Lobelia irasuensis Planch. & Oerst.

Lobelia irasuensis Planch. & Oerst. Vidensk. Meddel 1857: 153. 1857.
Perennial, from clustered fibrous or tuberous roots; stem simple, erect or decumbent, slender (not over 2 mm. in diameter at base), usually purplish below and sometimes above, 8-35 (56) cm. high, smooth or sparsely pubescent below; cauline leaves few-20, spreadingascending, often somewhat clustered near base, somewhat leathery in texture (in dried specimens), glabrous, or pubescent above and ciliate on margins, the blades shallowly and distantly crenate or serrate, the lower surface often purplish, 0.15-0.6 cm. wide by 1-5 (10) cm. long, usually 10-15 times as long as broad or the lower broader, 0.8 cm. wide, 4 cm. long; blades linear to lanceolate or the lowest oblanceolate, the tip attenuate or abruptly pointed, the base broad, sessile, often subclasping; radical leaves, if present, ovate, petiolate; inflorescence 2-15 cm. long, loosely few-30-flowered, often somewhat secimd, appearing pedunculate, the "peduncle" 2-7 cm. long; pedicels strongly ascending or erect, slender, 4-6 (9) mm. long in fruit, short-bristly-pubescent; bracteoles minute, at base of pedicel, or wanting; flower-bracts linear or the lowest lanceolate, glabrous or nearly so, obscurely toothed, 3-7 mm. long (or the lowest up to 1 .3 cm. long) ; flower 81 4 mm. long, including hypanthium ; corolla glabrous or essentially so, the lobes of the lower lip elliptic, 1.5-2.5 mm. wide by 4—6 mm. long, the two upper lobes triangular, with a broad base, 3-6 mm. long; filament-tube 1.0-2.0 mm. long, the filaments ciliate and distinct most of their length; all five anthers minutely white-tufted at tip; h>'panthium in anthesis cup-shaped or short-campanulate, somewhat oblique, somewhat pubescent, becoming ellipsoid in fruit, slightly longer than broad, 2.0-3.5 mm. in diameter; capsule one-half to three-fourths inferior, 3-5 mm. long; caljTC-lobes linear or narrowly triangular, 2-5 mm. long, mostly glabrous without and hispidulous within, usually obscurely callose-toothed on each side.
Type ix)Cahty: Oak zone, at an elevation of 8000 feet, Volcin de Irazii, Costa Rica, Oersted pi. centroam. 9246 (Copenhagen!).
Anther-tube 1 .0-1 .3 mm . long ; seeds dull or slightly lustrous, with
faint longitudinal lines. Corolla blue, the tube usually fenestrate; flower, including
h>-paiithium , 8-10.5 mm. long; Costa Rica and Panama. 33o. L. irasuensis var. irasucnsis. Corolla light blue or white, conspicuously dark-blue-veined;
tube not fenestrate; flower, including hypanthium, 12-13
mm. long; State of Mexico. 336. /.. irasuensis var. picta.
Anther-tube 1.5-2.0 mm. long; seeds highly polished, with no lines visible at a magnification of 20 diameters; corolla light, with dark blue veins, the tube fenestrate; Durango and Sinaloa. 33c. L. irasuensis var. fncata.
33a. Lobelia irasuensis var irasuensis jMcVaugh, Am. Midi. Xat. 24:697. 1940.
Lobelia irasuensis Planch. & Oerst. loc. cit., as to type.
I^obelia Warscewiczii Vatke, Linnaea 38: 718. 1874. (Warsceu'icz 20, Berlin!)
Dortmannia Warezewiczii Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 973. 1891.
Corolla blue, deep blue, or purplish, the tube 2.8-3.0 mm. long, usually fenestrate at least in age; flower, including hypanthium, 8-10.5 mm. long; anther-tube 1.0-1.3 mm. long; seeds dull or slightly lustrous, with faint longitudinal markings, about 0.5 mm. long.
Distribution: High mountains of Costa Rica and western Panama, mostly above 3000 m. elevation.
33b. Lobelia irasuensis var. picta (Rob. & Seaton) McVaugh, Am. Midi. Nat. 24: 697. 1940.
Lobelia picta Rob. & Seaton, Proc. Am. Acad. 28: 1 12. 1893.
Corolla purplish, varying to light blue or white, conspicuously dark-veined, the tube about 3 ram. long, entire except for the dorsal fissure; flower, including hypanthium, 12-13 mm. long; anther-tube 1. 3-1. 5 mm. long; seeds dull or slightly lustrous, with faint longitudinal markings, about 0.5 mm. long.
Type locality: Cold springy meadows. Sierra de las Cruccs, Mexico (state), Pr ingle 4305 (GrayO.
Distribution: Motmtains of Mexico (state), at elevations of 3(X)O-3350 m.