diameter, unarmed, the bark smooth,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1089
olive-gray, the branchlets minutely pilosulous or glabrate; leaves
subgeminate, those of a pair unequal, the larger ones on petioles 1-1.5
cm. long, broadly lanceolate to ovate or oblong-elliptic, mostly 9-14
cm. long, acute or acuminate, acute at the base and usually more or
less decurrent, entire, glabrous above, barbate beneath in the axils
of the nerves; inflorescences lateral, mostly opposite the leaves,
racemiform or umbelliform, short-pedunculate, about 10-14-flowered,
the pedicels 7-10 mm. long, pilosulous; calyx short-campanulate,
1.5 mm. long, the lobes obtuse; corolla white, almost 1 cm. broad,
glabrous outside; berries globose, 10-12 mm. in diameter. It is
probable that S. parcebarbatum is synonymous with S. nudum HBK.
Solanum pertenue Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex 0.9-1.2
m. altus; ramuli graciles, vix 1 mm. diam., minute puberuli; folia
solitaria, breviter petiolata, petiolo 2-4 mm. longo; laminae lanceo-
latae, 7-10 cm. longae, 2-3 cm. latae, longe acuminatae, basi cunea-
tae, membranaceae, integrae, omnino glabrae, venis primariis ca.
5-jugis; inflorescentia oppositifolia, sessilis, uniflora, pedicello ca.
1 cm. longo, tenuissimo, ca. 0.25 mm. diam.; calyx vix 1 mm. longus,
tubo ca. 0.5 mm. longo, glabro, lobis obtusis; corolla alba, 3.5 mm.
longa, tubo brevi, lobis lanceolatis glabris; antherae ca. 2 mm. longae.
—Santa Maria de Dota, Prov. San Jose", December, 1925, alt. 1,500-
1,800 meters, Standley 42852 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No.1,252,986).
Distinguished from other Costa Rican species by the entirely glabrous
leaves, and the 1-flowered inflorescence opposite the leaves. The
pedicel is very slender and the calyx and corolla are minute.
Solatium phaseoloides Polak. Linnaea 41: 585. 1877. S. olivae-
forme Donn. Smith. In forest on old logs, Desengano, Polakowsky 147.
Frequent in mountain forests, usually terrestrial but sometimes
epiphytic, chiefly at 1,200-1,500 meters. Ranging to southern
Mexico. Plants herbaceous, unarmed, creeping, rooting at the nodes,
glabrous throughout or practically so; leaves long-petiolate, 3-f olio-
late, the leaflets petiolulate, ovate to elliptic, 2-3.5 cm. long, obtuse
or subacute, entire; flowers white, the inflorescences inserted below
the axils, slender, few-flowered, the flowers slender-pedicellate; calyx
2 mm. long, shallowly lobate; corolla 6-8 mm. long, the lobes very
narrow; fruits oblong-ovoid, 2-3 cm. long. A species easy of recogni-
tion because of the creeping habit and palmately 3-foliolate leaves.
Solanum Pittieri Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 12: 66. 1913. Alto
del Roble, 2,000 meters, in forest, Pittier 18. Slopes of Barba and
region of San Ramon, at 850-2,400 meters. Endemic. Plants
1090 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
herbaceous, erect, almost a meter high, unarmed, the branches
glabrous or nearly so; pseudostipules none; leaves pinnate, long-
petiolate, the leaflets 5, broadly lanceolate or lance-oblong, short-
petiolulate, 5-10 cm. long, long-acuminate, attenuate to the base,
thin, entire, sparsely short-villous above, villosulous beneath on the
costa and nerves; inflorescences axillary, solitary or geminate, short-
pedunculate, 7-20-flowered, the pedicels 6-8 mm. long, in age longer,
short-pilose; calyx campanulate, 2.5 mm. long, the lobes triangular,
obtuse; corolla pale green, 1 cm. broad, sparsely pilosulous outside;
berries conic or ovoid, about 2 cm. long, acute.
Solatium ramonense Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex
erectus inermis 2-3 m. altus, ramulis teretibus glabris; folia spurie
opposita, parium valde inaequalia, minora fere stipuliformia sub-
orbicularia vel orbiculari-ovata brevissime petiolata apice rotundata
vel subacuta ca. 1 cm. longa et aequilata; folia majora subcrasse
6-12 mm. longe petiolata, petiolo glabro; lamina oblongo-elliptica
vel oblongo-ovata, interdum lanceolato-oblonga, medio vel paullo
infra medium latissima, 7-16 cm. longa 2.5-5 cm. lata, sensim vel
subito acuminata vel longiacuminata, basi plus minusve inaequali
acuta vel cuneato-attenuata, crasse membranacea vel subcoriacea,
supra vulgo viridis vel in sicco interdum fusca glabra, costa promi-
nente, subtus paullo pallidior glabra, costa gracili prominente, nervis
lateralibus utroque latere ca. 9 gracilibus prominentibus subarcuatis
obliquis angulo latiusculo adscendentibus; inflorescentiae ut videtur
axillares breviter pedunculatae racemiformes pauciflorae, pedicellis
ca. 3-4 mm. longis glabris, in statu fructifero usque 1.5 cm. longis;
calyx obconicus 2 mm. longus glaber ad medium 5-lobus, lobis late
ellipticis apice subrotundatis; corolla parva alba extus glabra; baccae
globosae glabrae 12 mm. diam. — San Rafael de San Ramon, Febru-
ary, 1937, Brenes 22013 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). La Palma de
San Ramon, Brenes 6241- Santo Domingo de Vara Blanca, 2,200
meters, M. Valeria 1564- Tapesco de Zarcero, 2,000 meters, Austin
Smith H424- This is closely related to S. Kenoyeri Standl., a common
shrub of the Panama Canal Zone.
Solatium roblense Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 62. 1922.
Forests of Alto del Roble, Volcan de Barba, 2,000 meters, Pittier
210. Frequent in the central mountains, 1,800-2,160 meters;
regions of Dota and Zarcero. Endemic. A shrub of 2 meters, or
sometimes a tree of 7 meters with a trunk 15 cm. in diameter, un-
armed, the branchlets glabrous; leaves mostly subgeminate, those of a
pair very unequal, the larger ones on petioles 1-2 cm. long, broadly
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1091
lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 7.5-12 cm. long, widest at or near
the middle, acute or acuminate, acute at the base, glabrous; inflores-
cences opposite the leaves, sessile or nearly so, umbelliform, the
pedicels 6-7 mm. long, glabrous; calyx short-campanulate, 1.5 mm.
long, the lobes very obtuse; corolla white, 1.5 cm. broad, glabrous
outside; fruits glabrous, almost 1 cm. long, creamy yellow.
Solarium rubidum Standl.& Morton, sp.nov. — Frutexscandens;
ramuli dense ferrugineo-hirsuti (pilis stellatis sessilibus pluriradiatis,
radiis lateralibus brevibus, radio centrali elongato patente pluri-
cellulari), parce aculeati, aculeis 3-6 mm. longis, rubidis, glabris,
basi latis, apice recurvis; folia solitaria, petiolata, petiolo 1-3.5 cm.
longo, hirsute; laminae elliptico-ovatae, majores 13-19 cm. longae,
7-11 cm. latae, integrae, acuminatae, basi rotundatae, obliquae,
costa interdum aculeatae, supra stellato-scabridae (pilis remotis
stellatis sessilibus pauciradiatis, radio centrali elongato), subtus
densius pubescentes; inflorescentia extra-axillaris, pedunculo 2-4
cm. longo, hirsute, pedicellis ca. 7 mm. longis; calycis tubus vix 1 mm.
longus, lobis late lanceolatis acutis, extus dense hirsutis, intus basi
stipitato-glandulosis, sursum stellato-pubescentibus, inaequalibus,
4 minoribus ca. 8 mm. longis et 3.5 mm. latis, quinto ca. 10 mm.
longo; corolla violacea, tubo ca. 2.5 mm. longo, lobis lineari-lanceo-
latis, ca. 1 cm. longis, extus stellato-hirsutis, sinu non plicato; fila-
menta 1 mm. longa, libera, glabra, antheris attenuatis aequalibus, ca.
7 mm. longis; ovarium simpliciter pilosum, stylo parce pilosulo;
calycis lobi paullo accrescentes, ca. 1 cm. longi, vix nervosi; bacca
globosa, 11-15 mm. diam., perspicue hirsuta, pilis simplicibus.—
Las Vueltas, Prov. Cartago, January, 1899, alt. 635 meters, Tonduz
13174 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,324,807). Tuis, 650 meters,
Tonduz 11492. Turrialba, 700 meters, Tonduz 9004. Santiago de
San Ramon, 100 meters, Brenes 14381. Closely related to S. ery-
throtrichum Fernald, from which it is distinguished by the hirsute
pubescence of the berries, the hairs all being simple. The berries
of S. erythrotrichum are rather sparingly hairy or eventually glabrous,
the hairs being stellate. The hairs of the upper leaf surface are also
different, those of S. rubidum having a long central ray which is
absent in S. erythrotrichum. Fernald referred S. erythrotrichum to
section Torvaria, but the deeply parted corolla without plicate sinuses
removes it from that section. The following additional collections
of S. rubidum are in the Herbarium of Field Museum: Piedades,
near San Ramon, 1,000 meters, Brenes 4892. San Pedro de San
Ramon, 1,075 meters, Brenes 4540.
1092 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Solatium rugosum Dunal. Region of El General, and Atlantic
tierra caliente. Central America to West Indies and the Guianas.
An unarmed shrub or small tree, the branches sparsely and minutely
stellate- tomentose with grayish hairs; leaves on petioles 1-2 cm. long,
narrowly elliptic or obovate, 12-25 cm. long, falcate-acuminate,
long-attenuate to the base, entire, sparsely scabrous above with
stellate hairs, green beneath and sparsely stellate-pubescent with
minute, sessile hairs; inflorescences terminal, corymbiform, densely
many-flowered, long-pedunculate, the flowers short-pedicellate;
calyx 3.5-5 mm. long, densely whitish- tomentose, the short lobes
semiovate, subacute; corolla white, 8-10 mm. long, tomentose;
berries globose, 9-12 mm. in diameter, scabrous at the apex.
Solatium salviifolium Lam. Frequent in thickets of the tierra
caliente, and sometimes at higher elevations; Tiquirres; regions of
El General and San Ramon; Guanacaste; ascending to 1,700 meters.
Mexico to West Indies and northern South America. Plants un-
armed, slender, shrubby, sometimes 4.5 meters high, the branches
usually recurved or even subscandent, densely and minutely stellate-
tomentose; leaves almost sessile, ovate or oblong-ovate, mostly 7-10
cm. long, acuminate, rounded or shallowly cordate at the base, entire,
bright green and glabrous above, whitish or silvery beneath with a
very dense covering of minute, close, stellate hairs; inflorescences
small, corymbiform, terminal and axillary, pedunculate, many-
flowered; calyx 2.5-3 mm. long, shallowly repand-dentate; corolla
white, 7 mm. long; berries globose, 7 mm. in diameter, glabrous or
nearly so.
Solanum sanctaeclarae Greenm. ex Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz.
37: 311. 1904. La Emilia, Llanuras de Santa Clara, 250 meters, J. D.
Smith 6783. Rather frequent in the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of
San Ramon; Guanacaste. Endemic. A shrub, perhaps scandent,
unarmed, the branches densely covered with fulvous, stipitate,
stellate hairs; leaves almost sessile, geminate, those of a pair some-
what unequal, ovate to oblong-ovate or obovate, 12-20 cm. long,
acuminate, acute and unequal at the base, entire, rather sparsely
stellate-pilose on both surfaces with mostly stipitate hairs, green;
flowers axillary, solitary or geminate, the pedicels 1 cm. long or less;
calyx urceolate-campanulate, 10-12 mm. long, shallowly lobate,
densely stellate- tomentose with chiefly stipitate hairs; corolla gla-
brous; berries almost 1.5 cm. long, subglobose, yellow. The calyx
in this species is characteristic and apparently unique. In fruit it
appears to be perfectly truncate, but at least in the young flowers
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1093
calyx lobes are present. These, however, are later circumscissile
at the base! No other species of Solanum seems to possess this
character.
Solanum savanillense Bitter (Repert. Sp. Nov. 12: 66. 1913)
is described by Bitter as Costa Rican, but the locality is presumably
in either Colombia or Ecuador.
Solanum scabrum Vahl. Puntarenas, and reported from else-
where in the Pacific tierra caliente; probably in the tierra caliente of
both coasts. Central America to West Indies and northern South
America. A scandent shrub, the branches covered with short-
stipitate, stellate hairs, armed with recurved prickles 2-3 mm. long;
leaves petiolate, oblong or elliptic, 9-15 cm. long, acute or acuminate,
acute at the base, repand-dentate, stellate-pilose above, the terminal
ray of the hairs much longer than the others, rough, stellate-hispi-
dulous beneath, usually aculeolate along the costa; inflorescences
axillary, racemose, scorpioid, 10-15-flowered, the pedicels 6-10 mm.
long, minutely aculeolate; calyx 4 mm. long, stellate-hirsute and
minutely aculeolate, the lobes semiovate, acuminate; corolla viola-
ceous or white, 14-18 mm. long, stellate-hirsute; berries globose,
6 mm. or more in diameter, sparsely hirsute.
Solatium Seaforthianum Andrews. Frequent in cultivation
about the Meseta Central, also in the tierra caliente, and perhaps
escaped in places about San Jose". Widely distributed in tropical
America in cultivation, the native habitat uncertain. A large,
scandent, slender shrub, unarmed, sparsely puberulent or almost
glabrous; leaves long-petiolate, small, thin, pinnate or pinnatifid, the
leaflets mostly 3-5, oblong-lanceolate to ovate, generally entire, the
upper ones usually confluent and decurrent; cymes large and many-
flowered; calyx scarcely 2 mm. long; corolla blue or violet, about 1 cm.
long; berries red, 6-9 mm. in diameter. One of the common orna-
mental vines of Central America, noteworthy for its abundance of
brightly colored flowers.
Solanum Storkii Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex erectus
inermis 3-4.5 m. altus, ramis subteretibus dense foliatis densissime
pilis inaequalibus ochraceis furfuraceo-stellato-puberulis, pilis fere
tuberculiformibus; folia alterna solitaria breviter petiolata crasse
membranacea vel subcoriacea, petiolo ad 1 cm. longo saepe fere ad
basin marginato; lamina anguste oblongo-lanceolata prope medium
latissima plerumque 6-9 cm. longa atque 1.5-2 cm. lata, marginibus
vulgo subrevolutis, longe anguste attenuato-acuminata, basi attenu-
1094 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ata et decurrens, supra laete viridis, minutissime sparse stellato-
puberula vel fere omnino glabra, lucida, costa gracili prominula,
subtus paullo pallidior sparse minutissime stellato-puberula vel fere
glabra, costa elevata, nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 12 irregu-
laribus subarcuatis angulo lato divergentibus parum obliquis;
inflorescentiae terminales vel laterales corymbiformes laxe pauci- vel
multiflorae 2-3 cm. longe pedunculatae, pedicellis 5-15 mm. longis
in statu fructifero superne incrassatis sparse vel dense furfuraceo-
puberulis; calyx campanulatus 3 mm. longus extus furfuraceo-
puberulus, breviter 5-lobus, lobis latis obtusis, in statu fructifero
paullo accrescens; corolla violacea 8-9 mm. longa extus minutis-
sime subdense stellato-puberula profunde lobata, lobis oblong-
triangularibus obtusis; antherae 4 mm. longae; baccae globosae
glabrae lucidae 8 mm. diam. — Ojo de Agua, 2,850 meters, June,
1932, H. E. Stork 3023 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). East of Irazu,
2,850 meters, Stork 2068. Volcan de Turrialba, 2,800 meters, Pittier
13077 (J. D. Smith 7538). Oak forest, Volcan de Poas, 2,400 meters,
Stork 2515; at 2,700 meters, Stork 3347. Summit of Volcan de Poas,
2,575 meters, Allen 604. Volcan de Poas, 2,400-2,800 meters, Tonduz
10803; Standley 34902; Jimenez 1025; Pittier 2054; J. D. Smith 6668.
Volcan de Turrialba, 2,000-2,400 meters, Standley 35021. Sitio
Birris, 2,840 meters, Pittier 155. Volcan de Barba, 2,460 meters,
Pittier 805. Cerro de Las Vueltas, 2,700-3,000 meters, Standley
& Valerio 43558, 43729. Volcan de Irazu, Popenoe 1014. The Costa
Rican plant has been confused with S. pulverulentum Pers., a species
of the South American Andes.
Solarium suaveolens Kunth & Bouche". S. suaveolens var.
pliophyllidium Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 11: 353. 1912 (Las Vueltas,
Tucurrique, 635-700 meters, Tonduz 13048). Forests of the upper
part of the Atlantic tierra caliente, ascending the slopes of the central
mountains to 3,000 meters; mountains of Guanacaste. Mexico to
Bolivia. Plants herbaceous, unarmed, erect or decumbent, the
branches sparsely short-pilose when young; pseudostipules present,
10-14 mm. long; leaves pinnate, petiolate, the lateral leaflets 4-6
pairs, short-petiolulate or subsessile, sometimes with smaller leaflets
interposed, lanceolate or broadly lanceolate, subacuminate, entire,
sparsely short-villous above, villosulous beneath with shorter hairs,
chiefly on the nerves; inflorescences lateral, long-pedunculate, about
15-flowered, the pedicels in fruit 1 cm. long, articulate at the base;
calyx lobes linear-lanceolate; corolla white, 1 cm. broad, sparsely
pilose outside; berries ellipsoid, about 2 cm. long.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1095
Solatium tenuilamellosum Bitter, Repert. Sp. Nov. 18: 57.
1922. Piedades de San Ramon, 1,100 meters, Brenes 14384 (photo,
seen, ex herb. Berol.). Known only from forests of the region of San
Ramon, 900-1,100 meters. Endemic. A shrub a meter high or less,
the branches glabrous; leaves solitary or subgeminate, those of a
pair very unequal, the larger ones on petioles 6-12 mm. long, lanceo-
late or elliptic-lanceolate, widest at or slightly below the middle, 9-15
cm. long, acuminate, obtuse or acute and more or less unequal at
the base, entire, glabrous; inflorescences lateral, opposite the leaves,
racemiform, few- to many-flowered, the pedicels 12-15 mm. long,
glabrous; calyx short-campanulate, 2-2.5 mm. long, the lobes broadly
elliptic, obtuse; corolla white, 5 mm. long and 8 mm. broad, glabrous
outside.
Solatium torvum Swartz. Berengena, Berengena silvestre, Beren-
gena cimarrona. IS. torvum var. integerrimum Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 2:
455. 1891 (type collected by Kuntze, the locality not indicated).
Occasional in thickets, Meseta Central to the Pacific coast. Widely
distributed in tropical America. An erect shrub of 1-3 meters, the
branches densely stellate-pubescent with short-stipitate hairs, armed
with short prickles; leaves petiolate, broadly ovate, 20 cm. long or
less, acute or acuminate, commonly rounded or subcordate at the
base, sinuate-lobate, stellate-tomentose on both surfaces, sometimes
aculeolate beneath; inflorescence cymose, with few or many flowers,
the pedicels elongate, erect in fruit, their pubescence partly of glandu-
lar hairs; corolla white, 10-12 mm. long; ovary glabrous; fruit yellow,
globose, 1-1.5 cm. in diameter.
Solanum trizygum Bitter. In forests, regions of Dota and
San Ramon, 1,000-1,800 meters; El General. Ranging to Venezuela.
Plants herbaceous, unarmed, erect, a meter high or less, the stems
glabrous or nearly so; pseudostipules none; leaves pinnate, the
leaflets thin, usually 7, bright green, oblong-lanceolate, 10-15 cm.
long, narrowly long-acuminate, entire, minutely appressed-pilosulous
above along the costa, otherwise glabrous; inflorescences geminate,
axillary, 7-9-flowered, short-pedunculate, the pedicels in anthesis
6-7 mm. long, elongating in age; calyx campanulate, 2 mm. long, the
lobes short, obtuse; corolla white, small; fruit ovoid or elongate-
conic, 2 cm. long or longer.
Solanum truncatum Standl. & Morton, sp. nov. — Frutex
1.8-3 m. altus; ramuli mediocriter stellato-pubescentes (pilis breviter
stipitatis, radio centrali nullo), parce aculeati, aculeis 3-5 mm. longis,
glabris, basi latis, rectis vel leviter recurvis; folia solitaria vel sub-
1096 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
geminata, petiolata, petiolo 3-4.5 cm. longo, interdum aculeate;
laminae ovatae, majores 18-28 cm. longae, 10-19 cm. latae, grosse
sinuato-dentatae, dentibus utroque latere 2 vel 3, acuminatae, basi
rotundatae, obliquae, utrinque stellato-scabridulae, pilis minutis
subremotis sessilibus pauciradiatis, radio centrali nullo; inflores-
centia extra-axillaris, sessilis, inermis, pedicellis deflexis, 6-8 mm.
longis, subdense stellato-tomentosis; calyx ca. 6.5 mm. longus (tubo
4.5 mm. longo), truncatus, extus adpresso-pubescens, apice dentibus
5 subulatis 2 mm. longis instructus, sinubus demum alte fissis; corolla
alba, ca. 13 mm. longa, tubo 2 mm. longo, lobis lanceolatis acutis
extus pubescentibus, sinu non plicato; stamina aequalia, filamentis
2 mm. longis glabris liberis, antheris 6 mm. longis attenuatis; ovarium
apice stipitato-glandulosum; stylus glaber; pedicelli fructiferi 17 mm.
longi, apice incrassati; bacca viridis glabra globosa, 11-12 mm. diam.
—Las Nubes, Prov. San Jose", March, 1924, alt. 1,500-1,900 meters,
Standley 38760 (type in U. S. Nat. Herb., No. 1,228,390).
Solatium tuberosum L. Papa. Potato. Costa Rica is unique
in Central America in that potatoes are here an important agri-
cultural product, the only other region of Central America in which
they are much grown being Guatemala. In Costa Rica they thrive
from 1,200 meters up to the upper limits of cultivation on the
volcanoes, where there are extensive fields of them. In fact, for the
people living on the high slopes of the central volcanoes, potatoes
and milk are the chief articles of diet, and the visitor there some-
times finds nothing else to eat. The potatoes of the upper slopes
of Irazu are of excellent quality, but their cultivation is sometimes
hampered by the attacks of a fungus, Micropuccinia Pittieriana
(P. Henn.) Arthur & Jackson, which has caused great damage. The
potato is of South American origin, and the date of its introduction
into Costa Rica is unknown, although it was doubtless many years
after the Spanish conquest.
Solatium umbellatum Mill. Zorrillo. Common in thickets
and hedges about the Meseta Central, extending to the Pacific
coast. Widely distributed in tropical America. Usually a shrub of
1-3 meters, unarmed, the stems rather densely covered with long
and short hairs that bear tufts of radiating branches at their apex;
leaves oblanceolate to oblong-elliptic, 20 cm. long or less, acuminate,
long-attenuate to the base, the wing extending to the base of the
petiole, green above, very rough to the touch, stellate-scabrous,
densely pubescent beneath with stellate, mostly stipitate hairs;
cymes dense and many-flowered, long-pedunculate, terminal; calyx
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1097
4-5 mm. long, the lobes broad, obtuse; corolla white, about 1 cm.
long; berries yellow, 1-1.5 cm. in diameter, glabrous. One of the
common, weedy shrubs in many parts of Central America. It has
often been listed under the name S. callicarpifolium Kunth & Bouche\
Solatium Valerianum Morton & Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex
1-1.5 m. altus, ramulis gracilibus teretibus sat dense foliatis dense
pilis albidis paten tibus hirsutis; folia ut videtur omnia solitaria
breviter petiolata membranacea in sicco laete viridia, petiolo gracili
3-7 mm. longo sparse breviter hirsute; lamina anguste lanceolato-
oblonga 9-15 cm. longa 2.5-4 cm. lata longe acuminata, basi obliqua
cuneato-attenuata, supra glabra, subtus ad costam nervosque sparse
pilis longiusculis albidis patentibus pilosa, costa gracili prominente,
nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 10 teneris arcuatis obliquis
angulo latiusculo adscendentibus; inflorescentiae oppositifoliae laxe
pauci (2-3) -florae racemiformes, pedunculo gracillimo 5-7 mm.
longo, pedicellis gracillimis usque 1 cm. longis glabris vel hinc inde
pilosis, fructiferis ad 2.5 cm. longis; calyx late campanulatus vix
1.5 mm. longus glaber, lobis latis obtusis; corolla alba 4 mm. longa;
bacca globosa glabra, basi et apice late rotundata, usque 1.5 cm.
diam.- — Playa Blanca, Golfo Dulce, February, 1933, Manuel Valeria
424 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Moist forest, Capulin, Prov.
Alajuela, 80 meters, Standley 40158, 40167. Moist forest, La Tejona,
north of Tilaran, Guanacaste, 600-700 meters, Standley & Valeria
45902. The last three collections cited are in the United States
National Herbarium.
Solatium verbascifolium L. Zorrillo. Widely distributed in
tropical America. An unarmed shrub or small tree, usually 1-3
meters high, the branches densely stellate-tomentose with minute,
ochraceous hairs; leaves slender-petiolate, ovate or elliptic, mostly
12-25 cm. long, acute or abruptly short-acuminate, rounded or sub-
truncate at the base and usually abruptly short-decurrent, entire,
finely velvety-tomentose on the upper surface with stellate hairs,
whitish and densely stellate-tomentose beneath; inflorescences
terminal, corymbiform, densely many-flowered, long-pedunculate,
the pedicels 3-8 mm. long; calyx 4-5 mm. long, densely stellate-
tomentose, the lobes semiovate, subacute; corolla white, about 8
mm. long, stellate-tomentose outside; ovary stellate-tomentose;
berries globose, 6-12 mm. in diameter, yellow. In Costa Rica there
are two distinct forms of S. verbascifolium. The typical form of
the species has leaves scarcely bicolorous, the upper surface being
densely tomentose, and the ovary is densely stellate-tomentose.
1098 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
At present this is known in Costa Rica from a single collection,
Standley & Valeria 45360, from Los Ayotes, Guanacaste. The
second form has leaves green above and pale beneath, the upper
surface minutely scabrous-stellate, the hairs spaced and not covering
the surface, and the ovary is only slightly hairy at the apex. This
is var. adulterinum (Ham.) G. Don (var. viridi-scabrum Dunal).
Eventually it may be considered a good species, in which case the
proper name will be S. Eduardi Kunth & Bouche". It is known
from Guanacaste and from several localities in the tierra caliente
of both coasts.
Solatium Wendlandii Hook. f. Bot. Mag. 113: pi. 6914. 1887.
Volcan, Flor del volcan. Described from living plants grown in the
Kew Gardens, from material sent from Costa Rica by Wendland.
Forests of the upper slopes of Irazu; region of Zarcero, at 1,650
meters; also cultivated commonly for ornament. Endemic. A
large, woody vine, glabrous throughout, sparsely armed with short
prickles (these often wanting on herbarium specimens) ; leaves long-
petiolate, the upper ones oblong, acute to long-acuminate, entire or
3-lobate, cordate to acute at the base, the lower leaves pinnate or
pinnatifid, the petioles often armed with short, recurved prickles;
flowers very showy, in large cymes, long-pedicellate; calyx 4 mm.
long or less, deeply lobate; corolla lilac-blue, as much as 6 cm. broad;
fruits ovoid, of the size of a large apple. This is one of the hand-
somest and showiest of all Costa Rican plants, extremely beautiful
because of its abundance of blue blossoms. It has been introduced
into cultivation in other parts of Central America, as well as in
hothouses of temperate regions.
VALERIOA Standl. & Steyermark, gen. nov.
Frutices vel arbores, ramulis subteretibus, foliis alternis et
oppositis, penninerviis, crenato-dentatis, membranaceis. Flores
hermaphroditi, cymoso-paniculati, cymis axillaribus, pedunculis
oppositis. Calyx in lobos 5 lanceolato-triangulares partitus. Corolla
breviter tubulosa, calyce longior, lobis 5, valvatis, subaequalibus,
tubo lato, basi dilatato. Stamina 5, omnia fertilia, aequalia, tot quot
corollae lobi iisque alterna, fauce corollae affixa, filamentis filiformi-
bus; antherae versatiles, subquadratae, loculis 4. Ovarium superum,
sessile, turbinatum, 1-loculare, basi dilatata disciformi-incrassata.
Stylus tenuis, simplex. Stigma capitatum, subbilobatum. Ovula
plura, medio placentae affixa. Fructus ignotus. — Type species, Va-
lerioa costaricensis Standl. & Steyermark. The genus is dedicated
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1099
to Juvenal Valeric Rodriguez, Director of the Museo Nacional de
Costa Rica. To him the senior author is indebted for a multitude of
courtesies, and for the most delightful and sympathetic companion-
ship upon many pleasant excursions into the mountains of Costa
Rica. His botanical enthusiasm, continued for many years even
under the severest discouragement, is largely responsible for the
preparation and final publication of this Flora of Costa Rica.
Valerioa costaricensis Standl. & Steyermark, sp. nov. — Cue-
rillo. Ramuli novelli ad apices hirtelli; foliis petiolatis, cuneato-
oblongo-lanceolatis, abrupte acuminatis, basin versus longe sensim
attenuatis, grosse saltern supra basin crenato-dentatis, glabris vel
subtus ad nervos minute puberulis, nervis 10-12-jugis, adscendenti-
bus, petiolo excluso 15-20 cm. longis, 5-7.5 cm. latis; petiolis 1-2 cm.
longis, dense minute puberulis; pedunculis dense minute puberulis,
multifloris, oppositiramosis, bracteatis, foliis duplo brevioribus;
lobis calycis 1.1-1.3 mm. longis, acutis vel acuminatis, marginibus
dense minute ciliolatis, aliter glabris; corolla 5.5-6 mm. longa, tubo
basi dilatato, ca. 3.5 mm. longo atque paullo angustiore, glabro,
lobis recurvo-patentibus, intus et margine dense minuteque velutinis;
staminibus et stylo exsertis. — Santiago de San Ramon (Calera, Rio
Jesus), February 25, 1929, A. M. Brenes 6700 (type in Herb. Field
Mus.); same locality and date, Brenes 6691.
The proper family position of this Costa Rican plant is somewhat
problematical. The general appearance and arrangement of the
inflorescence and leaves are suggestive of some verbenaceous genera,
such as Aegiphila, while the deeply parted calyx and gradually
pointed ovary, as well as the dilated corolla base, are reminiscent of
a number of groups of Scrophulariaceae. The numerous ovules
found in Valerioa distinguish the genus from all Verbenaceae, while
the valvate corolla lobes are at variance with all known Scrophulari-
aceae. The more or less equal, valvate corolla lobes and numerous
ovules suggest a closer relationship with the Solanaceae than with
either the Verbenaceae or Scrophulariaceae, although it is admittedly
close to one or the other of those families. The general appearance
of the plant has little in common with most groups of Solanaceae,
variable as that family is. It is unfortunate that fruit is not available,
since it might well determine definitely the plant's true position.
SCROPHULARIACEAE. Figwort Family
Herbs, rarely shrubs; leaves opposite or alternate, without
stipules; flowers perfect, usually irregular and complete; calyx in-
1100 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
ferior, with 4 or 5 lobes, teeth, or segments; corolla gamopetalous,
the limb generally somewhat bilabiate; stamens 2, 4, or 5, didy-
namous or almost equal, inserted on the corolla alternate with its
segments; pistil 1, entire or bilobate; ovary superior, 2-celled; fruit
commonly capsular and many-seeded. — There probably are a few
other genera represented in Central America.
ALONSOA Ruiz & Pavon
Branched herbs or shrubs, usually glabrous except in the inflo-
rescence, the branches tetragonous; leaves mostly opposite or
ternate, entire or serrate, the floral leaves alternate; flowers in ter-
minal racemes, the pedicels solitary, ebracteolate; calyx 5-parted,
with narrow segments; corolla resupinate by torsion of the pedicel,
explanate-rotate, the tube almost none, the limb 5-lobate; perfect
stamens 4; capsule ovate or oblong, obtuse, compressed; seeds
numerous, small, punctate-rugose. — A single species is found in
Central America.
Alonsoa meridionalis (L. f.) Kuntze. A. caulialata Ruiz &
Pavon. Common in the Canton de Dota, also on the slopes of
Barba, 1,800-3,000 meters, in forest and thickets. Mexico to Peru.
A branched herb 1.5 meters high or less, almost glabrous, the stems
4-angulate; leaves opposite, petiolate, lanceolate or ovate, serrate,
acuminate, acute at the base; flowers red or pink, in paniculate
racemes; capsule ovoid, 1-1.5 cm. long, acute.
ANGELONIA Humb. & Bonpl.
Simple or branched herbs, annual or perennial; leaves opposite
or the upper ones alternate; flowers often large and showy, solitary
in the leaf axils or in terminal racemes; calyx 5-parted; corolla sub-
rotate, 5-lobate, the 2 posterior lobes outermost in bud, the short
tube saccate anteriorly, the anterior lobes with hornlike appendages
at the base; stamens 4, didynamous, the anther sacs divaricate;
seeds foveolate. — One other Central American species is known, in
British Honduras.
Angelonia angustifolia Benth. Goto (cultivated?), M. Valeria
386. Cultivated commonly as an ornamental plant, but probably
not native. Originally from Mexico. A branched herb a meter
high or less, glabrous; leaves almost sessile, linear-lanceolate, at-
tenuate, serrulate or almost entire; flowers violet, 1.5 cm. long, in
elongate racemes; sepals narrow, almost distinct; corolla broad,
bilabiate, the tube very short, with a process or short spur near the
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1101
base; capsule small, globose. A highly ornamental plant because of
its showy and pretty flowers.
ANTIRRHINUM L. Snapdragon
Annual or perennial herbs; leaves alternate or the lower opposite;
flowers solitary in the leaf axils or in terminal racemes, the pedicels
ebracteate; calyx 5-parted, the segments imbricate; corolla usually
large and showy, anteriorly saccate or gibbous at the base, the pos-
terior lobe erect, shallowly 2-lobate, the anterior lip spreading, 3-
lobate; stamens 4, didynamous, included, the anther cells parallel;
capsule ovoid or globose; seeds rugose or smooth. — No species of
the genus are native in Central America.
Antirrhinum majus L. Boca de leon. Planted commonly in
gardens as an ornamental plant. Native of Europe. A low per-
ennial with narrow leaves and with large and showy flowers that
exhibit great variation in color.
BACOPA Aubl.
Small herbs, the leaves opposite; flowers small, axillary, solitary
or fasciculate, the pedicels naked or 2-bracteolate; calyx 5-parted,
the segments unequal; corolla somewhat bilabiate; stamens 4,
included; capsule bivalvate. — Other species are known from Central
America.
Bacopa Monnieri (L.) Wettstein. Herpestis Monnieria HBK.
Common in moist places of the coasts, often growing in sand along
streams (arenales). A species of wide distribution. Plants prostrate,
fleshy, glabrous; leaves oblong or spatulate, rounded at the apex,
entire; pedicels bibracteolate, longer than the leaves; corolla white
or purple. In Nicaragua the name Verdolaga is given to the plant.
Bacopa procumbens (Mill.) Greenm. Herpestis chamae-
dryoides HBK. Common in moist places, often in sandy stream
beds, Meseta Central to the coasts; region of San Ram6n; collected
on Volcan de Barba at 2,400 meters. Widely distributed in tropical
regions. Plants glabrous, erect or procumbent; leaves small, dentate,
ovate, acute, petiolate; pedicels bracteolate, longer than the leaves;
corolla yellow.
Bacopa Salzmanni (Benth.) Chod. & Hassl. Herpestis Salz-
manni Benth. Common in marshes or other wet places, Meseta
Central to the Atlantic coast. Mexico to Brazil. Plants pro-
cumbent, somewhat fleshy, the stems thick, soft-pilose; leaves
1102 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
sessile, orbicular, entire, pilose beneath; pedicels elongate, not
bracteolate; corolla purple. Costa Rican collections have been
referred to B. violacea (Pennell) Standl., a species that probably is
not distinct from B. Salzmanni.
BUCHNERA L.
Perennial or biennial herbs, erect and sparsely if at all branched,
blackening in drying, with rough pubescence; lower leaves opposite,
the upper often alternate, narrow, stiff; flowers small, white to blue
or purple, in terminal, bracteate spikes, the lower flowers usually
remote in the spike; calyx tubular, 5-10-nerved, 5-dentate; corolla
salverform, the slender tube somewhat curved, the limb almost
equally 5-lobate, the anterior lobes external in the bud; stamens
4, didynamous, the anther sacs confluent into 1; seeds numerous,
reticulate. — One or two other species grow in Central America.
Buchnera pusilla HBK. B. major Polak. Linnaea 41: 588.
1877 (near San Jose", Polakowsky 519}. Common in pastures and
savannas, Meseta Central to the Pacific coast, ascending to 1,600
meters; region of San Ramon; Guanacaste. Widely distributed in
tropical America. Plants erect, annual or perennial, simple or
somewhat branched, slender, with rough pubescence of stiff, whitish
hairs; leaves opposite, linear or narrowly lanceolate, almost sessile,
serrate or nearly entire; flowers purple or pink, in elongate, leafy
spikes; calyx tubular, with short teeth; corolla 1 cm. long, the tube
slender and elongate. Costa Rican collections have been referred
toB. mexicana Hemsl. It is probable thatB. lithospermifolia HBK.,
a very similar species, occurs in the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
CALCEOLARIA L.
Reference: Kraenzlin, Pflanzenreich IV. 257C. 1907.
Herbs (the Central American species); leaves opposite; flowers
small or large, usually yellow, cymose; calyx 4-parted; corolla
bilabiate, the tube very short, the lower lip large and inflated;
stamens 2; fruit capsular. — There are probably a few other species
in Central America. Most members of this large genus are natives
of the Andes of South America.
Calceolaria irazuensis Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 20: 292. 1895.
C. costaricensis Kraenzl. Ann. Hofmus. Wien 22: 192. 1907 (type
collected by Endres, without indication of the exact locality).
Slopes of Volcan de Irazu, 2,700 meters, J. D. Smith 4904. Moist
forests of Irazu and Turrialba, at 2,400-2,700 meters. Endemic.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1103
A branched herb a meter high or less; leaves oblong-lanceolate,
acuminate, short-petiolate, pubescent, serrate or crenulate; corolla
yellow, 2 cm. long. An exceptionally showy plant because of its
large flowers.
Calceolaria mexicana Benth. Botdn de oro. Common in the
central region, 1,200-2,700 meters, growing in moist thickets or
forest, sometimes in cultivated ground; region of San Ramon.
Extending to Mexico. A simple or branched annual, viscid; leaves
pinnatisect or the lowest trilobate, petiolate; corolla 1 cm. long.
This species is seen sometimes in gardens of the Meseta Central.
Costa Rican collections referred to C. glutinosa Heer & Regel, a
synonym of C. gracilis HBK., a South American species, probably
are referable to C. mexicana, which is perhaps only a form of
C. gracilis.
Calceolaria Storkii Standl., sp. nov. — Subscandens, herbacea
vel suffruticosa, ramis gracilibus teretibus ferrugineis dense minute
puberulis atque glutinosis, internodiis foliis duplo brevioribus; folia
breviter petiolata opposita subcoriacea, petiolo usque 3 mm. longo
piloso; lamina anguste lanceolata 4-7 cm. longa 9-16 mm. lata
longe sensim attenuata, basi acuta vel obtusa, arete serrato-dentata,
supra lucida ubique minutissime puberula atque vernicosa, costa
nervisque plus minusve impressis, subtus multo pallidior, ut videtur
minute puberula et vernicosa, costa crassiuscula prominente, nervis
lateralibus subarcuatis obliquis angulo latiusculo adscendentibus,
venis conspicue laxe reticulatis; flores in corymbos terminales laxe
paucifloros dispositi, pedicellis gracilibus usque 2 cm. longis minute
puberulis glutinosis; calyx 7 mm. longus profunde lobatus, lobis
late ovato-ellipticis acutis viridibus; corollae labium inferius 2 cm.
longum 1.5 cm. latum. — Cerro de La Muerte, 3,000 meters, June,
1932, H. E. Stork 3048 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). Among Costa
Rican species this is distinguished at once by the glutinous covering
on almost all parts of the plant.
Calceolaria trilobata Hemsl. C. sciadephora Donn. Smith,
Bot. Gaz. 25: 151. 1898 (paramos of Cerro de La Muerte, Pittier
3486). Paramos of the region of Dota, 3,100 meters. Also in
Colombia and Guatemala. A tall, pilose, viscid herb; leaves dilated
and united by their bases, the blades triangular and dentate; corolla
1.5 cm. long.
CAPRARIA L.
Perennial herbs or low shrubs, abundantly pubescent in most
species; leaves alternate, narrow, dentate; flowers axillary, pedi-
1104 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
cellate; sepals 5, narrow, subequal; corolla white, campanulate,
5-lobate; stamens usually 5, the anther sacs divergent and con-
fluent; capsule loculicidally dehiscent; seeds reticulate. — One other
species may reach Central America.
Capraria biflora L. Occasional in waste places of the tierra
caliente, but the plant is not common in Central America. A species
of wide distribution. An erect, branched herb, a meter high or
less, pubescent; leaves lanceolate, serrate. Known in Panama by
the names Cola de gallo and Hierba te".
CASTILLEJA Mutis
Herbs, parasitic upon the roots of other plants; leaves alternate,
narrow, entire or lobate; flowers red or yellow, in terminal, bracted
spikes, the bracts large, entire or lobate, colored; calyx tubular;
corolla very irregular, bilabiate, the lower lip small, 3-lobate, the
upper narrow and elongate; stamens 4; fruit capsular. — Other
species occur in northern Central America.
Castilleja communis Benth. Common in pastures and
thickets of the temperate region, from Turrialba to the Meseta
Central, 900-1,800 meters; region of San Ramon. Widely distributed
in tropical America. Plants simple or sparsely branched, 20-40 cm.
high, pubescent; leaves and bracts lanceolate or linear, entire;
bracts red, at least at the tips; flowers almost sessile; corolla only
1 cm. long.
Castilleja irasuensis Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 27. 1853.
Gallito. Volcan de Irazu, 2,700-3,000 meters, Oersted. Frequent in
pastures and meadows of the cold region, central volcanoes and
mountains of Dota. Also in Panama. An erect, branched herb,
sometimes more or less scandent and as much as 2 meters long,
almost glabrous; leaves and bracts linear, more or less lobate, the
bracts bright red; calyx red, with yellow margins; corolla 3 cm.
long. Hemsley reports a collection from Irazu at 3,000 meters by
Wendland under the name C. fissifolia L. f. Probably the plant
so reported is C. irasuensis.
Castilleja Quirosii Standl., sp. nov. — Perennis erecta, caulibus
ut videtur 30-60 cm. altis simplicibus vel superne pauciramosis
strictis gracilibus teretibus sat dense pilis albidis brevibus patenti-
bus vel subrecurvis hispidulis, dense foliatis; folia linearia plerumque
1-1.5 cm. longa vix ad 1.5 mm. lata obtusa crassiuscula dense
cinereo-puberula vel hispidula integra vel saepius saltern superiora
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1105
prope apicem utroque latere lobulis 1-2 brevissimis obtusis aucta;
flores racemosi, racemis terminalibus sublaxis usque 11 cm. longis,
pedicellis gracilibus breviter pilosis plerumque 4-6 mm. longis,
bracteis calyci vix aequalibus foliis similibus, vulgo prope apicem
lobulis 2-3 longioribus paten tibus auctis; calyx ca. 12 mm. longus
et fere 3 mm. crassus dense breviter plus minusve viscide pilosus,
ad medium vel profundius bilobus, lobis angustis obtusis; corolla
ca. 23 mm. longa angusta dorso galeae albido-tomentulosa, aliter
glabra, tubo ca. 8 mm. longo, labio inferiore brevi trilobo, galea
lineari ca. 1.5 cm. longa paullo incurva. — Alrededores del crater del
Volcan de Irazu, August, 1935, M. Quiros 329 (type in Herb. Field
Mus.). Cerro de Escazu, 1,500 meters, Solis 261. Thickets of
Piedra Blanca, above Escazu, Standley 32600. This may be only
a variety of C. irasuensis, to which its relationship evidently is close,
but in that the stems and leaves are almost glabrous, and the leaves
much more divided.
DERMATOCALYX Oerst.
The genus consists of a single species.
Dermatocalyx parviflorus Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 29.
1856. Colmillo. Naranjo, Oersted. Found also at La Palma, Santa
Clara de Cartago, Guapiles, San Pedro Coronado, and in the region
of San Ramon. Panama to British Honduras. A shrub or small
tree, usually epiphytic, sometimes terrestrial, often scandent and
3-6 meters long, glabrous; leaves opposite or alternate, coriaceous,
petiolate, elliptic or oval, obtuse, large; flowers in axillary racemes
or small panicles; calyx campanulate, 6 mm. long, the lobes short
and broad; corolla white, 6-28 mm. long, the small lobes purple;
fruit coriaceous, globose. The plant is represented in herbaria by
scant material, and is still imperfectly understood. It may well be
that there is more than one species of this somewhat anomalous genus.
DIGITALIS L. Foxglove
Large herbs, the leaves alternate, the lowest ones mostly large
and elongate, entire or dentate; flowers large and showy, disposed
in long, terminal, usually secund racemes; calyx 5-parted, the
segments imbricate; corolla declinate, the tube ventricose or cam-
panulate, constricted above the ovary, the limb erect-patent, sub-
bilabiate; stamens 4, didynamous, usually included, the anther
cells divergent, confluent at the apex; capsule septicidally dehiscent;
seeds very numerous, minute, foveolate-rugose. — All species of the
genus are native in the Old World.
1106 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Digitalis purpurea L. Digital. A European plant, well known
for its medicinal properties — used chiefly as a heart stimulant;
cultivated commonly in gardens for ornament because of its large,
brilliantly colored flowers. It has become perfectly established in
pastures of Irazu, at 2,200-3,000 meters.
ESCOBEDIA Ruiz & Pavon
Rough-pubescent, erect, perennial herbs, simple or sparsely
branched; leaves opposite, sessile, narrow; flowers large, white,
axillary, pedicellate; calyx tubular, the lobes small; stamens 4;
capsule ellipsoid. — Three other species are reported from Central
America.
Escobedia grandiflora (L. f.) Kuntze. Grassy places, region of
Cartago; region of San Ramon, roadsides and pastures at about
1,000 meters. Extending to Colombia and Ecuador. A stout herb
about a meter high, puberulent or almost glabrous; leaves oblong-
lanceolate, serrate or entire, 7-15 cm. long; bractlets inserted near
the middle of the pedicel; calyx 2.5-4 cm. long; corolla 10 cm. long
or more.
Escobedia reticulata Pennell, Proc. Acad. Phila. 83: 420. pi.
37, f. 7. 1931. Ci^naga de Agua Buena, Canas Gordas, 1,100 meters,
Pittier 11118. Two other collections are known, collected between
Boruca and TeYraba. Endemic. Leaves oblong-ovate, acute;
bractlets inserted near the apex of the pedicel.
HEMICHAENA Benth.
The genus consists of a single species.
Hemichaena fruticosa Benth. Occasional in moist places in
the forests of Dota, 1,600-2,500 meters; La Cruz de Alajuelita, 1,800
meters. Guatemala and Chiapas. A densely pubescent herb a
meter high, the stems terete, simple; leaves opposite, sessile, cordate
at the base, acuminate, serrate; flowers yellow, 4-5 cm. long, in
axillary, pedunculate cymes; calyx green, tubular-campanulate, the
lobes narrow; corolla somewhat bilabiate; stamens 4; fruit capsular,
as long as the calyx. A showy and handsome plant because of its
large, bright yellow flowers.
ILYSANTHES Raf.
Small, annual or perennial herbs of wet soil; leaves small, oppo-
site, mostly dentate and sessile; flowers small, pedunculate, solitary
in the leaf axils; calyx 5-parted, the segments narrow; corolla irregu-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1107
lar, the tube somewhat dilated above, the limb bilabiate; fertile
stamens 2, included, the anther sacs divergent, accompanied by 2
sterile stamens; capsule septicidally dehiscent; seeds numerous,
rugose. — No other species are known from Central America.
Ilysanthes i unequal is (Walt.) Pennell. Collected at Pitajaya,
and doubtless elsewhere in marshy places. A plant of wide distribu-
tion in America. A small annual, 5-30 cm. high, glabrous; leaves
sessile, opposite, entire or denticulate; flowers minute, white, the
pedicels long and slender; sepals almost distinct.
LAMOUROUXIA HBK.
Perennial herbs, erect or sometimes scandent; leaves opposite,
sessile or petiolate, serrate; flowers red, large and showy, in panicu-
late racemes or spikes; calyx campanulate, 4-lobate; corolla tubular,
narrow, bilabiate, the lips very short; stamens 4; capsule ovoid.—
Other Central American species occur in Guatemala.
Lamourouxia Gutierrezii Oerst. Vid. Medd. Kjoebenhavn 29.
1853. Cerros de Candelaria, Oersted 10 (photo, seen of type, ex
herb. Copenhagen). Frequent in thickets of the central region,
1,200-1,800 meters; region of San Ram6n. Panama. An erect
herb, 1-1.5 meters high; leaves lance-elliptic, 1-2 cm. long, acute or
obtuse, acute at the base, rough; calyx pilose; corolla 4.5 cm. long,
tomentose.
Lamourouxia lanceolata Benth. Frequent in thickets, regions
of Cartago and Dota, 1,400-2,500 meters; region of El General.
Extending to southern Mexico. Plants branched, brittle, some-
times scandent and as much as 3 meters long; leaves narrowly
lanceolate, short-petiolate, 2-4 cm. long, almost glabrous; calyx
glabrous; corolla 3.5-4 cm. long.
Lamourouxia viscosa HBK. Vicinity of Las Concavas, south
of Cartago; also at San Ramon and near Escazu. Ranging to
Mexico. An erect herb, densely pubescent and somewhat tomentose;
leaves sessile, cordate or rounded at the base, ovate; calyx pilose;
corolla 3.5 cm. long.
LEUCOCARPUS Don
Tall herbs, the stems 4-angled and narrowly winged; leaves
opposite, cordate and clasping at the base, serrulate; flowers in
short-pedunculate, axillary cymes; calyx tubular-campanulate,
5-costate, short-dentate; corolla tube elongate, ampliate above, the
1108 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
lips spreading, the posterior one exterior in bud; stamens 4, didy-
namous, included, the anther sacs distinct, divergent; fruit globose,
baccate; seeds numerous, minute, reticulate. — A single species is
found in Central America.
Leucocarpus perfoliatus (HBK.) Benth. L. alatus Don.
In thickets, often on the banks of small streams, central region at
1,100-1,800 meters. Mexico to Bolivia. A somewhat fleshy, erect
herb, 1 meter high or less, glabrous; leaves sessile, narrowly lance-
olate, large, acuminate, serrate; flowers subumbellate in the leaf
axils, pedicellate; calyx campanulate, the lobes narrow; corolla
white or yellowish, 1.5 cm. long, the tube broad, the lobes small;
fruit a white, globose berry 1 cm. or more in diameter. Easy of
recognition in the family by its white, fleshy, not capsular fruit.
LINARIA Juss.
Herbs, the leaves chiefly opposite, entire or dentate, sometimes
lobate; flowers solitary in the leaf axils or forming terminal racemes
or spikes; calyx 5-parted, the segments imbricate; corolla tube
calcarate anteriorly at the base, the posterior lobe erect, bilobate,
the anterior lobe spreading, 3-lobate; stamens 4, didynamous,
included, the anther cells distinct, parallel; capsule dehiscent by
apical pores; seeds sometimes winged. — No species of the genus is
known to be native in Central America.
Linaria Cymbalaria (L.) Mill. Collected at San Jose*, M.
Valeria 1292, probably in cultivation. Native of Europe. Plants
perennial, glabrous, prostrate; leaves reniform, succulent, 3-5-lobate,
long-petiolate; flowers small, axillary, blue or lilac.
MAURANDYA Ortega
Scandent herbs; leaves more or less triangular, long-petiolate;
flowers large, axillary; sepals partly united; corolla bilabiate; stamens
4; fruit capsular. — It is probable that there are no native species
of the genus in Central America.
Maurandya Barclayana Lindl. Telegrafo. Cultivated in the
Meseta Central as an ornamental plant. Native of Mexico. A
large vine, almost glabrous; leaves small, hastate-triangular, acumi-
nate; flowers pink or purple, 3 cm. long; calyx lobes very narrow.
Maurandya erubescens (Don) Gray. An ornamental garden
plant. Native of Mexico. Leaves ovate-triangular, soft-pubescent,
dentate; flowers pink, 6-7 cm. long; sepals large and broad.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1109
MAZUS Lour.
Low herbs, the lower leaves opposite, the upper alternate,
crenate or dentate; flowers in terminal, somewhat secund racemes,
small, the pedicels subtended by minute bracts or ebracteolate;
calyx broadly campanulate, 5-dentate; corolla tube short or elongate,
the posterior lip erect, shallowly bifid, the anterior one much larger,
spreading, trifid; stamens 4, didynamous, the anther sacs divaricate;
capsule globose or compressed, loculicidally dehiscent; seeds minute,
very numerous. — No species is native in America.
Mazus japonicus (Thunb.) Kuntze. An Asiatic plant, natu-
ralized in grassy places about San Jose*. An herb 10 cm. high or
less; leaves mostly basal, petiolate, obovate, crenulate; flowers
small, pink or violet, racemose; calyx deeply lobate, 4 mm. long.
PENTSTEMON Ait.
Perennial herbs, the leaves opposite; flowers usually large and
showy, forming a terminal, leafy or bracteate panicle or thyrse;
calyx 5-parted, the segments imbricate; corolla tube usually elongate,
sometimes ventricose, the limb bilabiate; stamens 4, didynamous,
shorter than the corolla, the anthers glabrous or lanate, the cells
distinct or confluent at the apex, a sterile stamen or staminodium
also present; capsule septicidally dehiscent; seeds numerous.—
Other species are native in northern Central America.
Pentstemon gentianoides (HBK.) Don. Sometimes culti-
vated for ornament in gardens, but not common. Native of Guate-
mala and Mexico. An erect, perennial herb, almost glabrous,
forming dense clumps; leaves sessile, entire or serrulate, narrowly
long-acuminate; flowers purple, 3 cm. long, arranged in a dense,
narrow panicle. A beautiful and showy plant because of its abun-
dance of large, brightly colored flowers.
RUSSELIA Jacq.
Erect, perennial herbs, the branches angulate; leaves opposite
or ternate, broadly ovate, sessile or nearly so, crenate or serrate,
usually furnished with resinous glands; flowers bright red, cymose
and axillary or forming a terminal panicle; calyx 5-lobate; corolla
tubular, the 5 lobes very short, rounded; stamens 5; fruit capsular.
—Other species are known from Central America.
Russelia equisetiformis Schlecht. & Cham. R. juncea Zucc.
An ornamental plant of gardens. Perhaps native of Mexico, but
1110 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
probably unknown in a wild state. A glabrous herb about a meter
high, the branches 6-angulate; leaves few and caducous; flowers
2 cm. long, forming a large panicle, the pedicels greatly elongate.
An ornamental plant well known almost everywhere in Central
America. It is known usually by the name Lluvia de coral.
Russelia sarmentosa Jacq. In thickets, Meseta Central and
Pacific slope. Extending to Cuba and Mexico. An erect herb,
glabrous or somewhat pubescent, the branches 4-angulate; corolla
1 cm. long; flowers in small, axillary cymes.
Russelia verticillata HBK. Coralillo. In thickets, Meseta
Central to Pacific coast; region of San Ramon. Panama to Mexico.
An erect herb, a meter or less in height; branches 6-angulate;
corolla 1.5 cm. long.
SCOPARIA L.
Herbs or low shrubs, usually branched; leaves opposite or verti-
cillate, punctate; flowers very small, ebracteate, solitary or geminate
in the leaf axils; calyx 4-parted, the segments imbricate; corolla
almost rotate, 4-lobate, densely barbate in the throat, the lobes
subequal; stamens 4, subequal, the anther sacs distinct, parallel
or divergent; capsule septicidally dehiscent; seeds numerous, angu-
late. — One or two other species may extend to Central America.
Scoparia dulcis L. Mastuerzo, Escobilla amarga, Escoba de
Castillo,. Meseta Central to the coasts, abundant about dwellings
and in waste ground. Almost pantropic. A densely branched,
erect herb, nearly glabrous, a meter or less in height; leaves small,
ovate or lanceolate, dentate; flowers very small, white, pedicellate.
Pittier states that a decoction of the leaves is very bitter, and
possesses stomachic properties, and that an infusion of the plant is
employed in treating diseases of women.
SIBTHORPIA L.
Prostrate, pubescent herbs, usually rooting at the nodes; leaves
alternate, petiolate, orbicular-reniform, crenate or pinnatifid;
flowers very small, axillary, solitary or fasciculate, ebracteolate;
calyx campanulate, 4-8-lobate, the lobes subequal; corolla tube
short, or the corolla almost rotate, the lobes of the limb subequal,
spreading; stamens as many as the corolla lobes or 1 fewer, the
anthers sagittate; capsule compressed, loculicidally dehiscent; seeds
tuberculate-rugose. — A single species is native in North America.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1111
Sibthorpia pichinchensis HBK. Common in forests, mead-
ows, and paramos of the upper slopes of the mountains, 1,600-
3,000 meters. Mexico to the South American Andes. A slender,
prostrate herb, pubescent, the stems rooting at the nodes; leaves
reniform, 1-2 cm. wide, crenate-lobulate, the petioles elongate;
flowers very small, white or pale violaceous, the pedicels long and
slender. Cufodontis has referred the Costa Rican plant to S. retusa
HBK. It may well be that with monographic studies of the genus
it will be possible to recognize more than one species, but I am un-
able to find characters for distinguishing the species named. The
plant resembles in appearance some of the species of Hydrocotyle
(Umbelliferae), with which it is often confused in herbaria.
STEMODIA L.
Annual or perennial herbs, the leaves broad, opposite or verti-
cillate; flowers small or medium-sized, axillary or in bracteate spikes
or racemes; calyx 5-parted, the segments almost equal; corolla with
a cylindric tube and a bilabiate limb; stamens 4; fruit capsular.
Stemodia durantifolia (L.) Sw. Waste places of the tierra
caliente. A species of wide distribution, but not common in Central
America. An erect, branched herb, 60 cm. high or less, viscid-
pubescent; leaves sessile, oblong or lanceolate, serrate; flowers small,
purple, in bracted spikes.
Stemodia peduncularis Benth. S. angulata Oerst. Vid. Medd.
Kjoebenhavn 22. 1853 (Cartago, Oersted). Common in forests of
the central region, 1,100-2,400 meters; region of San Ramon.
Extending to Mexico. Plants with elongate, procumbent stems,
pubescent; leaves petiolate, broadly ovate, obtuse or acute, crenate;
flowers white, 1.5 cm. long, the pedicels often longer than the leaves,
filiform.
Stemodia verticillata (Mill.) Sprague. Hierba santa. S. parvi-
flora Ait. Common in waste places, especially about dwellings.
Meseta Central to the coasts. A species of wide distribution in
tropical America. Plants annual, branched, 5-15 cm. high, viscid-
pubescent; leaves opposite or verticillate, small, petiolate, broadly
ovate, obtuse, crenate; flowers very small, axillary, fasciculate, short-
pedicellate. It is reported that the plant is employed as a remedy
for toothache, on which it probably has no more than psychological
effects.
1112 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
TORENIA L.
Small, annual herbs, branched, erect or procumbent; leaves
opposite, small, ovate or rounded, crenate, petiolate; flowers small,
axillary, the pedicels elongate; calyx tubular, 5-dentate; corolla
bilabiate; fruit capsular, equaling or shorter than the calyx.
Torenia Crustacea (L.) Cham. & Schlecht. A species of wide
distribution in tropical America. Although I have seen no Costa
Rican specimens, there is no doubt that it occurs in the Atlantic
coast. Plants glabrous, 10 cm. high or less; calyx 3 mm. long;
corolla purple.
Torenia Fournieri Linden. Often planted in gardens for
ornament. Probably native of Asia. Plants erect and branched,
the leaves petiolate, ovate, serrate, acute; calyx with broad wings,
1.5-2 cm. long; corolla about 3 cm. long, purple and black-purple.
Torenia Thouarsii (Cham. & Schlecht.) Kuntze. Pastures of
the Changuinola Valley. A species of wide distribution. Calyx
6 mm. long; corolla white; plants larger than in the first species.
VANDELLIA L.
Small, branched, annual herbs; leaves opposite, dentate; flowers
very small, axillary, solitary; calyx 5-dentate, the teeth slightly
unequal; corolla bilabiate, the posterior lip exterior in bud; stamens
4, didynamous, the anther sacs approximate; capsule narrow, longer
than the calyx. — A single species is found in Central America.
Vandellia diffusa L. Moist, grassy places, Meseta Central to
the coasts; region of San Ramon. A species of wide distribution,
probably introduced from the Old World. A branched herb, the
stems sometimes rooting at the nodes, pubescent; leaves very
shortly petiolate, rounded-ovate, crenulate; flowers almost sessile,
6-7 mm. long; calyx tubular, the teeth narrow and attenuate.
VERONICA L. Speedwell
Small, annual or perennial herbs, the leaves opposite, small,
crenate; flowers small, axillary or in terminal racemes; calyx 4-
parted; corolla rotate, 4-lobate; stamens 2; capsule compressed,
emarginate. — No species is native in Central America, but there
are indigenous species in Mexico.
Veronica arvensis L. A European plant, naturalized in pastures
of the Volcano of Turrialba, and probably in those of the other
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1113
central volcanoes. A pubescent annual; leaves broadly ovate, the
lower ones petiolate; flowers axillary, short-pedicellate, bluish.
Veronica polita Fries. In pastures, Cerros de Palmira de
Alfaro Ruiz, 1,785 meters, Brenes 4149. Native of Europe, but natu-
ralized in various parts of temperate America. A villous or pilose,
branched annual; leaves broadly ovate or rounded-ovate, slender-
petiolate, coarsely crenate-dentate; flowers on very long, slender
pedicels, blue.
Veronica serpyllifolia L. Frequent in meadows of Turrialba.
Naturalized from Europe. Plants perennial, puberulent or glabrous;
leaves short-petiolate, oval; flowers blue, in terminal racemes.
BIGNONIACEAE. Trumpet-vine Family
Trees, shrubs, or vines, rarely herbaceous; leaves chiefly opposite,
often tendril-bearing, simple or compound; flowers large and showy,
variously arranged, more or less irregular; calyx inferior, gamo-
sepalous; corolla gamopetalous, 5-lobate, somewhat bilabiate; fertile
stamens 2 or 4, inserted on the tube of the corolla alternate with the
lobes, the anthers 2-celled, their sacs longitudinally rimose; disk
usually present, annular or cupuliform; ovary commonly 2-celled,
the placentae parietal or affixed to the partition wall of the ovary,
the ovules numerous, horizontal; fruit a 2-valvate capsule, or some-
times baccate and indehiscent; seeds compressed, often winged.—
A few other genera are known from Central America. The family,
as represented in this region, is still but imperfectly understood,
chiefly because of the slow accumulation of adequate material for
study. In the case of the scandent plants, the blooming period
seems to be short. It is therefore highly desirable and important
that the plants be collected freely, and whenever found in flower or
fruit, except in the case of a few of the better known species.
The genus Adenocalymma has been reported from Costa Rica,
and may be represented here, but I have seen no material definitely
referable to it.
AMPHILOPHIUM HBK.
Woody vines; leaves opposite, petiolate, 2-3-foliolate, one of
the leaflets often replaced by a tendril, the pubescence at least in
part lepidote and often stellate; flowers large, in terminal panicles;
calyx tube broadly campanulate, the limb spreading, undulate,
with interior, lobelike appendages; corolla tube cylindric, straight,
the limb bilabiate; stamens 4, included; disk large, annular; capsule
1114 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
oblong, somewhat compressed; seeds winged. — One other species is
known from Central America.
Amphilophium oxylophium Bonn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 31: 119.
1901. Tucurrique, 630 meters, Tonduz 13045. Stipules 10-12 mm.
long, deciduous; leaflets 2, short-petiolulate, ovate-cordate, 7-12
cm. long, abruptly acuminate, appressed-pilose above with simple
hairs, lepidote beneath, pale, tomentose; calyx lepidote, the tube
8 mm. long, densely pilose, the outer lobes 5-6 mm. long, the inner
ones half as long; corolla glabrous, 2.5 cm. long. I have seen no
representation of this species.
Amphilophium paniculatum (L.) HBK. var. molle (Schlecht.
& Cham.) Standl., var. nov. Cucharilla. A. molle Schlecht. & Cham.
Linnaea 5: 120. 1830. Thickets of the central region, and in the
region of San Ramon; Guanacaste; probably also in the tierra
caliente. Ranging to Mexico; typical form of the species widely
distributed in tropical America, and perhaps occurring in Costa
Rica. Usually a small vine; leaflets generally 2, rounded-ovate,
entire, mostly 7-12 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate, cordate or
truncate at the base, lepidote, especially beneath, minute stellate-
puberulent above or almost glabrous, densely stellate-tomentulose
beneath with very small hairs; panicles few- or many-flowered, 10-20
cm. long; calyx tube 5 mm. long, lepidote and stellate-puberulent,
the lobes short and rounded; corolla pink or purple, about 3 cm. long,
glabrous; capsules about 6 cm. long and 3.5 cm. wide, rounded at
each end. I have always assumed that A. molle was a valid species,
differing from A. paniculatum in the abundant, stellate tomentum of
the lower leaf surface, the surface in A. paniculatum being merely
lepidote, with sometimes long hairs along the nerves. However,
after finding leaves with both types of pubescence upon the same
plant, it seems impossible to regard A. molle as more than a variety
of A. paniculatum, the differences in pubescence being, apparently,
scarcely more than a matter of degree.
ANEMOPAEGMA Mart.
Woody vines, glabrous or with pubescence of simple hairs;
leaves usually bifoliolate, often with a terminal tendril, the leaflets
petiolulate, entire; pseudostipules usually present, commonly broad
and rounded, foliaceous; flowers large, in axillary or terminal ra-
cemes; calyx coriaceous, truncate or minutely dentate, eglandular
outside; corolla elongate-funnelform, the lobes rounded, somewhat
unequal, usually tomentulose outside; stamens included, the anthers
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1115
glabrous; disk pulvinate; capsule ovate or elliptic, compressed,
smooth, the valves plane, coriaceous or ligneous; seeds winged. — At
least two other species have been reported from Central America.
Anemopaegma punctulatum Pitt. & Standl. Thickets of the
tierra caliente. Panama. A large, slender vine, the branches more
or less angulate, at least in age; leaflets elliptic-oblong, 8-14 cm. long,
acute or acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base, green when dried,
glabrous, puncticulate, especially beneath; flowers mostly geminate
or ternate in the leaf axils, on peduncles 1-1.5 cm. long; calyx 9-13
mm. long, glabrous, punctate, truncate; corolla pale yellow, 7-8 cm.
long, glabrous outside. Costa Rican material that has been referred
to A. Vargasianum DC. is probably referable to the present species.
Anemopaegma Tonduzianum Kraenzlin, Repert. Sp. Nov.
17: 116. 1921. Roadside thickets, Nicoya, Tonduz 13912. Known
only from the original collection. Leaflets broadly oblong to broadly
elliptic-ovate, 6-10 cm. long, abruptly acute or short-acuminate,
rounded or very obtuse at the base, sparsely pilose above, villous
beneath; calyx 9 mm. long, truncate, densely ferruginous- villous at
the base, glabrous above; corolla pink, 4 cm. long, sparsely pilose.
This plant, of which I have seen only a photograph, is scarcely
referable to Anemopaegma, but from the photograph alone I am un-
able to decide where it should be placed. It is not improbable that
it is an Arrabidaea.
ARRABIDAEA DC.
Woody vines, glabrous, pilose, or tomentose; leaves mostly bi-
foliolate, often with a simple, terminal tendril, the leaflets mostly
subcoriaceous, petiolulate, entire; pseudostipules inconspicuous or
none; flowers large or rather small, chiefly in terminal, often large
panicles; calyx campanulate or sub tubular, truncate or dentate,
generally eglandular; corolla commonly funnelform and tomentose
outside; stamens included; disk pulvinate or cupuliform; capsule
elongate-linear, compressed, the valves plane, often 1-nerved, cori-
aceous; seeds winged. — Several other species are known from Central
America.
Arrabidaea dichasia Donn. Smith. Reported from the regions
of Carrillo and Boruca, Pacific tierra caliente. Honduras. Leaflets
obovate-elliptic, 10-12 cm. long, abruptly acuminate, acute at the
base, concolorous; calyx campanulate, minutely glandular-lepidote,
6 mm. long; corolla 5.5-7 cm. long, velutinous outside. I have seen
no material of this species.
1116 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Arrabidaea pachycalyx Sprague. Thickets of the Pacific tierra
caliente. Extending to Colombia. A large vine with pale branches;
leaflets oblong-ovate to broadly ovate, abruptly acute, usually
truncate or broadly rounded at the base, green on the upper surface
and glabrous or nearly so, whitish beneath and covered with a very
minute, pale tomentum; panicles commonly large and many-flowered;
calyx truncate, 4-5 mm. long, minutely pale-tomentulose; corolla
purple, 3 cm. long, tomentulose outside; capsules about 30 cm. long
and 1 cm. wide, sometimes much shorter. This vine is a showy
one, visible from a long distance, during its brief blooming period.
Costa Rican material referred to A. Chica Verl. probably belongs here.
Arrabidaea rhodothyrsus Kraenzlin, Repert. Sp. Nov. 17: 20.
1921. Thickets near Nicoya, Tonduz 13643 (photo, seen of type,
in herb. Berlin). Thickets of Guanacaste. Endemic. Leaflets
ovate-oblong to ovate-elliptic, 18 cm. long and 11 cm. wide or
smaller, acute or abruptly short-acuminate, cordate or rounded at
the base, short-pilose; calyx subentire, 3 mm. long; corolla pink or
purple, 2 cm. long, villous outside.
BIGNONIA L.
Large, slender, woody vines; leaves with 2 entire leaflets and a
3-forked tendril, the branches of the tendril each terminating in a
small, sharp, curved, horny hook, the leaves blackening in drying;
flowers large, yellow, solitary or in few-flowered clusters in the leaf
axils, slender-pedicellate; calyx membranous, green, campanulate,
the margin crenate-lobate and oblique; corolla funnelform-campan-
ulate, slightly curved, the broad limb unequally 5-lobate; stamens 4,
included; disk annular; capsule linear, compressed; seeds winged.—
No other species are known certainly from Central America.
Bignonia Unguis-cati L. Frequent in forests of the tierra
caliente, ascending to the region of San Ramon. Widely distributed
in tropical America. Plants slender, glabrous or nearly so, the
branches terete; leaflets ovate to oblong or obovate, mostly 5-10
cm. long, acute to narrowly long-acuminate, often lustrous, acute or
obtuse at the base; peduncles 1-3 cm. long; calyx 1-1.5 cm. long;
corolla 5-8 cm. long; capsules 30-40 cm. long, 12-14 mm. wide.
Much more common than adult plants of this species are juvenile
plants, growing on tree trunks and fence posts, over which they
creep by tightly adhering rootlets. These juvenile plants have
leaves very unlike the normal ones, the leaflets often averaging
only 1 cm. in length, and being obtuse or rounded at the apex.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1117
CALLICHLAMYS Miq.
Woody vines; leaves ternate, or the terminal leaflet abortive;
inflorescence racemose, usually axillary, the flowers very large,
bracteate and bibracteolate; calyx inflated-campanulate, irregularly
ruptured in an thesis; corolla funnelform, the 5 lobes subequal,
crispate or undulate; disk broadly conic, glabrous; capsule very
large, oblong, obtuse, woody; seeds broadly winged. — A single
species occurs in Central America.
Callichlamys latifolia (A. Rich.) Schum. Region of San
Ramon, and doubtless elsewhere. British Honduras to Brazil.
Leaflets broadly elliptic or oblong, mostly 10-14 cm. long, short-
acuminate, acute to rounded at the base, glabrous or nearly so,
entire; inflorescence shorter than the leaves, the rachis farinose-
tomentulose or glabrate; calyx 3.5-4 cm. long, colored; corolla
yellow, glabrous, 8-9 cm. long; capsule 13-15 cm. long, 6-6.5 cm.
wide, glabrous; seeds 5-10 cm. long and 4-4.5 cm. wide. This
plant must be an exceedingly showy one when in flower.
GLYTOSTOMA Miers
Woody vines, glabrous or nearly so; leaves mostly bifoliolate,
often with a terminal tendril, the leaflets petiolulate, entire; pseudo-
stipules none or small and inconspicuous; flowers few, lateral or
terminal, solitary or racemose, large; calyx campanulate or turbinate,
5-dentate, eglandular outside; corolla campanulate- tubular, the 5
lobes slightly unequal; stamens included, the anthers glabrous;
disk short, crenate; ovary muricate; capsule linear-oblong to orbic-
ular, subcompressed, covered with long, spreading spines, the valves
ligneous; seeds winged. — Two other species are recorded for Central
America.
Clytostoma callistegioides (Cham.) Bureau. Planted in the
garden of Dona Amparo de Zeledon, San Jose". Native of Brazil
and Paraguay. A slender vine; leaflets oblong or obovate-oblong,
somewhat oblique, acute or short-acuminate, subacute at base, gla-
brous; flowers solitary or binate, long-pedicellate; calyx 6-7 mm. long,
the 5 teeth filiform, 4-5 mm. long; corolla purple, 5-7 cm. long,
minutely puberulent outside; capsule 7-8 cm. long, 4-4.5 cm. wide.
Clytostoma isthmicum Pittier. Thickets of the tierra caliente;
Guanacaste. Panama. A slender vine, the branches tetragonous;
leaflets oblong to oblong-ovate, 7-15 cm. long, acute or acuminate,
acute at the base, glabrous; racemes 1-5-flowered, the flowers long-
1118 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY— BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
pedicellate; calyx truncate and minutely 5-denticulate, 4.5 mm.
long; corolla pale pink, 5-6 cm. long, sparsely lepidote or puberulent
outside; capsule suborbicular, about 5 cm. long.
CYDISTA Miers
Woody vines, glabrous or pubescent; leaves bifoliolate, often
with a terminal tendril, the leaflets entire; flowers large, in terminal
or axillary, few-flowered racemes; calyx campanulate, truncate or
minutely and remotely dentate; corolla funnelform-campanulate,
the large lobes rounded; stamens included, didynamous; disk none;
capsule elongate-linear, compressed; seeds winged. — Probably no
other species occurs in Central America.
Cydista aequinoctialis (L.) Miers. Thickets of the Pacific
tierra caliente. Widely distributed in tropical America. A large
or small vine with slender branches; leaflets ovate to ovate-elliptic,
7-15 cm. long, coriaceous, dark when dried, acute or acuminate,
rounded or obtuse at the base, lustrous, sparsely and minutely
lepidote when young but in age almost wholly glabrous, sometimes
pilose beneath along the costa; racemes as much as 20 cm. long,
the flowers slender-pedicellate; calyx 8 mm. long, minutely lepidote
or glabrous; corolla white or pink, usually 4-6 cm. long, densely
lepidote; capsule 20-30 cm. long, 1 cm. wide. The crushed leaves
have the odor of garlic, hence the common name of Ajillo applied
to the plant in Salvador.
Cydista pubescens Blake. Jalapa. Thickets of Guanacaste.
Panama to Mexico. Similar to the preceding species, but the
leaflets pilose on the upper surface and densely and softly pilose
with rather long hairs on the lower surface; calyx pilose or his-
pidulous; corolla pink. Probably better treated as a variety of
C. aequinoctialis, but the abundant pubescence on almost all parts
gives the plant a different aspect, and it may well be that careful
study will prove the existence of other differentiating characters
besides mere pubescence.
CRESCENTIA L.
Trees; leaves simple or palmately compound, usually fasciculate,
glabrous; flowers large, solitary or clustered, axillary or more often
lateral, and often borne on the larger branches or trunk; calyx cori-
aceous, closed in bud, bilobate or 5-parted in an thesis; corolla
large, with a broad tube and a somewhat oblique, 5-lobate limb;
stamens 4, didynamous, included or partially exserted; disk annular;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1119
ovary 1-celled; fruit globose or oval, very large, indehiscent, with
a thick, hard shell; seeds numerous, compressed, not winged.—
One other species grows in Guatemala.
Crescentia Cujete L. Jicaro, Calabacero. Frequent in the
Pacific tierra caliente, in some places forming dense stands or
jicarales; common in Guanacaste; often planted or naturalized
elsewhere, as in the Meseta Central, and doubtless also on the
Atlantic slope. Widely distributed in tropical America. A tree,
sometimes 10 meters high, with a thick, short trunk and a spreading,
often depressed crown, the branches thick and nodose, pale; leaves
clustered on the enlarged nodes, spatulate or oblanceolate, 5-15 cm.
long, obtuse to short-acuminate, almost sessile; flowers on short,
stout peduncles; calyx 2-2.5 cm. long, the lobes broad and rounded;
corolla dull greenish purple, 5-8 cm. long. The tree is a somewhat
fantastic one in appearance, certain to attract the attention of a
visitor from temperate regions because of its habit of bearing the
odd flowers and the huge fruits on the trunk or along the larger
branches. The fruits vary greatly in size and shape. In the more
common form the fruits are oval and about 15 cm. long, but very
often they are globose or somewhat depressed and as much as 30
cm. in diameter. In the latter case one wonders at first how a tree
can support such a load of fruits, that suggest pumpkins, although
they are green rather than yellow. The shells of the fruits have
been of great importance in household economy since the earliest
human settlements, for they are used almost universally in Mexico
and Central America for making cups, bottles, and all sorts of
kitchen utensils. The cups, particularly those formerly used and
still so employed in some localities for drinking chocolate, often are
ornamented with intricate designs, and such cups must have been
one of the first noteworthy articles to greet the eyes of Spanish
explorers. The wood is brownish, often veined with darker color,
moderately heavy, but tough and strong, rather coarse-textured,
with a consistency suggesting elm ( Ulmus) ; it is not durable, but
is used for saddletrees, tool handles, and other small articles. In
Costa Rica the oval fruits are called guacales, the globose or depressed
ones jicaras. The pulp has purgative properties, and has been
accused of causing abortion in cattle that eat the fallen fruits.
ENALLAGMA Baill.
Glabrous trees or shrubs; leaves alternate, simple, entire, broader
than in Crescentia, short-petiolate; flowers large, terminal or axillary,
1120 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
long-pedunculate, solitary or few-fasciculate; calyx closed in bud,
bilobate in anthesis; corolla tube broad, the limb oblique, shallowly
lobate; stamens 4, didynamous, included; disk annular; ovary
2-celled; fruit large, ellipsoid, indehiscent, with a woody or coriaceous
shell; seeds numerous, compressed, not winged. — One other species
is known from Central America.
Enallagma latifolia (Mill.) Small. Cacao silvestre. Occasional
in the tierra caliente, usually in tidal swamps. Southern Mexico
to West Indies and Venezuela. A glabrous tree of 10 meters or less,
the bark smooth or shallowly fissured, the branches pale; leaves
almost sessile, elliptic or obovate, 7-20 cm. long, abruptly acute,
cuneate at the base; calyx 3 cm. long, cleft to the middle or more
deeply; corolla 4-5 cm. long, purplish or yellowish, the limb margined
with brown; fruit subglobose, smooth, 6-8 cm. long.
Enallagma sessilifolia (Bonn. Smith) Standl., comb. nov.
Tabebuia sessilifolia Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 25: 156. 1898. Neo-
tuerckheimia gonoclada Donn. Smith, Bot. Gaz. 47: 259. 1909 (forests
of La Palma, Prov. San Jose, 1,460 meters, Tonduz 12563; J. D.
Smith 7384). Forests of El Tablazo, 1,800 meters, Tonduz 7937.
Frequent in forests of the central mountains, 1,300-2,200 meters;
region of San Ramon. Panama. A tree of 5-8 meters, often branch-
ing near the base, the trunk as much as 40 cm. in diameter, the bark
pale grayish brown, slightly roughened; leaves short-petiolate,
narrowly oblong-oblanceolate, 15-30 cm. long, 4-7 cm. wide, short-
acuminate, long-attenuate to the short and often very thick petiole,
glabrous; calyx 2 cm. long; corolla pale yellow-green, 4 cm. long;
fruits ellipsoid or oval, about 15 cm. long and 10 cm. in diameter,
black when ripe. Squirrels are reported to eat the seeds. The
Costa Rican tree has been confused withE1. Donnell-Smithii (Sprague)
Standl., of northern Central America. Mr. C. V. Morton has kindly
examined the types of Captain Smith's two species, and confirms
my suspicion, based upon reading of the descriptions, that the
names are synonymous.
GODMANIA Hemsl.
Trees; leaves opposite, long-petiolate, digitately 5-9-foliolate,
the leaflets petiolulate, entire; flowers rather small, white, yellowish,
or pink, in axillary corymbs; calyx campanulate, 5-dentate; corolla
funnelform-campanulate, ventricose, barbate within, the limb sub-
bilabiate, the lobes broad and rounded; stamens 4, didynamous,
included; disk annular; capsule cylindric, very long and slender,
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1121
costate; seeds with a long wing at each end. — One other species has
been described from Brazil.
Godmania aesculifolia (HBK.) Standl. Corteza de chivo.
G. macrocarpa Hemsl. Buenos Aires; region of San Ramon; at
900 meters or less. A tree of 5-8 meters; leaflets obovate to oblance-
olate-oblong, 6-17 cm. long, often long-acuminate, attenuate to the
base, softly short-pilose on both surfaces or sometimes glabrate;
corolla about 1 cm. long, puberulent outside; capsule sometimes as
much as 90 cm. long but usually much shorter, 1 cm. or less in
diameter.
JACARANDA Juss.
Tall trees; leaves opposite, large, several times pinnate, with
numerous small or large leaflets; flowers showy, blue, commonly in
large panicles; calyx campanulate or tubular, truncate or irregularly
lobate; corolla campanulate-funnelform, gibbous at the base, the 5
lobes subequal; disk obscure or none; ovary 2-celled; capsule orbicular
or oblong, compressed, the valves thick-coriaceous or woody; seeds
winged. — No other species are known from Central America.
Jacaranda Copaia (Aubl.) D. Don. Gallinazo. Frequent in
the upper part of the Atlantic tierra caliente; region of El General.
British Honduras to Brazil. A tall tree with very large leaves, the
very numerous leaflets oblong or rhombic-oblong, obtuse to acumi-
nate, cuneate at the base, 3.5-6 cm. long, glabrous or nearly so,
the margins often revolute; panicles 25^40 cm. long; calyx 6 mm.
long, minutely tomentulose; corolla 2.5 cm. long, densely and finely
tomentose outside; capsule obovate, about 9 cm. long. Called Palo
de buba in Panama. This is one of the most beautiful and showy
trees of southern Central America when covered with the abundant
panicles of blue flowers. The leaves are reported to attain a length
of 1.5 meters. The wood is oatmeal-colored or dingy white, light
and soft but firm, with straight, medium grain.
Jacaranda filicifolia (Anders.) D. Don. Forests of the Pacific
coast, and probably elsewhere; sometimes planted as an ornamental
tree. Ranging to Venezuela and the Guianas. A tall tree; leaflets
subrhombic to lanceolate, mostly 7-15 mm. long, acute, acute to
obtuse at the base, minutely pilose above and pilose beneath along
the costa or glabrate; panicles mostly 5-7 cm. long; calyx 1.5 mm.
long, minutely pilosulous; corolla 4-5 cm. long, glabrous outside;
capsule suborbicular, 5-6 cm. long.
1122 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
LUNDIA DC.
Woody vines, the branches terete; leaves 3-foliolate, or the ter-
minal leaflet often replaced by a simple or trifurcate tendril, the
leaflets petiolulate, entire; inflorescences small and umbelliform,
sometimes paniculate, terminal and axillary, the flowers large; calyx
closed in bud, ruptured in anthesis and truncate or irregularly 2-3-
lobate, or cleft on one side, eglandular; corolla funnelform, the tube
often narrow and elongate, the limb 5-lobate, the lobes subequal;
disk none; fruit siliquiform, elongate; seeds winged. — Two other
species have been described from Central America.
Lundia corymbifera (Vahl) Sandwith. L. umbrosa Bur. Santa
Rosa de El General; El Coyolar; at 660 meters or less. Extending to
Brazil. Leaflets ovate-oblong to broadly elliptic-ovate, 9-11 cm.
long, caudate-acuminate, obtuse to cordate at the base, pilosulous
on the nerves, puberulent on the margins; calyx turbinate-campan-
ulate, 6-7 mm. long, pale when dried, truncate, minutely puberulent;
corolla white, 4.5-5 cm. long, subtomentose outside; capsules about
20 cm. long and 2 cm. wide, subtomentose.
MACFADYENA DC.
Slender, woody vines, glabrous or pubescent with simple hairs;
leaves mostly bifoliolate, the leaflets petiolulate, entire, the ter-
minal leaflet often replaced by a tendril, this trifurcate at the apex,
the branches each ending in a short, indurate hook; flowers large,
yellow, in few-flowered, axillary inflorescences; calyx closed in bud,
in anthesis cleft along one side or subbilobate, membranaceous,
green; corolla campanulate-funnelform, the 5 lobes rounded, lepidote-
glandular outside; stamens included; disk cupuliform; capsule linear,
elongate, compressed, glabrous, the valves subligneous, unicostate;
seeds winged. — A single species is known from Central America.
Macfadyena uncata (Andr.) Sprague & Sandw. M. uncinata
DC. Reported from forests of the Atlantic tierra caliente. Mexico
to Bolivia and Brazil. A slender vine, blackening in drying, glabrous
or nearly so; leaflets oblong, 4-6 cm. long or larger, acuminate,
sparsely and minutely pilose or glabrous, somewhat lepidote beneath;
flowers axillary and solitary, on pedicels 1.5-2 cm. long; calyx 1.5-2
cm. long; corolla glabrous, 4.5-5 cm. long; capsule 12-15 cm. long.
MARTINELLA Baill.
Woody vines, the branches terete; leaves bifoliolate, often with
a terminal, trifurcate tendril, the leaflets petiolulate, entire, sub-
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1123
coriaceous; pseudostipules none; flowers large, in lax, lateral racemes;
calyx coriaceous, usually trilobate-bilabiate; corolla campanulate-
funnelform, the 5 lobes rounded; stamens included; capsule linear or
nearly so, acuminate at each end; seeds winged. — One other Central
American species has been described, but probably is not properly
referable to the genus.
Martinella obovata (HBK.) Baill. Thickets of the Pacific
tierra caliente; region of San Ramon; Guanacaste. British Honduras
to Brazil. A large vine; leaflets oblong to elliptic, often ovate,
mostly 10-12 cm. long, thick, acute or acuminate, rounded or sub-
cordate at the base, glabrous above, somewhat paler beneath,
glandular-punctate and lepidote; racemes few-flowered, lax, often
elongate; calyx 15 mm. long, glabrous but lepidote; corolla lilac or
purple, about 3 cm. long; capsule 60-100 cm. long, 1-2 cm. wide.
PACHYPTERA DC.
Woody vines, the branches terete; leaves 2-3-foliolate, the
terminal leaflet often replaced by a simple tendril, the leaflets
petiolulate, subcoriaceous, entire; pseudostipules narrow and almost
spinelike; flowers very large, in short, few-flowered, axillary racemes;
calyx obliquely campanulate, repand-dentate; corolla clavate-funnel-
form, the tube very long and slender, the 5 short lobes rounded at
the apex; stamens included, the anthers pubescent; capsule elongate,
subcylindric, the valves costate; seeds winged. — A single species
occurs in Central America.
Pachyptera Kerere (Aubl.) Sandwith. P.foveolataDC. Tanae-
cium Zetekii Standl. Puerto Jime'nez, Golfo de Osa, Pacific coast,
Brenes 12166. British Honduras to Brazil. A large vine; leaflets
oblong to broadly oblong-elliptic, 8-18 cm. long, acute or abruptly
acuminate, rounded or shallowly cordate at the base, glabrous;
calyx 1 cm. long, minutely and densely tomentulose; corolla white,
7-8 cm. long; capsule about 13 cm. long and 2 cm. wide. Although
Tanaecium Zetekii, clearly a species of Pachyptera, has been reduced
by Sandwith to synonymy under P. Kerere, I suspect that the
Central American plant may prove to be a distinct species. In all
the numerous Central American specimens at hand, the strikingly
long and narrow corollas are 7-8 cm. long, while in the South Ameri-
can plants, i. e., typical P. Kerere, the corollas are only 5 cm. long.
I have not seen sufficient South American material to decide whether
this difference is constant. If it is, I should consider the northern
plant distinct.
1124 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
PANDOREA Spach
Woody vines with pinnate leaves; flowers large and showy, in
terminal panicles; calyx campanulate, small, 5-dentate; corolla
salverform to subcampanulate, the 5 lobes broad, rounded; stamens
included; disk pulvinate; capsule oblong, the valves thick, smooth;
seeds winged. — The species are natives of the Old World.
Pandorea Riccasoliana (Tanfani) Baill. Planted occasionally
for ornament. Native of South Africa. A slender vine; leaflets 9-11,
serrate; flowers bright pink, 6 cm. long.
T--
PARMENTIERA DC.
Trees, frequently armed with spines; leaves alternate or sub-
opposite, digitately compound, most often trifoliolate; flowers large,
greenish, pedunculate, commonly solitary or pedicellate on old wood;
calyx closed in bud, in an thesis cleft along one side and spathelike;
corolla tube dilated and subcampanulate, somewhat curved, the
limb subbilabiate, 5-lobate; stamens 4; ovary 2-celled; fruit elongate,
often very long, relatively slender, terete, indehiscent, smooth or
costate, with a fleshy pericarp; seeds small, numerous, not winged.
—One or two other species have been collected in Central America.
Parmentiera edulis DC. Cuajilote. Sometimes cultivated in
the tierra caliente. Native of Mexico and perhaps of northern
Central America. A tree 10 meters high or less, the branches armed
with short, stout, incurved spines; leaves glabrous, long-petiolate,
the petiole naked or narrowly winged; leaflets 3, ovate or obovate,
mostly acute and entire, 3-8 cm. long; flowers greenish yellow,
about 7 cm. long; fruit terete, fleshy, 10-16 cm. long and 2 cm. thick
or larger. The fruit is edible, either raw or cooked, but of very
inferior quality.
Parmentiera macrophylla Standl. Forests of the Atlantic
tierra caliente (Monte Verde and Changuinola Valley). Adjacent
Panama. A tree of 3.5-9 meters, the trunk 7-10 cm. in diameter;
leaves long-petiolate, 3-foliolate, the leaflets long-petiolulate, nar-
rowly elliptic to obovate-elliptic, 5-14 cm. long, acuminate or
abruptly acuminate, acute and decurrent at the base, entire, gla-
brous above, paler beneath and whitish-lepidote, usually with small
shelters for parasites in the axils of the nerves; flowers and fruits
mostly borne from small pads on the main trunk; calyx 3.3 cm. long,
glabrous; corolla glabrous, white, 5.5 cm. long. The fruits are
described as looking "like a cacao pod." Called Wild calabash
in Panama.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA . 1125
Parmentiera Valerii Standl. Journ. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 16.
1927. Wet forest near Naranjos Agrios, near Tilaran, Guanacaste,
700 meters, Standley & Valeria J^d^ll. Known only from the original
locality. A tree about 12 meters high, with a trunk 40 cm. in di-
ameter; leaves short-petiolate, the leaflets 4-7, usually 5, slender-
petiolulate, elliptic to obovate, 2.5-5 cm. long, acute, attenuate to
cuneate at the base, entire, glabrous; flowers and fruits borne on the
lower part of the trunk, the peduncles 2-2.5 cm. long; calyx green,
32-40 mm. long; corolla white, 6-7.5 cm. long, glabrous; immature
fruit about 20 cm. long and 4 cm. thick, green, smooth. Only one
tree of this species was found in the mountains of Tilaran. This
was too large to be climbed, and it was only by spending some time
in throwing sticks at the branches, far above the ground, that im-
perfect specimens of the young leaves could be obtained. The flowers
and fruits, of course, were within easy reach. Probably the mature
leaves much exceed the dimensions given in the present description.
PETASTOMA Miers
Woody vines; leaves bifoliolate, sometimes with a terminal,
simple tendril, the leaflets entire, membranaceous or subcoriaceous;
pseudostipules sometimes present; flowers large, in terminal or some-
times axillary panicles; calyx membranaceous, broadly campanulate
or patelliform, the margin crenulate or minutely denticulate, spread-
ing, eglandular; corolla campanulate-funnelform, the lobes subequal,
densely tomentose outside; stamens didynamous, included; disk
pulvinate; capsule elongate-linear, compressed, acute at each end;
seeds winged. — Two or three other species are reported for Central
America.
Petastoma patelliferum (Schlecht.) Miers. In thickets,
Meseta Central to the Pacific coast, at 1,300 meters or less; region of
San Ramon; Guanacaste. Mexico to Brazil. A large or small vine;
leaflets elliptic to broadly ovate, 5-13 cm. long, abruptly short-
acuminate, rounded at the base, densely or sparsely short-pilose or
in age glabrate; calyx about 3 mm. long and 5 mm. broad, pilose or
glabrate; corolla pale purple, 3.5^4 cm. long; capsule 20-30 cm.
long, 10-13 mm. wide, glabrous. This species is easy of recognition
by its corolla, which is densely and finely tomentose outside on the
lobes, but quite glabrous below the lobes.
PITHECOCTENIUM Mart.
Small or large, woody vines; leaves bifoliolate or trifoliolate,
often with a terminal tendril, the leaflets entire, petiolulate, more
1126 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
or less coriaceous; pseudostipules usually absent; flowers large, in
lax racemes or panicles; calyx campanulate, truncate or denticulate,
eglandular; corolla campanulate or campanulate-funnelform, the
lobes obtuse; stamens didynamous, included; disk pulvinate or short-
cupular; capsule oblong, compressed, ligneous, the valves densely
muricate; seeds broadly winged. — No other species are found in
Central America.
Pithecoctenium echinatum (Jacq.) Schum. Cucharilla, Ba-
teita, Peine de mico. In thickets, Meseta Central and Pacific slope;
region of San Ramon; at 1,200 meters or less. Mexico to Brazil. A
small or large vine with angulate branches; leaves long-petiolate,
the leaflets ovate or rounded-ovate, 6-10 cm. long, usually short-
acuminate, truncate or cordate at the base, finely lepidote and
usually rather densely short-pilose; calyx campanulate, truncate,
almost 1 cm. long, densely tomentulose; corolla 4.5-5 cm. long,
white, turning yellow in age, densely tomentulose outside; fruit
15-20 cm. long, 4.5-6.5 cm. wide, densely covered with large, sharp,
hard tubercles. The large seeds, 6-8 cm. broad, are light in weight
and float through the air, hence the names of Mariposas and Pa-
lomitas applied to them in some parts of Central America. The
curious fruits, resembling graters, are distinctive for the genus.
PLEONOTOMA Miers
Scandent shrubs, the branches acutely tetragonous; leaves bifoli-
olate or twice compound, the tendrils trifurcate, the leaflets petiolu-
late, entire; pseudostipules present, usually large and conspicuous;
flowers large, racemose or paniculate; calyx small, campanulate, 5-
denticulate, sometimes glandular; corolla campanulate-funnelform
or narrower, the lobes obtuse, subequal; stamens included; disk
hemispheric or depressed; ovary lepidote, 2-celled; capsule elongate,
linear or nearly so, compressed; seeds winged. — No other species are
known from Central America.
Pleonotoma diversifolium (HBK.) Bur. & Schum. In thickets
and forest, Guanacaste. Mexico to Venezuela. A slender vine;
leaflets usually 2, broadly ovate or rounded-ovate, mostly 6-10 cm.
long, abruptly short-acuminate, truncate or cordate at the base,
glabrous; pseudostipules large and foliaceous, broadly ovate or
rounded; calyx 4-5 mm. long; corolla light purple, 3-4 cm. long,
minutely lepidote or sparsely tomentulose outside; capsules about
30 cm. long and 1 cm. wide, or larger, glabrous.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1127
Pleonotoma variabile (Jacq.) Miers. Thickets of the Pacific
tierra caliente. Ranging to Venezuela and the Guianas. A large
vine; lower leaves biternate, the upper bifoliolate, the leaflets oblong
or oblong-ovate, 7-9 cm. long, attenuate-acuminate, glabrous;
pseudostipules linear or subspatulate; calyx glandular below the
teeth, 3-3.5 mm. long; corolla white, with a yellow throat, 5.5-6 cm.
long, glabrous outside.
PSEUDOCALYMMA Sampaio & Kuhlm.
Woody vines, glabrous or pubescent; leaves mostly bifoliolate,
often with a terminal tendril, the leaflets petiolulate, entire; flowers
large, in mostly axillary racemes or panicles; calyx coriaceous,
campanulate, truncate or minutely 5-dentate, eglandular; corolla
elongate-funnelform, the 5 lobes rounded, more or less unequal;
stamens included, the anthers glabrous; disk pulvinate; capsule
usually elongate-linear, compressed, the valves plane or convex;
seeds winged. — A few other species probably occur in Central
America.
Pseudocalymma macrocarpum (Bonn. Smith) Sandwith.
Hosmeca. Adenocalymma Hosmeca Pittier, Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb.
18: 256. 1917 (between Cangel and El Corozal, Guanacaste, Otdn
Jimenez 374) • Petastoma Tonduzianum Kraenzlin, Repert. Sp. Nov.
17: 56. 1921 (thickets near Nicoya, Tonduz 18830). Thickets of
Guanacaste. Extending northward to Campeche, and probably
into Panama. Glabrous or nearly so; leaflets ovate to rounded-
ovate, 6-10 cm. long, abruptly short-acuminate or acute, broadly
rounded or obtuse at the base; inflorescences few- or many-flowered;
calyx about 8 mm. long, truncate, glabrate, the margin densely
ciliate; corolla 4.5-5 cm. long, pink, glabrous outside; capsule 30-50
cm. long, 1.5 cm. wide. The plant is said to have a strong odor
of garlic.
PYROSTEGIA Presl
Woody vines, glabrous or nearly so; leaves usually bifoliolate,
the tendrils trifurcate, the leaflets petiolulate, entire; pseudostipules
inconspicuous; flowers large and showy, forming a terminal panicle;
calyx turbinate or campanulate, minutely denticulate, lepidote;
corolla long and narrow, the tube gradually narrowed toward the
base, the rather long lobes narrow, more or less tomentose within ;
stamens exserted, didynamous; disk cupular; capsule elongate-linear,
compressed glabrous; seeds broadly winged. — All the species of this
genus are native in South America.
1128 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Pyrostegia ignea (Veil.) Presl. Triquetraque. P. venusta Miers.
One of the common, cultivated, ornamental vines of Costa Rica,
especially about the Meseta Central. Native of Brazil and Paraguay.
A large vine; leaflets ovate to ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, lepidote,
sparsely pilose beneath; calyx 6-7 mm. long; corolla orange, 5.5-7.5
cm. long; capsule 25-30 cm. long, 14-16 mm. wide. The vine is
grown commonly in many parts of Central America. It is conspicu-
ous because of its great abundance of vividly colored flowers.
SALDANHAEA Bureau
Woody vines; leaves usually trifoliolate, the leaflets petiolate,
entire; flowers large, in small or large panicles; calyx turbinate-
campanulate, 5-dentate, the teeth triangular, acute; corolla subbila-
biate, with a narrow tube, the lobes obtuse, subequal, crispulate;
stamens included; disk subannular, lobulate or entire; capsule
elongate, siliquiform, the valves convex, woody; seeds winged.—
The other species are South American.
Saldanhaea costaricensis Kraenzlin, Repert. Sp. Nov. 17:
124. 1921. Forests of Nicoya, Tonduz 13929 (photo, seen of type, in
herb. Berlin). Thickets of the Pacific tierra caliente. Panama;
Guatemala and British Honduras. Leaves long-petiolate, 3-foliolate,
the leaflets oblong to ovate-oblong or oval, 5-11 cm. long, thin, acute
or abruptly acuminate, very obtuse to cuneate at the base, when
young densely pilose, paler beneath, sometimes glabrate in age;
inflorescences mostly arising from old branches, small or large;
calyx stellate-puberulent, 6 mm. long; corolla bright pink, 3-5 cm.
long or larger, stellate-tomentose outside.
SCHLEGELIA Miq.
Erect shrubs, usually epiphytic, sometimes subscandent, without
tendrils; leaves simple, short-petiolate, entire, coriaceous; flowers
large, usually in axillary fascicles, sometimes in terminal panicles
or racemes; calyx campanulate, truncate or lobate; corolla funnel-
form or campanulate- turbinate, the limb 5-lobate; stamens included
or short-exserted; disk none; fruit baccate, globose, subtended by
the calyx; seeds surrounded by pulp, not winged.— One or two other
species are known from Central America.
Schlegelia costaricensis Standl., sp. nov. — Frutex glaber, ram-
ulis crassiusculis teretibus, internodiis elongatis; folia breviter
petiolata coriacea, petiolo crasso ca. 1 cm. longo vel paullo ultra;
lamina obovata vel obovato-oblonga 9-12.5 cm. longa 4-6.5 cm.
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1129
lata, apice abrupte breviter acuta vel tantum obtusa, basi inaequali
subacuta, in sicco fusca vel brunnescens, supra lucida, costa nervisque
prominentibus, subtus paullo pallidior, costa gracili prominente,
nervis lateralibus utroque latere ca. 7 angulo lato abeuntibus sub-
arcuatis irregularibus teneris prominulis, venis prominulis laxe re-
ticulatis; flores (delapsi tantum visi) breviter pedicellati; calyx
campanulatus 12 mm. longus in alabastro clausus 5-lobus, lobis ca.
5 mm. longis late ovatis abrupte acuminatis, intus ad margines
dense minute tomentulosis; corolla fere 4 cm. longa extus dense
minute viscido-tomentulosa, tubo 2 cm. longo fauce ca. 13 mm.
lato, versus basin sensin angustato prope basin glabro, lobis magnis
subaequalibus obovato-rotundatis apice late rotundatis ca. 13 mm.
latis intus subdense viscido-puberulis; antherae breviter exsertae
3 mm. longae. — Cataratas de San Ramon, March, 1931, Brenes
13570 (type in Herb. Field Mus.). S. nicaraguensis Standl., from the
region of Braggman's Bluff, is similar but has a different calyx and
very short corolla lobes.
SPATHODEA Beauv.
Tall trees; leaves large, pinnate, the leaflets petiolulate, entire;
flowers very large, bright red or orange, usually preceding the leaves,
in short, terminal racemes; calyx densely tomentose, ovoid-acuminate
in bud, cleft along one side and spathelike in anthesis; corolla ven-
tricose-campanulate, the limb subbilabiate, the 5 lobes broad and
rounded; stamens short-exserted; disk pulvinate; capsule oblong-
lanceolate, compressed, the valves thick-coriaceous; seeds winged.
Spathodea campanulata Beauv. Planted in the Parque
Bolivar, San Jose", and probably elsewhere. Native of tropical
Africa, but planted in recent years for ornament in various parts of
Central America. Leaflets 7-17, ovate, acute; corolla 7-10 cm. long.
Called Tulip tree in Panama. One of the showy trees of tropical
regions because of its abundance of large, intensely colored flowers.
TABEBUIA Gomez
Trees or shrubs; leaves petiolate, digitately 1-7-foliolate, rarely
simple; flowers large and showy, in terminal corymbs or panicles;
calyx tubular or campanulate, dentate or cleft; corolla funnelform
or funnelform-campanulate, the limb spreading, slightly bilabiate
or almost regular, the lobes broad and rounded; stamens included;
capsule linear or linear-oblong, the valves convex, coriaceous; seeds
broadly winged. — One or two other species are known from Central
America.
1130 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
Tabebuia chrysantha (Jacq.) Nicholson. Guayacan, Corteza,
Corteza amarilla. Forests of the Pacific tierra caliente; Guanacaste.
Mexico to Venezuela. A small or large tree with pale, scaly bark;
leaflets 5, broadly obovate to elliptic-oblong, 18 cm. long or usually
much less, abruptly acuminate, very obtuse to subcordate at the
base, usually entire, abundantly stellate-pubescent or glabrate, be-
neath often densely stellate- tomentose; flowers in dense, terminal,
headlike clusters; calyx 1 cm. long, covered with long, short-barbate
hairs; corolla bright yellow, 5-6.5 cm. long; capsules 20-30 cm. long
or more, 12-15 mm. thick, sub terete, smooth or tuberculate, stellate-
tomentose or glabrate. Wood olive-brown, hard, heavy, tough, dura-
ble, strong, medium-textured, rather splintery, finishing smoothly.
It is used locally for many purposes. The tree is conspicuous in flower
because of its brilliant blossoms. It blooms when devoid of leaves.
Tabebuia Guayacan (Seem.) Hemsl., a Panama species, has been re-
ported from the Pacific slope of Costa Rica, but the material so
reported is probably referable to the present species.
Tabebuia pentaphylla (L.) Hemsl. Roble de sabana, Roble
bianco, Guayacan. Couralia rosea Donn. Smith. Frequent in many
places on the Pacific slope, descending to the coast; region of San
Ramon; found in various places about San Jose", but perhaps not
native in the Meseta Central. Mexico to West Indies and Venezuela.
A tree of 20 meters or less; leaflets 5, long-petiolulate, elliptic-oblong
to elliptic or oblong-ovate, 20 cm. long or less, acute or acuminate,
rounded to acute at the base, entire, minutely lepidote on both sur-
faces, but otherwise glabrous; flowers in small, lax, few-flowered
corymbs; calyx 1.5 cm. long or larger, minutely lepidote; corolla
7-10 cm. long, varying from pale purple to almost white; capsules
20-35 cm. long or larger, 12 mm. in diameter. Wood brownish, with
fine striping of dark brown, of medium density, strong, easy to work,
holds its place well when manufactured, is fairly durable; used
locally for furniture, interior trim, and many other purposes. This
is one of the best known and most useful trees of Central America,
common throughout most of the Pacific slope, and occurring also on
the Atlantic watershed. In beauty it has few rivals. The trees often
form pure stands of considerable extent, and when covered with their
blossoms, during spring months, afford an exquisite display of color,
suggestive of that of Japanese cherries in variation of tints.
TANAECIUM Swartz
Woody vines; leaves 2-3-foliolate, the terminal leaflet some-
times replaced by a single tendril, the leaflets petiolulate, entire;
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1131
flowers among the largest of the family, white, in terminal or lateral
racemes; calyx coriaceous, tubular-campanulate, truncate and
minutely denticulate, lepidote or glandular outside; corolla very
long and narrow, the limb small, 5-lobate, the lobes subequal,
obtuse; stamens included or exserted, the anthers glabrous; disk
cylindric; capsule subcylindric or slightly compressed, elongate;
seeds winged. — A single species is found in North America.
Tanaecium Jaroba Swartz. Thickets in the region of Limon.
Nicaragua to Colombia and Jamaica. A large vine, glabrous or
nearly so; leaflets usually 3, elliptic-oblong, 8-12 cm. long, abruptly
short-acuminate, subacute at the base; flowers on long, stout pedicels;
calyx narrow, 1 cm. long, bearing a few large glands, glabrous;
corolla about 17 cm. long, densely and minutely tomentulose out-
side, the tube very slender, 1 cm. wide in the throat, the lobes
2 cm. long or less, furfuraceous- tomentulose within; stamens short-
exserted. The plant is well marked by its extraordinarily long and
slender corollas.
TECOMA Juss.
Erect shrubs or trees; leaves usually pinnate, the leaflets serrate;
pseudostipules none; flowers large and showy, bright yellow, race-
mose or paniculate; calyx tubular-campanulate, 5-dentate; corolla
campanulate-funnelform, the 5 lobes subequal, glabrous outside;
stamens included; disk cupular, lobulate; capsule elongate, linear,
compressed; seeds broadly winged. — A single species occurs in
Central America.
Tecoma stans (L.) HBK. Candelillo, Carboncillo, Vainilla.
Stenolobium stans Seem. In thickets and hedges, Meseta Central
to the Pacific coast; region of San Ramon; often planted for orna-
ment. Widely distributed in tropical America. A shrub or small
tree, sometimes as much as 12 meters high; leaflets 5-13, linear-
lanceolate to ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, acute or acuminate, serrate,
glabrous beneath or sometimes tomentose; corolla 3.5-5 cm. long;
capsule 10-20 cm. long, about 6 mm. wide. It seems to me rather
questionable whether this species is native in Central America,
since most often it grows in hedges or in other places about settle-
ments. The clusters of bright yellow flowers are handsome, but
the rather ragged habit of the plant as it usually grows detracts
from its value as an ornamental shrub. The generic name is of
interest, being derived from an Aztec or Nahuatl word signifying
trumpet. The plant is easily recognized by its combination of
yellow corollas and pinnate leaves.
1132 FIELD MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY — BOTANY, VOL. XVIII
TECOMARIA Fenzl
Shrubs, erect or scandent; leaves pinnate, the leaflets serrate;
flowers large, in terminal racemes or panicles; calyx campanulate,
5-dentate; corolla with a long, narrow tube, tapering from apex to
base, the limb small, somewhat bilabiate; stamens exserted; capsule
linear, compressed; seeds winged. — No species are native in North
America.
Tecomaria capensis (Thunb.) Fenzl. Planted frequently for
ornament, at least in the Meseta Central. Native of South Africa.
A small or large vine; leaflets 7-9, ovate or broadly elliptic, mostly
about 2-3 cm. long, acute or acuminate, serrate, barbate beneath
along the costa but otherwise glabrous or nearly so; corolla orange-
red, about 4 cm. long, glabrous outside; capsule linear, 5 cm. long
or less. A handsome vine, popular as an ornamental plant in most
parts of Central America.
TOURRETTIA Foug.
Herbaceous, glabrous vines; leaves opposite, dichotomously or
trichotomously digitate, the few segments membranaceous, petio-
lulate, serrate, the rachis terminating in a branched tendril or in a
leaflet; flowers small, short-pedicellate, racemose-spicate, dimorphous,
the upper sterile and deciduous, the lower partly fertile; calyx red,
biparted, deciduous, the lobes entire; corolla tube slender-tubular,
shorter than the calyx, the limb unequally bilabiate; disk annular;
ovary 4-celled; capsule ovoid-oblong, inflated, covered with long,
spreading, uncinate spines; seeds narrowly winged. — The genus
consists of a single species. The plant has little resemblance to
other members of the Bignoniaceae. It has been placed by some
writers in the Pedaliaceae, but perhaps should be treated as con-
stituting a distinct family.
Tourrettia lappacea (L'HeY.) Willd. T. volubilis Gmel. Fre-
quent in thickets and forests of the central region, chiefly at 1,200-
1,800 meters; region of Zarcero. Mexico to Peru. A large or small
vine, rather succulent; leaflets mostly 3-5 cm. long, very thin,
ovate or rhombic, acute or acuminate, acute or obtuse at the base;
calyx 1 cm. long, somewhat villosulous near the base; fruits 2-4 cm.
long. The curious fruits suggest those of some members of the
Cucurbitaceae.
Sesamum orientals L. (Sesame; Ajonjoli), of the family
Pedaliaceae, native of the Old World, probably is in cultivation in
FLORA OF COSTA RICA 1133
Costa Rica, but I find no records of its occurrence. It is grown
in many parts of Central America for its seeds, used for flavoring
confectionery.
The genus Martynia (family Martyniaceae) likewise must be
represented in Costa Rica, but I have seen no specimens or records.
M. annua L. is almost certain to be found in the Pacific tierra
caliente.
OROBANCHACEAE. Broom Rape Family
Reference: Beck-Mannagetta, Pflanzenreich IV. 261. 1930.
The family is represented in Central America by a single genus.
CONOPHOLIS Wallr.
Parasitic herbs, without any green coloration, attached to the
roots of other plants, the stems low, very thick and fleshy, simple,
usually forming dense clumps, covered with large, imbricate scales
representing the leaves; flowers subsessile or the lowest pedicellate,
forming dense, bracted spikes; calyx spathaceous, gamosepalous,
4-dentate; corolla gamopetalous, the thick tube ventricose at the
base, the limb bilabiate, the upper lip fornicate, entire or emarginate,
the lower trilobate; stamens 4, subequal, inserted on the corolla
tube, the anthers 2-celled; ovary 1-celled, the style simple, the
stigma capitate-dilated; fruit capsular, bivalvate, the minute seeds
numerous. — The genus consists of probably a single species.
Conopholis americana (L.) Wallr. Occasional in deep forest
of the higher mountains, mostly at 2,000-3,000 meters. Extending
far northward through the United States. Stems 30 cm. high or
less, the plants yellowish white or pale yellow, glabrous; bracts
usually appressed to the stems, lanceolate, long-acuminate, thick
and rather rigid; corolla yellowish, glabrous, longer than the calyx,
the whole flower 2 cm. long or less. The plants probably are parasitic
on roots of Quercus. They may be recognized at once by their lack
of chlorophyll and by the gamopetalous corolla. In Costa Rica
they grow in the darkest forest, where they receive but scant light
and no direct sunshine.
INDEX
Achras, 904
Aciotis, 784
Acisanthera, 785
Acnistus, 1036
Adelobotrys, 785
Aegiphila, 993
Allamanda, 930
Allomarkgrafia, 931
Alonsoa, 1100
Amphilophium, 1113
Anagallis, 902
Anechites, 932
Anemopaegma, 1114
Angelonia, 1100
Aniseia, 960
Antirrhinum, 1101
Apium, 858
Apocynaceae, 930
Araliaceae, 851
Arctostaphylos, 869
Ardisia, 884
Arrabidaea, 1115
Arracacia, 859
Arthrostemma, 786
Asclepiadaceae, 949
Asclepias, 949
Athenaea, 1036
Avicennia, 998
Axinaea, 787
Bacopa, 1101
Beaumontia, 932
Bellucia, 787
Beureria, 978
Bignonia, 1116
Bignoniaceae, 1113
Blakea, 788
Blepharodon, 950
Boraginaceae, 978
Borago, 979
Browallia, 1037
Brunfelsia, 1038
Buchnera, 1102
Buddleia, 920
Bumelia, 905
Calceolaria, 1102
Calocarpum, 906
Calonyction, 960
Callicarpa, 999
Callichlamys, 1117
Calyptrella, 790
Capraria, 1103
Capsicum, 1038
Castilleja, 1104
Catharanthus, 932
Cavendishia, 870
Centaurium, 923
Centradenia, 791
Centronia, 791
Cestrum, 1045
Chaetolepis, 792
Chelonanthus, 924
Chimaphila, 868
Chrysophyllum, 907
Citharexylum, 999
Clavija, 900
Clerodendron, 1002
Clethra, 867
Clethraceae, 867
Clidemia, 793
Clytostoma, 1117
Cobaea, 974
Coleus, 1015
Congea, 1003
Conomorpha, 895
Conopholis, 1133
Conostegia, 800
Convolvulaceae, 960
Cordia, 979
Coriandrum, 859
Cornaceae, 865
Cornus, 865
Cornutia, 1004
Coutoubea, 924
Crescentia, 1118
Cufodontia, 933
Cunila, 1016
Curtia, 925
Cuscuta, 961
Cydista, 1118
Cynanchum, 951
Cynoctonum, 921
Cyphomandra, 1053
Datura, 1054
Daucus, 859
Dermatocalyx, 1105
Dichondra, 962
Didymopanax, 851
Digitalis, 1105
Diospyros, 912
Dipholis, 909
Disterigma, 874
Duranta, 1005
Ebenaceae, 912
Echites, 933
Ehretia, 984
Enallagma, 1119
Enicostema, 925
Ericaceae, 869
Eryngium, 860
Escobedia, 1106
Evolvulus, 962
Exolobus, 952
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