5255 GRAY HERBARIUM HARVARD UNIVERSITY PLANTS OF COLOMBIA Basellaceae Boussingaultia Department of Cundinamarca, Southwest of Bogotá, 1 km. Northwest of the represa de Muña on the road to El Colegio. Steep slopes Southwest of the road overlooking the Rio Bogota. Dry rocky slopes with hard clay soil, scrubby brush and brambles. Succulent vine to 4.0 m. climbing over brush. Inflorescence dense, much branched; Flowers yellow-orange in bud, cream colored when open, not expanding fully, becoming yellow- orange then black when fruit is mature; perianth surrounding fruit at maturity; fruit falling early; flowers observed visited by many small flies. Stems red or reddish, dextrosely twining, base of stem very fleshy, with a brown papery epidermis at base, sending up new shoots from base; leaves, especially the larger, cordate, younger leaves not obviously cordate, leaves reddish, the margins card red, very fleshy, not producing tubercles in the leaf axils; perianth segments not keeled, stamens reflexed; anthers withering or falling quite early; stigma capitate, not divided, scarcely lobed but more or less triangular. Many seedlings observed. Coll. Calvin R. Sperling No. 5255 3 October 1981