17. Mendoncia coccinea Vell Mendoncia coccinea Vell. Fl. Flum. 263. 1790; Fl. Flum. Ic. 6: pl. 86. 1827. Type locality: "Silvis maritimis Pharmacopolitanis," Brazil. Mendozia velloziana Mart. Nov. Gen. & Sp. 3: 22, pl. 210. 1829. Type col- lected in Brazil by Vellozo. Several paratypes are cited, all from Brazil. Mendoncia velloziana Nees in DC. Prodr. 11: 52. 1847. Based on Mendozia velloziana Mart. Stems (at least the upper portions), petioles, pedicels, and bracts densely and softly silky hirsute, the hairs tawny, appressed or ascend- ing; leaf blades elliptic-ovate, 5 to 11 cm. long, 2 to 6 cm. wide, obtuse, rounded or short-acuminate, sometimes tipped by a small mucro (1 mm. long), obtuse, rounded or subcordate at base, scabrous above and hirtellous, the hairs minute, less than 0.5 mm. long, curved, ap- pressed or ascending, arising from star-shaped bases, more numerous on costa and veins (4 pairs), beneath copiously and softly pubescent with curved ascending hairs, these about 0.75 mm. long; flowers 1 or 2 in each axil; pedicels 2 to 5 cm. long; bracts oblong-ovate to lance- ovate, 2 to 3 cm. long, 1 to 1.5 cm. wide, obtuse and apiculate, rounded at base, purplish before drying, the hairs fulvous, closely appressed, up to 1 mm. long, the costa prominent; calyx 1 mm. long, undulate, glabrous; corolla red, 3 cm. long, 5 mm. broad at throat, slightly constricted below the middle, swollen at base, the lobes rounded, 2 to 3 mm. long, 2 mm. wide; ovary hirtellous toward tip; style glabrous; fruit obovoid, compressed, keeled, glabrous at least when mature, usually tipped by the persistent style. The ripe fruit (Ynes Mexia 4508, Minas Gerais, Brazil) is dark purple. The Caquetá specimen cited here was taken from a plant growing among rocks in a thicket at 400 meters, on March 29, 1940. The bracts of the Triana specimen from Meta do not exceed 20 mm. in length or 13 mm. in width. In contrast, those of the Triana specimen (without locality) cited by Turrill as the type of M. coccinea var. elliptica are 30 mm. long and 20 mm. wide. Thus these two Triana specimens represent different entities. Forests. Brazil and southern Colombia. CAQUETA: Florencia, Quebrada de las Perdices, Cuatrecasas 8859 (US). META: Aplai, Llano de San Martín, Triana (Col).