Monnina xalapensis Kunth

Monnina latisepala Blake, sp. nov Shrub 1-2 m. high; branches rather densely short-strigose and more sparsely spreadingpilose; leaves elliptic-lanceolate, 5-7.5 cm. long, 1.6-2.3 cm. wide, broadest at or slightly above the middle, falcate-acuminate, acuminate at base, subchartaceous, above strigillose and especially along costa pubescent with short straight spreading hairs, beneath strigillose on surface or ascending-puberulous, along costa and sometimes along the 5-6 pairs of lateral veins spreading-pilosulous; petioles 2-4 mm. long; peduncles few, axillary and terminal, strigillose and spreading-pilose, 1.5-3 cm. long; racemes loose, obtuse, not at all comose, 3.8-5.5 cm. long, about 1.3 cm. thick; bracts triangular-ovate, short-pointed, strigillose and sparsely short pilose, deciduous, 2-2.2 mm. long; pedicels 2.5-3 mm. long; flowers purplish-blue in drying upper sepal oblate-suborbicular, abruptly short-pointed with obtusish apex, 7-nerved, short ciliate, toward base strigillose and sparsely ascending-pilose, 3.2 mm. long, 3.3-3.8 mm. wide lower sepals free, depressed-ovate-reniform, very short-pointed, 3-3.2 mm. long, 3.9-4 mm. wide; wings suborbicular, 6-6.2 mm. long, 6 mm. wide, cucullate at the rounded apex, broadly cuneate at base, ciliate toward base especially on upper margin, 6-7-nerved; keel 6.S mm. long; apex of staminal sheath and base of filaments pilose; submature fruit oblong-ovoid, obtuse, rugose-reticulate, scarcely margined, sparsely pubescent at base, 6.5 mm. long.
Type collected at Alto de Cuesta. around Camp Aguacatal, eastern slope of Chiriqui Volcano, Panama, altitude 2100-2200 meters, March 10-13, 191 1, H. Pitlier3U9 (U. S. Nat. Herb. no. 677510).

Monnina xalapensis H. 6. K. Nov Gen. &Sp. 5: 414. 1823.
Hebeandra evonymoides Bonpl. Ges. Nat. Freunde Berlin Mag. 2: 42. 1808. Not Monnina evony-
moides Schlecht. 1840. ?Monnina bifurcala DC. Prodr. 1: 339. 1824. IMonnina ciliolala DC. Prodr. 1: 340. 1824. ?Monnina obscura G. Don, Gen. Hist. 1: 367. 1831. IMonnina ciliolosa G. Don, Gen. Hist. 1: 368. 1831.
Monnina Ocampi Villada, Mem. Trab. Com. Cient. Pachuca 215. 1865. ~>Polygala baccifera Sesse & Moc. PI. Nov. Hisp. 1 14. 1889. Monnina aesluans xalapensis Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 48. 1891.
Shrub about 3 m. high, much branched; branches sparsely or rather densely strigillose (the hairs very rarely ascending, not appressed), subglabrate; leaves oblanceolate or obovateelliptic to elliptic, 3.2-8.5 cm. long, 1-3 cm. wide, acuminate or acute, usually cuspidate, acute to acuminate at base, herbaceous to subchartaceous, rather sparsely strigillose both sides; petioles 3-7 mm. long; peduncles axillary and terminal, 0.8-3 cm. long; racemes dense or loose below, obtuse, not at all comose, 1-1.5 cm. thick, the axis 11 cm. long or less; bracts triangular-ovate, acute to obtuse, dorsally pubescent, deciduous, 1.2-2.2 mm. long; pedicels 1.2-2 mm. long; flowers purplish; sepals triangular-ovate to oblong-ovate, free, acute to obtuse, ciliate and strigillose, 1.8-3.2 mm. long; wings suborbicular-oval or oval, 5-6 mm. long, 4.2-5 mm. wide, broadly rounded and cucullate, ciliate throughout or only to middle on upper margin; keel 5.5-6.3 mm. long; apex of staminal sheath and base of filaments pilose; fruit ellipsoid-ovoid, obtuse, rugose-reticulate, 6-8.5 mm. long.
Type locality: Jalapa, Veracruz.
Distribution: Veracruz to Guatemala; Costa Rica.