Rhytiglossa laevilinguis Nees in Mart. Fl. Bras. 9, pt. 7: 120. 1847. Several syntypes, all from Brazil, are cited; a photograph (US) of a Sellow specimen without specific locality probably represents type material (Field Mus. No. 8838). Rhytiglossa obtusifolia Nees, loc. cit. Two syntypes are cited: Buenos Aires, Argentina (Herb. Arnott), and Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, Sellow; there is a photograph (US) of a specimen in the Berlin Herbarium collected in Brazil (without specific locality) by Sellow that may be type material (Field Mus. No. 8848).

Justicia laevilinguis Lindau, Bot. Jahrb. Engler 19, Beibl. 48: 20. 1894. Dianthera laevilinguis Durand & Jackson, Ind. Kew. Suppl. 1: 132. 1902 (at- tributed erroneously to Lindau).

Justicia obtusifolia Lindau Bull. Herb. Boiss. Ser. 2, 3: 633. 1903. Based on Rhytiglossa obtusifolia Nees.

Herbs; stems simple or moderately branched, erect or ascending and rooting at the lower nodes, more or less succulent, 4-sulcate, glabrous or sparingly and retrorsely pilose, the hairs septate, up to 1 mm. long; leaves sessile or the lowermost short-petioled (up to 3 mm. long), linear or narrowly lanceolate, up to 13 cm. long and 23 mm. wide, slenderly acuminate (the tip itself obtuse), acute, obtuse or rounded at base, both surfaces glabrous or the costa of the lower surface bearing a few scattered hairs, the cystoliths minute and incon- spicuous; spikes terminal and axillary, up to 6 cm. long, rather slender, the flowers secund, the rachis glabrous, its internodes up to

5 mm. long at maturity, the peduncles up to 7 cm. long, glabrous or nearly so; bracts triangular, up to 2 mm. long, 1 mm. wide at base, acuminate, glabrous; bractlets subulate, 1 mm. long, 0.5 mm. wide at base, glabrous; calyx up to 7 mm. long, deeply segmented, the segments linear-lanceolate, 0.75 mm. wide, acuminate, glabrous or sparingly ciliolate toward tip, the minute delicate cystoliths rather prominent under a lens; corolla white, tinged with violet, blue violet or purple, glabrous or minutely and sparingly pubescent, rarely over 15 mm. long, the tube 6 mm. long, 1.5 mm. broad at base, 3 mm. broad at mouth, the upper lip obovate, up to 1 cm. long and 4.5 mm. wide, rounded, entire, the lower lip spreading, up to 13 mm. long and about 15 mm. wide, 3-lobed, the lobes ovate, about 6 mm. long and wide, rounded, delicately veined; stamens exserted about 3 mm. above mouth of corolla tube, glabrous, the anther cells superposed, the upper cell horizontal, 1.25 mm. long, 0.5 mm. broad, the lower vertical, 1.75 mm. long, 0.5 mm. broad, acute at base, both cells glabrous, the connective about 0.5 mm. wide; capsules ovate-stipitate, 17 mm. long, 6 mm. wide, 0.75 mm. thick (the solid stipe 7 mm. long and 0.75 mm. thick and 0.5 mm. wide), acute at tip, glabrous; retinacula 3 mm. long, slightly curved, bidentate at tip; seed suborbicular, 5 mm. long, 5.5 mm. broad, barely 0.5 mm. thick, gray or flecked brown, glabrous, the margin thin, lacerate or toothed at tip and base.

Justicia laevilinguis, a plant of swampy regions, is widely distrib- uted throughout tropical America. In spite of its great range, speci- mens are not often collected, probably because it is not abundant in any particular place. The specimens cited were all from below 50 meters altitude.

Its broad strongly flattened capsules and thin orbicular gray or brown flecked, thin-margined seeds are unique.

ATLANTICO: Barranquilla and vicinity, Bro. Elias 287 (US); Bro. Paul B-19 (US). BOLÍVAR: River marsh at Magangué, Pennell 3948 (NY); 3958 (GH, NY, US). MAGDALENA: Savanna, Chiriguaná, Cyril Allen 25 (Mo). Wet soil, El Blanco, Pennell & Rusby 24 (NY).