Lobelia nubicola McVaugh

Lobelia nubicola McVaugh, sp. nov.*
Stems shrubby, 5 ft. tall (according to Steyermark), the whole plant smooth and glabrous; leaves spreading, 10-30 on each shoot of the current year, those of the previous years' growth deciduous, leaving prominent raised scars; blades grass-green (according to Steyermark), membranous when dry, lanceolate, attenuate to base, attenuate-caudate to apex, 1-1.6 cm. wide, 5-12 cm. long, usually 6-10 times as long as wide, on margined petioles 1-2 cm. long, the margins shallowly crenate with 3-4 minute sharp teeth per cm., .the teeth often purpHsh;
* Lobelia nubicola, sp. nov. ; frutex glaber foliis lanceolatis attenuatis crenulatis, corolla purpiu'ea (in sicca rubra) , coroUae tubo fisso, non fenestrali, lobis lineari-attenuatis, falcatis, anthesi plusminusve connatis. P.RT 1, 1942] CAMPANULACEAE (LOBELIOIDEAE) 95
flowers few-15 in the axils of the little-reduced upper leaves, the "inflorescence" up to 10 cm. long; pedicels orchid-purple (according to Stej'ermark), spreading-ascending, about 0.7 mm. in diameter, 30-35 mm. long in fruit, ebracteolate or apparently so at maturity (minute filiform bracteoles are found near the smnmits of the pedicels of abortive flowers); flower about 4.5 cm. long, including h>-panthium; corolla orchid-purple (according to Steyermark), glabrous without, pubescent within at base of lower lip and along ventral side of the tube, the tube about 27 mm. long, entire except for the dorsal fissure, which extends to a point about 3.5 mm. from base, cylindrical, somewhat enlarged distally (about 6 mm. wide when pressed, at base of corolla-lobes) and narrowest about 5 mm. above the base, the lobes linear-attenuate, all decur-ed-falcate and somewhat coherent at tips in anthesis, the two upper ones about 3 mm. wide at base, about 15 mm. long, the three lower lobes forming a lip about 13 mm. long, the lobes themselves about 3 mm. wide at base, distinct at tip for a distance of about 7 mm.; filamenttube about 2S mm. long, the distal half glabrous, the filaments distinct near base and there loosely adherent to the corolla; anther-tube about 7 nmi. long, bluish-gray, the two smaller anthers white-tufted at tips, the three larger glabrous except for a few stiff bristles on the distal half; h>-panthium in anthesis turbinate or cup-shaped, about as broad as high when pressed, 7-8 mm. long; fruit capsular, apically dehiscent by 2 valves; complete fruit not seen; calyxlobes narrowly triangular, obscurely denticulate, acute, about 1.5 mm. wide by 4-5 mm. long; seeds not seen.
Type locality: In mixed Liqiiidambar forest below cloud forest, middle slopes of Montafia Norte to El Jutal, on Cerro Bnijo, southea.st of Concepci6n de las Minas, alt. 1700—2000 m., Dept. Chiquimula. Guatemala, Steyermark 31048 (U. S. Nat. Arb.!).
DlSTKIBUTTO.v; Known only from the type locality.