FLORA OF TROPICAL AFRICA, FLOKA ere alae OF SRORICAL AFRICA. EDITED BY SIR W. T. THISELTON-DYER, K.C.M.G.; C.LE., {1.0 BRS, ard. HONORARY STUDENT OF CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD ; DIRECTOR, ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW, VOL-Vili, PONTEDERIACEH TO CYPERACEA, PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF HIS MAJESTY’S WORKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. LONDON: LOVELL REEVE & CO, LiMiTED, Publishers to the Home, Colonial and indian Governments, 6 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1902. « Bet.Garden 1808 7 | DATES OF PUBLICATION OF THE SEVERAL PARTS OF THIS VOLUME. Part I. pp. 1-192 was published June 1901. oa RT, 42 Ge oes * September 1901. » III. ,, 385 to end e March 1902. Re a ae ee ae oe PREFACE, For the present volume of the “ Flora of Tropical Africa” I have been fortunate in securing the assistance of several contributors who had made a special study of the orders they have elaborated. It has been found impossible to include in it the Graminee, which will have to be deferred to the ninth and concluding volume. For the amended definition of the regions into which the area of the flora is divided, reference may be made to the preface to the seventh volume. In the prefaces to the first, fifth, and seventh volumes will be found an enumeration of the materials employed up to 1868, and of the most important additions to them which have reached Kew since. The only further collections at Kew cited in the present volume are I. Upper Guinea: Tt. N. Brown ‘ . Collection from the Gold Coast. J. H. Holland. . . A y » Nigeria W. Hi Joanson. . . ; », the Gold Coast. C. Punch . ‘ ‘ : “ », Lagos. VI. MozamBIQuE: Honourable Mrs. Evelyn Cecil . Collection from Rhodesia. Mrs. E. J. Lugard : : ‘ » Ngamiland. It is intended to proceed at once with the printing of the fourth volume. This will contain the Apocynacee, the final elaboration of which has been delayed till the present in order to enumerate and vi PREFACE, describe as comprehensively as possible the important caoutchouc- containing and medicinal plants which the order includes in Tropical Africa. 1 must again record my acknowledgments of the assistance given me by Mr. C. H. Wright in preparing the manuscript for the press and in checking the proofs, and to Mr. N. E. Brown for working out the geographical distribution. For the detailed topography the third edition of the ‘ Spezial- Karte von Afrika,” Gotha: Julius Perthes, 1893, has been chiefly used, We. ee: Kew, February 1902. CONSPECTUS OF THE ORDERS . Order CXLI. CXLII. CXLIIA. CXLIII. CXLIV. CXLYV. CXLVI. CXLVII. CXLVIII. CXLIX. CL. CLI. CLII. CLIII. CLIV. CLV. CLVI. CONTENTS. Pontederiacez . Xyridee . Mayacer . Commelinacee . Rapateaceze Flagellariex Juncacee Palme Pandanez Typhacex Aroide Lemnacez Alismaceze Naiadacez Eriocaulex Restiacez Cyperaceze Addenda . Page 127 133 137 200 206 215 230 264 266 525 CONSPECTUS OF THE ORDERS CONTAINED IN THE EIGHTH VOLUME. Series iii. Coronarieve (continued).— Perianth, or at least the inner series, petaloid. Ovary superior, very rarely slightly immersed at the base, Albwmen copious. CXLI. PonTeDERIACER. Flowers regular or often slightly irregular, Perianth petaloid; segments biseriate. Stamens 6 or 3, rarely 1. Ovary 3- or 1-celled, many-, rarely l-ovuled. Embryo straight, central, about as long as the floury albumen. Aquatic herbs. CXLII. Xyrtpex, Flowers regular or slightly irregular, solitary and sessile within the bracts of a terminal head. Perianth biseriate; outer segments 3, 2 or 0, glumaceous; inner segments 3, petaloid, united below into a tube. Stamens 3. Ovary 1- or imperfectly 3-celled; ovules numerous, orthotropous. Embryo small, at the apex of the floury or slightly fleshy albumen. Herbs. Leaves radical. CXLIla. Mayacex. Flowers regular, solitary and pedicellate within the thin bracts of a terminal head. Perianth biseriate; outer herbaceous; inner petaloid. Stamens 3. Ovary 1-celled; ovules numerous, orthotropous, Embryo small at the apex of floury or slightly fleshy albumen. Herbs. Stem prostrate or floating, leafy. CXLIII. Commetinacez. Flowers regular or slightly irregular. Perianth biseriate; outer herbaceous; inner petaloid. Stamens 6 or by abortion fewer. Ovary 3- or 2-celled; ovules solitary or few, orthotropous. Seed solitary or few and closely packed, attached by a hilum on the inner, with an embryostega on the outer side. Embryo beneath the embryostega, at the edge of or slightly intruded into the floury albumen, Terrestrial herbs. CXLIV. Rapargzacem, Flowers regular. Perianth-segments 6, all petaloid and connate into a long slender tube, or biseriate, the outer paleaceous and connate or free, the inner petaloid and connate below. Stamens 6; anthers dehiscing by apical pores, Ovary 3-celled; ovales solitary or few, erect, anatropous. Embryo lenticular, outside the albumen near the hilum. Perennial herbs, x CONSPECTUS OF THE ORDERS. Series iv. Calycinee.—Perianth calyx-like, small, rigid or herbaceous, the inner rarely petaloid but small, Ovary superior. Albumen copious. CXLV. FLaGELLARIEx. Flowers regular or subregular. Perianth subpetaloid or scarious. Stamens 6. Ovary 3-celled; ovules solitary. Fruit succulent or drupaceous. Embryo lenticular, outside the floury albumen. Robust herbs. CXLVI. Juncacea. Flowers regular, Perianth glumaceous. Stamens 6, rarely 3. Ovary 1-3-celled; ovules solitary or more, Capsule 3-valved. Embryo enclosed in the more or less fleshy albumen. Perennial herbs, rarely shrubs. CXLVII, Parma. Flowers regular or subregular. Perianth coriaceous, fleshy or membranous. Stamens 6 or more. Ovary 1- to many- (ueually 3-) celled, sometimes of 3 distinct carpels; ovules solitary. Fruit baccate or drupaceous ; 1- or more celled. Embryo small, enclosed in a pit near the margin of the albumen. Trees or shrubs with pinnatisect or flabellate leaves. Series v. Nudifloree.—Perianth none or reduced to scales or sete. Ovary superior ; carpels solitary or if many syncarpous, 1- to many-ovuled. Seeds usually albuminous. * Flowers arranged on spadices. Trees, shrubs, or terrestrial herbs. CXLVIII. Panpanex. Flowers dicecious. Perianth none or rudimentary Carpels 1-celled, solitary or more frequently collected into phalanges. Shrubs or trees, erect or climbing. Leaves sessile, long ensiform, sheathing at the base, usually spiny on the margins and underside of the midrib. Spadices fascicled or paniculate ; bracts spathaceous. ° CXLIX. TyPHacem. Flowers monecious, very rarely diccious. Perianth of 3-6 membranous scales, or absent. Aquatic or marsh herbs with a creeping rhizome, Leaves linear, entire, sheathing at the base. Spadices naked or with 1 leaf-like bract at the base. CL. ARoIDEx. Flowers hermaphrodite or moneecious, very rarely dicecious. Perianth none, or of 3-9 free or connate membranous segments. various habit. Leaves various. open at the base. Herbs or shrubs of Spadices solitary ; spathes convolute, tubular or ** Flowers solitary or in pairs in mar. gickots esting harks ginal cavities. Minute lenticular or CLI. Lemynacez. Flowers very minute, enclosed in a memby fy ee tbl lleis mbranous spathe Series vi. Apocarpze.— Perianth 1 —2-seriate or none. carpels solitary, or if several distinct. Seeds exalbuminous. CLII. Atismackz. Flowers hermaphrodite, rarely dicecious. Perianth regular Ovary superior ; moncecious or polygamous, very 3 Segments 6, imbricate, biseriate, rarely uniseriate CONSPECTUS OF THE ORDERS, xi _by abortion, outer usually herbaceous, inner petaloid. Embryo horseshoe-shaped. Aquatic or marsh herbs. Leaves usually radical. CLIIL. NarapacEz. Flowers monecious, dicecious, or hermaphrodite. Perianth regular, membranous, or absent ; segments 2—4, valvate. Embryo curved or straight, thick at the radicular end. Aquatic herbs of various habit. Series vii. Glumaceve.— Flowers sessile, solitary within imbricate bracts or glumes arranged in heads or spikelets. Perianth-segments small, scale-like, glumaceous or none. Ovary 1-ovuled or divided into 1-ovuled cells. Seeds albuminous. Herbs, except Bambusee. CLIV. Er1ocauLEm. Flowers unisexual, densely crowded into monecious involucrate heads. Perianth-segments 4 or 6, biseriate, small, hyaline, the inner often on a distinct stipes, scarious or membranous. Ovary 3-—2-celled; ovules pendulous, Embryo small, outside the albumen remote from the hilum. CLY. REstTiacEx. Flowers most frequently dicecious, in spikelets; bracts usually dry or rigid. Perianth-segments 6, regular, biseriate, glumaceous or the inner membranous. Ovary 1—3-celled; ovules solitary, pendulous. Embryo small, , outside the albumen remote from the hilum. CLVI. CypEracez®. Flowers uni- or bi-sexual, in spikelets; glumes imbricate. Perianth of 6 or fewer small scales or bristles, or absent. Ovary 1-celled; ovule erect. Fruit anut. Seed free from the pericarp; embryo small, within the base of the albumen, Vol. Vill.—Part I. | Price 8s. net. FLORA OF TROPICAL AFRICA. EDITED BY SIR WILLIAM T. THISELTON-DYER K.C.M.G., CLE. LL.D., F.RS, HONORARY STUDENT OF CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD ; DIRECTOR, ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW. PUBLISHED UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE FIRST COMMISSIONER OF HER MAJESTY’S WORKS AND PUBLIC BUILDINGS. ; LONDON: LOVELL REEVE & CO., LimitTeEp, Publishers to the Rome, Colonial and Endian Gobernwents, 6 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 1901, A> FLORA OF TROPICAL AFRICA. OrvER CXLI. PONTEDERIACES. (By N. E. Brown.) Flowers hermaphrodite, all alike or some cleistogamous, regular or slightly irregular. Perianth inferior, petaloid; segments 6, biseriate, united into a tube in the lower part, rarely free, equal or the outer series smaller. Stamens 3 or 6, rarely 1, usually of two sizes and often of different colours; filaments free; anthers basifixed or dorsifixed, . 2-celled, introrse, opening by longitudinal slits or rarely by terminal pores. Ovary superior, 3-celled with axile placentas, or 1-celled with 3 parietal or more or less prominent placentas; style filiform; stigma entire, thickened or subcapitate or shortly 3-lobed; ovules numerous and biseriate in each cell or rarely solitary, anatropous. Fruit a many- seeded capsule or rarely a 1-seeded achene. Seeds small, ovoid, ribbed ; embryo cylindrical, straight, embedded in the centre of a copious albumen.—Aquatic or marsh herbs, with the lower part of the stem or rhizome often creeping and rooting in the mud, or entirely floating. Leaves alternate, hastate, cordate, orbicular, ovate, lanceolate or linear, entire, with a sheathing petiole or stipulate, the submersed leaves some- times without blades, or different in form. Inflorescence terminal— often apparently arising from the petioles of the leaves, the lower part of such leaf-stalks being really sympodial branches—either fascicled in the sheath of the flowering leaf, or spicate with the flowers solitary or ppt along the axis of the spike, or rarely with a solitary and axillary ower. A small order of about 25 species, chiefly natives of. Tropical Africa and Tropical America, about 4 occurring in North America, 2 or 3 in Tropical and Temperate Asia, 1 in South Africa, and 1 in Australia, Stamens 3 in the expanded flowers . ° . Stamens 6 in the expanded flowers: Perianth segments united into a tube below Perianth segments free to the base . . Excluded. ScH@NLANDIA GABONENSIs, Cornu in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, 1896, xliii. 21, is Cyanastrum cordifolium, Oliv. in HZMODORACE#. VOL. VIII. 1. HETERANTHERA, 2. EICHORNIA. 3. MonooHoRIA. B 2 CXLI, PONTEDERIACEE (BROWN). | Heteranthera. 1, HETERANTHERA, Ruiz et Pav. ; Benth et Hook. f. Gen. Pl, iii. 838. Perianth with a distinct tube; segments equal, spreading, oblong. Stamens 8 or in the closed flowers of some species 1, affixed to the throat _ of the perianth-tube, exserted, more or less unequal ; filaments filiform ; anthers oblong. Ovary 1-celled with 3 parietal placentas, or imperfectly 8-celled with very prominent placentas; style filiform; stigma thick- ened; ovules numerous, biseriate. Capsule oblong or linear; pericarp thin. Seeds numerous, ovoid, ribbed.—Aquatic herbs, with the lower part of the stem creeping and rooting in the mud. Leaves with long petioles sheathing at the base, and cordate, ovate, or reniform blades, or all linear and submersed. Flowering shoots bearing one leaf, whose sheath embraces the membranous spathe, which subtends the terminal flower-spike or includes 1-3 flowers. Flowers spicate, small, blue, whitish or yellow, all-alike and expanding, or one or more cleistogamous and enclosed in the sheath of the leaf at the base of the spike. A genus of about 9 species, 3 in Africa, the rest in Tropical and North America. The plant collected in Angola by Welwitsch (3015), and enumerated by Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl, Welw. ii. 67 as Heteranthera sp., does not belong to the order PONTEDERIACE#, but to ALISMACER, and may be a species of Alisma or Sagittaria. There are no perfect flowers upon the specimens ; the buds which I have dissected consisting of a series of imbricating, complicate, boat-shaped segments, arranged distichously, Spike with one closed flower, concealed in the spathe at its base. Perianth-tube 3-5 lin. long; closed flower with 3 stamens é a ‘ ° ° . - lL. H. callefolia. Perianth-tube 23-3 lin. long ; closed flower with 1 stamen ° : “ - ° . . 2. H. kotsehyana, Spike with more than one closed flower, some being ~ mingled with the expanded flowers . “ : . 3. H. Potamogeton. 1, H. calleefolia, Reichb. ex Kunth, Enum. iv. 121 (by error 128). Plant about a foot high, herbaceous, glabrous. Stem creeping and rooting in the mud in the lower part. Leaves 2-3 in. long, 14-2 in. broad, ovate, subobtuse, or shortly and obtusely pointed, cordate at the base, with petioles 4-8 in. long, erect or ascending. Flowering stems about 2 in.long. Flower-spike about 4 in. long, with a submembranous spathe at its base. Flowers several, sessile, ebracteate, whitish; the basal flower concealed in the spathe within the sheath of the leaf, never expanding, having 3 stamens like the others. Perianth-tube of the expanded flowers 3-5 lin. long, cylindric; lobes about 24 lin. long, oblong, obtuse, spreading. Stamens 3, shortly exserted. Ovary oblong, trigonous, narrowed into a filiform style as long as the stamens; stigma slightly thickened. Capsule of the basal closed flower 6—9 lin. Jong, of the other flowers 4—5 lin. long, oblong, trigonous.—Solms in DC. Heteranthera. | CXLI. PONTEDERIACE# (BROWN). 3 Monogr, Phan. iv. 521; Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 419. Upper Guinea. Senegal, Sieber, 51; Perrottet,781. Senegambia, Heudelot, 230! I have been unable to examine a closed flower of this species, and give the number of its stamens on the authority of Count Solms. 2. H. kotschyana, Fenzl ex Solms in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 205, Plant 5-12 in. high, herbaceous, glabrous, with the lower part of the stem creeping, and rooting at the nodes. Leaves 1-2} in. long, 3-1} in. broad, cordate, obtusely pointed, with petioles 24-8 in. long, erect or ascending. Flowering stems 14-4 in. long. Flower-spike 2-4 in, long, with a submembranous spathe at its base. Flowers several, sessile, ebracteate ; the basal flower concealed in the spathe within the sheath of the leaf, never expanding, having but 1 stamen. Perianth- tube of the expanded flowers 24-3 in. long, cylindric, very slightly curved and a little oblique at the mouth; lobes 2 lin. long, } lin. broad, oblong, obtuse, spreading. Stamens 3, shortly exserted. Ovary oblong, trigonous ; style filiform, as long as the stamens, with a simple slightly thickened stigma. Capsule of the basal closed flower 8-9 lin. long, of the other flowers 4—6 lin. long, oblong, trigonous.—Solms in DC. ‘Monogr. Phan. iv. 522; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 419. Monochoria vaginalis, Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. viii. 147 ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 67, not of Presl. J sp., Thomson in Speke, Nile, Append. 649. Wile Land. Cordofan: between Melbes and Obeid, Cienkowsky, 378 (ex Solms) ; Arashkol Mountain, Kotschy, 9! British East Africa: Bongo: Gurfala, Schwein- Surth, 2239! Madi, Speke & Grant, 655! Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo ; in ponds near Banza de Quitage, Welwitsch, 3013! Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Nkueza, on the River Zambesi, irk ! Also in the. Transvaal. This differs from H. callefolia, Reichb. in its shorter perianth-tube, and in the closed flower having only 1 stamen, According to Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii., 67, Welwitsch’s 3013 is indistinguishable from the type of Monochoria vaginalis, Pres], but in my opinion it is without doubt a species of Heteranthera, and, I believe, H. kotschyana, although I have been unable to examine the cleistogamous flower, as the specimen at Kew is in fruit only. Monochoria vaginalis has not yet been col- lected in Africa. 3. H. Potamogeton, Solms in DC. Monogr. Phan. iv. 521. Stem elongated, sparingly rooting. Flower-stem bent backwards after flower- ing. Leaves ovate or elongate-ovate, acuminate, with long petioles. Flower-spike short, bearing a few distant normal and closed flowers intermingled, the basal flower always closed and concealed in the spathe . Within the sheath of the leaf. Normal or expanding flowers with a gland-dotted perianth and 3 stamens; closed flowers not gland-dotted, and with only 1 stamen; the basal one producing a large cylindric 4 “CXLI. PONTEDERIACEE (BROWN). [ Heteranthera. capsule that is much longer than those of the other flowers on the spike.—Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 419. Upper Guinea. ‘Senegal; Pozo Cervalo, Perrottet, 779. I have not seen this plant, which is described as having the facies of a Potamo- geton, and said to differ from H. callefolia, Reichb., and H. kotschyana, Fenzl, in having several closed flowers on the spike. 2. EICHORNIA, Kunth; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 838. Perianth funnel-shaped, with a long or short tube ; segments a little unequal, the interior series broadest, and the upper segment of that series usually marked with a spot. Stamens 6, the 3 upper ones included, the 3 lower more or less exserted, usually with longer filaments and inserted higher up the perianth-tube; filaments filiform; anthers dorsifixed, oblong. Ovary sessile, 3-celled ; style filiform; stigma slightly dilated or very shortly 3- or 6-lobed ; ovules numerous in each cell. Capsule included in the marcescent perianth-tube, ovoid, oblong or linear-fusiform ; pericarp membranous. Seeds numerous, ellipsoid or oblong, finely ribbed ; embryo cylindric, in the centre of the albumen. —Aquatic herbs, entirely floating, or the lower part of the stem creep- ing and rooting in the mud. Leaves with long petioles sheathing at the base, and obovate, orbicular, ovate or lanceolate blades, cordate or narrowed at the base, or the submersed leaves linear; sheath of the petiole often much produced at the apex and then described asa stipule. _ Inflorescence pedunculate, spicate or paniculate, with a convolute sheath- like spathe or rarely an expanded bract at its base, or fasciculate within the sheath of the leaf. A small genus of 6 species, all (except the following) Tropical American, 1. BE. natans, Solms in Abhandl. naturw. Ver. Bremen, vii. 254. Stems branching, about 1 lin. thick. Submersed leaves 2—4 in. long, 1-1} lin. long, sessile, linear, acute. Floating leaves petiolate, 4-1 in. long, 5—10 lin. broad, ovate or orbicular, obtuse, or rarely acute, cordate with small rounded overlapping lobes at the base. Stipules varying from 1 lin. long in the submersed leaves to 1} in. long on the floating leaves, obtuse, more or less sheathing the stem, membranous, reticulate with dark purple cross-veins. Flowers apparently arising from below the middle of the petioles of the floating leaves, but in reality terminat- ing short lateral 1-leaved branches of the main stem, shortly peduncu- late, solitary in a tubular membranous obtuse spathe } in. long. ~Perianth-tube 5-6 lin. long at the expansion of the flower, rapidly elongating afterwards to 10-11 lin. long; limb small, 6-lobed, blue, about } in. diam. Capsule 5-6 lin. long, narrowly fusiform. Seeds numerous, oblong, with numerous exceedingly fine longitudinal ribs.— Solms in DC, Monogr. Phan. iv. 526; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. ©. 137; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 418. Pontederia natans, Beauv. FI. Oware, ii. 18, t. 68, fig. 2; Poir. Encycl. Suppl. iv. 526. Roem. & Schultes, Eichornia. | CXLI. PONTEDERIACEE (BROWN). 5 Syst. Veg. vii. pt. 2, 1147; Kunth, Enum, iv, 128, Monochoria natans, Thomson in Speke, Nile, Append. 649. Upper Guinea. Senegal, Perrottet, Leprieur, and Heudelot, 258 (ex Solms). Sierra Leone; ina pool on the way to Danlilia and near Falaba, Scott-Elliot, 5290! Niger Territory : Nupe, Barter! Oware: banks of the River Formosa, Palisot de Beauvois (ex Solms). Nile Land. British East Africa: Madi, Speke & Grant, 726! 727! Gazelle River, Schweinfurth, 1166! 1208! Jur: between Gir and Addai, Schweinfurth, 2555! Also occurs in Madagascar according to Count Solms, The plant collected in Loanda, Angola, by Welwitsch (3014), and referred by Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii., 66 to Eichornia natans, is certainly not that species, but appears to be a seedling, without flowers or fruit, of some Dicotyledon. The specimen is but a worthless scrap. ‘ 3. MONOCHORIA, Pres]; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 839. Perianth-segments 6, free to the base, subequal, oblong. Stamens 6, atiixed to the base of the perianth-segments, equal or unequal, especially as to the anthers, the largest stamen with an erect tooth on one side of the filament ; anthers oblong, erect, basifixed, opening by longitudinal slits. Ovury sessile, 3-celled, with axile placentas; style filiform, very shortly trifid or somewhat 6-fid at the apex; ovules numerous in each cell.—Aquatic herbs. Rhizome stout and creeping, or none. Leaves all radical, or rarely spaced out on a short erect stem, alternate, with long sheathing petioles, and sagittate, cordate-ovate or lanceolate blades. Flowering stems radical, with one sheathing leaf or a tubular sheath at its summit, enclosing the membranous spathe at the base of the peduncle. Flowers racemose, of moderate size, blue, all alike. A genus of about 5 species, natives of the warmer parts of the Old World. The following is the only African species. 1. M. africana, V. FH. Br. Plant 13-2 ft. high, glabrous. Rhizome none. Leaves and flower-stems all radical, with a dense tuft of fibrous roots at their base. Leaves 3-44 in. long, 2-3 in. broad, ovate, acuminate, slightly cordate at the base, with long petioles. Flower- ing stems 11-14 in. long, stout, with a leaf or a tubular leaf-sheath at their summit, enclosing a membranous spathe or bract 8-9 lin. long, which is abruptly terminated by a filiform point 2-4 lin. long. Peduncle 14-24 in. long, rather stout. Flower-spike 24-4 in. long. Flowers numerous, rather crowded, ebracteate, erect, violet. Pedicels 14-2 lin. long, erect. Perianth campanulate or somewhat funnel- shaped, 5-6 lin. long; outer segments 1} lin. broad, oblong, obtuse, with narrow membranous margins; inner segments 3 lin. broad, elliptic, obtuse, with broad membranous margins. Stamens (especially the anthers) unequal ; filaments of the largest stamen with an erect tooth on one side. Ovary ovoid, trigonous; style filiform, divided at the apex into 3 short bifid stigmatic lobes.— MV. vaginalis, Pres], var. africana. 6 CXLU. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [ Hichornia. Solms in DC. Monogr. Phan. iv. 525; Durand «& Schinz, Consp. Fi. Afr. v. 419. Wile Land. British East Africa: Jur ; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 2296 ! This plant is perfectly distinct from the Asiatic M. vaginalis, Presl, with which it has been associated by Count Solms. Orper CXLIL. XYRIDEA. (By N. E. Brown.) Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx inferior, irregular; sepals 3 or rarely 2, the two lateral exterior, boat-shaped, keeled, glumaceous, the third interior, membranous, convolute, forming a closed obtuse spathe- like hood, or obtusely calyptriform, circumscissile at the base and split open on one side, closely enveloping the corolla when in bud and pushed off as the corolla grows out and expands, rarely absent. Corolla regular, petaloid, marcescent ; tube slender, usually split into claw-like segments at the base by the growth of the ovary; lobes 3, cuneate-obovate, spreading. Stamens 3, affixed at the mouth of the corolla-tube opposite the lobes ; filaments short, flattened; anthers basifixed, oblong, 2-celled, cells parallel or slightly divergent at the base, contiguous, or more or less separated by a broad connective, extrorse, opening by longitudinal slits. Staminodia 8 or 0, alternating with the corolla-lobes at the mouth of the tube, simple and entire or bifid at the apex, or divided into two entire or bifid arms, glabrous or hairy, or ending in dense or lax brush- like tufts of hairs, and then very short. Ovary superior, l-celled or im- perfectly 3-celled ; placentas 3, parietal or shortly united at the centre, or free and erect from the base; ovules indefinite, 2-seriate, orthotro- pous ; style filiform, sometimes with tubercles or processes at or below the middle, trifid or 3-armed at the apex, or entire ; stigmas dilated or subcapitate, usually oblique. Capsule dividing into 3 valves between the placentas. Seeds minute, ovoid, apiculate; hilum basilar; testa thin, usually ridged; albumen copious, transparent ; embryo minute, broadly depressed-conical, seated at the apex of the albumen under the terminal apiculus.—Perennial or rarely annual herbs of tufted habit, growing in damp or wet situations. Leaves all radical, linear, terete or filiform, sheathing at the base. Peduncles erect, simple, terminated by a solitary dense head or spike, leafless or bearing one or more pairs of convolute sheaths, and embraced at the base by a leafless or leaf-bearing sheath. Flower-heads or spikes globose, ovoid, or elongate; bracts glumaceous, somewhat rigid or thin and papery, spirally imbricate one above another, or the inner all reaching to about the same level, concave, complicate, or rarely somewhat convolute, the lower in a few species elongated and leafy, forming an involucre. Flowers solitary and sessile in the axils of the bracts, yellow, white, or blue, usually of small size. An order of 2 genera, of which only one is represented in Africa, and about 160 species, dispersed throughout the Tropical and Subtropical regions of the earth. Ayris. | , CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 7 1. XYRIS, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 842, Sepals 3; two lateral and exterior, boat-shaped, keeled ; one interior, membranous, convolute or obtusely calyptriform, closely enveloping the corollawhen in the bud, circumscissile at the base and deciduous as the corolla develops. Corolla with a slender tube and 3 spreading cuneate-obovate lobes. Staminodia 3, simple, bifid or 2-armed, -glabrous, hairy, or divided into a brush-like tuft of hairs, Style fili- form, without tubercles or processes, 3-branched above ; stigmas dilated or subcapitate. —Peduncles with a basal sheath, naked above. All other characters as in the Order. A genus of about 150 species, having the same distribution as the Order, In the following descriptions, flowering bracts taken from the middle of the spike are those described, unless others are specially mentioned, and their nervation is given as seen by transmitted light when they are placed in water, The shape and breadth of the lateral sepals is given as when seen lying on their side. In most of the species the leaves and peduncles are usually more or less twisted. The ciliation or toothing on the keel of the lateral sepals in some species is very minute, and, unless examined under a lens of considerable power, may easily be overlooked. The dorsal area, men- tioned in the descriptions, is an area on the back of the bracts in which the surface is of a different character from the rest of the bract and usually appears somewhat impressed, as if stamped upon it. Outermost bracts 4-6 in. long, unequal, spreading, much longer than the spike and forming a distinct involucre 1. X. foliolata, Outermost bracts shorter or nearly equalling the spike, adpressed, not forming a spreading involucre. Bracts (or at least 2 or 3 of the outermost) with a stout awn at the apex ; plants 1-3 ft. high. Bracts dull dark brown, with broad white lacerate and ciliate membranous margins . ° 2. X. aristata. Bracts blackish or dark brown, shining, witht membranous margins. Inner bracts ciliate at the apex; lateral sepals very distinctly and evenly ciliate all along the keel from the base to the apex . 3. X. rigidescens. Inner bracts not ciliate at the apex ; lateral sepals minutely ciliate along the middle part of the keel or occasionally to the apex, but not on the basal third 4. X, dispar. Bracts all without awns, but sometimes shortly muero- nate (see also X. dispar, in which most of the bracts are without awns). * Bracts(or at least the inner), minutely ciliolate at the apex, very obtuse. Keel of lateral sepals very narrowly winged, not ciliate . . 22. X. angustifolia. Keel of lateral sepals ciliates bracts chestnut- brown. Spike 23 lin. thick ; bracts with a distinct greyish dorsal. area . . 29. X, congensis, Spike 3-33 lin. thick; bracts shining rowing with an obscure dorsal area on some of them . : : . 80. X. nitida. CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN), Bracts not ciliolate, entire, lacerate or erosulate. +Keel of the lateral sepals quite entire, neither . ciliate nor scabrid (see also under fT, as the very minute scabridity on the keel of some of the species there placed may be easily overlooked, unless examined under a powerful lens). Peduncles 34-12 lin. broad, flattened, 2-edged ; spike globose ; bracts coria- eous straw-coloured, with a green keel at the apex . Peduncles terete or slightly ‘compressed, rarely 2-edged, and then less than 3 lin, thick, striate. Peduncles stout, 1-14 lin. thick ; spike globose, dark brown; keel of lateral sepals with a very narrow wing 3 Peduncles few, $-1 ae thick ; wiles creeping; spike globose or ‘ellipsoid, dark brown; keel of lateral sepals with a moderately broad wing Peduncles rere, filiform or very slender, 4-4 lin, thick ; rhizome not creeping. Leaves subterete or subulate-filiform ; ; spikes 15-23 lin. thick, blackish, shining . > . Leaves linear; spikes small, few: flowered. Bracts emarginate, slightly re- curyed af the apex, fuscous witha green keel on the upper part . . : Bracts obtuse or subacute, not re- curved at the apex. Keel of the lateral sepals dis. tinctly (but usually nar- rowly) winged, at least in the basal part. . Bragts snbeoriaceous, light brown, the inner rather stoutly keeled on the upper half; lateral sepals broadly lanceolate, acute Bracts very thin, submem- -branous, light reddish- . brown, with broad trans- parent straw - coloured margins; lateral sepals somewhat oblong-lanceo- late, acute . Bracts thin, dull purplish, the outer nearly as long as . the inner; lateral sepals [Xyris. 5. X, anceps. 6. X. zombana, 7. X, capensis, a Ae Xe, moknensie, 15. X. humilis. 16. X. huillensis. - 17. X. anisophylla. X yris. | CXLI, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). oblong or oblong-lanceo- late, obtuse . - ; Keel of the lanceolate acute lateral sepals obtuse or rounded, not at all winged ; leaves sometimes minutely rugulose in the dried state. Bracts subcoriaceous, dull smoky brown, the inner convolute scarcely keeled at the apex. . Bracts rather thin, straw- coloured or light brown, the inner very distinctly keeled and complicate- acute at the apex . +tKeel} of the lateral sepals very minutely ciliate or scabrid, not absolutely entire. Peduncles 18-24 in. long, 3-2 lin. thick ; spike 2-23 lin. thick, brown ; bracts coriaceous, the inner with a stout dark green keel. . - ‘ Peduncles under 16 in, long, very slender, 3-42 lin. thick. Outer bracts with a distinct linear greyish dorsal area; keel of the sepals minutely scabrid on thie apical part only . : . Bracts all without a dorsal area. Keel of the lateral sepals minutely scabrid to or at the apex only. Leaves forming a bulbous base to the plant ; peduncle subquad- rangular; keel of the lateral se- pals crimson in the apical part Leaves distichous, not forming a bulbous base ; peduncle terete; keel of the lateral me golden-brown . ° Keel of the lateral sepals. very minutely ciliate or scabrid to 3 or 2 the way up, chiefly in the middle part, entire in the apical part. Leaves filiform; lateral sepals 12 lin. long, 4 lin. broad, sig- moid-lanceolate; corolla white Leaves linear. Peduncles_ with longitudinal minutely scabrid ridges; spike 23-43 lin. thick, several - flowered, light brown or dirty ochreous Peduncles withoutscabrid ridges; spikes small, few-flowered. 18. X. fugaciflora, 21. X. multicaulis. . 19. X. straminea. 27. X. Barteri. . 24, X, filiformis. 23. X. erubescens. 20. X, pumila, 8. X. nivea. 9. X. Welwitschit. 10 CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [ Xyris.. Lateral sepals 3-4 lin. broad, broadly lanceo- late, acute; keel regu- larly much curved from base to apex, with a very narrow wing below . 10, X. scabridula. Lateral sepals 4 lin. broad, linear - lanceolate, very acute; keel slightly curved at the middle, erect at the apex, nar- rowly winged. . 11. X, humpatensis.. Lateral sepals 4-3 lin. broad, oblanceolate, ob- tuse; keel nearly straight . in the lower 3, rather broadly winged . . 12. X. affinis. ++tKeel of the lateral sepals distinctly and rather coarsely serrulate ; bracts with a very distinct greyish dorsal area. Peduncle 4-4 lin. thick, acutely 4-6- angled; spike 23-3 lin. thick . . 25. X. angularis. Peduncle stout, 1-14 lin. thick, terete, many-striate ; spike 5-6 lin. thick . 26, A. decipiens. +tttKeel of the lateral sepals very distinctly and usually rather densely ciliate to the apex, Spikes not more than 5—6-flowered ; flower- ing bracts all reaching to nearly the same level; peduncles not more than 4 lin, thick, slightly compressed . . 13. X. obscura. Spikes 10-30-flowered ; flowering bracts imbricated one above another. Peduncles distinctly compressed ; spikes blackish-brown, scarcely shining ; bracts 24-22 lin, long, without a dorsal area : ° : . 81. X. Hildebrandtit. Peduncles terete or subterete, very smooth and shining ; spikes chest- nut-brown ; bracts 13-23 lin. long, with an indistinct dorsal area . 28. X. batokana, 1, &. foliolata, Vilss.in Svensk.Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv. No. 14, 65. Peduncle about 2 ft. long, ‘‘ teretely triquetrous,” glabrous, Peduncular- sheath green, with a subterete leafy point 14 in. long. Spike 44 lin. long, 3 lin. thick, ovate, involucrate ; lowest involucral bract about 5 lin. below the spike, 6 in. long, subterete, sheathing at the base, the 3 other involucral bracts reduced to flat spreading sheaths, decreasing in size from 1} to } in. long, about 1} lin. broad. Flowering bracts 24 lin. long, 1q lin. broad, broadly obovate, obtuse, very shortly apicu- late, coriaceous, cucullate, entire, bright fuscous, lighter towards the margins, slightly shining, with a triangular area on the back. Lateral sepals 2 lin. long, oblong, keeled; keel narrowly winged, ciliate. Xyris. | CXLII, XYRIDEA (BROWN). 1f Corolla-lobes yellow, toothed at the apex. Arms of the staminodes. very short, ending in a brush-like tuft of long yellow hairs. Anthers- linear.--Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 420. Lower Guinea. Angola: Malange, Mechow in Zurich Herb. I have not seen this plant, but, according to the description, it differs from all the other African species in its involucrate spikes, The leaves are undescribed, the specimen being imperfect. 2. MK. aristata, V. HL. Br. Leaves 74-12 in. or more long, 1-2} lin. broad, linear, acute, shortly awned in the young state, rather rigid, conspicuously striate, glabrous, green, with concolorous sheaths. 3-34 in. long. Peduncular-sheath 8-9 in. long, keeled in the upper part, with an acute flat point 1-3} lin. long, glabrous, green, passing into pale reddish-brown at the base. Peduncle 2-3 ft. high, 1-1} lin. thick, more or less compressed and slightly 2-edged in the upper part, very minutely transversely rugulose, not striate ; pith loose, not hollow at the centre. Spikes 5-6 lin, long, 4—5 lin. thick, somewhat obovoid, about 10-12-flowered. Outer barren bracts nearly as long as the spike, similar to the flowering bracts, all about 4-43 lin. long, exclusive of the 1-2 lin. long awn, 3 lin. broad, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, with a terminal awn, concave or hooded, dark chestnut brown with very broad white membranous margins, lacerate and ciliate; nerves indistinct, re- ticulated at their apex. Lateral sepals 34-32 lin. long, excluding the ? lin. long awn, rather more than 1 lin. broad, oblong or somewhat elliptic-oblong, acute, awned, keeled, dark-brown along the keel, pale horn-colour on the membranous sides; keel narrowly winged, ciliate from the base nearly to the apex. Corolla yellow; petals 2 lin. long, 14-13 lin. broad, cuneate-obovate, minutely crenulate-denticulate. Arms of the staminodes about % lin, long, slender, covered with long yellow hairs. Anthers oblong. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Kambole, south-west of Lake Tanganyika, 5000 ft., Nutt! A very distinct species, differing from every other Xyris known to me in its aristate bracts with broad white membranous ciliate margins. 3. K. rigidescens, Welw. ex Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 67. A tall plant of robust habit. Leaves 7-10 in. long, 1-12 lin. broad, linear, tapering rapidly above to a shortly pungent apex, rigid, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 3-6 in. long, leafless, ending abruptly in a sharp stiff apiculus, glabrous, reddish-brown to the middle. Peduncle 1-2} ft. long, compressed. Spike 4-6 lin. long and thick, subglobose. Outer bracts very coriaceous 2—24 lin. long, 2 lin. broad, orbicular, concave, keeled below the abruptly aristate apex, blackish, shining ; inner bracts slightly shorter than the calyx, 24 lin. long, ovate, acuminate to a hardened mucronate (not aristate) apex, boat-shaped, keeled, entire, ciliate at the apex, golden-brown, with thinner and paler margins, darker at the apex, with a narrowly lanceolate greenish dorsal area. Lateral sepals 3-3} lin. long, % lin. broad, linear-oblong, subulate- apiculate, golden-brown along the back, passing into light straw- 12 CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [Xyris. colour on the sides; keel shortly ciliate from the base up to the base of the apiculus. Corolla-lobes (withered) apparently oblong. Arms of the staminodes with brush-like tufts of long brownish hairs, shorter than the stamens, Anthers broadly linear. Lower Guinea, Angola: Huilla; plentiful in spongy places, near streams, around Lopollo, Welwitsch, 2474! 4, &. dispar, V. LH. Br. Leaves not seen. Peduncular-sheath about 6 in. long, with a leafy linear point about } in. long, } lin. broad, glabrous, Peduncle about 2 ft. long, ? lin. broad, much compressed, glabrous. Spike 3-3} lin. long, and about the same in thickness, sub- globose. Outer bracts about 2 lin. long, 14-2 lin. broad, coriaceous, elliptic or suborbicular, obtuse, entire, not ciliate, 2 or 3 of them termi- nated by a short awn 4-1 lin. long, the others apiculate and slightly keeled at the apex, dark brown, shining; inner bracts all reaching to about the same level, 23-3 lin. long, 1}-1} lin. broad, coriaceous, with thin margins, ovate, shortly acuminate into a rigid very acute almost pungent point, keeled, concave, entire, not ciliate, light olive-brown, with a slight yellowish tinge. Lateral sepals 24-3 lin. long, ¢ to nearly 1 lin. broad, somewhat oblong-lanceolate, regularly curved along the back, nearly straight along the margins, somewhat obtuse, mucronate, golden-brown along the back, darker at the apex, the colour fading out and disappearing at the broad membranous margins; keel very narrowly winged, minutely ciliate or scabrid along the middle part or occasionally nearly or quite up to the base of the short subulate mucro, but not on the basal third. Corolla-lobes 3 lin. long, 13 lin. broad, cuneate-obovate, subtruncate and rather coarsely toothed at the apex, bright yellow. Arms of the staminodes short, linear, with brush-like tufts of long yellow hairs half as long as the petals. Anthers 1} lin. long, linear-oblong. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa:| Mashonaland; at Six-mile Spruit, near Salisbury, Hon. Mrs, Evelyn Cecil, 152! d. K. anceps, Lam. Encycl. i. 132. Leaves 2-14 in. long, 14-44 lin. broad, linear, obtuse or acute, glabrous, with concolorous sheaths 3-44 in. long. Peduncular-sheath 14-64 in. long, leafless andobtuse or with a leafy obtuse point {-} in. long. Peduncle $—2} ft. long, }—14 lin. broad, com- pressed and acutely two-edged, especially towards the apex, glabrous. Spike globose or broadly ovoid, 3—5 lin. diam., many-flowered. Bracts 2-3 lin. long, 1}~2 lin. broad, coriaceous, elliptic, very obtuse, or the inner ones subacute, entire, not ciliate, light yellowish-brown or pale straw-coloured, with a narrowly ovate or lanceolate acute green area at the slightly keeled apex; nerves about 7—9, very slender and obscure. Lateral sepals 24-24 lin. long, } lin. broad, subspathulate-lanceolate, straight or slightly faleate, acute, with a rather broad wing-like keel, neither ciliate nor produced at the apex, entirely. pale straw-colour. Corolla yellow; tube 2} lin. long; lobes about 14 lin. long, }-1 lin. broad, broadly cuneate- obovate, denticulate. Arms of the staminodes very small, with a brush- like tuft of long yellow hairs. Anthers oblong. Capsule 14 lin. long, trigonous, oblong, obtuse, not apiculate.—Nilss. in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Hand. xxiv. no. 14, 37; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 419 ; Engl. Xyris. | CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 13: Pfi. Ost-Afr. C. 183; N. E. Br. in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii.6. X. platycaulis, Poir. Encycl. viii. 820; Roem. & Schultes, Syst. Veg. i. 551; Kunth, Enum. iv. 18; Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. Stockh. 1891, 153. X. nitida, Willd. ex Dietr. Sp. Pl. ii. 372, not of Nilsson. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Mahela, in marshy ground, Scott-Elliot, 3931 ! Lagos, Millen, 152 of 1894 collection! Barter, 20200! Yoruba, Millson! Lower Guinea. Congo, Smith ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Kirk ! Hildebrandt, 1045! Bojer! German East Africa: Zanguebar, Kirk ! between the coast and Uyui, Taylor! Portuguese East Africa: Quilimane, Scott! Also in South Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and Tropical America, This species differs from all the others in its flattened 2-edged peduncles, and straw-coloured globose spikes. 6. X. zombana, V. /. Br. Leaves and _peduncular-sheath not seen. Peduncle more than 1 ft. long, 1-14 lin. thick, terete or slightly compressed (flat in the dried state), hollow, with a large cavity, striate, glabrous. Spike 3-4 lin. (in fruit up to 6 lin.) diam., subglobose, many-flowered. Bracts 24-3 lin. long, 2-24 lin. broad, rather thin and somewhat papery in texture, elliptic-oblong, very obtuse, sometimes faintly keeled at the apex, concave or somewhat boat-shaped, brown, passing into yellowish-brown at the base, nerveless or faintly 3-nerved near the apex, glabrous, not ciliate. Lateral sepals 24-2? lin. long, 2 lin. broad, boat-shaped, acute, transparent yellowish - brown; keel very narrowly winged, entire, not ciliate. Petals 2 lin. long, about 14 lin. broad, cuneate-obovate, slightly toothed. Arms of the stami- nodes about } lin. long, oblong, with a small brush-like tuft of com- paratively few long yellow hairs. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Mount Zomba, 4000— 6000 ft., Whyte! The specimens are about a foot long, and consist of the upper part of the peduncles. with their flower-spikes only, so that the plant is probably 13-2 ft. or perhaps more in height. The peduncles appear to be much less rigid than those of the other African species, as in the process of drying they have become perfectly flat, but when placed in boiling water become nearly terete; they are unusually stout and have a very large central cavity. 7. X. capensis, Thunb. Prodr. 12. Rhizome more or less creep- ing. Leaves 1-7 in. long, including the }-2} in. long sheath, }~14 lin. broad, linear, acute, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 1-5 in. long, acute or produced into a leafy point 4-6 lin. long. Peduncle 5-21 in. long, 4_3 lin. thick, terete or slightly compressed, striate, glabrous, hollow, Spike 2-4 lin. long, 3-5 lin. thick, ovoid, ellipsoid or subglobose, usually several-flowered. Bracts 2-3 lin. long, 14-2} lin. broad, elliptic or orbicular, obtuse, keeled, concave, thinly coriaceous, entire, not ciliate, 3-nerved, glabrous, blackish-brown ; nerves not reticulate at the apex. Lateral sepals 2-3 lin. long, 4-3 lin. broad, lanceolate, acute, boat- shaped, yellowish-brown, with the keel and apex darker brown; keel somewhat broadly winged, quite entire and not produced at the apex. Corolla-lobes 13-2 lin. long, about 1 lin. broad, cuneate-oblong, obtuse, 14 CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [Xyris. minutely toothed. Arms of the staminodes very short, with brush-like tufts of long yellow hairs.—Thunb. Fl. Cap. ed. Schult. 81; Vahl, Enum. ii. 206; Willd. Sp. Pl. i. 255; Roem. & Schultes, Syst. Veg. i. 552; Kunth, Enum. iv. 24; Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. Stockh. 1891, 154; and in Svensk Vet. Akad. Hand]. xxiv. no. 14, 40; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 420 ; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 133 ; N. E. Br. in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 6; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 68. X. capensis, Thunb., var. nilagirensis, Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 154. X. reptans, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 68. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Begemeder; in swamps on the plain of Jan Meda, 8700 ft., Schimper, 1519! Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in boggy places near the banks of the River Mumpulla; Welwitsch, 2473! near the chief stream of Morro de Lopol'o, Welwitsch, 2459! Also in South Africa. Var. medullosa, N. E. Brown, Peduncle 5-7} in. long, very slender, 4-4 lin. thick, with a well developed pith, not in the least hollow. Spike 2 lin. long, about 14 lin. thiek, ovoid, 2-4-flowered. Lateral sepals 13 lin. long, 3 lin. broad, oblan- ceolate, acute; keel neither ciliate nor scabrid. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa; without precise locality, Hannington ! I can find no character to distinguish X. reptans, Rendle, from X. capensis, Thunb. The leaves are longer than usual, but in that respect it is very similar to Baur’s specimen (598) of X. capensis, from Bazeia, in Tembuland. A specimen collected by Scott-Elliot (6962) in Nandi, British East Africa, at an alt. of 7000- 8000 ft., is probably a form of X, capensis, but the leaves appear to be more fleshy than usual, The plant is about 4 in. high. The variety medullosa may prove to be a distinct species, but (with the exception of the peduncle being very slender and having a very distinct pith) I can find no character in the dried state to distinguish it from X. capensis. All the specimens I have had the opportunity of examining of XY. capensis have a hollow stem. 8. MR. nivea, Welw. ex Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 69. Tufted, slightly bulbous at the base. Leaves 3—5 in. long, including the $—1 in. long sheath, } lin. thick, filiform-subulate, stiff, erect, flexuose, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 14-1? in. long, produced into a short leaf-like point at the apex. Peduncle 5-10 in. long, 4-4 lin. thick, slender, wiry, flexuose, subterete, faintly angular, glabrous. Spike 24-3 lin. long and -about as thick, subglobose, few-flowered. Bracts 14-2 lin. long, 11-1? lin. broad, broadly elliptic or suborbicular, very obtuse, entire, coriaceous, with submembranous margins, 3—5-nerved, dark brown, with paler mar- gins, slightly shining. Lateral sepals 1? lin. long, } lin. broad, sigmoid- lanceolate, acute (or obtuse if flattened out); keel light brown, very minutely ciliate from the base to 3 the way up; interior sepal bright reddish-purple. Corolla-lobes obovate-elliptic, concave, finely toothed, “white” (Welwitsch). Staminodes pilose. Anthers 3 lin. long. Capsule obovate. Seeds ellipsoid, pointed, red. - Mower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in scarcely damp, sunny, wooded places between Lopollo and Monino, Welwitsch, 2468 ! The filiform leaves, white flowers, and minutely ciliate lateral sepals, easily distin- guish this species from its allies. Xyris. | CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 15 9, KX. Welwitschii, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 68. Leaves 3-6 in. long, 1 lin. or less broad, linear, acute, submembranous, scabrid on the margin. Peduncular-sheath 2-4 in. long, leaf-like, acute. Pedunele 6-14 in. long, 4-4 lin. thick, somewhat compressed, with longitudinal minutely scabrid ridges. Spike about 4 lin. long, 24-44 lin. thick, ellip- soid when young, hemispherical when mature, several-flowered. Bracts 2-3 lin. long, 14-23 lin. broad, elliptic to obovate, obtuse, not keeled, thin and scarious, becoming somewhat membranous towards the margins, entire, 3-nerved, translucent, light brownish-ochreous or straw-coloured, glabrous, with no dorsal area. Lateral sepals slightly protruding veyond the bracts, 3-34 lin. long, $—? lin. broad, lanceolate, acute, dull ochreous ; keel most minutely scabrid-ciliolate at the middle, otherwise entire; third sepal crimson. Corolla yellow. Staminodes shortly tufted, pilose. Anthers scarcely 1 lin. long, linear-oblong. Seeds ellipsoid, minutely umbonate at the ends, longitudinally ridged, with transverse inconspicuous bladder-like markings, dull black. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in wooded marshy meadows between Lopollo and Monino, Welwitsch, 2465 ! I do not find the keel of the lateral sepals hispidulous as originally described, but the central part has an exceedingly minute scabrid-denticulation, which can only be seen under a moderately powerful lens. 10. &. scabridula, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 72. Leaves 3-2} in. long, }-} lin. broad, linear, mucronate at the apex, very minutely scabrid on the margin. Peduncle 2-6} in. long, distinctly striate. Spike 14-3 lin. long, 3-3 lin. thick, few-flowered. Bracts 14-24 lin. long, 14-2 lin. broad, orbicular-obovate or suborbicular, very obtuse, sometimes mucronulate, entire, submembranous, obscurely and imperfectly 3-nerved, very light golden-brown. Lateral sepals 1}—2 lin. long, $—2 lin. broad, broadly lanceolate, acute, membranous, light brown in the apical part; keel regularly curved from the base to the apex, with an exceedingly narrow wing in the lower part, very minutely ciliate along the middle part ; interior sepals light ochreous-brown (always ?). Corolla-lobes rather more than 1 lin. long, scarcely $ lin. broad, obovate, intense yellow. Arms of the staminodes hairy. Ovary oblanceolate. Seeds ellipsoid, umbonate at one or both ends, almost smooth, crimson. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; on the Serra de Oiahoia, behind Humpata, oo sandy meadows, which are sometimes flooded in summer, Welwitsch, 2470! This species is very similar to X. affinis, Rendle, and X, humpatensis, N. E. Br., but the lateral sepals are much broader and different in form. I do not find that the leaves are rugnlose as originally described, but some of them are slightly wrinkled from shrinkage in drying, as is very often the case, 11. X. humpatensis, V. #. Br. Leaves 1}-3 in. long, includ- ing the }-1 in. long sheath, }-1 Jin. broad, linear, acute, glabrous ; sheath ciliate. Peduncular-sheath 2}-4 in. long, with a leafy acute point 1-2 lin. long, glabrous, Peduncle }-1 ft. long, }-} lin. thick, subterete, striate, glabrous. Spike 2}-3 lin. long, 14-24 lin. thiek, 16 CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [Xyris. larger when in fruit, ovoid, ellipsoid, or in fruit subglobose, 4-10- flowered. Bracts all reaching to nearly the same level, 2-2 lin. long, 1-1} lin. broad, oblong or broadly obovate-oblong, entire, light olive- brown, rather thin, 3-nerved; the outer very obtuse, slightly keeled ; the inner complicate-subacute and keeled at the apex, glabrous, Lateral sepals 2-2} lin. long, } lin. broad, linear-lanceolate, very acute, straw- coloured along the back, membranous and colourless on the sides; keel narrowly winged, slightly curved at about the middle, erect at the apex, minutely and sparsely ciliolate to 4 or 3 the way up; interior sepal bright reddish-purple. Petals 2 lin. long, 14 lin. broad, obovate, ob- tusely rounded at the apex, scarcely toothed, yellow. Staminodes very shortly 2-armed, with brush-like tufts of long yellow hairs; anthers oblong, at length subhastate at the base. Lower Guinea. Angola: Humpata; ina pool by the River Neve, Newton ! Very like X. affinis, Welw., but differing in the narrower lateral sepals which are very acute and erect at the apex. 12, K. affinis, Welw. ex Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 70. Tufted. Leaves 2-44 in. long, including the 1 in, long sheath, 4-1 lin. broad, linear, acute, glabrous ; sheaths of the withered leaves persistent, dark brown, ciliate. Peduncular-sheath 24-3 in. long, leafless, apiculate. Peduncle 9-10 in. long, 4-3 lin. thick, subcompressed, glabrous. Spike 24-3 lin. long and nearly as thick, ellipsoid or obovoid when young, becoming at length subglobose and somewhat flattened at the top, rather few-flowered. Bracts 14-2} lin. long, 14-2 lin. broad, broadly elliptic or slightly obovate, obtuse, entire, 3-nerved, subcoriaceous, dark brown with paler subscarious margins, those in the centre of the head deeply concave and much lighter in colour. Lateral sepals 2—24 lin. long, 4-4 lin. broad, narrowly oblanceolate, obtuse and slightly hooded at the apex, somewhat membranous, light yellowish-brown along the keel, darker brown at the apex and pallid straw-coloured at the sides; keel nearly straight in the lower 3, rather broadly winged, minutely ciliate and scabridulous from near the base to about } or } from the Apex ; interior sepal bright reddish-purple. Petals obovate, yellow. Staminodes 2-armed, pilose. Anthers 1 lin. long, orange in the bud. Capsule oblanceolate, beaked. Seeds as in X. nivea. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in the elevated damp meadows of Morro de Monino, 5000 ft., Welwitsch, 2467 ! Very similar to X. humpatensis, N. E. Br., and scarcely to be distinguished without dissection, when the rather darker, broader, oblanceolate, obt d slight! hooded sepals at once distinguish it. , obtuse and slightly 13, X. obscura, V. H. Br, Leaves and peduncular-sheath not seen. Peduncles 12-15 in. long, }-} lin. thick, slightly compressed, glabrous. Spike about 3 lin. long, 24 lin. thick, ellipsoid, not more than 5—6-flowered. Bracts 2-2} lin. long, 2 lin. broad, coriaceous, orbicular or broadly elliptic, very obtuse, minutely apiculate, entire, dark chestnut-brown, very minutely papillate-scabrid in the apical part, 5-7-nerved ; inner bracts all reaching to about the same level. Lateral Xyris. | CXLIS. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 17 sepals 24-2} lin. long, } lin. broad, linear-oblanceolate, somewhat obtuse, but shortly aristate, golden-brown along the keel, colourless and mem- branous on the sides; keel broadly winged (about 4 as broad as the sides), distinctly ciliate from the base to the apex. Petals 2 lin. long and the same in breadth, broadly obovate, denticulate, bright yellow. Arms of the staminodes with brush-like tufts of long yellow hairs, half as long as the petals. Anthers linear-oblong, | lin. long. Mozamb. Dist. lritish Central Africa: Mashonaland, at Six-mile Spruit, near Salisbury, Hon. Mrs, Evelyn Cecil, 152A! 14, X. makuensis, V. #. Br. Much branched and densely tufted at the base. Leaves 14-8 in. long, including the 3-1} in. long sheath, 4-4 lin. thick, filiform-subulate, very slightly compressed, Peduncular-sheath 2-4 in, long, with a subulate point 4-3? in. long. Peduncles numerous, 3-12 in. long, 4-4 lin. thick, filiform, subterete or slightly compressed, with a raised line down one side, solid, glabrous, Spike 3-4 lin. long, 14-2} lin. thick, ovoid, becoming somewhat flat- topped and obovoid in fruit, 3—6-flowered. Outer bracts 2-3 lin. long, 1-1} lin. broad, oblong, obtuse, keeled, entire, rigidly coriaceous, con- cave, 3-nerved, blackish-brown, fading to dark olive-brown on the margins, shining; inner bracts similar to the outer, but complicate- acute, more distinctly keeled, 1-nerved, and of a rather lighter olive- brown in the lower part, 24-34 lin. long. Lateral sepals 2-3} lin. long, % lin. broad, linear-lanceolate, acute, boat-shaped, nearly straight, olive- brown, darker along the back; keel with a moderately broad entire wing, neither ciliate nor scabrid, not produced at the apex. Corolla- lobes about 24 lin. long, 2 lin. broad, cuneate-obovate, toothed, yellow. Arms of the staminodes very short, with large dense brush-like tufts of long yellow hairs. Anthers oblong. Mozamb. Dist. East Equatorial Africa, Taylor! Portuguese East Africa : Makua; Namuli Mountains, Zast/ British East Africa: Nyasaland; Mount quan Whyte! Mlanji Plateau, MeClounie ! and without precise locality, Buchanan, _ The subulate-filiform leaves and numerous blackish shining spikes readily distin- guish this from the other species, 15, XK. humilis, Kunth, Hrwm. iv. 15. Leaves 14-24 in. long, very narrowly linear, acute, membranous, striate, glabrous. Peduncles 2-5 in. long, filiform, slightly compressed, glabrous. Spike small, about 2 lin. long, obovate-turbinate, about 3-flowered. Bracts about 7, orbicular-obovate, emarginate, carinate above, with the apex slightly recurved, fuscous on the back, with paler sides and green on the keel in the upper part, subcoriaceous, shining. Lateral sepals narrow, keeled, acute, glabrous. Capsule oblong, umbonate, 1-celled, fuseous, slightly shorter than the bracts. Seeds ellipsoid, ribbed, pointed at each end, pale fuscous.—Nilss. in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv. no. 14,40; Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 133. Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, ex Engler. : Also in Madagascar and Mauritius. I bave not seen a specimen from Zanzibar, and therefore give a translation of Kunth’s original description. VOL. VIII. Cc 18 CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [ Xyris. 16. X. huillensis, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 71. Densely tufted. Leaves #-2} in. long, 4-3 lin. broad, linear, acute; sheaths with membranous margins. Peduncular-sheath about as long as the leaves, acute or with a short leafy point. Peduncle 3-12 in. long, 1_1 lin. thick, filiform, slightly angular, reddish below. Spike about 2 lin. long, 14-2 lin. thick, ellipsoid, becoming subglobose in fruit, about 6-flowered. Bracts 14—1 lin. long, 2—1 lin. broad, elliptic-oblong, very obtuse, subcoriaceous, rather stoutly keeled in the upper half, entire, 3-nerved (sometimes incompletely), light brown, slightly shining. Lateral sepals 14-13 lin. long, }—} lin. broad, broadly lanceolate, acute, light brown along the keel, membranous and nearly colourless on the sides; keel narrow, quite entire. Corolla-lobes 14 lin. long, ? lin. broad, obovate, yellow. Arms of the staminodes densely pilose, bright yellow. Anthers subsagittate. Ovary compressed-ellipsoid, becoming obovoid and shortly rostrate as it ripens. Seeds ellipsoid, narrowing to a slight umbo at each end, crimson, with dark longitudinal lines. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; Empalanca, in lofty sandy pastures, flooded in the rainy season, Welwitsch, 2469! marshes near the River Quipumpun- hime, in the Humpata district between Nene and Humpata, Welwitsch, 2472! 17. &. anisophylla, Welw. ex Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 72. Leaves 2—34 in. long, 3—? lin. broad, linear, acute. Peduncular-sheath 14-2 in. long, acute. Peduncle 5-8} in. long, 4-4 lin. thick, “of a shining copper or almost gold colour” (Welwitsch). Spike 2 lin. long, 14-2} lin. broad, ellipsoid, somewhat truncate at the apex, often becoming hemispherical when mature, 5-flowered. Bracts 14-1} lin. long, 14-14 lin. broad, orbicular-obovate to broadly elliptic, very obtuse, sometimes faintly keeled in the upper part, entire, membranous, 3-nerved, very light reddish-brown, with broad transparent straw- coloured margins. Lateral sepals 1}—1# in. long, scarcely } lin. broad, somewhat oblong-lanceolate, acute or subacute, membranous, nearly colourless, very light brownish or straw-coloured along the back; keel very narrow, quite entire. Petals (torn) more than 1} lin. long, scarcely 1 lin. broad, yellow. Staminodes 2-armed, with dense tufts of yellow hairs, more than half the length of the stamens. Anthers ? lin. long, oblong, cordate at the base. Fruit scarcely 1} lin. long, plano- convex, narrowly obovoid, very shortly beaked. Seeds ellipsoid, with an apical umbo, longitudinally marked with distinct spiral ridges, red. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; in spongy places in the Presi- dium, near the huge rocks of the Barrancos de Catete, Welwitsch, 2463. 18, K. fugaciflora, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii.71. Czspi- tose. Leaves 3-4 in. long, 3-3 lin. broad, linear, acute, transversely rugulose ; scabridulous at the margin, especially when old. Peduncular- sheath 3-2 in. long, with a leafy point 14-3 lin. long. Peduncle 3-9 in. long, —} lin. broad, very slender, flattened, glabrous. Spike 13-2} lin. long, | to nearly 2 lin. thick, 4—5-flowered, ellipsoid when ia flower, becoming semi-ellipsoid in fruit. Bracts 14-2 lin. long, 3-14 lin. broad, varying from elliptic to orbicular, very obtuse, membranous, Xyris.| CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 19 entire, 3- or indistinctly 5-7-nerved, dull or purplish-brown, the colour fading out towards the margins. Lateral sepals 1}-2 lin. long, 4 lin. broad, oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, membranous, transparent, tinted with red or brown on the keel, nearly colourless on the sides; keel moderately broad, quite entire. Corolla-lobes scarcely 2 lin. long, obo- vate, toothed on the margin, yellow. Arms of the staminodes with brush-like tufts of hairs. Anthers oblong, 2-3 lin. long. Ovary ob- lanceolate, shortly beaked. Seeds ellipsoid, with a prominent apical umbo, longitudinally striate, reddish-brown. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo: spongy places between Caghuy and Sansamanda, but somewhat rare, Welwitsch, 2461! in spongy wooded meadows at Mutollo, near Pedras de Guinga, Welwitsch, 2462! plentiful in the Presidium, in spongy places on the higher rocks of Catete, Welwitsch, 2464! The minute rugosity on the leaves in this species and in X. straminea, Nilss., and one or two others is probably due to some form of shrinkage in drying, as some of the leaves show no trace of it. 19. K. straminea, NVilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Férhandl. Stockh. 1891, 153. Roots filiform, densely tufted; norhizome. Leaves 4-5 in, long, 4-1 lin. broad, linear, acute, rarely obtuse, often from shrinkage (but not always) minutely transversely rugulose in the dried state, with concolorous or pale sheaths 4-14 in. long. Peduncular-sheath $-2 in. long, leafless and mucronate, or with a leafy point {-4 in. long. Peduncle 1}~12 in. long, very slender, 1—} lin. thick, terete or subcompressed, striate, very minutely rugulose in the upper part, slightly hollow. Spike 2-2} lin. long, lanceolate, acute, 14 lin. in diam. when in flower, opening out when in fruit, 1—5-flowered. Bracts few, 14-22 lin. long, }-1 lin. broad, oblong or elliptic-oblong, the inner boat-shaped, keeled, and com- plicate-acute at the apex, but obtuse when flattened out, entire, not ciliate, 3-nerved, somewhat membranous, very pale brownish or straw- coloured. Lateral sepals about 2-24 lin. long, 4-4 lin. broad, straight, narrowly lanceolate, acute, membranous, straw-coloured; keel slightly rounded, with no trace of a wing, entire, not ciliate. Corolla only seen in a very young bud, yellow. Capsule 14-1? lin. long, # lin. diam., oblong, obtuse, apiculate, trigonous (or acutely triangular?) in cross section.—Nilss. in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv. no. 14, 40; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 421 ; N. E. Br. in Dyer, Fi. Cap. vii. 751. X, filiformis, N. E. Br. in Dyer, Fi. Cap. vii. 7, not of Lam. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Nupe ; swamps near Bakona, and at Lom, Barter, 764! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Tanganyika Plateau at Fort Hill, 3500-4000 ft., Whyte ! Also in South Africa. This species is closely allied to X. filiformis, Lam., but differs in having no dorsal area on the outer bracts and no ciliation on the keel of the lateral sepals. The curious and minutely rugulose surface of the leaves and peduncles is best seen by holding the Specimens in a line with the source of light, but probably it is due to shrinkage in drying, aud may not be evident in the living plants. An imperfect specimen collected by Carson in a pool 2-3 miles south of Niomkolo, in Urungu, may also belong to this species. 20 CXLII, XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [ Xyris. 20. &. pumila, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 70. A small rigid plant, densely tufted. Rhizome bearing several crowded branches. Leaves distichous, 2-34 in, long, including the ? in. long sheath, searcely 4 lin. broad, linear, very acute or subaristate at the apex ; sheaths dark chestnut-brown. Peduncle 4-5} in. long, } lin. thick, terete, glabrous. Spike 24-24 lin. long, 1-14 lin. broad, about 3-flowered, narrowly ellipsoid, slightly drawn out at the base. Bracts 12-2 lin. long, 3-1} lin. broad, elliptic or oblong, entire, coriaceous, minutely papillate- scabrid on the back of the apical part, 3-nerved, dark chestnut-brown, slightly paler at the margin, those in the centre dull ochreous-brown. Lateral sepals 13-2 lin. long, nearly } lin. broad, lanceolate, obtuse, golden-brown along the keel, becoming paler towards the margins; keel very minutely scabridulous from about 4 above the base to the apex. Corolla bright yellow. Staminodes 2-armed, hairy. Anthers ? lin. long, linear-oblong, orange-yellow. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in thicket-grown marshes between Humpata and the lofty plain of Empalanca, Welwitsch, 2471 ! 21. XX. multicaulis, V. H. Brown. Leaves 14-3 in. long, }-1 lin. broad, linear, subacute, sometimes slightly hardened and whitish at the apex, glabrous, sometimes minutely rugulose in the dried state. Peduncular-sheath 1}—2 in. long, with a short leafy point. Peduncles numerous, 4—6 in. long, }-} lin. thick, angular, compressed, glabrous, twisted. Spike 24-3 lin. long, 1-1} lin. thick, lanceolate, 2—3-flowered, dull smoky-brown. Outer bracts 14-2 lin. long, thin, broad, elliptic, subacute or obtuse, deeply concave, slightly keeled at the apex, entire, subcoriaceous, indistinctly 3-nerved,dull brown; inner bracts thinner, orbi- cular, apiculate, closely convolute, scarcely keeled, nerveless, Lateralsepals 2-214 lin. long, $ lin. broad, lanceolate, acute, boat-shaped, thin, scarcely keeled, light straw-coloured, scarcely darker on the keel, which is quite entire. Corolla-lobes 1 lin. long, ? lin. broad, obovate, very obtuse, yellow. Arms of the staminodes broad, linear, densely fringed with yellow hairs. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Namasi, Cameron, 51! 22. K. angustifolia, De Wild. & Durand in Comptes-rendus Soc. Bot. Belg. xxxviii. 149. Leaves 2-4 in. long, }-4 lin. broad, linear, acute, slightly twisted, rigid, with brown sheaths7lin.long. Peduncular-sheath 132} in. long, leafless, acute, keeled on the back, bright chestnut in the lower part. Peduncles }—1 ft. long, more or less flattened, glabrous. Spike small, about 24 lin. long, 1} lin.in diam. Inner bracts 2 lin. long, 1 lin. broad, outer smaller, obovate or elliptic, sparsely ciliolate and usually shortly emarginate at the apex, coriaceous, bright fuscous. Lateral sepals about 2 lin. long, oblong, curved, keeled; keel scarcely or very narrowly winged, not ciliate. Petals about 14 lin. long, 1 lin. broad, obovate, fimbriate, yellow. South Central. Congo Free State: Upper Congo; between Mokanga and Skori, Dewévre. Xyris. | CXLII. XYRIDEH (BROWN). 21 I have not seen this species; it appears to be allied to X. multicaulis, N. E. Br., or X, filiformis, Lam, 23. SK. erubescens, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 73. Plant about 8 in. high, “scarcely cespitose ” (Welwitsch). Leaf-sheaths form- ing a bulbous base, leafless in the specimens seen, the outer coriaceous or scarious, tapering from a broad base, smoky-brown, shining. Peduncles arising from the midst of the persistent bases of the leaves, 54-8 in. long, flexuose, subquadrangular, glabrous, green. Peduncular-sheath about 2 in. long, rather loose above and passing into a weak acuminate point. Spike } in. thick, ellipsoid or subglobose. Bracts 2-2} lin. long, 13-24 lin. broad, coriaceous, lowermost oblong, the others orbicular, very concave, obtuse or slightly apiculate, entire, but often broken and retuse at the apex, 7—9-nerved, olive-brown, paler at the margin. Lateral sepals 24-2} lin. long, scarcely 4 lin. broad, falcate, with very unequal sides; keel broad, minutely denticulate-scabrid (scarcely cilio- late) from about the middle to the apex, greenish-brown below, becoming crimson above. Arms of the staminodes with narrow brush-like tufts of hairs, exceeding the oblong orange-coloured anthers.—Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1899, 508. Lower Guinea, Angola: Huilla; here and there in marshy pastures near Nene, by the road towards Lopollo, Welwitsch, 2466 ! A very distinct species, well marked by the bulbous base formed by the leaf- sheaths. A specimen collected by Rand in Rhodesia has been referred (Journ. Bot., 1899, 508) by Dr. Rendle to this species, but as the leaves of Welwitsch’s plant are unknown, and Rand’s specimen only consists of separate peduncles and leaves, the base of the plant not being represented, it is uncertain if the Rhodesian plant, which has terete-filiform leaves, really belongs to this species, although the spikes are similar, 24, KX. filiformis, Zam. Hncycl. i. 152. Leaves 3-23 in. long, 3-4 lin. broad, linear, subacute, glabrous. Peduncle 44-10 in. long, 4-3 lin. thick, terete, striate. Spike 24-3 lin. long, 1-2} lin. thick, ovoid or ellipsoid, few-flowered. Bracts 14-2 lin. long, 1-14 lin. broad, elliptic or suborbicular, obtuse, very concave, chestnut-brown, the outer with a linear greyish dorsal area near the apex, glabrous, entire, coriaceous, becoming somewhat scarious at the margin, 3—5-nerved. Lateral sepals 14-2 lin. long, narrowly spathulate-lanceolate, subobtuse, keeled, light brown along the keel, paler on the membranous sides ; keel very minutely scabrid on the apical part only.—Poir. Encyel. viii. 821 ; Vahl, Enum. ii. 207; Kunth, Enum. iv. 24; Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. Stockh. 1891, 151; and in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv. no. 14, 40; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 420. Upper Guinea. Senegal, in Upsala Herb. Sierra Leone, Smeathman! Afzelius, in Stockholm and Berlin Herb. Lamarck described this species from a specimen collected by Smeathman, of which I have seen a tracing, and also specimens of the same gathering in the British Museum. 22 .CXLIl. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). [ Yyris. 25. &. angularis, V. H. Brown. Leaves and peduncular-~heath not seen. Peduncle 14-18 in. high, about 4 lin. thick, distinctly 4—6- angled, hollow, glabrous. Spike 3-4 lin. long, 24-3 lin. thick, ellipsoid, about 10-flowered. Bracts 2-2} lin. long, 1} lin. broad, elliptic, very obtuse, not keeled, concave, glabrous, rather light brown with a distinct greyish lanceolate or lanceolate-oblong dorsal area; nerves numerous, much reticulated. Lateral sepals 24 lin. long, }~} lin. broad, falcate- linear, acute, keeled, brown, paler towards the margins; keel not pro- duced at the apex, serrulate along the apical half, with the teeth often ending in a fine hair. Corolla not seen. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory : Nupe, Barter ! This species is easily recognised by its sharply angular peduncles, combined with the distinct dorsal area of the bracts. 26. MR. decipiens, JV. L#. Br. in Dyer, Fb. Cap. vii. 3. Leaves 5-16 in. long, 14-24 lin. broad, with concolorous sheaths 14-3 in. long, linear, acuminate, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 5}-7} in. long, acute and leafless, or (abnormally ?) with a distinct blade like the other leaves. Peduncle 2—2} ft. long, 1-14 lin. thick, terete, sulcate-striate, glabrous ; pith rather loose, not hollow at the centre. Spike 6—9 lin. long, 5-6 lin, thick, ovoid, acute or subacute, 30-40-flowered. Bracts 3-34 lin. long, 24-23 lin. broad, oblong-obovate, very obtuse, minutely subdenticulate, concave, 7—-nerved, light chestnut-brown, slightly shining, with a distinct oblong-lanceolate greyish dorsal area about 1—1} lin. long and 3 lin. broad; nerves reticulate at their apex. Lateral sepals 24 lin. long, $ lin. broad, pale brown, linear-falcate or linear-lanceolate, acute, keeled ; keel winged, serrulate along the upper part. Corolla only seen in bud. Arms of the staminodes very short ending in dense brush-like tufts of long hairs. Anthers linear-oblong. Capsule 2} lin. long, oblong-lanceolate, subacute, trigonous.—X. laxifolia, Benth. in Hook, Niger Fi., 548, not of Mart. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Samu Country, Scott-Elliot, 4220! and without precise locality, Smeathman ! Lower Guinea. Angola, Curror! This is the stoutest of all the African species, and the dorsal area on the bracts is more conspicuous than in any other. The pubescence on the keel of the lateral sepals, mentioned in my original description, seems to be due to some accidental disintegra- tion of the superficial cells in the specimens first examined, and does not occur in the Sierra Leone example. Since this species was described it has been discovered that the plants collected by Curror and labelled “ W. Africa, S. of the Tropic,” were all collected in Angola. 27, X. Barteri, V. H. Br. Leaves not seen. Peduncular- sheath 2} in. (or more?) long, terminated by a linear acute leaf 2 in. long, % lin. broad, glabrous. Peduncle 14-2 ft. long, 4-3 lin. thick, Somewhat compressed, 2-edged, hollow, glabrous, striate (from shrinkage’). Spike 3 lin. long, 2-24 lin. thick, ellipsoid or ovoid, 7—12- flowered. Bracts spirally imbricate one above another, 24—24 lin. long, 1}lin. broad, coriaceous, elliptic or elliptic-oblong, obtuse, entire, sometimes Xyris. | CXLII. XYRIDEZ (BROWN). 23 apiculate, light chestnut-brown, the inner with a stout usually dark green keel; nerves very indistinct, very slender and irregular. Lateral sepals 1}-2 lin. long, 4} lin. broad, falcate-lanceolate, obtuse, boat-shaped, brown along the back, fading to light yellowish-brown on the sides; keel winged, minutely ciliolate along the middle part only, not produced at the apex. Flowers not seen. Capsule obovoid, trigonous. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Nupe, Barter ! Allied to X. angularis, N. E. Br., but differing in its compressed (not acutely angled) peduncles, the absence of a dorsal area on the bracts, and other characters, 28. KX. batokana, V. H. Br. Tufted on a stout rootstock, emitting thick roots. Leaves 4—8 in. (or more ?) long, 3-14 lin. broad, linear, very acute, rigid, striate, often twisted, glabrous. Peduncular- sheath 24-4 in. long, with a rigid acute point about 3 lin. long, glabrous. Peduncle 14-2 ft. long, about 3 lin. thick, subterete, very smooth and slightly shining, not striate, glabrous; pith not hollow at the centre. Spike 4—5 lin. long, 3-34 in. thick, ellipsoid or subglobose, about 30- flowered. Bracts 13-21 lin. long, 14-1} lin. broad, elliptic or elliptic- oblong, very obtuse, neither apiculate nor keeled, 5-7-nerved, chestnut- brown, with an indistinct slightly paler lanceolate dorsal area, glabrous, not ciliolate; nerves reticulated at their apex. Lateral sepals 2 lin. long, nearly $ lin. broad, linear-falcate, acutely keeled, brown, paler towards the margins; keel very distinctly ciliate from a little above the base to the minutely apiculate apex. Corolla yellow; tube about 2 lin. long ; lobes 2 lin. long, 1 lin. broad, cuneate-obovate, denticulate. Arms of the staminodes small, bearing a tuft of comparatively few (20-25) hairs. Anthers oblong. Mozamb. Dist. British Cextral Africa: Northern Rhodesia ; Batoka High- lands, Kirk ! This mucb resembles X. nitida, Nilss., but the very smooth peduncles and absence of cilia on the bracts readily distinguish it. 29. K. congensis, Bittner in Verhandl. Bot. Ver. Brandenb. xxxi. 71. Leaves up to 1 ft. long, 1—2 lin. broad, linear, slightly scabrous, striate, with dark brown sheaths. Peduncle 2-3 times as long as the leaves, compressed, smooth. Spike 5 lin. long, 24 lin. thick, about 20- flowered. Bracts 2} lin. long, broadly obovate, rounded at the apex, ciliolate, chestnut-brown with a greyish dorsal area. Lateral sepals shorter than the bracts, boat-shaped, keeled, hyaline, pale fuscous, with a golden hue, the apex and keel darker ; keel narrowly winged, ciliate. Corolla-lobes 14 lin. long, ? lin. broad, truncate, irregularly and shortly denticulate, yellow.—Nilss. in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv. no. 14, 29; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 420, and Etudes Fl. Congo, 1. 268, South Central. Congo Free State:-on the left bank of the River Congo, between Lukolela and Equatorville, Bittner, 583. I have not seen this, but possibly X. xitida, Nilss., may be the same plant. 24 CXLII, XYRIDEA (BROWN). [ Xyrvs. 30. XK. nitida, Vilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Forhandl. Stockh. 1891, 156. Tufted on a thick rootstock, emitting rather stout flattened roots. Leaves 9-14 in. long, 3-1 lin. broad, linear, acute, twisted, glabrous; sheaths 14-24 in. long, becoming dark chestnut-brown and shining. Peduncular-sheath 4-5 in. long, with a flat point 2-3 lin. long, glabrous, dark chestnut-brown in the lower part. Peduncle 13-2 ft. long, compressed, 2-edged, glabrous, finely striate; pith not hollow at the centre. Spike 5-7 lin. long, 3-34 lin. thick, ovoid or oblong- ovoid, about 30- or more-flowered. Bracts 2}—3 lin. long, 1} lin. broad, elliptic-oblong, very obtuse, minutely ciliate at the apex, dark brown, shining, with an obscure oblong dorsal area on some of them, obscurely 7-nerved, nerves scarcely reticulated. Lateral sepals 24-2? lin. long, } lin. broad, oblong-linear, slightly falcate, usually more or less hooded and ciliate at the apex, keeled, yellowish-brown with a dark brown keel ; keel ciliate or irregularly toothed and ciliate to the apex, which is produced into a short subulate point. Corolla-tube 2 lin. long; lobes 2 lin. long, ? lin. broad, oblong, obtuse. Arms of the staminodes short, linear, terminating in a small dense tuft of long yellow hairs. Anthers oblong.—Nilss. in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv. no. 14, 30; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 421, not of Willd. Lower Guinea. Corisco Island: in meadow ground, Mann, 1858! As the flowers are in a bad state I am rather doubtful if the description of corolla- lobes as given above is quite correct. In one head some of the bracts have a well- marked ciliate keel down the back, the other bracts of the same head being without a keel, which latter seems to be the normal condition, This species may prove to be the same as X. congensis, Biittner, but the leaves are not scabrous as described for that species ; if they should be found to be identical, the name X. congensis must take precedence, as that species was published in September 1889 (not 1890 as stated by Nilsson), nearly two years earlier than X. nitida, 31. K. Hildebrandtii, Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. FG Stockh. 1891, 155, Tufted. Leaves 4-12 miata $-14 ith bee hoes very acute, striate, often twisted, glabrous. Peduncular-sheath 2 wi lin. long, with a rigid acute point 24-3 lin. long. Peduncle 11-2 = long, 1 lin. thick, compressed, slightly striate. Spike 34-7 lin long, about 3 lin. thick, ovoid or cylindric-oblong, 10-30- or moredioweied: Bracts 23-2? lin. long, 1} lin. broad, spirally imbricating one above another, elliptic-oblong or suborbicular, very obtuse, sometimes minutely apiculate, not keeled, glabrous, opaque blackish-brown, indistinctly 5—9- nerved ; nerves reticulate at their apex. Lateral sepals 2 lin ae 4-2 lin. broad, falcate-oblong, or the margins nearly straight co i keel much curved, brown with paler margins; keel winged, obtuse or slightly produced at the apex, very distinctly ciliate from the base to the apex, the cilia usually being grouped in small dense tufts. Corolla- lobes 2 lin, long, 1} lin. broad, cuneate-orbicular, toothed. Arms of the staminodes linear, with dense brush-like tufts : ingl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 133. Welw. ii. 67, hardly of Nilss. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; in damp meadows by the banks nse _brush-l of yellow hairs.— X. Umbilonis, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pi. Xyris. | CXLII, XYRIDEA (BROWN). 25. of the Cuanza River, near Buinba, Welwitsch, 2460! Huilla ; Humpata, in spongy marshes at the foot of the Sierra de Oiahoia, Welwitsch, 2475! Mozamb. Dist. (erman East Africa and the region around Lake Nyasa, ex Engler. British Central Africa : Nyasaland ; Shire Highlands, Buchanan ! Mount Maloxa, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Zomba, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte / Also in Madagascar. This Tropical African plant differs from the typical Madagascar form in that the peduncles are more slender, and the cilia on the keels of the lateral sepals have a tendency to be grouped in tufts, instead of being evenly spread as in typical X. Hil- debrandtii, but in other respects the two plants closely agree. X. Umbilonis, Nilss., under which Rendle has placed it, differs in having the keel of the lateral sepals produced at the apex, but may, perhaps, only be a local form: it was collected in Natal. X. Hildebrandtii is distinguished from all other Tropical African species, by its dull blackish-brown many-flowered spikes, and distinctly ciliate sepuls. Imperfectly known species, 32. ¥. minima, Steud. Syn. Pl. Glum. ii. 288. Roots fibrous, very slender. Peduncular-sheath lax, terminated by a flattish or setaceous leafy point 3-5 lin. long. Peduncle 14-3 in. long, capillary or filiform, Spike small. Bracts ovate-oblong, obtuse, pale chestnut-brown. Lateral sepals lanceolate-spathulate.—X. humilis, var. minima, Nilss. in Ofvers. Vet. Akad. Férhandl. Stockh. 1891, 152; and’in Svensk. Vet. Akad. Handl. xxiv., no. 14, 40; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 420. Upper Guinea. Los Islands, Jardin, 120, in Stockholm Herb. I have not seen a specimen of this plant, and the description is insufficient for its identification, but it would appear to be allied to X. straminea, Nilss., or X. filiformis, Lam. Orper CXLIII. COMMELINACEA. (By C. B. Clarke.) Flowers small, bisexual or some sterile. Sepals 3, one entirely external in the bud. Petals 3, free or their claws imperfectly united into a tube in Cyanotis. Stamens 6, whereof 4—1 are often sterile and deformed or wanting; filaments often with beaded hairs. Ovary superior, 3—2-celled ; when 3-celled the dorsal cell often smaller with fewer ovules or empty ; style simple; ovules 1 or several in each cell attached to the inner angle. Fruit (except in the two first small genera) a loculicidal capsule. Seeds having the hilum linear, vertical (except in the two first genera); embryo small, far from the hilum, shortly cylindric in the floury albumen; foramen prominent, covered by an embryostega, lateral (i.e. nearly opposite the hilum), except in Cyanotis.—Herbs. Leaves alternate, ovate to linear, bases sheathing. Species 330, in all warm countries. Mostly succulent weedy plants, with fugitive flowers. In some genera the flowers. are symmetric or nearly so ; but in the majority the flower is 1-sided, the dorsal cell of the ovary smaller or 0, the dorsal petal much shorter than the other two, and the 3 dorsal stamens sterile or rudimentary. 26 CXLIII. COMMELINACE (CLARKE). | Pollia. Tribe I. Polliece.— Fruit indehiscent. Inflorescence a panicle ; no spathaceous bracts. Fruit crustaceous. Margin of leaves nearly glabrous. 1. POLLia. Fruit succulent, Margin of leaves brown-silky . 2. PALISOTA. Tribe II. Commelineve.— Capsule 2-3-valved. Fer- tile stamens 3-2. Racemes 2—1, enclosed or half-enclosed within a spathe- like folded bract. Spathes scattered or clustered . . 8. COMMELINA. Spathes on the elongate branches of the panicle . 4. PoLysPaTHA. Inflorescence various; without conspicuous folded bracts. Sepals small, obtuse 3 “ C . 5. ANEILEMA. Sepals 4 in. long, lanceolate, acute : = . 6, ANTHERICOPSIS. Tribe III. Tradescantieve.— Capsule 2-3-valved. Fertile stamens 6-5: Capsule 3-celled. Seeds 4-10 in each cell, _ Panicle loose. . 7%. BUFORRESTIA. Seeds 2-1 in each cell. Cymes often dense. Peduncle perforating the base of the leaf- sheath . . 8. FoRRESTIA. Peduncle not per forating the leaf-sheath . 9. CYANOTIS. Capsule 2-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell : . 10. FLoscopa. 1, POLLIA, Thunb.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 846. Sepals 3. Petals 3, small, obovate, white or pale rose. Stamens 6 subequal, or 3 and 3 staminodes; filaments without hairs. Ovary ovoid ; cells 3, equal or the dorsal smaller, 5—10-ovuled (in the African species). Capsule globose or ellipsoid, indehiscent ; pericarp crustaceous, ultimately sbining blue or lead-coloured ; seeds 5-10 in each cell, flat- tened trapezoid.—Stem often rooting at the base. Leaves lanceolate or obovate-lanceolate, approximate towards the top of the stem; not densely brown-silky on the lower surface near the margin. Panicle terminal, either loose, or denee short-ovoid. Bracts within the panicle small, Species 14, scattered in the warmer parts of the Old World, Fertile stamens 6; panicle loose . x : <2 eh MANNS. Fertile stamens-3; head dense. ; : . 2. P. condensata. 1. P. Mannii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 124. Nearly glabrous. Stems 1-2 ft. long, slender, trailing or suberect, rooting at the base. Leaves 4 by 1 in., broadly lanceolate, acuminate at either end ; pseudo- petiole ai in. long. Panicle 2 by 14 in., 12-18-flowered, loose ; bracts up to 4 in. long, lanceolate. Stamena 6 fertile, subequal. Capsule 1 1 by 4 in. 24- seeded.— Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v.421; Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. 1. Upper Guinea. Cameroons ; Yaunde, 2700 ft., Zenker & Staudt, 409! Lower Guinea. Isle of St. Thomas: 2000 ft., Mann, 1098! at Angolares, Pollia. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 27 300 ft., Quintas, 10! at Nova Moka, 2900 ft., Moller! Fl. Afr. Exsice. Conimbric., 109 ! Part of Welwitsch, 6604, was referred by me erroneously to P. Manaii in DC, Monogr. Phan. iii. 124. 2. P. condensata, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 125. Nearly glabrous. Stems 2-6 ft. long, thick. Leaves 12 by 3 in., lan- ceolate-obovate, acuminate at either end; petiole 0—} in. long. Panicle 1} by 1} in., 20-40-flowered, dense ; bracts }-} in. long, ovate, obtuse, conspicuous on the young panicle, disappearing in fruit; peduncle 1-2 in. long, with sometimes a large oblong bract. Stamens 3 fertile. Capsule $+ by ¢ in., 24-seeded.—Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 421; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 134 ; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i, 118, and in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p.1; Cornu in Bull. Soe. Bot. France, xliii. 27 ; Cummins in Kew Bulletin, 1898, 80; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 74. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone; Talla Hil] Plateau, Scott-Elliot, 4851! near Dunnia, Scott-Elliot, 4363! Ashanti ; Assin-Yan-Kumassi, Cummins, 82! Came- roons: Efulen, Bates, 389! Fernando Po; 2000 ft., Mann, 93! Barter, 1518! Vogel, 7B ! Nile Land. British East Africa: Uganda ; common in woods, Scott-Elliot, 7370 ! Lower Guinea. Isle of St. Thomas: Obo de Macambrara, 4200 ft., Moller, 12! Angolares, near Rio Salgado, Quintas, 12a! Fl. Afr. Exsice. Conimbric., 110! Princes Island, Barter, 2020! Angola: Cazengo ; in the lofty woods of Muxaulo, Welwitsch, 6604 ! : ; Mozamb. Dist,? Eastern Africa: Mhonda, Sacleux, 1831 ! This was erroneously placed in Sect. Hu-Pollia (i.e., with 6 perfect stamens) in DC, Monogr, Phan. lc. It has since flowered at Kew, and Mr. Rolfe observed that the perfect stamens were 3 only (i.e., it is of Sect. Aclisia). 2. PALISOTA, Reichb.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 847. Sepals 3. Petals 3, small, obovate, white, sometimes tinged with rose or bluish. Stamens 3, perfect, the anther of the stamen of the interior whorl (anticous apparently middle of the three) somewhat un- like that of the other two, with curved or subdivergent cells ; staminodes 2 or 3, with beaded hairs. Ovary 3-celled, the posticous cell often smaller ; ovules 8-1 in each cell. Fruit indehiscent. fleshy or succulent, often purple or red; seeds 2 superposed in each cell, or solitary, or more numerous and irregularly packed, pyramidal or trapezoid.—Stem simple, or nearly so, or hardly any. Leaves basal or in fale whorls, hairy when young, edges permanently and densely clothed with ferru- ginous hairs. Peduncle 1, rarely 2-3, quasi-terminal ; inflorescence a panicle, elongate or dense; flowers in small cymes, many functionally male, the lower pedicels of the cyme often early caducous, so that the upper part of the cyme-peduncle appears knotted. Bracts on the axis of the panicle short, except in P. bracteosa ; bracteoles small or 0. 28 CXLIII, COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). | Palisota. Species, The 12 following endemic in Tropical Africa. *MONOSTICHOS.—Seeds 3-1 in each cell, superposed in one row (fruit not knowm in P, Mannii). Pedicels not articulated at the base. Stems nearly scapose ; all the leaves, except those near the base, much reduced, bract-like. Ovary glabrous. Bracts prominently exserted from the in- florescence . : - : c 1. P. bracteosa. Bracts concealed by the inflorescence 2. P. Mannii. Ovary with scattered long hairs . : . 38. PB. Barteri. Stems elongate, with long nodes, the upper leaves fully developed, appearing opposite or whorled. Inflorescence dense; pedicels hardly 4 in. long. Stems stout ; leaves 3-8 in. wide 4. P. Schweinfurthii. Stems weak ; leaves 1-3 in. wide 5. P. preussiana, Inflorescence loose ; pedicels }—} in. long 6. P. laxiflora. Pedicels articulated at the base, many early falling off. (Stems elongate with apparently-whorled leaves.) Inflorescence 2-6 in. long, 50-150-flowered . 7. P. ambigua. Inflorescence 1 in. long ; buds minute . . 8. P. micrantha, **DisticHos.—Seeds 5-8 in each cell, in two vertical rows or irregularly disposed. (Pedicels in all very short, articulated, many of the lower cadacous, so that the peduncle appears covered with knots below the small cyme.) Peduncles 3-1 in. long . . . : ° - 9. P. thyrsiflora. Peduncles 0—;4, in. long “ ° ° ° - 10. P. prionostachys. 1. P. bracteosa, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 133. Young parts shaggy with fulvous or greyish hair. Stems 1-8 in. long, with leaves only near the base. Leaves 12-18 by 3-4} in., elliptic-lan- ceolate or somewhat obovate, acuminate at either end, whe: mature often nearly glabrate (even on the midrib beneath), except at the densely hairy margins. Stems }{-} in. in diam.; upper leaves few, 1-2} in. long, lanceolate, bract-like, not sheathing. Inflorescence 1-34 by 3-1} in., most dense, with 50-300 flowers; bracts in the upper part of the panicle 4-} in. long, broadly lanceolate, shaggy, exserted from the panicle; pedicels 0-4 in. long, persistent. Ovary glabrous, the dorsal cell as a rule l-ovuled. Berry } in. long, ellipsoid, apiculate, bright scarlet, 5-seeded. Seeds trapezoid, nearly smooth, not greatly flattened.— Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422; Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France xli. p. liv. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Samu Country, Scott-Elliot, 5933! Litveria, cultivated specimen! Cameroons: Efulen, Bates, 446! Lower Guinea. Isle of St. Thomas; 3000-4500 ft., Moller in Fl, Afr. Exsice. Conimbric., 111! The peduncles are all simple ; in Moller n. 111 there are three from one root. The petiole, as in other species of Palisota, is very variable—1-6 in. long. Palisota. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 29 2. P. Mannii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 132. Young parts shaggy with fulvous or greyish hair, Stems 1-9 in. long, with leaves only near the base. Leaves 12-18 by 24-4} in., lanceolate or lanceolate-obovate, acuminate at either end, when mature often nearly glabrate except at the densely hairy margins. Stems )-} in. in diam.; upper leaves few, up to 34 in. long, broadly lanceolate, not sheathing. Inflorescence 4—7 by 1-1} in., oblong, most dense, with several hundred flowers ; bracts small, concealed by the flowers; pedicels 0—} in. long, persistent, Ovary glabrous. Fruit not known.—Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422; Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. lv. Upper Guinea. Fernando Po ; 3000 ft., Mann, 2340! Cameroons : Came- coon Mountain, 2000-3000 ft., Mann, 2139! Kalbreyer, 163! : I described this in DC. Monogr. Phan. 1.c. as “ caulescent,” and Mann has noted the herb as 2 ft. high, which probably refers to the larger leaves. The stem is as in P. bracteosa ; the upper leaves are much reduced. The fruit being unknown, there may be more than one species included here. The material is of 2 forms, viz— a. P. Mannti, C. B. Clarke, type (i.e, Mann, n, 2340). Leaf in the type Specimen 20 in. long (exclusive of the long petiole), obovate, broadest very near the top, suddenly narrowed into a short lanceolate tip (not an in. long). B. (i.e., Mann, 2139.) Leaf 16 in. long, lanceolate, broadest rather below the middle, narrowed into an elongate triangular tip nearly 9 in. long, not acuminate. Kalbreyer, n. 163, is nearly the same. 3. P. Barteri, Hook. f. in Bot. Mag. t 5318. Young parts shaggy with fulvous or greyish hair. Stems 1—5 in. long, with leaves only near their base. Leaves up to 24 by 44 in., the blade (exclusive of the quasi- petiole 8 in. long) often 9-15 in. long, obovate-lanceolate, suddenly narrowed into a lanceolate tip 1 in. long, when mature often nearly glab- rate except at the densely hairy margins. Leaveson the stem 1-2 in. long, lanceolate, bract-like, not sheathing. Inflorescence 14-2 by 1-1} in., very dense, short-oblong or quadrate (but see note below on the culti- vated plant) with 100-250 flowers; bracts small, concealed by the flowers ; pedicels 0-} in. long, persistent. Ovary with long simple hairs scattered all over. Fruit immature, 5-seeded.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 132; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422; Schoenl. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. iv. 62, fig.31,A—E; Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. liv.; Cornu in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xiii. 28. P. ombrophila, K. Schum. (MS. ?) in Zenker, Exsice, 1164. Upper Guinea. Fernando Po; Barter! Mann, 94! Cameroons: Bipinde, Zenker, 1164! The plant, in continued cultivation at Kew, has developed a narrow-oblong inflorescence, 41 in. long, looser than in the wild collections, The P. ombrophila, K. Schum., has the ovary fully as hairy as in the picture in the Botanical Magazine, and must be conspecific with P. Barteri. 4, P. Schweinfurthii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 132 partly. Young parts shaggy with fulvous or greyish hair. Stem 3-7 ft. long, } in. in diam., with internodes 2-4 in. long (or more) and 2 or 3 leaves apparently whorled at the node. Leaves up to 26 by 8 in., and 30 CXLIII. COMMELINACEZ (CLARKE). | Palisota. leaves on the stem seen 14 by 5} in., elliptic, shortly acuminate at either end, more or less glabrate, but densely hairy on the margin. Inflor- escence 4-7 by 1-1} in., exceedingly dense, cylindric, with several hundred flowers; sometimes 2 or 3 peduncles together; bracts on the main rhachis small, concealed by the flowers ; pedicels hardly + in. long, persistent. Ovary glabrous. Fruits } in. in diam., succulent, scarlet, 5-seeded. Seeds subpyramidal, nearly smooth.—Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422; Durand & Wild. in Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. xxxvil. 128; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 118, and in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. lv.; Rendle in Cat. Afr, Pl. Welw. ii. 74, excluding the St. Thomas’ island plant. North Central. French Congo: Kemo, Dybowsky ! Wile Land. British East Africa: Niamniam ; Boddo River, Schweinfurth, $054! Nabambisso River, Schweinfurth, 3697! Uganda; Kalungi, in woods, Scott-Elliot, 7364 ! Lower Guinea. Gaboon, Buettner. 163! Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis ! Mouth of the Congo, Smith! Angola: Golungo Alto; Quilombo-Quiacatubia, 1000- 2400 ft,, Welwitsch, 6599! 66038! Pungo Andongo ; in shady valleys between the higher rocks, 2400-3800 ft., Welwitsch, 6603 ! South Central. Congo Free State: Monbuttu; Yuru River, Schweinfurth, 3279 ! 3281! Mbula River, north of the Kibali River, Schweinfurth, 3721! Kassai River, Lulua River, and Sankuru River, Zaurent ! 5. P. preussiana, XK’. Schum. (MS. 2), in Preuss, Exsicc. 996. Young parts shaggy with greyish hair. Stem 3 ft. long, 4 in. in diam., with long internodes and distant falsely-opposite leaves. Leaves 10 by 3 in., oblong, acuminate at either end, very glabrate except at the densely fulvous hairy margins; uppermost pair close to the inflorescence hardly smaller than the basal leaves. Inflorescence 3} by 1 in., cylindric, very dense with 200-300 flowers ; bracts concealed by the flowers; pedicels hardly 4 in. long, persistent. Ovary glabrous. Fruit not seen. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Buea, Preuss, 996! 6. P. laxiflora, C. B. Clarke. Young parts shaggy with fulvous or greyish hair. Stems up to 4-6 ft. high (Welwitsch), with fully developed leaves, pseudo-opposite or ternate at distant nodes. Leaves 12-18 by 3} in., narrowly lanceolate-obovate, acuminate at both ends, when mature nearly glabrate except at the densely fulvous-hairy margins. Inflorescence in fruit 4 by 3 in., loose, 200-flowered ; bracts on the main axis few, 4—3 in. long, lanceolate ; pedicels persistent, of the fruits {-} in. long. Flowers white (Welwitsch). Ovary glabrous. Fruits succulent, } in. in diam., scarlet (Welwitsch), subglobose, 5-seeded. Seeds trapezoid, somewhat flattened, nearly smooth.—P. Schweinfurthii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 132 partly; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 74 partly. Lower Guinea. Isle of St. Thomas, 3000-4300 ft., Moller, 11! in the woods of Fazenda de Monte Caffé, 2000 ft., Welwitsch, 6602 ! Palisota. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 31 7. P. ambigua, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 130, t. 5,. fig. 3. Young parts shaggy with fulvous hair. Stem 1-2 ft. long, with long internodes. Upper leaves apparently 3-5 in a whorl, 8 by 2 in., obovate-lanceolate, when mature nearly glabrate except at the densely fulvous-hairy margins. Peduncle 1-6 in. long; inflorescence 2—6 by }—} in., loose, sparingly hairy, 50-150-flowered; bracts hardly ¢ in. long; pedicels 0-4, in. long, articulated at the base; buds ,4,—,), in. in diam., puberulous, many soon falling. Ovary glabrous. Fruit ellipsoid, } by 4 in., with 2 (rarely 3) seeds in each anticous cell, 1-seed in the posticous cell. Seeds superposed, of a metallic blue colour, smooth, the top and bottom seeds pyramidal, the intermediate short cylindric, —Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 421; Schoenl.in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. iv. 62, fig. 31, F—H; Durand & Schinz, Etudes FI. Congo, i. 268; Durand & Wild.in Bull. Soc. Bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87, xxxvii. 127; Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. lv., and in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 119. Commelina ambigua, Beauv. Fl. Owar. i. 26, t. 15. Upper Guinea. Lagos! Musin, Millen,201! Niger Territory: Old Calabar, Robb! Cameroons: Rio del Rey, Johnston, 1! Lower Guinea. Gaboon: Sierra del Crystal, Mann! River Gaboon, Mann! 1031! Buettner, 506! Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis! Mouth of the Congo Smith, 63! French Congo: Kakomocka, Lecomte. South Central. Congo Free State: Lunda; Mukenje, Pogge ! > 8. P. micrantha, K. Schum. (MS. ?) in Zenker n. 956. Inflores- cence 1 by } in. Buds scarcely 45 in. in diam. Otherwise as P. ambigua. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Bipinde, Zenker, 956! The buds are less than half the size of those of P. ambigua at the same stage of development ; still it may be doubted if this is other than a small state of that species. The stem and leaves are exactly the same as in it. 9. P. thyrsiflora, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 544, excl. syn. Young parts shaggy with fulvous or grey hairs. Stems 3-15 ft. long. Upper leaves apparently opposite or whorled at the distant nodes, attaining 15 by 4 in., lanceolate-obovate or oblong-elliptic, shortly acuminate at the tip, long-cuneate at the base, margins persis- tently and densely hairy, midrib in the mature leaves hairy or glabrous beneath. Panicles often 10 by 2 in., loose, not rarely 2-4 from the uppermost whorl of leaves; bracts }—-} in. long, lanceolate. Peduncles of the cymes, mostly simple, often $—1 in. long, slender, with a number of adjacent knots at the top, which are the scars whence the pedicels have early fallen; pedicels 0—;1, in. long. Corolla white. Stamens of the genus. Ovary glabrous. Berry } in. in diam. or rather more, sub- globose or ellipsoid, erect on the arm of the panicle, obtuse, blue, with often 10-16 seeds. Seeds trapezoid, not much flattened, nearly smooth. —C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 133, t. 5, fig. 4; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 118,and in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. lv. P. Tholoni, Hua in Bull. Soc, 32 CXLIII, COMMELINACEZ (CLARKE). | Palisota, Bot. France, xli. pp. li. and lv.,and in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 118, P. plagiocarpa, Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. pp. lii, and lv. P. hirsuta, K. Schum. (M/S. ?) in Zenker & Staudt, Exsicc. 638. P, Maclaudi, Cornu in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xliii. 30. P. prionostachys, Cummins in Kew Bulletin, 1898, 80, not of C. B. Clarke. Dracena hirsuta, Thunb. Dissert. de Drac. 6. D.? triandra, Schultes, Syst. vii. 354. Dianella triandra, Afzel. Stirp. Guin. Med. Sp. Nov. 6. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot, 845! Sierra Leone: Ndomi, Samu Country and as far as Bumban, Scott-Elliot, 4234! and without precise locality, Afzelius! Liberia: Grand Bassa, Vogel, 64! Cape Palmas, Vogel! Gold Coast, Burton & Cameron! Ashanti: Assin-Yan-Kumassi, Cummins, 2! 130! 204! Lagos, Maloney, 8! Lower Niger: Aboh, Barter, 293! Old Calabar; Mann, 2339} Adinbo, Holland, 93! Cameroons: Efulen, Bates, 239! Preuss, 1133! Yaunde, 2700 ft., Zenker & Staudt, 638! 354! Victoria, Kalbreyer, 13! Fernando Po, Barter, 293! Vogel, 77! Mann, 95! Barter! Lower Guinea. French Gaboon: du Bellay; French Congo: Brazzaville, Brazza, Thollon, 537, Lecomte. Lower Congo: Vivi, Johnston ! The new species of Hua have not been seen ; but they are stated to be founded solely on the hairiness of the midrib of the under surface of the leaves, and on the degree of curvature and divarication of the cells of the anther of the intermediate stamen. The large series of J. thyrsiflora in Kew shows that these characters cannot be employed to found species upon. 10. P. prionostachys, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 134. Primary branches of panicle 0-45 in. long, thick, oblique, erect, each surmounted by a thick rugged cyme-base 4—4} in. long (numerous lower pedicels having early fallen), the cyme-tip recurved; other- wise as P. thyrsiflora—Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422, not of Hua. P. congolana, Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. pp. lii. and lv. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory : Old Calabar, Rodd ! Lower Guinea. [French Congo, Brazzaville, Dybowski ; Kakomocka, Le- comte, South Central. Congo Free State: Monbuttu, Schweinfurth, 3622! The localities in Lower Guinea hang on the correct reduction of P. congolana, Hua, which has not been seen, It appears from an observation of Hua that his P. prionostachys had a hairy ovary, and was therefore not the present species which has the ovary quite glabrous as in P. thyrsiflora, to which it is very closely allied. Imperfectly known species, 11. P. bicolor, Masters in Gard. Chron. 1878, ix. 527; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan, iii. 134; Durand & Schinz, Consp. FI. Afr. v. 422; Hua in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xli. p. lv. Upper Guinea. Fernando Po, Originally described from a cultivated plant. This appears to have been one of the hemiscapose group ; the leaves only are described by Masters; and his description ‘may do for any one of the first 3 species above. Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). 33 3. COMMELINA. Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 847. Inflorescence of 2(—1) cymes included (or partly included) within a folded or funnel-shaped spathe. Sepals 3, concave, obtuse. Petals 3, whereof 2 are long-clawed, the third dorsal and shorter. Stamens 3-2 anterior perfect, 3-2 dorsal sterile with rudiments of the anthers. Ovary cells 2 anterior equal, 2-1 ovuled, dehiscent in fruit, the third dorsal 1-ovuled or empty or suppressed. Seeds 5-1 to the capsule; hilum linear, vertical.—Succulent weeds. Flowers fugitive, blue, white or yellow. The spathe is an ovate leaf-like bract, either simply folded flat with an acute (often curved) midrib (keel), or with the lower margin connate so as to form an oblique funnel, The lower cyme in each spathe has often only male flowers, and is. early caducous by an articulation or not rarely wanting ; the upper cyme has usually perfect flowers at the base, male at the top. ! Species 120, in all warm countries. The subgenus Didymoon below is well separated from Monoon—i.e., 1 know no case of the assigned character failing, The sectional groups pass, however, into each other. In Hu-Commelina the dorsal cell of the capsule is frequently sterile or nearly wanting ; while in Dissecocarpus there is frequently present a rudimentary dorsal cell which, in a few instances, has contained a small seed. So also, in Heterocarpus, though the 4 ovules of the 2 anterior cells nearly always fail to perfect seeds, in a few species the two upper ovules of these cells do produce seeds at least occasionally. The line between the sections Trithyrocarpus and Spathodithyros is (as Hua has shown) by no means absolute. The sections, nevertheless, appear to me to form fairly natural groups. In the description of the spathe it is supposed to be unfolded and viewed as a leaf flattened out. *“DipyMoon.—Ovnles 2 in each ventral cell of the ovary, 1 or 0 in the dorsal cell. t Eu-Commelina.—Capsule 3-celled, 2-valved; the dorsal valve deciduous with the included seed, but usually finally dehiscing. Seeds normally 5 to the capsule. {Spathe simply folded, the margins being free or only slightly connate at the very base. §Seeds reticulated; the margins of the subhexagonal cells raised and forming a continuous line round the depressed areoles ; corolla blue. Leaves elliptic to lanceolate, Leaves scattered ; spathes mostly peduncled . 1. C. nudiflora. Leaves close-packed ; spathes as though sessile on the leaf-sheaths . . ° . 2. C. Sabatieri. Leaves linear, Stems 5-10 ft. long ; seeds of the ventral cells Zin. long . : . : : . 3. C, scandens. Stems 1-2 ft. long; seeds of the ventral cells less than ;/, in. long. ° . 4. C. Gambia, §§Seeds pitted, obsenrely tubercled or wrinkled. Fertile stems hemiscapose, with 2 or 3 leafless sheaths . ‘ : : i : - §. C. scaposa. Fertile stems leafy. Leaves linear. Roots fibrous ; short-lived annuals. Leaves 2-3 in. long. . . . 6. C,subulata. Leaves up to 6—9 in, long. VOL. VIII. D 34 CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). [ Commelina. Seeds ovoid or ellipsoid. Spathes shaggy with multicellular hairs. 7. C. angustissima, Spathes glabrous, with ciliate mar- cis. . - . 9. C. violacea. Seeds nearly flat, 3-lobed . : 8. C. trilobosperina. Roots thick ; stems thicker, faidencd at the base. Spathes 3 in. long; leaves narrowly linear. Spathes shaggy, with a nearly straight tip 10: . C. purpurea. Spathes glabrate, with a deflexed tip . 11. C. nyasensis, Spathes 13 in. long; leaves long linear- lanceolate . 12. C. celestis. Leaves ovate 13. C. crassicaulis. §§§Seeds smooth : ; 14. C. Schweinfurthit. | {Spathe having its margins connate | near the base, so that the spathe is hooded or obliquely funnel- shaped. (See also 14, C. Schweinfurthii.) Peduncle of spathe hardly longer than the leat- sheath. Leaves triangular at the tip, not very acute. Spathes obliquely funnel-shaped 15. C. benghalensis. Spathes with the keel much curved 16. C. uncata. Leaves acuminate to an acute tip. Leaves lanceolate, glabrate 17. C. congesta. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, hairy c . 18. C. condensata, Peduncle of the spathe much longer than the leaf-sheath. Spathe hirsute ; seeds subglobose, smooth . . 19. C. zambesica. Spathe glabrous; seeds abies panes wrinkled. . . 20. C. boissieriana. ++ Heterocarpus.—Capsule B-celled, 2- sald the anal valve deciduous with thd included seed, indehiscent, the seed very ‘intimately attached to the pericarp. Ventral cells with 2 ovules in each cell; both usually withering (without pro- ducing a fertile seed) ; in a few species the capsule is frequently 3-seeded. Margins of spathe connate at the base ; capsule often 3-seeded ; corolla blue. : 21. Spathe simply folded, the margins free at the ‘pase ; corolla yellow, Leaves small, at most 1} in, long : . . 30. Leaves, or many of them, 13 in. long or more. Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate. Leaves nearly glabrous ; seeds ;4 in. long Leaves puberulous ; Leaves lanceolate or broader (elliptic or ovate). Mature leaves nearly glabrous. Spathes 1-2 in. long, acuminate . Spathes ? in. long, shortly acute . : Spathes up to 3 in. long, elongate-acuminate . 27. Mature leaves pubescent, Leaves lanceolate, Spathes 1-2 in. long . Spathes up to 23 in. long. . Leaves ovate, subcordate at the base . C. Forskalai. C. Mannii. . C. Kirkii. seeds din. long . +29: C. boehmiana. C. africana. . C. edulis. C. Buchanani. . C. krebsiana. . C. involucrosa, . C. cordifolia, Vommeline. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). 35 ttt Dissecocarpus.—Capsule normally perfecting 4 seeds, in the two ventral cells ; the dorsal cell quite rudimentary or absent, only by accident perfecting a seed. Capsule quadrate or oblong, usually constricted between the seeds which are prominent as 4 knobs or elevations from without. {Spathes scattered. Seeds smooth or wrinkled or pitted. Capsule longer than broad; seeds _ cylindvic- ellipsoid. Spathe ovate, very broad at the base, Spathes 3—# in. long ; : : . 81. C. Kotschy. Spathes 1 in. long or more : : . 32. C. imberbis. Spathe elliptic-acuminate ; : : . 33. C. Petersii. Capsule nearly square ; seeds globose. Leaves oblong to ovate. Mature leaves glabrous or very nearly so. Upper leaves rounded, eared or cana at the base : c . B4. C. latifolia. Upper leaves cuneate at the base, ‘quasi: petioled . 5 : . 35. C. cuneata. Mature leaves hairy on both surfaces. Spathes 2 in. long, striate : . 86. C. spectabilis. Spathes 1 in. long, not striate, box n- ‘ purple. . 8%. C: Cecile. Leaves linear or lineage heentite: ona dilated at the very base. Margins of the spathe free at the base. Spathes 3—% in. long. Whole plant hairy. : : . 38. C. demissa. Nearly glabrous : : : . 39. C. madayascariea. Spathes 1 in. long or more. Plant nearly stemless ; : . 40. C. huillensis. Plant with a leafy stem. Scabrous or glabrate; seeds small, globose. . 41. C. Carsont. Shaggy; seeds ellipsoid, rather large . 42. C. Welwitschii. Margins of the spathe united at the base (very shortly so in C, subcucullata). Spathes very shortly united at the margin 48. C. subcucullata, Spathes unitedat the margin for}-}in, . 44. C. newrophylla. Seeds echinate . . . 45. C, echinosperma, | {Spathes approximated at the ends of the branches, apparently i in heads. Leaves sessile, oblique, unequal at the base. Flowers yellow (or white) : seeds large, cylindric 46. C. capitata. Flowers blue ; seeds small, subglobose . 47. C. rufociliata. Leaves with a long quasi-petiole . - . » 48. C, longicapsa. **Monoon.—Ovules 1 in each ventral cell of the ovary, 1 or 0 in the dorsal cell. } Trithyrocarpus. —Capsule with 3 similar 1-ovuled dehiscent cells, thin and papery when ripe. The third dorsal cell is frequently smaller and sometimes barren or wanting. Spathes solitary, none in clusters, Leaves linear. 5 : - “ . . 49. C. umbellata. Leaves elliptic . : : : ; : . 50. C, bracteosa. Leaves lanceolate ° . . 51. C. guineensis. Spathes (or most of them) approximated i in clusters. Leaves linear. 36 CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE. ) [ Commelina. Seeds #1 in. long, smooth . 52. C. aspera. Seeds } in. long, transversely wrinkled. . 53. C. mensensis. Leaves oblong or elliptic-lanceolate. Mature leaves hairy on both surfaces : . 54. C. firma. Mature leaves nearly glabrate : : 55. C. Vogelit. ++ Heteropyris.—Capsule of 3 1-seeded cells, 2-valved ; the dorsal cell indehiscent and tough, often rough. Spathes all scattered, peduncled. Leaves narrowly oblong : : : : - 56. C. Bainesii. Leaves broadly elliptic ‘ : : c . 57. C. lagosensis. Spathes several together at the ends of the branches. Petals {—% in. broad. Leaves narrowed at the base; spathes 2-4 on a branch. Spathes hooked ; seeds large ellipsoid. . . 58. C. albescens. Spathes slightly curved ; seeds small globose . 59. C. sphaerosperma. Leaves not narrowed at the base ; spathes 10-20 on a branch : : . 60. C. opulens. Petals ? in. broad : : : : : . 61. C. venusta. ++4Spathodithyros.—Ovary 2-celled ; cells 1-ovuled ; capsule 2-valved, 2-seeded. Leaves linear c A : : . - 62. C. Livingstont. Leaves elliptic or oblong. Seeds ellipsoid ; leaves ovate at the base < . 68. C. Zenkeri. Seeds globose ; leaves narrowed at the base. Leaves 2-4 in. long, oblong. c : - 64. C. ethiopica. Leaves up to 43 in. long, elliptic . : . 65. C. pyrrhoblepharis. Leaves 1 tolj in. long . : : : . 66. C. obscura. 1. C. nudiflora, Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. i. 41, ed. it. 61, not of Linn. Mant. Hairy or glabrate. Stems 1-2 ft. long, diffuse, decumbent at the base, often rooting at the nodes ; roots fibrous, not thick. Leaves 1-24 by 4-2 in., lanceolate, narrowed at the base, the quasi-petiole very short. Spathes scattered on peduncles 4-2 in. long, simply folded (the lower margins of the leaf free or hardly connate), ovate-lanceolate. Racemes in each spathe usually 2, the lower 1—3-flowered and rarely maturing a capsule, the upper with 3-8 flowers usually maturing 3-! capsules. Petals blue or nearly white, ovary with 2 ovules in each 0 the two anterior cells. Capsule normally 5-seeded, the dorsal 1-seeded cell dehiscing later or not at all. Seeds black, reticulated, the hexagonal areoles depressed, farinose—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 144 incl. var. /3 werneana, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 8; Schoen]. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. iv. 64;. Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Aft. v. 427, and Etudes Fl. Congo i. 269; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 369; Durand & Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soe. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87, and in Bull. Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvii. 128; K. Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 134; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 119; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 74. C. agraria, Kunth, Enum. iv. 38; Webb & Berth. Iles Canaries, Phyt. iii. 356, t. 238; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 541. communis, Walter, Fl. Carol. 68; Kunth, Enum. iv. 36 excl. sy.) C. B. Clarke, Commel. et Cyrt. Beng. t. 1 excl. syn. C. africana ; Benth: in Hook Niger. Fl. 541, ef. note. (. werneana, Hassk. in Schweinf. Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 37 Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 206, 295. C. barbata? Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 76, not of Lam.—Pluk. Phytogr. t. 27, fig. 4, not Alm. p. 135. Nile Land. British East Africa: White Nile, Petherick! D’ Arnaud! Niamniam, Schweinfurth, 3739! 3797! Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone; Sugarloat Mountain, Welwitsch, 6625! 6625B ! and without precise locality, Don, 2! Vogel,11! Scott-Elliot, 3875! Hart ! Niger Territory : Opobo, Holland, 140! Old Calabar, Holland, 75! Robb! Came- roons : Cameroon Mountain, Mann, 2137 ! Batanga, Bates,18! Efulen, Bates, 268 ! and without precise locality, Preuss, 1320! Fernando Po, Vogel, 67! Lower Guinea. Island of St. Thomas, Moller,9a! Quintas,9! Don, 1! F1. Afr, Exsic. Herb. Conimbric. 112! Gaboon : Munda; Sibange Farm, Soyaux, 378 ! French Congo: Bramaya, Paroisse, 209 ; Nyanga River, Dybowski, 14; Brazzaville, Dybowski ; Njobe, Schwebisch and Thollon. Loango,.Soyaux, 16! Congo Free State: Lower Congo; Bingila, Dupuis! Kisantu, Gillet! Lukungu, 1000-2000 it., Hens, ser, A, 247! and without precise locality, Smith! Boma, Monteiro! Angola: north of Ambriz, Welwitsch, 6612! between Ambriz and Mosul, Welwitsch, 6623 ! by the River Bengo, near San Antonio, Welwitsch, 6617! by the larger lake of Quilunda, near Prate, Welwitsch, 6619! Golungo Alto; near Canguerasange and Zengas do Queta, Welwitsch, 6609! by the River Quiapoze, and at Varzea d’Isidre, Welwitsch, 6608 ! Sange, Welwitsch, 6606! Mossamedes; by the River Bero, Welwitsch, 6580! by the River Cuanza, Johnston ! South Central. Congo Free State: Mpala, on Lake Tanganyika, De Beerst ! Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa? Lower Zambesi, Expedition Island, Kirk! British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Mount Sochi, Scott-Elliot, 8652 ! Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte ! In the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world—a weed, The typical C. xudiflora is a weak rambling plant with distant long-lanceolate leaves and acuminate spathes. OC. agraria, Kunth, is a shorter, neater plant with shorter (almost ovate) shortly acute leaves, and short spathes. C. werneana, Hassk., 18 a robust state with leaves up to 33 in. long, and long spathes. The Lower Guinea form, referred doubtfully by Rendle to C. darbata, may be a distinct species; it has the mature leaves densely hairy on both surfaces, the stem nearly concealed by the “pproximate hairy leaf-sheaths; but it has the capsule and seeds exactly of C. nudiflora, and must be closely allied to it. 2. C. Sabatieri, (’. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 146. Nearly glabrous. Root fibrous. Stems decumbent, nearly concealed by the leaf-sheaths. Leaves 1 by 4-1 in., elliptic-oblong, scarcely acute, Margins wavy, whitened, subsessile ; leaf-sheaths scarious, inflated, slightly hairy at the mouth. Spathes rather more than 4 in. long, Smnply folded, ovate, acute, nearly sessile, ie., the peduncle hardly exserted from the leaf-sheath. Capsule and seeds as of C. nudiflora.— Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 427. Nile Land. British East Africa : Sources of the White Nile, Sabatier ’ 3. ©. scandens, Welw. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 146. Robust, nearly glabrous. Stems 5-10 ft. long, little divided, with inter- nodes 3-4 in. long. Leaves 44 by } in., linear. Peduncles exserted 3-1 in., often from the lower leaf-sheaths. Spathes 1-2} in. long, Simply folded, ovate-lanceolate, long attenuate, rounded at the base. Petals deep blue. Capsule nearly } in. long; seeds more than 4 in. 38 CXLUI., COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). [ Commelina. long, cylindric-ellipsoid, reticulated—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. FI. Afr. v. 428; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 75. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; 3300 ft., on the banks of the River Cuanza, near Nbilla, Welwitsch, 6642. Mozamb. Dist. Lake Tanganyika, Cameron? Also from Madagascar. This almost surely belongs to the present group. There were 4 seeds in the two ventral cells ; the dorsal cell in the one capsule preserved is empty, as happens occa- sionally. 4, ©. Gambiz, (. 2B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 146. Thinly villous. Stems 20 in. long, much divided ; base decumbent, rooting at the nodes; roots fibrous. Leaves 2-3 by } in., linear. Spathes on peduncles exserted (—} in., numerous, solitary, 3 in. long, simply folded, ovate, shortly acuminate, rounded or rhomboid at the base. Flowers small, deep blue. Capsule usually 5-seeded; seeds of the ventral cells searcely ;, in. long, subglobose, strongly reticulated, the margins of the reticulations much raised, continuous.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. FI. Afr. v. 425. Upper Guinea. (iambia, Ingram! Senegambia, Heudelot, 577 ! This is the plant “ indicated” by Bentham (in Hook. Niger Fl. 542) as C. Fors- kalzi from Senegambia. The leaves and spathes resemble fairly well those of C. Forskala@i, Vahl; but the capsules and seeds are totally unlike. 5. C. scaposa, C. B. Clarke in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxviii- 220. Nearly glabrous. Leaves on sterile stem not seen. Fertile stems 8-12 in. long, simple, leafless, with 2 or 3 distant leaf-sheaths ; free point to the leaf-sheaths less than } in. long. Spathes solitary, on peduncles up to 2} in. long, simply folded, the margins hardly united at the base, $—2 in. long, ovate, shortly acuminate. Seeds normally 5 to the capsule, those in the ventral cells slightly pitted and tubercular. South Central. Congo Free State : Upper Marangu, De Beerst ! 6. C. subulata, Roth, Vov. Pi. Sp. 23. A nearly glabrous annual. Stems 6-15 in. long, weak, divided. Leaves 2 by 4-} in., linear. Spathes scattered, solitary, on a peduncle hardly exserted from the leaf-sheath, 4 in. long, ovate, shortly acute, simply folded, not striated by curved coloured parallel lines ; inflorescence little exserted from the spathe. Petals small, blue (see note below). Capsule 3-1 in, long, with normally 5 seeds. Seeds of the ventral cells (often strongly} wrinkled, as well as pitted subtuberculate.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 148, inel. var. 3; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 154; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 428 ; K. Schum in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 134 ; Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 429; C. B. Clarke in Dyer, FI. Cap. vii. 9. (. striata, Hochst. ex Kunth, Enum. iv. 44; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 207, 295. C. subawrantiaca, Hochst. ex Kunth, Enum. iv. 658 ; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 208, 295. C. linearifolia, Kunth, Enum. iv. 43. Mile Land. Kordofan: Abu Gerad, Kotschy, 59! and without precise locality, Kotschy, 341 Eritrea: Bogos, Hildebrandt, 370! Keren, Beccari, 172; Habab, Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). 39. 6000 ft., Hildebrandt, 368! Gallabat: region of Matamma, Schweinfurth, 531! Abyssinia : near Adowa, Schimper, 360! 5900 ft., Schimper, 45 ; Lotho, Schimper, 419! and without precise locality, Schimper, 574! British East Africa : Kast Ongalea Mountains at Kinani, 2200 ft., Gregory ! Upper Guinea. Bornu, Vogel, 53! Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa : Quilimane, Scott! British Central Africa : Nyasaland; Shire Highlands, Buchanan ! Also in South India, and Extratropical South Africa. The flowers in C. subulata, Roth, and C. striata, Kunth, are always blue as far as known. The name ©. subaurantiaca, Hochst., appears to have been given by Hochst. in the herbarium (not from any field note by the collector, Schimper) ; and Hasskar! suggests that it refers to the yellow colour of the dried plant, not to that of the flower, the colour of which is unknown in C. subaurantiaca. Var. 8 heterantha, C. B. Clarke. Petals yellow.—C. heterantha, Welw. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan, iii, 148 ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 75. : Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo ; on sandy rocks of the Presidium, Welwitsch, 6333 partly! meadows near Condo, Welwitsch, 66338! Mossamedes, Welwitsch, 6587! Huilla, 3800-5500 ft. ; on the banks of the River Ema, among crops, Welwitsch, 6588! near Lopollo, Welwitsch, 6589! Welwitsch has carefully noted the colour of the flower in all these numbers—as “yellow,” “light yellow,” or “ brownish-yellow.” Except, however, in the colour of the flower, I can discover no difference between this plant and typical C, subulata, Roth. 7. CG. angustissima, K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 134. Annual. Stems slender, 16 in. high. Leaves 7 by } in., very narrowly linear. Spathes solitary, less than } in. long, villous. Flowers deep blue ; otherwise as C. swbulata, Roth. ‘ Mozamb. Dist, German East Africa : Usinja ; Karumo district, Stuhlmann, 564. No example seen ; but the three subjoined plants agree with the description in the long linear leaves, and small spathes shaggy with white multicellular hairs. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo ; on sandy rocks of the Presidium, 2400-3800 ft., Welwitsch, 6633 partly ! Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa : Kesokwe, Hannington ! in wet ground on the edges of streams at Tabora (Kaseh), 3960 ft., Speke & Grant ! 8. C. trilobosperma, XK. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 134. Probably annual. Stems 1 ft. high, slender. Leaves up to 5 by } in., elongate-lanceolate. Spathes less than } in. long, glabrous. Flowers blue. Seeds trigonous, nearly flat, conspicuously 3-lobed. Very near C. subulata, Roth, but excellently separated by the 3-lobed seeds. ‘ oe Dist. German East Africa: Usinja ; Karumo district, Stuhlmann, 566. ' Not seen ; the above abstracted from K. Schumann. The seeds described would Separate the species excellently from any other species of Commelina , it is difficult to imagine how they would pack into the 5-seeded 3-celled capsule of the Sect. Hu- Commelina, 9. ©. violacea, (. B. Clarke. A nearly glabrous erect annual growing in water. Stems 15 in. long, little divided, with long inten - nodes. Leaves 9by tin. Spathes few, solitary, nearly } in. long, op peduncles scarcely exserted from the leaf-sheath, ovate-lanceolate, glabrous with ciliate margins, slightly striated by curved purplish 40) CXLIII, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). [ Commelina. veins. Flowers hardly exserted from the spathes, violet (Schinz). Capsule + in. long, 5-seeded; seeds strongly tubercled, deeply wrinkled. Lower Guinea. Amboland ; in marshy places at Olukonda, Schinz, 21! 33! The flowers are violet in the tinely preserved specimens. 10. C, purpurea, C. B. Clarke ex Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx, 429. Nearly glabrous, except the spathes. Stems 15 in. high, with long internodes; base erect, thickened, almost woody ; roots 7 in. long, thick. Leaves 9 by } in. Spathes few, scattered, on peduncles exserted 0-1 in., simply folded, } in. long, ovate, acute with the tip nearly straight, some shaggy, some only slightly hairy, striated by chocolate-coloured parallel nerves. Racemes exserted from the spathes. Flowers chocolate-colour (Speke d: Grant). Capsule 5-seeded ; seeds moderately pitted.—C. nigritana, Baker in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 163, not of Benth. C. subulata, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 148 partly, not of Roth. Commelina, sp. n. 2,T. Thoms. in Speke, Nile, Append. 650. Nile Land. British East Africa: between Ndoro and Guaso Thegu, Gregory. Mozamb. Dist. (ierman East Africa: Unyamwezi district, by water, 3600 ft., Speke & Grant! In the dry examples, the spathes are very strongly striated by chocolate-coloured nerves, the petals are a deep purple, In the colours noted in the field of the flowers in this Order, a question often arises whether the petals, the anthers, or the spathes have caught the eye of the collector. 11, C.nyasensis, (’. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Stems 12-20 in. long, much divided, rather slender, with very long internodes up to 6-8 in. long; base of the stem (imperfectly preserved) appears similar to that of C. purpurea. Leaves 6 by } in., narrowly linear. Spathes scattered on axillary branches, approximate, sometimes many in dense clusters, less than } in. long, simply folded, broadly ovate, with a very short acute deflexed tip, striated by coloured veins (blue to chocolate in the dried plants), which are very prominent or nearly disappear in spathes on the same stem. Capsule 5-seeded ; seeds moderately wrinkled or pitted. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Tanganyika Plateau, at Fort Hill, 3500-4000 ft., Whyte! Monganja Highlands, 4000 ft., Kirk ! 12. C. ceelestis, Willd. Enum. Hort. Berol. i. 69. Minutely hairy. Stems 1-2 ft. high, erect at the base; roots thick, often clavate at the ends. Leaves 5 by 4-} in. Peduncles scattered, 1-1} in. long. Spathes 1} in. long, ovate-lanceolate, simply folded, often purplish or striate. Flowers blue, much exserted from the spathe. Capsule 5- seeded; seeds deeply pitted—cC. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 153; efr. Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 369. Nile Land. British East Africa : Machakos, Scott-Elliot, 6387! Mozamb. Dist. British Centra) Africa: Urungu; Fwambo, Carson, 35 between Lake Nyasa and Lake Tanganyika, 6000-8000 ft., Thomson ! Indigenous in Mexico. This plant is disposed to establish itself in various parts of the world. Commelina. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). 41 13. C. crassicaulis, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 149. Nearly glabrous ; margins of the leaves and spathes ciliate. Stem 6 in. long, erect from a bulb. Leaves 3 by 1} in., sessile, ovate-lanceolate, subcordate at the base. Peduncles 2 in. long, rigid. Spathes 1} in. long, simply folded, ovate-lanceolate, striated, cordate at the base. Cap- sule 5-seeded ; seeds {—} in. long, deeply wrinkled—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 425. Lower Guinea. Angola: near Guingongue, Herb. Paris.’ 14. C. Schweinfurthii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 158, Nearly glabrous, except the spathes. Stems 15 in. long, divided, with very long internodes, the base not well shown in the specimens, but similar to that of C. purpurea. Leaves up to7 by 3-4 in., elongate, linear-lanceolate. Peduncles }—2 in. long, scattered. Spathes ?—1 in. long, very broadly ovate, shortly acuminate, not striate with coloured veins, shaggy or nearly glabrate ; the two margins of the spathe shortly connate at the base. Capsule normally 5-seeded, but the ventral cells contain sometimes 1 seed only (the lower ovule having proved infertile); seeds subglobose, smooth.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 428; K. Schum, in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 134. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: on a rocky hill, 3 miles south of Falaba, Scott- Elliot, 5164 ! Nile Land. British East Africa: Jur ; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 2022! Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Unyamwezi; Kakoma (ex K. Schumann). 15. ©. benghalensis, Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. i. 41, ed. ii. 60, ewel. fig. Pluk. cited. A diffuse, more or less hairy annual, rooting at the base, 1-24 ft. long, much branched. Near the base are often present branches that grow underground, or stolons, on which reduced leaves and spathes, with apetalous often closed flowers, and abnormal usually 1—2-seeded capsules are formed plentifully—even where the perfect regular cap- sules are also present on the upper branches. Leaves 1-3} in. long, ovate-elliptic, shortly triangular or subobtuse at the tip, suddenly nar- rowed at the base into a quasi-petiole. Spathes on peduncles hardly exserted from the leaf-sheaths, often a few near together near the tips of the branches, }—? in. long and broad, obliquely funnel-shaped, i.e., the lower margins of the spathe connate for }-} in. Petals blue. Cap- sule 4 in. long, 5-seeded ; seeds rough or wrinkled.—Forskh. Fl. Aigypt.- Arab. 12 partly ; Kunth, Enum. iv. 50; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 541 ; Hassk. Commel. Ind. 28, 29; Wight, Ic. t. 2065; C. B. Clarke, Com- mel. et Cyrt. Beng. t. 4, DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 159, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 9; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 370; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 209, 295, incl. var. 8 longepetiolata; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. 424; Durand & Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87, and in Bull. Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvii. 128; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 134; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii, 76; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 53 (var. y). C. cucul- data, Linn. Mant. 176. C. canescens, Vahl, Enum. ii. 173; Webb & Berth. Iles Canaries, Phyt. iii. 358, t. 239. C. procurrens, Schlecht. 42 CXLIII. COMMELINACES, (CLARKE). [| Commelina. in Linnea, xxiv. 656, xxv. 183; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 209, 295. (C. latifolia, Hochst. in Schimper, Exsice. 341, not of A. Rich. C. rhizocarpa, Afzel., C. radiciflora, R. Br. and C. vivipara, Ritchie ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 159-160; cfr. Wein- mann in Flora, 1820, 733. Upper Guinea. Cape Verd Isles, Cardoso, 61! Hooker, 101! Sierra Leone: near Wallia, Scott-Elliot, 4250! Lagos, Millen, 31! Niger Territory : Lower Niger, Stirling Hill, Anse//! Cameroons: Yaunde, Zen/-er & Staudt, 344 ! Mile Land. Nubia: Soturba Mountains, Schweinfurth, 5833! Hor Samanib, near Suakin, Lord / Eritrea: Damas Valley, 1600 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1180! Mogod Valley, 4500 ft., Schweinfurth § Riva, 1607! Galabat; region of Matamma, Schweinfurth, 530! Abyssinia: Tigre ; Sholoda Mountain, near Adowa, 6700 ft... Schimper, 341! Shoa ; Alia Amba, near Ankober, Ro/h! Somaliland: Golis Range, Mrs, Lort-Phillips! Shaile (? Sheikh) Pass, Miss Edith Cole! British East Africa: Uganda ; near Kampala, Scott-Hiliot, 7268! Nyika country, near Mombasa, Wakefield ! Lower Guinea. [French Congo: Loango, Soyaur, 102! Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis! Angola: Loanda, Welwitsch, 6621! Cazengo, Welwitsch, 6611 ! Golungo Alto ; near Bango, Welwitsch, 6598! Pungo Andongo; in thickets on the huge rocks of the Presidium, 2400-3800 ft., Welwitsch, 6646! Huilla ; Morrode Monino, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6582! South Central. Congo Free State: M’towa, on Lake Tanganyika, Descamps ! Mozamb, Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi; Hill of Tette, Kirk! British Central Africa: Ngamiland ; Kwebe, near Lake Ngami, 3300 ft., Lugard, 243! Mrs. Lugard, 148! Zambesi Valley ; Shesheke, Holub! Matabele- land, Elliott ! Very common through the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. Usually recognised by the broad-elliptic leaves subobtuse at either end and the funnel-shaped spathes. The leaves are usually hairy, sometimes glabrate (though in that case often rufous-ciliate at the top of the leaf-sheath). Neither in this nor in other species of Commelina do I find either the quantity or the colour of the hairs constant. Various other species of Commelina are similarly amphicarpic. The example of Schweinfurth, 1607, at Kew, distributed as C. beccariana, Mart., is C. benghalensis, Linn, with a piece of C. Petersii mixed with it. But C. beccariana is described as having a yellow flower, so that it is not C. benghalensis. Var. 8 hirsuta, C. B, Clarke in DC, Monogr. Phan. iii. 160. Leaves longer and more hairy, sometimes very villous with brown or rufous bairs.—Martelli, Fl. Bogos. 87; Schweinf, in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 53; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 76. C. hirsuta, R. Br. in Salt, Abyss. Append. 63; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. C. kilimandscharica, K. Schum. in Engl. Pil. Ost-Afr. C. 134. C, latifolia, Hochst., partly, not of A. Rich. as see DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 160. Upper Guinea. Togoland: Misahéhe, Pawmann, 403! Wile Land. Abyssinia, Parkyns ! Lower Guinea. Angola: Loanda ; in thickets at Alto das Cruzes, Welwitsch, 6622 ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Goodwin! German Kast Africa : Kilimanjaro ; Marangu, 4900 ft., Voikens, 2254! British Central Africa: Nyasaland, Buchanan, 464! This variety is also common in India. Schweinfurth gives many localities for this variety in Eritrea; the numbers, how- ever, he cites (so far as I have seen them) I should rather call typical C. benghalensis, Linn. ; but no line can be drawn between the species and the Var. 8 hirsuta. 16. C. uncata, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 169. Spathe having its midrib (keel) strongly curved. Capsule 4 in. long, some- Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEA (CLARKE). 3 times perfecting 5 seeds ; dorsal cell indehiscent or dehiscing very late ; seeds larger than those of C. benghalensis, wrinkled, obscurely reticulate; otherwise as C’. benghalensis—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 42%. C. latifolia, Hochst. in Schimper, Exsicc. 2269. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Agow Country ; mountains near Gageros, 4000 ft., Schimper, 2269! Gursarfa, Schimper, 1499! The affinity of this species with C. benghalensis is so close that it might be treated as a variety of it. 17. C. congesta, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 160. Robust, nearly glabrous. Leaves 4} by 14 in., lanceolate, acuminate to an acute tip. Spathes several close together near the end of the branches, more than ? in. long, glabrate ; peduncles less than } in. long. Capsules generally 3-seeded, the two lower ovules of the ventral cells not producing seeds. Seeds ellipsoid, smooth, dusky. Flowers white (Soyaux).—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 424. C. Heudelotii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 184; Durand & Schinz, Con- spect. Fl. Afr. v. 425. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot, 788! Lower Guinea. Loango: near Chinchocho, Soyauz, 47 ! Soyaux, 47, is the type above described. The example of Heudelot, which is imperfect, shows the spathes less approximate, the lower peduncled, and may not be the same plant. But the capsule and seeds are the same. 18. ©. condensata, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 190. Branches seen 9 in. long, undivided except at the tip, glabrate; internodes 1-2 in.long. Leaves 3 by 1-1} in., elliptic-lanceolate, acute, when mature inconspicuously hairy on hoth surfaces, at the base broadly cuneate, unequal, sessile; leaf-sheaths with long loose hairs. Spathes in a terminal head, 4 in. long, obliquely funnel-shaped, nearly glabrous. Capsule exceeding } in. long; each ventral cell with one seed in the upper part; the dorsal cell with one seed, dehiscent. Seeds of the ventral cells ;', in. long, ellipsoid, smooth, brown.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 424. Upper Guinea. Fernando Po, Mann, 91 partly! The capsule has only 3 seeds, but I believe it was 5-ovuled ; I have therefore ryt its place. It is so near C. congesta that it may prove to be only a variety of it. 19. ©. zambesica, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 161. Robust, more or less hairy, Leaves 5} by 1} in., narrowly elliptic, lanceolate, and acute at the tip, narrowed at the base. Peduncles solitary, mostly longer than the leaf-sheaths; uppermost leaves geme- rally reduced, the uppermost sheath frequently without a blade. Spathes 7-1 in. long, very broadly ovate, scarcely acuminate, hispid, not striated by coloured nerves; the margins connate at the base for {—j in. Petals blue. Capsule rather more than } in. long; normally 5-seeded; ventral face appears quadrate with 4 knobs ; seeds subglobose, obscurely tetra- hedral, nearly smooth.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 429. 44 CXLIII, COMMELINACE& (CLARKE). [ Commelina. C. communis, Baker in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 163. C. sambesiaca, K, Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Commelina sp, n. 1, T. Thoms. in Speke, Nile, Append. 650. Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Speke §& Grant! German East Africa : Rovuama, River, Kirk! Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi ; opposite Sena, Kirk / banks of the River Shire, near Morambala Mountain, Kirk! Shupanga, Kirk ! Zambesi Delta; mouth of the Kongoni River, Kirk! British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Plains of Zomba, 2500-3500 ft., Whyte! Lake Nyasa, Simons ! The leaves are used as spinach according to Speke & Grant. 20. CG. boissieriana, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 161. Nearly glabrous. Leaves 3} by } in., lanceolate, sessile. Peduncles scattered,exserted } in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes 1 in. long, broadly ovate, acute, thinly hairy, margins connate at the base. Petals blue. Capsule } in. long, broadly oblong, obtuse, soon 3-valved; seed of the dorsal valve smooth; seeds of the ventral cells unknown.—Schweinf. in Bull. Instit. Egypt. 1887, 329 (36 in reprint); Aschers. & Schweinf. nm Mém. Instit. Egypt. ii. 776 (154 in reprint); Durand & Schinz, Con- spect. Fl. Afr. v. 424; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 53. Nile Land. Eritrea: Geleb, 5000 ft., Schweinfurth, 117. Ginda, 3300 ft., Schweinfurth, 437. Keren, Steudner, 1481, 1483. Abyssinia, Gaillardet, 297 ! Also in Extratropical Egypt. This species was founded on Gaillardet, 297, in which the capsule was imperfect ; and it is very possibly the same plant as C. Schinzii described below. 21. C. Porskaleei, Vahi, Enum. ii. 172. Glabrous, grey-puberu- lous or pubescent. Stems 8-24 in. long, much branched, weak rooting from the lower nodes. Leaves up to 2 by # in., oblong or scarcely elliptic, tips usually obtuse, never acuminate, margins often wavy. Peduncles scattered, exserted 4-4 in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes attaining $—% in. long, obliquely funnel-shaped, glabrate or sparsely hispid. Petals blue. Capsule small, 3—1-seeded ; dorsal cell scabrous, subindehiscent, 1—seeded ; ventral cells of the ovary 2-ovuled, 0—1-seeded ; seeds of the ventral cells small, subglobose, smooth.—Kunth, Enum. iv. 49; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 542 in obs.; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 208, 295; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 168 incl. all vars. ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v.425; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 371; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 56; K. Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 135; Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 430, and in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw.77. C. falcata, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mozamb. Bot. 527. C. Kotschyi, K. Schum. in Eng]. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135, not of Hassk. Upper Guinea. Cape Verd Isles, Cardoso, 253! Senegal, Roger, 93! Perrottet, 766! Senegambia, Heudelot, 276! Leprieur ! Bornu, Vogel, 67! Niger Territory : Nupe, Barter, 1477! Nile Land. Nubia: Wady Erkowit, near Suakin, Schweinfurth, 286! coast to between 3000 and 4000 ft., Bent! Kordofan: Bir Sodari, Pfund, 188! Gebel Kurbag, Pfund, 357! 795! Obeyad, Pfund, 367! on plains, Kotschy, 34! Arashkol Mountain, Kofschy, 105! Eritrea: Mount Ghedem, near Massowa, Schweinfurth Sf Riva, 113! Otoumbo, near Massowa, Schweinfurth § Riva, 196! near Saati, Schweinfurth § Riva, 338! Gulabat: region of Matamma, Schweinfurth, 532! Commelina. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEE# (CLARKE). 45 Abyssinia: near Schumdalake, 4000 ft., Schimper, 380! Somaliland, Mrs, Lort- Phillips! Donaldson Smith! British East Africa: Nyika country near Mombasa, Wakefield ! Witu, Thomas, 2038 ! Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; in damp meadows by the River Cuanza, near Nbilla, Welwitsch, 6634! Damaraland, Een ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Hildebrandt, 1053! Kirk! German East Africa : Tanga, Holst, 2078! Portuguese East Africa : Zambesi Delta ; mouth of the River Kongoni, Kirk ! Lower Zambesi ; between Lupata and Tete, Kirk! British Central Africa: Rhodesia ; Zambesi Valley, at Shesheke, Holub! Ngamiland: Kwebe, near Lake Ngami, Lugard, 1386! Mrs. Lugard, 147! Matabeleland, Elliott ! Also in Arabia, Socotra, Mascarenia, Southern India. In this species, as in C. benghalensis, stolons or basal almost leafless branches carry abnormal, often apetalous, flowers, and produce capsules usually abnormal, often 1-seeded. 22. C. africana, Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. i. 41, ed. ii. 60. Nearly glabrous. Stems 1—3 ft. long, rambling, much divided, almost woody at the very base, with thick roots. Leaves 3 by } in., or much smaller, oblong, nearly sessile, usually obtuse at the base, often with rusty hairs at the mouth of the sheath. Spathes scattered, on peduncles exserted 4-3 in., varying in length (in one example) from }—2}in., simply folded, ovate, commonly triangular at the top, sometimes acuminate or rarely caudate- attenuate, glabrous or nearly so with white margins. Petals yellow. Filaments often } in. long. Ovary 5-ovuled. Capsule nearly always 1-seeded, i.e., the dorsal cell falls off apparently quite indehiscent, while the four ovules in the two ventral cells (after swelling somewhat) remain infertile ; occasionally the upper ovule in each ventral cell produces a perfect cylindric-ellipsoid reticulated seed.—Gertn. Fruct. i. 50, t.15, fig. 1; Lam. Encyel. ii. 67, Ill. t. 35; Schmidel, Ic. i. 113, t. 30; Red. Lil. t. 207; Gawler in Bot. Mag. t. 1431; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 164, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 9 ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr.v. 422 ; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl.Ost-Afr.C. 135 ; Rendle in Journ.. Linn. Soc, xxx. 429, and in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot.iv. 52; Huain Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 119. (C. angolensis, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 167 ; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 155; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 423; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 77. C. involuerosa, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 165 partly. C. Elliotii, C. B. Clarke & Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 98. Hedwigia africana, Medicus in Roem. & Usteri, Mag. x. 124. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: between Kahreni and Port Lokko, Scott- Elliot, 5749! Wile Land. | Habab, 6000 ft., Hildebrandt, 368! Eritrea: Saganeiti, 6800— 7000 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1701! Abyssinia: Samen; Shoata, Schimper, 590! Shoa, Petit! British East Africa : Niamniam : by the River Nabambisso, Schwein- furth, 3739! and Makporru Hill, Schweinfurth, 3797! British East Africa: Leikipia ; Njoro Larabwal, Gregory ! Machakos, 5000-6000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 6388 ! Lower Guinea. French Congo: Bramaya, Paroisse, 196. Angola: Huilla, 3500-5800 ft. ; near Lopollo, Welwitsch, 6581! Monino, Welwitsch, 6583! Morro de Lopollo, Welwitsch, 6593! Pungo Andongo; Sobato Cabanga, Welwitsch, 6626 ! German South-west Africa : Upingtonia ; Ovambate, Schinz, 28! 46 CXLIIL. COMMELINACEZ (CLARKE). [| Commelina. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro; at Marangu, 5000—- 5500 ft., Volkens, 1244! 2324! British Central Africa: Urungu; Fwambo, Carson, 25! Kambole, South-west of Lake Tanganyika, 5000 ft.; Nutt! Nyasaland ; marshy promontory of Lake Shirwa (Chilwa), Weller! Zomba Rock, Whyte! Mount Sochi, Scott-Elliot, 8525! Mount Mlanji, Whyte ! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 338! Ngamiland: edge of the rivers near Lake Ngami, McCabe, 24! along the River Chobe, McCabe, 47 ! Frequent also in the Mascarene Islands and Extratropical South Africa, This is a very common species; and the plentiful material shows that, on the same plant, the length and acumination of the spathe varies excessively, and that the leaves vary considerably from oblong to elliptic-oblong. Where there is no fruit and the colour of the flowers is not noted, I have (in general) not cited the example in the foregoing geography. The plant is frequent in Abyssinia, and Schweinfurth gives many localities which are not copied here, though I do not doubt that his numbers are either C. africana, or one of the species following (C. edulis, C. involu- -crosa), which I am not sure to differ. In C. Elliotii, the capsule is noted to be 5-seeded, but the plant is otherwise very exactly C. africaxa, in which there are always 5 ovules. As to Schimper, 590, it is larger than C. africana usually is in leaf, spathe, and capsule, and it may be A. Richard’s C. involucrosa, but, if so, I -fear C. involucrosa, A. Rich., is not distinct from C. africana. 23. C. edulis, 4. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss.ti. 341, Leaves elliptic, not Janceolate ; stems and sheaths marked by a longitudinal line of hairs ; three interior sepals heart-shaped and equal ; otherwise as C’. africana.— ‘Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. ili. 165; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr.v. 425; Engl. Hochgebirgsfi. ‘Trop. Afr. 155. C. beccariana, Martelli, Fl. Bogos. 87; Sehweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 54. Nile Land. Eritrea: Mogod Valley, 4500 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1608! Abyssinia: Tigre ; Mount Sholoda, near Adowa, 67060 ft., Schimper, 60! Wojerat district, Petit ; Shoa, Petit ! The above is condensed from A. Richard’s description. The only part of the dif- ferences alleged that appears distinctive is the broader !eaves. The specimen of C. edulis in herb. Kew. from herb. Franqueville (believed to be a piece of A. Richard’s type) agrees very well with the description ; the upper leaves are 13 by 2 in., more elliptic than as in C, africana. The spathe in this type specimen is less than 3 in. long, not acuminate, but hardly differs from some spathes to be found in C. africana. This type shows no capsule; but it is either closely allied to C. africana, or to be united therewith. Buchanan, 6360, from Nyasaland, and Scott-Elliot, 8525, from the Shire Highlands, have the leaves elliptic at the base, but they do not match C. edulis, and are rather forms of C. africana. 24, C. involucrosa, A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 342. Very large. Leaves sheathing at the base, sessile, lanceolate, acute, pubescent and ciliate when young. Spathes 2-24 in. long, long-peduncled, simply folded, hairy ciliate on the margin.—Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 2955 C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 165 (excl. Schweinf. 590) ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F). Afr. v. 425. Wile Land. Abyssinia: Tigre; Tchelalchekenneh, Quartin-Dillon. No type of this has been seen ; the above is condensed from A. Richard, who was “ disposed to believe the flowers yellow.” Assuming the flowers yellow, and noting the large size of the plant, A. Richard’s C. involucrosa was probably the plant of Commelina. | CXLIII, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). 47 ‘C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. l.c.—i.e., Lord’s plant from Hor Tamanib, near Suakin ; in this: Leaves up to 5 by lin. Peduncles 1 in. long, stout, pubescent. Spathes 23 in. long, pubescent. 25. C. krebsiana, Kunth, Hnuwm. iv. 40. Leaves hairy on both surfaces when mature ; otherwise as C’. africana.—C. B. Clarke in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 10. C. africana, var. krebsiana, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 164; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 154 ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 423; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 76. C’. karooica, var. Barberw, Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 119 2 Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Yaunde, Zenker, 1499! Nile Land. Eritrea: Habab, 6000 ft., Hildebrandt, 367! British East Africa : White Nile, at the mouth of the Bahr el Gebel, Schweinfurth, 1132! Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; in thickets between Catete and Quilanga, Welwitsch, 6635! and between Pungo Andongo and the River Cuanza, Welwitsch, 6640! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Niomkolo Island, in Lake Tangan- yika, Carson! Matabeleland, Elliott ! Gold-tields, Baines ! Also in Extratropical South Africa. The plant of Baines is hispid, and altogether like the C. krebsiana of the Kalahari. The leaves in Schweinfurth, 1132, are softer with shorter denser hair, and may indicate an additional species. Var. 8 villosior, C. B. Clarke in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 10. Leaves elliptic, 2 by ? in. Whole plant softly hairy, not hispid C. dardata, var. B villosior, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 167, not of Lam, ; Hua in Bull. Mns. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 119. C. africana, var. polyclada, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 165; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 76. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla ; in cultivated fields near Lopollo, Welwitsch, 6581! Mozamb. Dist. Rhodesia: Leshumo Valley, south of the Zambesi, Holub ! Frequent in Extratropical South Africa. 26. ©. cordifolia, 4. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 341. Leaves oval- oblong acute, sessile, sub cordate at the base, with soft hairs on both sur- faces. Peduncles exceeding 14 in. inlength ; spathes very large, cordate- oblong, acute, simply folded, hairy, ciliate on the margins. Flowers yellow.—Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii 165; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 425; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Wile Land. Abyssinia: Tigre; Adowa, Quartin-Dillon. Somaliland, Mrs. Lort-Phillips ! Mozamb. Dist. (erman East Africa : Usagara (ex K. Schumann). No authentic example has been seen ; the description above is condensed from A. Richard, from which there can be little doubt that Mrs. Lort-Phillips’ plant belongs to the species; in this: Leaves 3 by 13 in., distinctly cordate at the base. Peduncles exceeding 2 in. long, hairy. Spathe 1-1} in. long, 14 in. broad. Capsule perfecting 1 seed in an indehiscent deciduous cell. This is a strongly marked species. —K, Schumann’s may have been C, Buchanani (the following species). 27. ©. Buchanani, (’. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Straggling, the internodes up to 4—6 in. long. Leaves 4 by ?~1 in., elliptic-lanceolate, 48 CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). [ Commelina. acute, suddenly contracted at the base. Peduncles scattered, 1—2 in. long. Spathes up to 3 in. long, ovate-lanceolate, long-attenuate, very nearly glabrous; margins free at the base. Flowers large, “ pale yellow ” (L. Scott), some long exserted from the spathe ; in the dried examples 2 petals yellow, the third smaller and brownish. Filaments } in. long. Capsule of the section Heterocarpus. Wile Land. British East Africa: Ukamba; Kitui, Hildebrandt, 2643! Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, Taylor ! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Blantyre, Scott ! Shire Highlands, Buchanan, 285! This differs from all the species of the C. africana group (except C. invoiucrosa) by its large spathes; it is too glabrous to be put with C. involucrosa, nor does the leaf-base match. 28. C. Kirkii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 167. Nearly glabrous. Stems 15 in. long, with internodes 2-3 in, long. Leaves 4-6 by }-} in., linear or scarcely linear-lanceolate. Peduncles 4-1} in. long towards the ends of the branches. Spathes 13-24 in. long, lanceo- late long-attenuate; margins free at the base. Flowers yellow, some much exserted from the spathe. Capsule (though not seen well ripened) of the section Heterocarpus.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426; K.Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Moramballa Mountain, 1000-3000 ft., Kirk! British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Ndirandi Mountain, near Blantyre, Scott-Elliot, 8498! Shire Valley, Waller ! Also in Mauritius. 29, ©. boehmiana, A. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Stems 12-14 in. long, pubescent at the top. Leaves upto 4 by # in., elongate- lanceolate, puberulous on both faces. Spathes cordate, acuminate, not ora ea (i.e., margins at the base free). Seeds { in. long, pitted, lack. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Unyamwezi ; Gonda (Igonda), Boeh:n, 12. K. Schumann does not mention the colour of the flowers nor describe the capsule ; but he says the species is close to C. Kirkii, from which it is supposed the flowers are yellow, the dorsal cell of the capsule indehiscent and 1l-seeded. If these things are not so, the species may belong to some different section of the genus. 30. ©. Mannii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 167. Very sparingly hairy. Stems up to 12 in. long, weak; internodes up to 2 in. long. Leaves up to 14 by 3 in. (mostly smaller), elliptic, tip triangular and subobtuse. Peduncles few, near the tops of the branches, scarcely $ in. longer than the leaf-sheaths. Spathes } in. long, ovate, not acuminate; margins free at the base. Capsule small ; in each ventral cell 1 reticulated seed; in the dorsal indehiscent cell 1 seed closely sticking to the cell-wall——kEngl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 155; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426. : . ss Commelina sp.; Hook. f. in Journ. Linn. Soc. vii. 223. Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). 49 Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Cameroon Mountain, 7000 ft., Mann, 2136! Var. 8 Lyallii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 168. Rather stouter, Peduncles a little longer. Seeds slightly pitted, not distinctly reticulated.—C. am- plexicaulis, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 203, 295; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 423? C. edulis, A. Rich., forsan var. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 165. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Samen ; Kabere, 10,000 ft., Schimper, 573! Ankober, Roth, 175! and without precise locality, Plowden ! Also in Madagascar. 31. C. Kotschyi, Hussk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 207, 295. Nearly glabrous. Leaves 21 by 2 in., subsessile, very little narrowed at the base; margins often crenulated. Spathes 2 (or 3-1) near the ends of the branches, exserted scarcely 4 in. from the leaf-sheaths, 2-3 in. long, very broadly ovate, obtuse or with a very short point (not acuminate) ; margins free or very shortly and obscurely connate at the base. Petals intensely blue (Welwitsch). Capsule more than } in. long, quadrate-oblong, constricted in the middle, flat; the dorsal-cell absent, or rudimentary, or small and 1-seeded. Seeds } in. long or rather more, cylindric-ellipsoid, smooth, brown.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr, Phan. iii. 173; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426; K. Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 135, partly ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 77. CO. Forskailii, Hochst. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 173. Dissecocarpus Kotschyi, Hassk. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 173. Nile Land. Kordofan, Kotschy, 34! Lower Guinea. Angola: Barra do Bengo; between Teba and Cacuaco, Welwitsch, 6624! Loanda; near Quicuxe, Welwitsch, 6614! in the dense thickets of Alto das Cruzes, Welwitsch, 6620 ! 32. C. imberbis, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 209, 295. Nearly glabrous, even to the mouths of the leaf-sheaths. Stems 1-2 ft. high, suberect at the base, with internodes 2-3 in. long; roots long, rather thick. Leaves 5 in. long, varying from 14-} in. in breadth, from ovate-lanceolate to narrow-lanceolate; the upper sessile dilated (often rounder or auricled) at the base. Peduncles few, Scattered, exserted 4-1} in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes 1-1} by 1} in., very broadly ovate, triangular acute at the tip, green, nearly glabrous, not conspicuously nerved; margins free, or very nearly so. Corolla blue. Capsule 1-4 in. long, oblong-quadrate, 4-seeded. Seed ellipsoid, brown, obscurely wrinkled or pitted (nearly smooth).— C. latifolia, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 175, partly. Wile Land. Eritrea: lower part of Damas Valley, 1600 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1181! Abyssinia: Tigre; Melata, 5000 ft., Schimper, 576! Mount Sholod:, near Adowa, Quartin-Dillon Sf Petit, 13! Soudan, Fenton ! Somaliland : Darror, James § Thrupp ! Harradigit, James § Thrupp! British East Africa: Machakos, Hinde! Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, Zaylor ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Hildebrandt,1054! British Central Africa : Lake Tanganyika, Cameron ! Kavala Islands, Carson, 24! 25! Nyasaland ; Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte! Ngamiland; Kwebe, Lugard, 146! 244! VOL. VIII. E 50 CXLIII, COMMELINACEZ (CLARKE). [| Commelina. Also in Madagascar. The variation m the leaves in this species is very great; in Quartin-Dillon & Petit, 13, the upper leaves are ovate, sessile, and rounded «t the base, the lower lanceolate ; while the lowest has a quasi-petiole 3? in. long. Var. loandensis, C. B. Clarke. Leaves (even the upper ones) narrowed at the base int> a short quasi-petiole—C. latifolia, Rendle in Cat, Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 77,. partly. Lower Guinea. Angola: Loanda ; about Alto das Cruzes, Welwitsch, 6613 ! at Praia de Zamba, near Loanda, Welwitsch, 6616! near Maianza de Povo, Wel- witsch, 6618! Ambriz; near the River Quizembo, Welwitsch, 6615! 33. C. Petersii, /Hassk. in Peters, Reise “Mossamb. Bot. 522. Nearly glabrous. Stems 18 in. long, with internodes 2-3 in. long. Leaves 4-5 by } in., oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, rather suddenly contracted at the base, often very shortly quasi-petiolate. Peduncles seattered, near the top of the stem, exserted $—1 in. from the leaf- sheaths. Spathes 1 by # in., elliptic or ovate, acuminate, glabrous or very nearly so, with obscure longitudinal green nerves; margins nearly or quite free at the base. Petals blue. Capsule } in. long, 4-seeded ; the dorsal cell sometimes present, usually empty. Seeds oblong- ellipsoid, with transverse wrinkles and pits.—Hassk. in Flora, 1863, 385; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 169; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 427; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Lower Guinea. German South-west Africa: Amboland ; Olukonda, Schinz, 6! Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi, at Shiramba, Kirk ! Mozambique, Peters ! This is near C. boissieriana, but differs from that (as from C, Schinzii) by its much narrower spathes. 34. C. latifolia, 4. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 340. Slightly hairy or glabrate. Stem 15-30 in. long, rather weak, with long inter- nodes, decumbent and rooting at the base ; roots fibrous, not thickened. Leaves 34 by } in,, oblong-lanceolate, sessile, dilated at the base; upper leaves often cordate, eared or nearly sagittate at the base. Peduncles solitary, 2 or 1 near the top of a branch, exserted 4-1 in. from the leaf-sheath. Spathes ? in. long or rather more, broadly ovate, with a short acute point, not acuminate, very thinly hispid, slenderly striate ; margins very shortly connate at the base. Petals (dried) blue. Cxrpsule } by [-} in., 4-seeded. Seeds globose, brown, nearly smooth.— Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295; C. B. Clarke in DO. Monogr. Phan. iii. 173 partly; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426; Durand & De Wild. in Bull. Soe. bot. Belg. xxxvii. 128; K.Schum in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135; Schweinf. in Hoéhnel. Zum Rudolph-See u. Stephanie-See, ii. 353, and in Verh. Zool.-Bot. Gesell. dan a 556. C. sagittifolia, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 206, 295. Wile Land. Kordofan: Abn Harara, Pfund, 114! Abyssinia : without precise Ioeality, Schimper, 1686! Pearce! Somaliland, Donaldson Smith ! Lower Guinea. Lower Congo: Sicia, Dupuis ! Commelina. | OXL1IT, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). 51 Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Bojer! German East Africa: Kilimanjaro ; at Marangu, 5000 ft., Volkens, 2270! Usambara ; Tanga; Holst, 2079! The plant above described is Schimper, 1686, which A. Richard took as the type of his C. latifolia, and Hasskarl as the type of his C. sagittifolia. The name fatifolia is misleading, for the leaves cannot be called broad, though (as Rendle observes) they vary so greatly in width that they might be called polymorphous. The species must not be called C. latifolia, Hochst., as Hochstetter meant by that C. benghalensis, Linn., and issued various plants under that name. Schweinfurth and K. Schumaan, in the places above cited, included probably C. cuneata, the species following, which is very closely allied to C. latifolia. 35. C. cuneata, C. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrate except the sparsely hispid spathe. Stem 18 in. long, with long internodes, suberect at the base; roots thick. Upper leaves 4} by ? in., lanceolate, cuneate at the base, almost into a quasi-petiole. Peduncle at the end of the branches ; spathes, flowers, capsule, and seeds as of C. latifolia. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte! Kavali, Carson ! The spathe, with the strongly exserted lower cyme-stalk, appears identical with that of C, latifolia. There is, however, no example of C. latifolia thit has the upper leaves like those of C. cuneata, 36. C. spectabilis, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. tii. 175. Very hairy. Stem erect, 3-10 in. long, almost woody at the base with thick roots. Leaves 4 by } in., oblong, dilated at the base, hairy on both surfaces. Peduncles scattered, exserted 3-1} in. from the leaf- sheaths. Spathes #-1 by 1} in., very broadly ovate, with triangular tip, very hairy; margins free to the base or very nearly so. Flowers humerous, blue. Capsule immature, probably nearly as of C. hudlensis.— Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 428; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 78. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; in woods near the River Monino, 3800- 5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6594! Var. 8 ramosa, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 175. Less hairy. Stem 2 ft. long, decumbent, rooting at the nodes, much branched. Spathes rather smaller, ‘Scarcely 3 in. long. Flowers bright dark blue (Welwitsch), not sky blue.—Rendle n Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 78. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; in sandy marshes between Quibanga and Guinga, Welwitsch, 6629 ! 37. ©. Cecile, (. B. Clarke. Hairy. Stem up to 18 in. long, repeatedly branched towards the top, with internodes 2-3 in. long. Leaves 34 by 3 in., broadly triangular-oblong, hairy, densely fringed on the margins, sessile, rounded and much dilated at the base, sometimes lin. broad. Peduncles scattered towards the ends of the branches, white- hirsute, exserted 1-2 in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes 1 by 1} in., broadly ovate-triangular, brown-purple, white-hirsute, not distinctly Striate, margins free to the base or very nearly so. Flowers numerous, blue, rather large. Capsule not seen. Mozamb. Dist. Matabeleland: Gwelo, Hon. Mrs. Evelyn Cecil 139! 52 CXLIII, COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). [ Commelina 38. C. demissa, (. B. Clarke. Pubescent. Stem 1 ft. long, branched, with internodes 1-3 in. long; leaves 3} by } in., narrowly- oblong, attenuated at either end, when mature hairy on both faces, ; Peduncles scattered, exserted 0-} in. from the leaf-sheath. Spathes 4-2 in. long, ovate, acute, considerably smaller than in any other species of the C. latifolia group, hairy, with obscure longitudinal purple veins, margins free at the base. Petalsblue whendry. Capsule scarcely } in. long, square, 4-seeded. Seeds small, globose, dark brown, smooth. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa : Nyasaland ; Mount Malosa, 4000- 6000 ft., Whyte ! 39. C. madagascarica, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iti, 174. Very nearly glabrous. Stem 15 in. long, much branched, with internodes 2-3 in. long. Leaves 2-24 in. long, linear-lanceolate, except for a dilatation (not always present) at the very base. Peduncles scattered, near the end of the branches, exserted } to } in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes }-? in. long, ovate, acute, not acuminate; margins nearly free to the base. Capsule (in Scott-Elliot, 7588) 4 in. long, 4-seeded. Seeds globose, smooth, brown.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426. C. latifolia, var. angustifolia, Schweinf. (MS. ?). Nile Land. Eritrea: Ambelaco, near Maldi, 6500 ft., Schweinfurth, 131! British East Africa: Ruwenzori ; Kasamaga, 6300 it., Scott-Elliot, 7588! Frequent in Madagascar. This differs from C. latifolia, A. Rich., not only in the narrow leaves but in the spathes, which are very much smaller. 40. C. huillensis, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 175. Stemless, or very nearly so; roots thick. Leaves 4-10 by 4-4 in, dilated at the base, hairy, Peduncles radical, 4-7 in. long, shaggy towards the top. Spathes 1-1} by 14 in., very broadly ovate, shaggy, with triangular tip; margins free. Cymes 2, with stout pedicels, the upper with numerous blue flowers. Capsules-not ripe, nearly square, } in. long, 4-seeded.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v- 425; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 78. : Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; between Lopollo and Nene, 3800-5500 ft. Welwitsch, 6585 ! 41. ©. Carsoni, C. B. Clarke. Hairy, the leaf-sheaths and spathes shaggy. Stems 1 ft. high, branched, suberect at the base, with internodes 2-44 in. long. Leaves 2 in. long, curved, narrowly lanceo- late or linear-lanceolate, except near the base, where there is a dilata- tion sometimes } in. wide at the top of the leaf-sheath. Peduncles solitary towards the ends of the branches, erect, exserted 1-2 in. from the leaf-sheath. Spathes ? in. long, broadly ovate, acute, not acumi- nate; margins free to the base, or very nearly so. Capsule small, nearly quadrate, 4-seeded. Seeds subglobose, brown, nearly smooth. p Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa : Tanganyika Plateau, at Fwambo, ‘arson ! Commelina. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEX (CLARKE). 53 42, C. Welwitschii, (. 5. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 175. Scabrous-pubescent, or nearly glabrous. Stems 4-11 in. long, erect, thickened at the base, sometimes into bulbs 4 in. in diam.; roots thickened. Leaves linear, 4-8 by }-} in.,, or (in Welwitsch, 6639) ex- ceeding 12 in., dilated at the base. Peduncles scattered, exserted 1-3 in. from the leaf-sheaths, mostly very pubescent. Spathes }—14 in. long, ovate, acuminate acute, hairy or nearly glabrate ; margins free. Two posticous petals yellow; anticous petal yellow-brown or dull violet-green (Welwitsch). Capsule nearly 4 by + in., 4-seeded. Seeds much longer than broad, wrinkled or obscurely reticulate —Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 429; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 78, Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo, 2400-3800 ft.; on the slopes of the volcanic rocks of the Presidium, Welwitsch, 6627! damp rocks of Cabonda, on the Presidium, Welwitsch, 6632! 6637! Cazella, Welwitsch, 6638! plentiful throughout the district on rocks and in damp pastures, Welwitsch, 6639! Huilla ; plentiful in pastures at Humpata, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6586 ! There may be two species here; in 6627 the spathes are scarcely ? in. long, with conspicuous purple striations ; in 6586 they are 14 in. long, green : in both these the two postivous petals are yellow, the anticous dull violet-green. The other numbers cited come all between these two extremes, nor have I been able to sort the species into two varieties. 43. ©. subcucullata, (. B. Clarke. More or less hairy. Stems 1 ft. long, suberect at the base; internodes 2-44 in. long. Leaves 4-5} in. long, linear, but more or less dilated at the base, where they are sometimes } in. wide. Peduncles solitary towards the ends of the branches, erect, exserted 1-2 in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes } in. long, ovate-acuminate, acute, more or less hairy, pale brown, with purple longitudinal veins ; the margins connate at the base for ;',—§ in. Petals (from the dried plant) appear yellow to brown-red. Capsule 3 in. long, square, 4-seeded. Seeds globose, smooth, brown. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Mount Malosa, 4000- 6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Zomba, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Mlanji, Scott- Elliot, 8675! This may prove only a variety of C. Carsoni. The typical five specimens of Whyte, with acuminate highly coloured spathes, having the margins distinctly connate at the base; look distinct enough; but Scott-Elliot, 8675, has less acuminate, less coloured spathes, with nearly free margins, and looks half-way to C. Carsoni. 44. ©. neurophylla, (. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Branches 12-18 in. long ; internodes 2~5 in. long. Leaves 34 by } in. (usually narrow), linear-oblong or linear, often dilated at the base ; longitudinal nerves 5-7, conspicuous in the dry specimens. Peduncles solitary towards the ends of the branches, exserted }—2} in. from the leaf- sheath. Spathes #~} in. long, triangular in outline, obliquely funnel- shaped, green, with obscure green longitudinal veins ; margins connate, often for 1 in. Petals blue. Capsule } in. long, square, 4-seeded. Seeds globose, smooth, brown. D4 CXLIII, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). (Commelina. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Tanganyika Plateau, 2000-3000 ft., Whyte! Nyika Plateau, 6000-7000 1tt., Whyte! Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Zomba, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Shire Highlands, Buchanan ! 45. C. echinosperma, K. Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Stems 12-18 in. high, erect, glabrous or puberulous. Leaves 4-6 by 4-2 in., lanceolate or elongate-lanceolate, glabrous or puberulous. Rpathe 2—} in. long, pubescent. Capsule 4 in. long, subquadrate. Seeds globose, ;4, in. in diam., chestnut-brown, farinose, echinate. Wozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Unyamwezi ; Gonda (Igonda), Kakoma, Boehm, 2, 8. K. Schumann does not say that the seeds are 4, but he places the species in Sect. Dissecocarpus. The subquadrate capsule implies 4 seeds. 46. C.capitata, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl.541. Nearly glabrous, except the spathes. Stems 1-3 ft. long. Leaves up to 5 by 1-1? in., varying from broadly-oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, subrhomboid, unequal-sided at the base. Spathes 3-8, collected into a quasi-terminal head, 3-1 in. long, obliquely obovate ; margins free nearly to the base, densely ciliate with rutous hairs, or nearly glabrate. Flowers yellow (or white, H. H. Johnston). Capsule oblong, 4-seeded. Seeds 4—} in. long, cylindric, deeply pitted.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 176; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F). Afr.v.424; Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 269; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 875 Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 78. Wile Land. British East Africa: east side of Lake Albert Edward, Scott- Elliot, 8027 ! Upper Guinea. Senegal, Perrottet, 772! Sierra Leone : Luseniya, Scott- Elliot, 4080 ! and without precise locality, 4fzelius ! Smeathman! Morson! Hart! Liberia : Cape Palmas, Vogel, 52! Lagos, Moloney, 9! Niger Territory: New Calabar, at Degema, Holland, 125! Cross River, Johnston! Cameroons: Victoria, Kalbreyer, 17! Cameroon Mountain, upper slopes, Johnston, 97! Bipinde, Zenker, 1143! Yaunde, Zenker g Staudt, 687! Efulen, Bates, 442! Batanga, Bates ! Fernando Po, Mann, 91! ; Lower Guinea. Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis ! Angola ; Pungo Andongo ; in the shady woods of Barranco de Pedra Songue, 3300 ft., Welwitsch, 6647 ! Also in the West Indies. : The two examples from the West Indies I have seen are probably of one collection, and the locality on the ticket is possibly an error. 47. C, rufociliata, C. B. Clarke. Hairy. Stems 18 in. long. Leaves 4 by 1 in., elliptic-lanceolate, when mature hairy on both sur- faces ; base unequal, narrowed above the leaf-sheath, rufous-ciliate. Spathes densely clustered at the ends of the branches, broadly and obliquely funnel-shaped, hairy, varying much in size(in one head from } to 1 in, long); margins connate at the base, often for }-} in. Corolla blue. Capsule scarcely t in. long, subquadrate, 4-seeded. Seeds hardly, longer than broad, small, obscurely reticulate-wrinkled. , Commelina. | CXLIII, COMMELINACE& (CLARKE). dd Mozamb. Dist. Jritish Central Africa : Nyasaland ; between Mpata and the commencement of the Tanganyika Plateau, 2000-3000 ft.. Whyte! Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte / 48. C. longicapsa, (’. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 176. Robust, nearly glabrous. Leaves 6 by 2 in., lanceolate-obovate, narrowed at the base into a quasi-petiole $3 in. long. Spathes nearly 1 in. long, glabrous, 2 or 3 together, terminal. Capsule } by 4 in., quadrate-oblong, 4-seeded. Seeds cylindric, smooth.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426. Lower Guinea. Gaboon: Gaboon River, Mann ! The long quasi-petioles, leaves and capsules, show that this fragment indicates some very distinct species. 49. C. umbellata, Zhonn. in Schumach. Beskr. Guin. Pl. 21. Sparingly hairy. Stem 15 in. long, much branched, slender, with internodes 2—3 in. long, at the base decumbent and rooting. Leaves 4 by j-} in. Peduncles scattered, exserted 0-4 in. from the leaf- sheath. Spathes 4-4 in. long, brvadly ovate, acute, hispid, slightly curved ; margins connate at the base. Flowers purple or white (Zhonning), or almost flesh-coloured (Voyel). Capsule } in. long, papery, 3-celled, 3-valved, 3-seeded. Seeds 4 in. long or rather more, ellipsoid, brown, smooth, each with 2 pits on the back.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 179 ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 428; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. C. nigritana, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 541. ; Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Nupe, Barter, 1473! Quorra, Vogel, 85! Mozamb. Dist. (rerman East Africa: Unyamwezi District (ex A. Schumann). \0. C. bracteosa, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Lot. 524. Sparingly hairy. Stems 8-15 in. long, branched ; internodes 2 in. long. Leaves up to 34 by 1 in., elliptic, acuminate, narrowed at either end. Peduncles 1 (or 2) at the ends of the branches, exserted 0—] in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes 3 by 1 in., obtusely triangular at the tip, slightly white-hispid ; margins connate at the base. Capsule { in. long, papery, 3-seeded. Seeds ;}, in. long, subglobose, flattened.—Hassk. in Flora, 1863, 386; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 180 ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect.. Fl. Afr. v. 424; K.Schum. in Engl. Pti. Ost-Afr. C. 135; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i119. Nile Land. British East Africa : Kich District; at Ador Village, Petherick ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Sacleux, 218, Portuguese East Africa : Mozam- bique, Peters ; Zambesi Delta; Luabo River, Airk, 32 partly ! 51. C. guineensis, Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par.i. 119. Root fibrous. Stem branched from the base, ylabrescent. Leaves rather long, lanceolate, sessile. Inflorescence terminal, usually 1 only, peduncled. Spathe hooded, not curved, striate, puberulous. Capsule Subglobose, with 3 one-seeded cells. Seeds smooth. Lower Guinea. French Guinea, Puroisse, 195; Brazzaville, Thollon, 961. D6 CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). [ Commelina. Not seen, The above condensed from the description by Hua, who says the species belongs to the Section Trithyrocarpus. 52. C. aspera, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 542. Hairy. Stem 4-6 in. long; internodes up to 1} in. long. Leaves up to 3 by q in., linear or linear-lanceolate. Spathes in a terminal head, } in. by } in., ovate, acuminate, much curved ; margins shortly connate at the base. Capsule small, 3-celled, papery, 3-seeded. Seeds 3/5 in. long, globose or very shortly ellipsoid, smooth.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. 1. 180; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 423; Rendle in Cat. Afr. FL Welw. ii. 78. Upper Guinea. (told Coast: Accra, Don! Niger Territory: at the Con- fluence of the Niger and Benue Rivers, Vogel ! 53. GC. mensensis, Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 57. Leaves 4-5 by } in., narrowly linear, rough hairy on the upper surface. Spathes 2 or 3 clustered at the end of the branches, } in. long, shortly lanceolate, hispid, striate; margins united at the base for } in. Capsule } in. in diam. ; cells 3, equal, thin, smooth, all dehiscing. Seeds lin each cell, globose, } in. in diam., smooth, sculptured on either side of the hilum by 4 transverse wrinkles. _ Nile Land. Eritrea : below Geleb, 4800-5500 ft., Schweinfurth, 1414, 1434 ; Anseba, near Keren, Stewdner, 1417. Not seen; the above condensed from Schweinfurth’s description. 54. C. firma, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii, 78. Hairy. Stems 12-18 in. long, robust ; internodes up to 3 in. long. Leaves 3-4 by 4 in., oblong, when mature hairy on both surfaces. Spathes ciustered, often many in a terminal head. Seeds}in.long. Otherwise nearly as C’. aspera,—C. aspera, var. (3 firma, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 180. Cyanotis hirsuta, Baker in Trans. Lim. Soc. xxix. 162. Wile Land. British East Africa: Unyoro; Ukidi Forest, Speke § Grant ! Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo, 2400-3800 ft.; Pando woods, between Calundo and Mangue, Welwitsch, 6644! in shady woods around Pedras de Guinga and Mangue, Welwitsch, 6645 ! Flowers dark blue (Welwitsch), as they probably are in C. aspera. This is altogether a inuch stouter plant than C. aspera, with longer capsule and seeds. 55. ©. Wogelii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan, iii. 189. Sparingly hairy. Stems 1-2 ft.long ; internodes 2—5 in.long. Leaves 4} by 1} in., elliptic-lanceolate, acute, narrowed at the base. Spathes mostly in clusters of 2 or 3 at the end of the branches, }—2 by ? in. broadly ovate, very shortly acuminate, pubescent, margins shortly connate at the base. Flowers white (Vogel). Capsule small, papery, 3-seeded, or sometimes 2-seeded (the dorsal cell being suppressed). Seeds tz-yo in. long, subglobose, more or less angular.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 428; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 120, C. suleata, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 541, not of Willd. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot, 476! Senegal, Bellamy, 2. Lagos Millen, 77! Rowland! Fernando Po: in woods, Vogel, 261! 4] “J Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE, (CLARKE). Lower Guinea. Angola; Guingongue, Herb. Paris ! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland (ex K. Schumann) 56. C, Bainesii, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 184. Hairy. Stems | ft. long ; internodes 2-3 in. long. Leaves 6 by 2 in., narrowly lanceolate, narrowed at the base, with wavy margins, when mature hairy on both surfaces. Peduncles few, scattered towards the end of the branches, exserted 0-} in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes % by # in., obtuse or with a very short point, hairy ; margins shortly connate at the base. Capsule small, obovoid, trigonous, 3-seeded ; dorsal cell similar, indehiscent. Seeds 51, in. in diam., globose, brown, smooth. —Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 423; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79. CO. bracteosa, K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135, partly. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo, 3300 ft. ; in thickets near Ponte de Luxillo, Welwitsch, 6636 ! by streams on the Presidium near Fonte de Cazella, Welwitsch, 6641! in woods near Condo, Welwitsch, 6643 ! Mozamb. Dist. (German East Africa: Kilimanjaro; Marangu, 2600 ft., Volkens, 2147! British Central Africa: Matabeleland; River Mangwe, Baines ! Var. 8 glabrata, Rendle in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. iv. 52. More glabrous. Mature leaves glabrate; sheaths more or less hairy. Spathes more exserted on peduncles up to Zin. long, sparsely hispid or glabrous——Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 429. C. angustifolia, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mosamb. Bot. 528, and in Flora, 1863, 388, not of Michaux. Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: province of Rios de Sena, Peters ; Makua; Namuli Mountains, Zast! British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Mount Mlanji, Whyte! Zomba Plains, 2500-3000 ft., Whyte! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 508! 1374! All the examples of this variety 8 have dried brown, unlike the typical C. Bainesii, which is greyish, and might be esteemed specifically distinct. 57. C. lagosensis, (. B. Clarke. Stems 2 ft. or more long, weak, branching, prostrate, rooting at many nodes; internodes 1~3 in. long. Leaves 2} by 1 in., broadly elliptic, shortly acute, obscurely hairy when mature on both surfaces, suddenly narrowed at the base into a very short quasi-petiole. Peduncles few, scattered, exserted 0—} in. from the leaf-sheath. Spathes 2 by 2 in., tip obtuse or depressed triangular, pubescent ; margins shortly connate at the base. Capsule small, ob- ovoid, trigonous, 3-celled, 3-seeded ; dorsal cell indehiscent. Seeds ;, in. in diam., globose, brown, smooth. Upper Guinea, Lagos, Willen, 21! 58. C.albescens, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 210, 295. Nearly glabrous. Rhizome woody, knotted, with thick roots. Stems 8-20 in. long, branched; internodes 2-3 in. long. Leaves 4 by } in., narrowed at both ends. Spathes clustered at the end of the branches, usually 2 or 3 together, } in. long, funnel-shaped, very much curved, acute; margins connate for } in. at the base. Capsule } in. long, 3-celled, 3-seeded, the dorsal cell smaller and indehiscent. Seeds of the ventral cells 1 in. long, ellipsoid, flattened, brown, nearly smooth.— 58 CXLIII. COMMELINACEZ (CLARKE). [ Commelina. C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 184; Durand & Schinz, Con- spect. Fl. Afr. v. 423; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 373; Martelli, Fl. Bogos. 88; Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 429; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 120; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfi. Ost-Afr. C. 135, partly. C. multicaulis, Hochst. in Schimper, Exsic. 1242. C. schimperiana, Hochst. in Schimper, Exsic. 2268. Upper Guinea. Cape Verde Isles: Brava, Lowe! Senegal, Bellamy, 573. Dahomey, Burton ! Wile Land. Eritrea: Keren; 4800 ft., Beccari, 297! Abyssinia: Jaja, Schimper, 1242! Agow district ; on mountains near Gageros, 4000 ft., Schimper, 2268! Somaliland; Ahl Mountains, Hildebrandt, 1473! Wagga Mountains, Mrs. Lort-Phillips! oobi, James & Thrupp! Witu, Gregory. Dadaro, 3700 ft., Lord Delamere ! Also in Socotra, Arabia, and Scinde. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Mlanji, 6000 ft., Whyte, 112! 59. C.spherosperma, (. 2. Clarke. Thinly and obscurely hairy. Stems 18 in. long, branched ; internodes 2-4 in. long. Leaves 4—5 by 3-1 in., narrowly lanceolate, narrowed at the base, when mature ob- scurely pubescent on the surfaces or glabrate. Spathes 2—4 together at the ends of the branches, 3-3 by 1 in., shortly acuminate, acute, not much curved; margins connate for + in. at the base. Petals blue when dry. Capsule 1 in. long, obovoid, trigonous, 3-celled, 3-seeded, dorsal cell indehiscent. Seeds of the ventral cells ;1, in. long, globose or sub- cuboid, black-brown, smooth.—C. Gerrardi, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 183, as to Trop. Afr. examples. C. albescens, K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135, partly ; Rendle in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. iv. 52. Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Zambesi Delta ; at the mouth of the River Melambe, Kirk! Lower Zambesi; between Lupata and Tete, Kirk f opposite Sena, Kirk! British Central Africa : Nyasaland ; Zomba, 2500-3600 ft., Whyte ! 60. C. opulens, (. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Stems 4-6 in. long, decumbent, rooting at the base, densely leafy in the upper half with very short internodes. Leaves 4 by 4 in., narrowly oblong- lanceolate, not narrowed on the leaf-sheath. Upper branches for 2 in. clothed with numerous subsessile spathes. Spathes 3 in. long, ovate, shortly acuminate, acute ; margins connate at the base. Capsule 1—} in. long, obovoid, 3-celled, 3-seeded, the dorsal cell smaller, indehiscent and sometimes sterile. Seeds ;', in. long, very shortly ellipsoid (subglobose), smooth.—C. aspera, C. B. Clarke in DC, Monogr. Phan. iii. 180, partly ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. 78. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla, 3800-5500 ft., among crops of Penicillaria,. near Humpata, Welwitsch, 6592 ! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa : Nyasaland ; Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte ! 61. C. venusta, (. B. Clarke. Sparsely hairy. Branches 10 in. long, undivided, with 1-3 approximated spathes at the end of each Commelina. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 59 branch ; internodes 1-2} in.long. Leaves 4 by } in., linear, acuminate, acute. Spathe scarcely exserted from the leaf-sheath, $—? by 1 in, very acute, curved, hairy ; margins hardly connate at the base. Petals. blue, # by ? in., exclusive of the claw. Capsule small, 3-seeded, the dorsal cell smaller, indehiscent. Seeds ;4, in. in diam., globose (some- what tetrahedral), smooth, brown. Wile Land. British Somaliland : Golis Range, Miss Edith Cole ! Separate expanded flowers have been carefully dried ; they must be unusually large and bright. The stamens, barren and fertile, are just as those of C. nudiflora, Linn, (and numerous other species), but larger. 62. C. Livingstoni, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 190. Nearly glabrous, or somewhat hairy, Stems 1-2 ft. long, sometimes robust, suberect from a stout base, straggling, branched ; internodes 2-5 in. long. Leaves 54 by } in., lanceolate, narrowed at either end. Peduncles 1 (or 2, rarely 3, close together) at the end of a branch, hardly longer than the leaf-sheaths. Spathes attaining 1 by 1} in., shortly acuminate, acute, nearly glabrous; margins connate for j—} in. at the base. Petals blue. Capsule } in. long, obovoid compressed, 2- seeded. Seeds } in. long, ellipsoid, brown, smooth.—Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 11; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 426. Wile Land. British East Africa: Witu; Mkanumbi, Gregory! Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, Taylor. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro, 5000 ft., Johnston ! Portuguese East Africa: Zambesi Delta ; near Vicente, Scott! Lower Zambesi ; between Lupata and Sena, Kirk! between Lupata and Tete, Kirk! Tete, Kirk! near Sena, Kirk! Lower Shire Valley; near the foot of Morambala Mountain, Kirk ! Matabeleland, Elliott ! Also in South Africa. 63. C. Zenkeri, C. B. Clarke. Sparsely hairy. Stems cxspitose from a stout base, up to 12 in. long, branched, decumbent and rooting at the lower nodes; internodes up to 3 in. long but mostly short. Leaves 2 by 1-1} in., ovate, shortly acute, suddenly narrowed at the base, sessile. Peduncles solitary, few, scattered, exserted 0—{ in. from the leaf-sheaths. Spathes $-3 by 1 in., hardly acute, minutely pubes- cent or glabrate; margins very shortly connate at the base. Petals blue when dry. Capsule 1 in. long, quadrate, compressed, 2-seeded. Seeds nearly } in. long, ellipsoid, smooth. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Yaunde, 2600 ft., Zenker & Staudt, 432! Distributed from Berlin Herbarium as C. ethiopica, C. B. Clarke ; but it is not that species. 64. C. wthiopica, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 189. Nearly glabrous. Stems 8-14 in. long, suberect, cespitose, thick at the base; internodes 1-2} in. long. Leaves 3} by #-1 in., broadly oblong-lanceolate, narrowed at the base into a very short pseudo-petiole. Peduncles solitary or 2 at the end of a branch, hardly longer than the leaf-sheath. Spathes } by 1 in., acute, hardly acuminate, sparsely 60 CXLIII, COMMELINACEAY (CLARKE). | Commelina. white-hispid ; margins shortly connate at the base. Flowers deep blue (Schweinfurth). Capsule 4 in, long, 2-seeded. Seeds § in. long, sub- globose, smooth.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 189. Wile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 2027! Kurshook-Ali’s Seriba, Schweinfurth, 1601! This may prove to be only a 2-seeded form of C. bracteosa ; it has larger leaves, smaller capsule and seeds, More material of both species is desirable. 65. C. pyrrhoblepharis, HWassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 209, 295. Stems 2 ft. long (at least), rooting freely by stout roots from the lower nodes; internodes up to + in. long, robust, glabrate. Leaves attaining 54 by 2 in., broadly elliptic, acuminate, when mature minutely pubescent, unequally and rather suddenly narrowed at the base into a quasi-petiole 0-} in. Jong; leaf-sheaths often with long rufous hairs at the mouth. Spathes 2 or 3, near together at the ends of the branches, hardly exserted from the leaf-sheaths, 3-3 in. long, very broadly ovate, shortly acute, slightly hairy; margins connate at the base for } in. Flowers blue. Capsule small, 2-seeded. Seeds 33, in. long, round-ellipsoid, smooth._—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 190; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 155; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F). Afr. v. 427. (©. acuminata, R. Br. in Salt, Abyss. Append. 63, pave wae not of H. B, K. C. saltiana, Steud. Nomencl. Bot. ed. n. 402. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Lotho, 7000-8000 ft., Schimper, 591! 1591! Mount Sholoda, 6700 ft., Schimper, 341 ; Adowa, Quartin-Dillon & Petit. Gondar, Rochet @ Héricourt ! and without precise locality, Plowden ! Hasskarl does not describe the capsule, nor does he cite the number of Schimper he had. So far as his description goes of the large leaves with red hairs at the mouth of the leaf-sheaths and turbinate clustered spathes, his plant might have been the large state of C. benghalensis, which Schimper, 1591, closely resembles. The species really stands on the assumption that Plowden’s examples (which contained one capsule) are truly conspecific with Schimper, 1591. 66. C, obscura, K. Schum. in Engl. PA. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Hairy; small. Stems 4-6 in. long, weak, branched, annual, rooting at the lower nodes ; internodes 1-1} in. long. Leaves 1} by § in., elliptic- oblong, shortly acute, when mature hairy on both surfaces ; leaf-sheaths with long spreading red hairs. Spathes 1~} in. long, solitary, on very short peduncles, ovate, hardly acute. Petals blue or rarely violet (A. Schumann). Capsule 4 in. long, quadrate, 2-seeded. Seeds sub- globose, somewhat wrinkled. _ Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro; Marangu, 5000 ft., Volkens, 2267! 633! K. Schumann has referred this plant to the Section Dissecocarpus, but I find only 2 seeds to the capsule, Imperfectly known species. 67. C. grossa, U. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Stems 6—10 in. long, erect, bearing 1 or 2 leaves and 1 peduncle. ‘Leaves up to 14 by Commelina. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 61 4-} in., linear, slightly dilated at the very base. Peduncle exserted 3-2 in. from the leaf-sheath. Spathe 14 in. long, 14 in. broad, ovate- triangular, acute, purple-green; margins free. Cymes paired in each spathe, upper with many flowers. Sepals } in. long, elliptic, nearly free. Corolla in the dried state purple-blue. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Kambole, south-west of Lake Tan- ganyika, 5000 ft., Nutt / The examples of this call to mind the large Mexican C, elliptica, H. B. & K., but the leaves are totally unlike. 68. C. Holubii, C. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous. Stems 5 in. long, with 2 leaves and 1 spathe each. Leaves 4 by }—1 in., linear, slightly wider at the base. Peduncles exserted }~1 in. from the leaf- sheath, nearly glabrous. Spathe ? in. by ? in., ovate-lanceolate, acute, very nearly glabrous, pale yellow-brown in the dried examples ; margins free or obscurely connate at the base. Flowers numerous, some exserted entirely from the spathe. Petals 4 in. iong, appear to have been pale violet. Two fertile anthers intensely blue in the dried state. Capsule about } in. long, square, 4-seeded. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Rhodesia ; Leshumo Valley, Holub 715! From the imperfect capsule, this almost certainly belongs to the Section Disseco- carpus, 69. ©. senegalensis, Linn. ex Cat. Ort. Bot. Napol. 1845, 22. (name only) ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 429. Upper Guinea. Senegal? 4, POLYSPATHA, Benth. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. ni, 849. Sepals 3, small, concave. Petals 3, white, 2 very long-clawed. Stamens 3 fertile, 3 sterile with dissimilar rudimentary anthers. Ovary sessile, 2-celled, with one ovule in each cell. Capsule 2-celled, loculicidally 2-valved. Seeds half-ellipsoid; hilum vertical ; embryo- stega opposite the hilum.—Cymes few-flowered, scattered along simple (rarely branched) elongate axes springing from the axils of the upper leaves and sometimes piercing their sheaths; spathes ovate, folded flat, sessile, each enclosing one cyme. Endemic, monotypic. 1. P. paniculata, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 543. Stem 1-2} ft. long, trailing or weak, often rooting at the lower nodes, undivided but in one example throwing several weak stems from the rooting node. Leaves 6 by 24 in., broadly elliptic, acuminate at either end, quasi- petioled, glabrate above, pubescent beneath ; lower leaves smaller, sometimes reduced to sheaths. Panicle of 1-6 branches, each 3-6 in. long, pubescent ; spathes } in. long, about 4 in. apart, pendent in fruit. 62 CXLISI, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). | Polyspatha. Flowers 4—5 in each spathe; bracteoles small. Capsule { in. long, flattened, shining, obtuse at the apex. Seeds with ribs radiating from the embryostega.-—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr, Phan. ui. 154, incl. var. 8; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 429, incl. var. / ; Schoenl. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. iv. 64; Baill. Hist. Pl. mitt, 271. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: near Kukuna on the River Scarcies, Scott- Elliot, 4678! Ashanti: Assin-Yan-Coomassie, Cummins, 163! Lagos: by the side of forests on the road to Otto, Millen, 4! Otto, Millen, 26! Lagos Botanic Station, Millen, 7! Cameroons: Yaunde, 2600 ft., Zenker & Staudt, 566! Bipinde, Zenker, 1239! Efulen, Bates,447! Cameroon Mountain, 3000 ft., Mann, 2138! and without precise locality, Preuss, 1186! Fernando Po, Vogel, 93! Barter, 1474! 2055! Mann! 5, ANEILEMA, R. Br., partly ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI, iii. 849. Sepals 3, small, elliptic or ovate, obtuse, concave. Petals 3, obovate, blue or yellow. Stamens 3 (or 2) fertile, the intermediate one with more or less dissimilar anther, and 3-2 sterile, rudimentary or cruci- form; filaments with or without beaded hairs. Ovary 3~2-celled. Capsule ovoid to linear, 3-valved; seeds several (or 2-1) superposed in one vertical row (in the Tropica] African species) in each cell.—Panicles dense or lax; peduncles simple or divided; cymes simple, 1-sided; bracts to the cymes flat or hardly folded, never spathaceous (as in Commelina). Species 60, tropical or subtropical, whereof 5 only are American. The genus differs from Commelina in the absence of the strongly folded or hooded bracts which enfold the cymes in Commelina. *TRICARPELLARIA.—Capsule subequally 3-celled. Cells 2-seeded, acute, in the African species. Inflores- cence dichotomous . : . : : ~ iL. A, sinicum. ** DICARPELLARIA.—Capsule 2-celled ; a dorsal small cell with 1 (or no) seed sometimes added, } Amelina.—Panicles terminal, Capsule truncate, with 2 acute corners. Sepals 4-3 in. long. Capsule with 3-5 seeds in each cell : . 2. A. equinoctiale. Capsule with 2-1 seeds in each cell . : - 4. A. nyasense. Sepals 4 in, long : : i ; ‘5 . 98. A. tacazzeanum. ttLamprodithyros.—Panicles terminal. Capsule ellipsoid without angles at the top. Petals yellow or green-yellow. Panicle short, hardly exserted from the leaves . 5. A. angolense. Panicle peduncled; cyme-peduncles in false- whorls. : : : é . . 6. A. Johnstoni. Petals (where known) blue to white. Ovules often 3 in each cell. Leaves ovate or elliptic ; panicle dense . Leaves lanceolate ; panicle lax Ovules 2—1 in each cell. Le ives ovate to elliptic-oblong (see also 16, Wel- witschi), - %. A. beniniense. 8. A. Rendle. Aneilema. | CXLII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 63 Inflorescence very loose. : : . 9. A. ovato-oblongum, Inflorescence dense, Leaves sessile, base rounded. Medium-sized plant; leaves up to 23 in. long . . 10. A. somaliense. Plant 5in. high; Jeaves up to 1} in. long . ; : : : 11. A. Smiths. Base of leaves acuminate into a pseudo- petiole. Panicle glabrate ; : c . 12. A. dregeanum. Panicle patently hispid : . 13. A. Nicholsoni. Leaves lanceolate-oblong to linear (sometimes elliptic in A. Welwitschii). Inflorescence lax. 3 : : . 14. A. Petersit. Inflorescence dense. Stem erect at the base ; roots thick. Flowering stem with few reduced leaves 15. A. Schweinfurthii. Flowering stem with many well-devel- oped leaves. Minutely pubescent . ; - 16. A. Welwitschii, Hispid . ; : ; . 17..A. soudanicum. Stem decumbent or rooting at the lower nodes ; roots fibrous. . Many pedicels sterile, ended by a black rudiment . : : . 18. A. Whyte. Sterile pedicels none (or very few occa- sionally). Leaves linear-lanceolate, very long . 19. 4. lanceolatum. Leaves lanceolate . - : . 20. A. Speket. Leaves linear, hardly 2 in. long . 21. A. gracile. {++Pseudo-axillares—Panicles appearing irregularly scattered, all terminal, but not rarely on remote short axillary branches. Leaves 1-2 in. long. Inflorescences of very many flowers ¢ : . 22. A. pedunculosum. Inflorescences of about 8 flowers. : A . 23. A. Clarket. Leaves at most 3 in. long . ; ‘ ‘ : . 24. A. Taylori. 1. A. sinicum, Lindl. in Bot. Reg. t. 659. Nearly glabrous. Roots occasionally bearing tubers. Stems 1-3 ft. long, sparingly leafy. Leaves linear, 8-18 by 1-1 in. (but see var. 3). Panicle-branches elongated, slender, subracemose ; bracts 3—2 in. long, linear-lanceolate, flat ; cymes usually thin, loose, but sometimes the inflorescence is dense with numerous flowers; lower flowers of the cyme often sterile, early cadu- cous, so that the top of the cyme-peduncle appears knotted. Sepals t in. long, elliptic, obtuse, half-petaloid in texture. Petals } in. long and upwards, blue, or sometimes dull purple. Stamens 2 only fertile (but see var. 3). Capsule 1-1 in. long, 3-valved ; seeds normally 2 in each cell, obscurely wrinkled.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 212, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap, vii. 12; Oliv. in Trans. Linn. Soe. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 352; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 432; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 271; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87, and in Bull. Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvii. 128; Rendle in Journ. Linn. 64 CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). [ Aneilem Soe. xxx. 430, in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. iv. 52, and in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 120. Commelina sinica, Roem. et Schultes, Mant. i. Addend. i. 376. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone; Bumban to Port Lokko, Scott-Elliot, 5742 ! Worth Central. French Congo: Uaddas, on the Ubangi River, Dybowski, 26. Nile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Agad Seriba (Wan), Schweinfurth, 1684! Ruwenzori, below 6000 ft., Scott-Hiliot, 6673! Leikipia district, at Gnaso Thegu and Kithungulu, Gregory! Ukamba, above 4000 ft., Scott-Elliott, 2340! Ribe to Galla Country, Wakefield! Nyika Country at Duruma, Wakefield, 26! Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, Taylor ! Lower Guinea. (Gaboon: Munda; Sibange Farm, Soyauxr, 341! French Congo; Franceville, Thollon, 314; Brazzaville, Dybowski ; Bangui, Dybowski, 525- 529; Lower Congo: Lukungu, Hens, 228A! Bingila, Dupuis! Stanley Pool, Biittner, 305! Quiballa, Monteiro! Angola; Pungo Andongo, in marshes to the west of the Presidium, and by streams in the Presidium itself, 2400-3800 ft., Wel- witsch, 6627! 6628! Huilla; marshy places round the base of Morro de Lopollo, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6591! Dammara-land, Hen ! South Central. Congo Free State : Bolobo, on the River Congo, Johnston ! Upper Marungu, De Beerst! Lualaba River, Briart ! Katanga, Briart ! Mussima, Briart ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Hildebrandt, 1055! Sacleux, 406! German East Africa: Kilimanjaro, 5000 ft., Zohnston! Rovuma Bay, Kirk! ‘Portuguese East Africa: Zambesi Delta; mouth of the West Luabo River, Kirk, 2! British Central Africa: Urungu; Fwambo, Carson, 43! 76! 77! Kambole, south-west of Lake Tanganyika, 5000 ft., Nutt! Nyasaland; Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Malosa, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Zomba, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Zomba and vicinity, 2500-3500 ft., Whyte! Mount Mlanji, Whyte, 39! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 368! Also in South China, Malaya, South India, Mascarene Islands, and South Africa. Var. 8 longifolia, C. B. Clarke, Rather larger in all parts ; leaves often 3-5 in. broad ; fertile stamens commonly 2, but sometimes 3.—<A. longifolium, Hook. Exot. Fl. iii, t. 204; Baker in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix, 163. 4. giganteum, as to the African plants, C. B, Clarke in DC. Monogr, Phan. iii, 212 ; Durand & Schinz, Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 480; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136. Nile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 1840! Niamniam ; by the River Sway, Schweinfurth, 3904! Lower Guinea. Cameroons: Batanga, Bates, 120! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Bojer! Lake Tanganyika, Carson! German East Africa: Unyamwezi ; near Tabora, in swamps, 3000 ft., Speke & Grant ! Usambara, Hoist, 2962! Portuguese East Africa: Zambesi Delta; Luabo River, Kirk, 50! River Shire, near Morambala Mountain, Kirk ! British Central Africa : Nyasaland; without precise locality, Buchanan, 1835! 1863! Rhodesia: Six-mile Spruit, near Salisbury, Hon. Mrs, Evelyn Cecil, 148! This series of plants runs without a break into the typical form. It was attempted, in DC. Monogr. Phan, iii. 212, to separate 4. giganteum with 8 fertile stamens specifically from 4. sinicum with 2 fertile stamens. Hooker says that his A. longifolium had 2 or 3 fertile stamens ; and I do not find that the Indian A. gigan- teum has always 3. 1 think the number of fertile stamens is not absolute, and that all the African plants cited under A. sinicwm, var. longifolia, are one species. The Indian A. giganteum differs very little ; it is rather more robust, with thicker branches to the panicle. Var. simplex, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 212. Leaf-sheaths shaggy- Aneilen. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 65 Panicle small, Capsule depressed, as broad as long. Durand & Schinz, Consp, FL. Afr. v. 432. A. simplex, Kunth, Enum. iv. 71 ; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 547, Commelixa simplex, Vahl, Enum. ii.177; Thonn in Schamacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl, 22. Upper Guinea. Gold Coast: Accra, Dow! This may represent a distinct species, but the material is small, 2. A. equinoctiale, Kunth, Enum. iv. 72. Hairy, sometimes hispid or viscous. Stems 2-8 ft. long. Leaves often 4 by 1 in., some- times 7 by 1} in., elliptic or lanceolate, the lower attenuated, the upper often ovate at the base. Panicle terminal, often 5 by 2-3 in., rigid, loose ; the cyme-peduncles in distant false-whorls or less often alternate ; bracts at their base 1—} in. long, oblong; empty bracts on the lower part of the cyme-peduncles hardly } in. long, ovate or obovate; pedicels 4-2 in. long. Sepals } in. long and upwards, oblong, not acute. Petals yellow, blue, mauve, or lilac. Fertile stamens 2 or 3. Capsule } by $ in., 2-celled with a dorsal small or imperfect cell sometimes added, truncate at the top, the two upper angles acute or minutely horned ; seeds 3-5 in each cell, pale, stony.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. ili, 221, incl. all the vars., and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 12; Oliver in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 352 ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. FI. Afr. vy. 429, and Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 270; Schoenl. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. iv. 65; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soe. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136; Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 430, in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. iv. 52, and in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 120; Cummins in Kew Bulletin, 1898, 80. A. adherens, Kunth, Enum. iv. 72. A. tacazzeanum, A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 343, not of Hochst. Commelina equinoctialis, Beauv. Fl. Owar. i. 65, t. 38. Lamprodithyros equinoctialis, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 211. ZL. adherens, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 211. Amelina Wallichii, C. B. Clarke, Comm. et Cyrt. Beng. t. 26. Upper Guinea. Ashanti: Dumassi, Cummins, 19! Western Lagos, Rowland ! Lagos, Punch! Old Calabar River, Mann, 2338! Cameroons : Efulen, Bates, 376. Nile Land. British East Afiica: Uganda, Scott-Elliot, 7263! Ukamba ; Kitui, Hildebrandt, 2641! Taita: Maungu Mountain, 2000 ft., Johnston! Ribe, near Mombasa, Wakefield! Nyika Country, near Mombasa, Wakefield! Fimbine, near Rabai, Taylor ! Lower Guinea. Loango: Chinchocho, Soyaux, 19! Landana, Du Parguet. French Congo: Brazzaville, Brazza, 313, Thollon, 957, Dybowski. Lower Congo : Lukungu, Hens, a,272! Bingila, Dupuis ! Congo, Smith, 52! 58! Burton! Angola: 30 miles inland to Bembe, Monteiro! Golungo Alto ; banks of the River Delamboa, Welwitsch, 6605 ! South Central. Monbuttu: near Bongwa, Schweinfurth, ser. iii, 215! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Grandidier, 28. German East Africa: Usambara ; Lutindi, Holst, 3451! Tanga, Holst, 2107! Kilimanjaro, 6000 ft., Johnston! Por- tnguese East Africa: Beira Railway, Hon, Mrs. Evelyn Cecil, 5! Lower Zambesi ; near Sena, Kirk! Tete Hill, Kirk! Shupanga, Kirk! Shamo, near the mouth of the River Shire, Kirk ! Morambala Mountain, 2000 ft., Kirk! British Central Africa: North Nyasaland and Upper Loangwe River, Nicholson! Nyasaland: Nyika Platean, 6000-7000 ft., Whute! Mount Mlanje, Whyte, 131! Mount Zomba and vicinity, 2500-3500 ft., Whyte! Mount Malosa, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Shire Highlands, VOL. VIII. F 66 CXLIUI. COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). | Aneilema. Buchanan, 286! Movnt Sochi, Scott-Elliot, 8527! Manganja Hills, Waller! Mount Chiradzulu, Meller ! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 459! 510! 528! 1401! Matabeleland, Elliott ! Salisbury to Buluwayo, Hon. Mrs. Evelyn Cecil, 81! Also in South Africa, the Mascarene Islands, and Arabia. Schimper, 1660, contains, by admixture, both 4. equinoctiale and A. tacaz- zeanum. -A, Richard describes therefrom his 4. tacazzeanum as having six seeds to each cell of the capsule, so that his plant was certainly 4. equinoctiale, Kunth. Lamprodithyros tacazzeanus, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 531, is said to be Aneilema tacazzeanum, Walp. Ann, iii. 658, which is merely copied, with a little confusion, from A. Richard ; but Hasskarl describes his Zamprodithyros tacazzeunus at great length, and says the ovules were only 2-1 in each cell; so that Hasskarl’s plant was really the tucazzeanus of Hochsteiter, excluding the citation of Walpers. There is ample evidence of the variation in the colour of the petals; the different- coloured flowers have been esteemed different species by many collectors. 3. A. tacazzeanum, Hochst.ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 222, not of A. Rich. Thinly hairy. Stems 1—2 ft. long, weak, de- cumbent at the base and there sometimes divided, rooting often at the lower nodes. Leaves 3 by 1 in. (in Hochstetter’s two ‘“ types ”), elliptic, acute, base contracted, often subpetioled. Inflorescence terminal, pe- duneled, 1? by 14 in., very lax, obscurely pubescent; cyme-peduncles alternate ; bracts less than } in. long, ovate; bracteoles less than ¢ in. long, obovate. Sepals about } in. long, elliptic, concave. Corolla smaller than in 4. eguinoctiale, appears to have been yellow. Ovules 3-2 in each cell. Capsule nearly 4 by 4 in., white, truncate, with the two upper angles acute, mostly 2-celled, with 3-1 seeds in each cell.— Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 432; K. Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 136. A. Forskalei, Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii, Append. ii. 58, not of Kunth. Lamprodithyros tacazzeanus, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 531 (excl. the syn. of Walpers), and in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. Cfr. DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 222. Mile Land. Eritrea: Gorge of Ailet, Schweinfurth & Riva, 427! below Geleb, 5000 ft., Schweinfurth, 1416, 1788 ; Ginda, 3259 ft., Schweinfurth, 128, 392. Abyssinia: Valley of the River Tacazze, Schimper, 1660, 1729! Quartin-Dillon & Petit, 449! This is a much weaker plant than A. equinoctiale, the capsule smaller, with often only 2-1 seeds in each cell. The example of Schweinfurth, 427, is much stonter than Schimper’s, with larger inflorescence and 3 seeds to each cell; this is separated from the smaller examples of A. equinoctiale by the smaller, more concave elliptic sepals. Hua (in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 121) appears to draw the line between the two species at a different point. Schweinfurth reduces here A. Ehrenbergii, C. B. Clarke (which see No. 27 helow); and A. Forskalai, Kunth. The latter is fully described as Commelina paniculata by Vahl (Enum. ii. 179), who appears to have had Forskal’s plant; and who describes inter alia “ peduncles lateral and terminal, paired, with a sheath 3 in. long at the base of each”; so that this plant must have been very remote from 4. tacazzeanum, and was almost certainly a species of Commelina. 4. A. nyasense, (’. B. Clarke. Pubescent. Portion of stems seen 1 ft. long, unbranched. Leaves 3 by 1 in., elliptic, acute. Panicle terminal, 5 by 2} in., loose; cyme-peduncles mostly in distant false- Aneilem. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 67 whorls, the bracts at their base } in. long, elliptic ; one or two of the lower cyme-peduncles supported sometimes bya leaf 21in. long. Cyme- peduncles glabrate ; several of the lower bracteoles empty,4—} in. long, ovate; pedicels in fruit }—2 in, long. Sepals nearly } in. long, narrowly elliptic, glabrate. Capsule + in. long, truncate, with acute angles at the top; seeds 2-1 in each cell. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa : Nyasaland ; 2000-6000 ft., Kondowe to Karonga, Whyte, 337 ! This species is close to the small examples of A. equinoctiale, but has broader sepals, and not more than 2 seeds to each cell of the capsule. +. A. angolense, (. B. Clarke. Sparsely hairy. Stems 24-3 ft. long, with long internodes, and branches from most axils. Leaves 3 by 4 in., broadly ovate, acute, narrowed at the base almost into a quasi- petiole ; the uppermost large and folded. Inflorescence sessile on the upper leaves, and shorter than they, of several lax panicles (i.e. of one panicle divided at the very base); an axillary panicle is added in one ‘example. Bracts very small; no ovate smal! empty bracts seen. Pedicels of the fruit 4 in. long. Flowers green, the lower petal yellowish (Welwitsch). Capsule + by 4 in., papery, shining, 2-celled, 4-seeded. —A. Khrenbergii, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79. Lower Guinea. Angola: Golungo Alto; in woods on the mountains of Alto Queta, 1000-2400 ft., Welwitsch, 6610! A description of this plant is given in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 230, where it is supposed that it may be Lamprodithyros Ehrenbergii, Hassk., an Abyssinian plant, which probably differs, cfr. No. 27 below. Var. magis-lutea, C. B. Clarke. Stems slenderer, 6-14 in. long. Leaves smaller, attaining 2} by 14 in. Panicle depauperated, lax, few-flowered. Sepals green (Welwitsch). Petals 2 yellow, 1 green or yellow (Welwitsch).—A. peduncutosum, var. lutea, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 228; Dnrand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 431; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; 2400-3800 ft., in shade on the rocky heights of Pedras de Guinga, Welwitsch, 6630! on the rocks of the Presidium, Welwitsch, 6649! The habitat, the colour of the flowers twice noted by Welwitsch, the lax panicle, the tendency to produce short branches from the leaf axils all tend to show that this plant is nearer to 4. angolense than to A. pedunculosum. 6. A. Johnstonii, HK. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. ‘Thinly hairy. Stems 18 in. long, not rarely branched. Leaves up to + by 3-}in., lanceolate. Panicle terminal, peduncled, 34 by 1} in,, open, nearly glabrous, erect; cyme-peduncles in apparently distant whorls; bracts hardly } in. long ; pedicels attaining }-4 in. ; bracteoles scarcely ;', in. leng, ovate or obovate. Sepals 4 in. long, roundly elliptic, obtuse. Petals 2, yellow, the odd one a_brown-yellow. Capsule 1 by 1 in., broadly ellipsoid, very obtuse at the top, but with- out horns at the corners; seeds usually 2 in each cell.—Anetlema, cfr, lanceolatum, Oliver in Trans. Linn. Soe. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 352. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro; Lower slopes, 2000- 3000 ft., Johnston! below Marangn, 2600 ft., Volkens, 2146! Usambara; Pare 68 CXLIII. COMMELINACES (CLARKE). | Aneilema. Mountains, Hoehnel, 159. British Central Africa: Rhodesia; on the road from Missala to Luia River, Nicholson ! Nyasaland ; Shire Highlands, Buchanan, 435. Oliver regarded this as belonging to the sect. Lamprodithyros ; K. Schumann transferred it to sect. Hu-Aneilema. 7. A. beniniense, Awnth, Knum. iv. 73. Stem trailing 1-2 ft. long, rooting near the base; the axillary shoots sometimes boring through the base of the Jeaf-sheaths. Leaves 2-5 in. long, ovate elliptic or oblong, acuminate, very slightly hairy, upper much less narrowed at the base than the lower. Inflorescence usually of 1 (or 2) terminal peduncled dense nearly glabrous panicles 2 by 14 in.: the cyme-peduncles often 100 or more, spreading at right angles; bracts inconspicuous; bracteoles minute, obovate; the inflorescence is some- times evolute into a mass 7 by 2 in. of a number of congested panicles. Flowers very small, blue or whitish. Sepals about ;}, in. long, thin, ovate, concave. Fertile stamens (at least often) 3; filaments without hairs. Capsule } by } in., shining, thin in texture, not truncate, normally 7—5-seeded. Seeds pale, stony.—Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 546; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 224; Durand & Schinz, Con- “spect. Fl. Afr. v. 430,and Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 270; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost- Afr, C, 136; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 121, inel. var. oaycarpa ;: Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79; Cummins in Kew Bulletin, 1898,, 80. Commelina beniniensis, Beauv. Fl, Owar. ii. 49, t. 87. Lampro- dithyros beniniensis ? Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 529. Upper Guinea. Liberia: Grand Bassa, Vogel, 40! Cape Palmas, Ansell! Gold Coast, Burton § Cameron! Ashanti, Cummins! Togo, Buettner, 262! Lagos, Millen, 22! 91! Moloney! Western Lagos, Rowland! Old Calabar, Holland, 110! Robb! Cameroons : Barombi, Preuss, 1195! Batanga, Bates, 71! Fernando Po,. Vogel, 7! Barter! Mann, 92! Wile Land. British East Africa: Niamniam; at Linduku (Unduku) River,. Schweinfurth, 3284! at Nabambisso River, Schweinfurth, 3698! Ruwenzori ; Butugu Valley, Scott-Elliot, 7977 ! Lower Guinea. (iaboon, Du Bellay, Du Parquet. French Congo : France- ville, Brazza, Bangui, Dybowski, 528; Cape Lopez, Dybowski, 172 ; Congo, Smith, 53! 57! Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis! Blakasi, Burton ! Angola: Golungo Alto, 1000-2400 ft., Mata de Quibanga, Sobato Mussengue, Welwitsch, 6600! Zengas- de Queta, Welwitsch, 66008! in woods on the banks of streams near Trombeta, Cam- bondo, and Sange, Welwitsch, 6601! 6654! Mozamb, Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Masuku Plateau, 6500- 7009 ft., Whyte, 305! Mount Malosa, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 1167! The number of ovules is often 3 in each cell of the ovary, but not always. The varjation in the size of the panicle is great. : 8. A. Rendlei, (. 2. Clarke. Sparsely hairy. Stems 15 in. long, undivided, rather slender. Leaves 3} by 4 in., exactly lanceolate,. acuminate at either end, the base almost pseudo-petiolate, with a few scattered brown hairs especially on the lower margins; leaf-sheaths unusually long (some 1 in, long) glabrescent. Peduncle terminal, 3-4 in. long, with a leaf-sheath (without leaf) in the middle. Inflorescence Aneilema. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). 69 dense, minutely or scarcely pubescent; primary axis weil marked; primary branches having in their lower half many approximated small ovate empty bracts (as in A. beniniense and many other species). Capsule 4 by + in., linear-oblong, obtuse, 2-celled, papery, shining ; seeds 3-5 in each cell. Nile Land. Somaliland, Donaldson Sinith ! This species resembles the Australian A. acuminatum, R. Br.; it bas-a much denser inflorescence and a longer capsule. On the same day, Donaldson Smith also collected his 346, which has a looser inflorescence and a smaller capsule (in which a l-seeded third cell is sometimes present), and is very near 4, acuminatum, R. Br., under which possibly both plants may be hereafter placed. 9. A. ovato-oblongum, Beawy. Hl. Owar. ii. 71, t. 104, fig. 1. Very sparingly hairy. Stem 1-2 ft. long, trailing, rooting near the base. Leaves 2} by 1 in., elliptic, acuminate. Panicle 2 by 1} in., with 8-18 primary branches often falsely whorled, slender, nearly glabrous; bracts at their base minute. Flowers very small, pale lilac or white. Sepals less than 4 in. long, thin, ovate, concave. Fertile stamens (at least often) 3; filaments slightly hairy. Capsule ;',—} in. long, shining, thin, quadrate, the upper shoulders rounded, normally 4-seeded. Seeds pale, stony.— Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 545; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 226; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. FI. Afr. y. 431, and Etudes FI. Congo, i. 270; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87; Schoenl. in Eng!. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. iv. 65; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 121. A. bracteolatum, R. Br. in Bowditch, Mission to Ashantee, 444. Com- melina umbrosa, Vahl, Enum. ii. 179; Thonn. in Schumacher, Beskr. Guin. Pl. 23. C. ovato-oblonga, Roem. & Schultes, Mant. i. Add. i. 376. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: near Berria, in dense forest, Scoté-E/liot, 5424! Liberia : Cape Palmas, Ansell! Dahomey: Lake Porto Nova, Newton, 14! Gold Coast, Burton § Cameron! Fernando Po, Vogel, 143! Milne! Cameroons, Preuss, 96 ! Lower Guinea. Gaboon: Munda; Sibange Farm, Soyaux, 336! and without precise locality, Zedlie! French Congo: Ogowe River, Z'hollon, 266 bis; Brazza- ville, Dybowski. Loango ; Chinchocho, Soyaux, 169! Landana, Phillips. Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis ! Also in Tropical South America. Var. 8 nigritana, C, B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 227. Leaves 6 by 2 in. Panicle hardly peduncled, much overtopped by the leaves; its main axis and the sepals minutely pubescent. Empty bracts at the base of the cymes numerous, close together, Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Nupe; Jeba, on the Quorra (Niger), Barter ! 10. A. somaliense, (. 2. Clarke. Sparingly pubescent. Upper leaves 24 by 1} in., ovate, acute; base sessile on the leaf-sheath, rounded. Peduncle to the panicle 3 in. long, terminal; panicle TZ. by 1} in,, main axis straight; cyme-peduncles about 24, spreading, scattered, not whorled, bracts at their base less than } in. long, ovate. Sepals 1-1 in. long, concave, nearly glabrous. Petals small, white. 70 CXLIII. COMMELINACE& (CLARKE). | Aneilema. Capsule 2-celled, ellipsoid, shining, with rounded shoulders, obscurely emarginate, 4-seeded. Wile Land. Somaliland: Harradigit, James § Thrupp ! The specimen consists of a panicle with the 3 uppermost leaves. 11. A. Smithii, (. B. Clarke. Sparingly pubescent. Roots. clustered, thick, several thickened at the end. Stems cespitose, erect, 5 in. high, often divided, the flowering with several well-developed leaves. Leaves small, broadly ovate, subacute, the largest seen 1} by ? in. Inflorescence terminal, 1} by ? in., dense; peduncle 1-1} in. long; main rhachis well marked; bracts at the base of the primary branches +}; in. long, ovate or obovate, obtuse, somewhat scarious ; similar small empty bracts on the lower half of the primary branches. Flowers very small; pedicels and sepals obscurely pubescent. Wile Land. British East Africa: Lake Rudolph, Doxaldson Simith ! 12. A. dregeanum, Awnth, Hnum. iv. 73. Sparingly hairy. Stems 12-18 in. long, suberect, frequently branched. Leaves 4 by #-1} in., oblong-elliptic or subovate, lower with a quasi-petiole, }—? in. long, all (but occasionally the topmost) shortly acuminate at the base. Panicle 14 by ?-1 in., dense, nearly glabrate. Sepals 1-4 in. long. Petals small, blue. Fertile stamens usually 3. Capsule } by } in., thin, shining, usually 2-celled, shoulders rounded. Seeds 2—1 in each cell, pale, stony.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 229, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 13. Lamprodithyros dreyeanus, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 529. Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi ; Tete, Kirk! Also in the North-Eastern parts of South Africa. 13. A. Nicholsoni, C. B. Clarke. Leaves 34 by 1 in., broadly elliptic acuminate at either end, when mature thinly hispid on both surfaces, those near the top of the stem with a pseudo-petiole } in. long. Peduncle 1—2 in. long, terminal, patently hispid. Panicle 14 by ?-1 in., very dense ; cyme-peduncles very numerous and (as the pedicels) hispid ; bracts minute. Calyx small, nearly glabrous. Petals very small, bright: blue in the dry specimens. Capsule } in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa ; Rhodesia; on the road from Missala: to Luia River, Nicholson ! 14. A. Petersii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 225. Thinly hairy. Stems 12-18 in. long, sometimes branched in the upper’ part. Leaves up to 34 by 3-} in,, lanceolate. Panicle 2 by 14 in., rather loose ; primary branches not whorled ; in several cases a second penultimate panicle makes the inflorescence appear as dichotomous. Sepals $-} in. long, nearly glabrous. Petals blue. Capsule 1—} in., normally 2-celled with 2 seeds in each cell, minutely glandular pubescent, less papery than in most of the section Lamprodithyros.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 431; K.Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C- Anedlema. | CXLIII. COMMELINACE& (CLARKE). ca 136. A. tetraspermum, K.Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 136. Lam- prodithyros Petersii, Hassk. in Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 529. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Usambara; Tanga, Volkens, 175! Stuhlmann, 6062, 6458. Portuguese Eust Africa: Zambesi Delta; mouth of the River Melambe, K7rk / Mozambique, in damp places, Peters / 15. A. Schweinfurthii, ('. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 227. Minutely pubescent. Roots thick. Stems 8-14 in., with few oblong leaves, 1-2 in. long; erect from a short rhizome (not annual), Leaves ona barren stem 44 by } in., oblong-linear. Panicle in fruit 1} by ? in., very dense, pubescent ; lowest bracts to the cyme-peduncles 4 in. long, lanceolate ; bracteoles ;1; in. long, obovate. Sepals 35 in. long, glabrate. Petals small, blue. Capsule nearly } in. long, white, 2-celled, 4-sceded.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 432 ; Durand & De Wild. in Bull. Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvii. 128; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 186; DC. Monogr. Phan, iii, 227. Lamprodithyreos gracilis, Kotschy & Peyr. Pl. Tinn. 47, t. 23, fig. A; Kanitz in Flora, 1868, 513; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. Nile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 1832! ser. iii, 214! Bongo; Gir, Schweinfurth, 1886! South Central. Congo Free State: Tanganyika, De Beerst! 16. A. Welwitschii, (. B. Clarke i DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 229. Minutely grey pubescent. Stems czespitose on a bundle of thick roots clavate and subtuberous at their extremities. Fertile stems 10-16 in. long, rather robust, little divided, with many fully developed leaves. Leaves 3 by }-1 in., oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, sessile, tip obtuse. Peduncle 2—4 in. long, terminal, with often a sheath or nearly obsolete leaf in the middle. Panicle in fruit 1 by ? in., even in fruit very dense ; flowers blue (Welwitsch). Capsule 4 by } in., quadrate-oblong, shining, thinly crustaceous, 4-seeded.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 432; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 79. Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla; edges of woods, Lake Ivantala, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6596! Golungo Alto; marshy places between Catumba and Ohai, Wel- witsch, 6597 ! : The leaves in 6596 are considerably broader than in 6597 ; but no one has doubted their being one species. I think this may be only a state of A. Schwein- Surthii, 17. A. soudanicum, (’. B. Clarke. Hispid, especially the stems and leaf-sheaths. Stems 15 in. long, branched throughout their lengtb, at the base erect, with the lowest leaves reduced to pale brown scales ; roots thick. Leaves up to 34 by 4-4 in., linear-lanceolate. Panicle terminal, peduncled, 1} by #-1 in., dense, thinly hairy ; lowest bracts 3—} in. long, lanceolate ; bracteoles hardly } in. long, ovate. Sepals } in. long, glabrate. Petals small, blue. Capsule + in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded, ? i2 < OP: reunded on the shoulders.—Ad. lanceolatum, var. /3 evoluticr partly, 72 €XLUII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). [| Aneilema. C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr, Phan, iii. 227; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 431 partly. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Musgu; on the Fellata Hills, Vogel, 101! 18. A. Whytei, (. B. Clarke. Upper portions of stems 10 in, long, rather slender, pubescent, not rarely branched. Leaves 2} by 3 in., lanceolate, when mature hairy, especially beneath. Panicle 1 by ? in, dense, with long spreading white hairs; lower bracts minute or 0; many of the lower pedicels sterile, terminated by a black glandular knob (the rudimentary flower). Sepals ;, in. long, glabrate. Petals small, blue. Capsule hardly 1 in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded.—A. hirtum, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 228 partly (i.e. by confusion), not of A.Rich. (which see at p. 74 seq.). Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: North Nyasaland, Whyte ! The description of A. hirtum in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 228 is grounded on the assumption that the plant here described was the 4. hirtum of A. Richard (which I now believe to have been a Floscopa). 19. A.lanceolatum, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 546. Sparingly pubescent. Stems up to 15 in. long, occasionally divided, weak, decum- bent at the base. Leaves up to 6 by 3 in., narrowly lanceolate. Panicle terminal, peduncled, up to 14 by 1 in. (but usually much smaller), dense, minutely pubescent ; lowest bracts ;15 in. long, ovate; bracts to the cyme-peduncles ;1; in. long, obovate. Sepals 5} ;'9 in. long, glabrate. Petals small, blue. Capsule + in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded, shoulders rounded at the top.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 227; Durand «& Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 431. A. rhodospermum, K, Schum. in Zenker, Exsice. 1110. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Lower Niger; Stirling Hill, Vogel! Ansell! Quorra, Vogel! Cameroons: Bipinde, Zenker, 1110! Var. 8 evolutior, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 227 partly. Stems stout. Leaves up to 10 by 3 in., linear or scarcely linear-lanceolate, very hairy or with sparse long hairs. Panicle 4 in. long, 2 in, wide at the base, 1 in. wide at the top; branches very numerous, lower in false whorls. Lower part of cymes represented often by numerous approximate empty bracts 34, in. long. : Flowers and capsules as of laxceolatum, but slightly larger. Upper Guinea. Western Lagos: Eruwa, Rowland ! Foe ne ae Niger Territory: Nupe, The base of the stem and roots are not shown : it seems probable that the stem may be erect, with thickened roots ; and, if so, near Welwitschii. 1t, however, recalls A, lanceolatum, Benth., by the very long narrow leaves. 20, A. Spekei, (. B. Clarke. Rather thinly hairy. Stems 15—2+ in. long, often branching ; base decumbent, rooting at the nodes. Leaves + by }-1 in., rather broadly lanceolate, hardly acute. Panicle 2 by } in., terminal, peduncled, dense, sparingly pubescent ; lowest bracts minute, cyme-branches short. Sepals ;'5 in. long, glabrate. Petals small, blue. Capsule + in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded, rounded on the shoulders.— A. tucuzzeanum, Baker in Trans. Linn Soc. xxix. 163, not of Hochst. A, lanceolatum, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 227 partly ; Aneilema. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEX (CLARKE), 73 Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 431 partly; K. Schum. in Engl, Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136. <Aneilemu, sp. n. 1., T. Thoms. in Speke, Nile, Append. 650. Lamprodithyros lanceolatus, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. F]. Aethiop. 211, 295. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Unyamwezi; near Tabora, 3800 ft., Speke § Grant! Mininga, Speke § Grant, 165! British Central Africa: North Nyasaland, Whyte ! This has not the elongate leaves of 4. lanceolatum, and the panicle is different ; but it is closely allied to it. 21. A. gracile, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 228, exel. syn. Sparingly hairy or glabrate. Stems 10—12 in. long, slender, often- divided. Leaves attaining 2} by 4 in. Panicle terminal, peduncled, 2} in. long, 2 in. wide at the base, } in. wide at the top; lowest bracts ¢ in. long, lanceolate; cymes short, with few empty bracts. Sepals zo in. long, glabrate. Petals small, bluish-purple (Barter). Capsule ¢ in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded, shoulders rounded at the top.—Durand & ‘Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 430, excl. syn. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Nupe, in cultivated soils, Barter, 1474! This may be only a variety of 4. lanceolatum, var. evolutior ; it is much more glabrous, slenderer, with smaller leaves and smaller panicle. But in the shape of the panicle, the flowers and the capsules, it agrees perfectly ; and comes from the same locality. 22. A. pedunculosum, ('. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. em 228, excl. var. y. Weak, trailing and rooting, sparsely hairy. Stems 6-24 in. long, often branched. Leaves 2 by ? in., elliptic or ovate, acuminate, when mature nearly glabrous. Inflorescences dense, small, q-14 by 3-3 in.; peduncle terminal, sometimes few-flowered, freauently on short lateral branches, 1-4 in. long; axis of inflorescence with small crisped hairs. Sepals hardly ;, in. long, minutely pubescent or glabrate. Petals very small, blue. Fertile stamens usually 3; filaments slightly hairy. Capsule } by } in., thin, shining, pale, the shoulders rounded at the top ; usually 2-celled, with 2 pale stony seeds on each cell.—Oliver ‘in Trans. Linn. Soe. ser. 2, Bot. ii. 352; Durand & Schinz, Consp. FI. Afr. v. 431; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136. A. leiocaule, K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136. Nile Land. British East Africa: Uganda, Scott-Elliot, 7266! Wilson, 139! Toru; Wimi River, 6000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 7335! Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa : Kilimanjaro, 6500-9000 ft., Johnston, 175! Volkens, 1486! Rovuma River, Kirk! Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi ; Shiramba, Kirk, 265! British Central Africa: Zambesi Valley ; Boruma, Menyharth, 610! Nyasaland ; Nyika Plateau, 6000-7000 ft., Whyte, 212! 23. A. Clarkei, Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx. 430, t. BA, fig. 7-12. Sparingly hairy. Stems (portions seen) up to 14 in. long, trailing, rooting, with long nodes and many branches. Leaves somewhat poly- morphic, upper (as some lower) 1 by } in., ovate-elliptic, tip triangular obtuse or almost rounded ; on the same stem are other leaves 13 by “4 CXLIM, COMMELINACES (CLARKE). [ Aneilema. 3 in., lanceolate, acute. Inflorescences of about 8 flowers “in axillary cymes” (Rendle), or rather terminal on short axillary branches ; bracts to the lower cyme-branches }—} in. long and leaf-like; no small ovate empty bracts on the primary panicle branches. Stamens 3 or 2 fertile, 3 sterile. Capsule ;4, in. long, the two anterior cells 2- (or 1-) seeded, the dorsal cell 1-seeded. Seeds stony, much as those of species of the section Lamprodithyros. Wile Land. British East Africa: Lower Tana Valley at Lake Dumi, Gregory / 24. A. Taylori, (. B. Clarke. Sparingly pubescent. Fragment of stem seen 8 in. long, with 4 inflorescences on short axillary branches. Leaves attaining 2 by 4 in., broadly lanceolate, acute. Inflorescence very weak, lax, subdichotomous, without bracts at the main divisions; branches slender }—3 in. long, with several small empty ovate bracts below, and few capsules on pedicels 1 in. long. Capsule Jess than { in. long, 2-celled, 4-seeded, very thin, white, papery. Nile Land. British East Africa: Fimbine, in the Rabai Hills, near Mombasa, Taylor !} Imperfectly known species. 25. A. Sacleuxii, Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 121. Panicle loose, elongate; peduncles pubescent; bracts lanceolate; cymes peduncled, 4—6-flowered, sometimes 2-3 close together, with acute bracteoles ciliate at the base. Capsule stalked, 2-angled at the top, 2-valved. Seeds 2 in each cell, a third 1-seeded (or empty) cell added. Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar ?, Sacleuxr. Next to A. tacazzeanum. The bracts and bracteoles as described appear very unlike those of any plant in sect. Amelina, The description (except as to the capsule being 2-angled at the top) might do for A. soudanicum, 26. A. hirtum, 4. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 343. Root fibrous. Stem a span high, much branched from the base, hairy. Leaves oval- oblong, acute. Panicle terminal, dichotomous from the base, many- flowered; primary peduncles paired, 2 in. long. Capsule obcordate, compressed ; cells 2, with one long ovoid seed in each cell.—Lamprodt- thyros hirtus, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Shireh province, in moist places near Kouaieta, Quartin-Dillon (ex A, Richard). The whole of the above is condensed from A. Richard’s description. I have little doubt, from the description of the inflorescence, that this was a species of Floscopa ; it certainly was if A. Richard is correct as to the obcordate capsules with one seed in each cell. In DC. Monogr. Phan, iii. 228, I have confused it with an <Aneilema, described above (p. 72) under the name 4. Whyftei. —amet A procumbent rooting herb. Leaves round-ovate or ovate, acute,. ciliate at the base. Inflorescence terminal, or terminal on lateral branches, loosely panicled, minutely bracteate at each division, with spreading branches. Flowers small. Fruits shining, 2-celled, with 2 27. A. Ehrenbergii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 229. Aneilema. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 75 superposed seeds (or 1) in each cell.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F. Afr. v. 430. Lamprodithyros Ehrenbergii, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 210,295. Commelina ebracteata, Ehrenberg ex Hassk.].c. Nile Land. Eritrea: near Togodele, in Sholos district, Hhrenberg. This is reduced by Schweinfurth (in Bull, Herb. Boiss, ii. Append. ii. 58) to A. Forskalei, Kunth; which appears to me impossible, as see the remarks under A, tacazzeanum above (p. 66). A. Lhrenbergii may have been the same as Schimper’s 1660, 1729, i.e. A. tacazzeanum above. 28. A. Russegeri, (. B. Clarke. Lamprodithyros Russegeri, Fenzl in Sitzungsb. Akad. Wien, Math. Nat. i. Abth. ii. (1865) 138 ; Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295 ; cfr. Kotschy & Peyr. Pl. Tinn. 48 in obs. Wile Land. Nubia and Fazokl, Fenzl. I have no specimen of this, nor have I been able to see the original description of Fenzl]. According to Kotschy & Peyritsch, it is very near A. Schweinfurthii. 6. ANTHERICOPSIS, Eng]. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 139. Sepals $ in. long, lanceolate, very acute, herbaceous, striate.. Otherwise as Anetlema Species 1. Endemic. Engler says that the seeds are in two rows in the capsule, which is true in the sense that they are biseriate in the culinary pea-pod. In separating this plant from Aneilema, Rendle mentions various distinctive points—viz. 1st, that the 3 fertile stamens belong to the external whorl; but I believe that they do not, but are as in other Aneilemas ; 2nd, that the inflorescence is umbellate; but I do not consider it is. even pseudo-umbellate ; I regard it as essentially that of Aneilema (Indian Section, Murdannia) ; 3rd, that the pollen is echinate. I have seen the pollen well and think it not echinate, and hardly more strongly granular than in some species of Aneilema ; but it is without the longitudinal groove present in Aneilema pollen. The sepals are, however, very unlike those of any Aneilema, and show an approximation to the genus Buforrestia. : 1. A. Pischeri, Engl. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 139. Nearly glabrous, 2-8 in. high. Roots wiry, 2-3 in. long, each terminated by a hard ovoid tuber 4-} in. long. Stem only 1-2 in. long (exclusive of the flower scape). Leaves up to 3 by } in., ovate or elliptic acute. Inflorescence a panicle of 2 (or 1) distant clusters of falsely-whorled pedicels ; bracts sessile, lanceolate, attaining 14 by } in., flat, not at all hooded. Pedicels unequal, often }—1} in. long in each cluster. Petals din. long. Stamens 3, fertile; filaments without hairs; anthers nearly Similar, of 2 oblong cells; pollen small, ellipsoid-subglobose, granular, not grooved longitudinally. Capsule (unripe) ? by ;/5 in., with 5 or more seeds in each cell in one row.—A. sepalosa, Engl. in Eng]. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. Nachtr. zu ii.—iv. 69. Aneilema sepalosum, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 202 ; Durand & Schinz. Consp. Fi. Afr. v. 432 ; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 135. Gillettia sepalosa, Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1896, 56, t. 355, fig. B. Wile Land. Somaliland : El Modu, Donaldson Smith. British East Africa Ukambi ; Kitui, Hildebrandt, 2640! 76 CXLIII, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). | A nthericopsis. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Umba Valley, Smith! Masai High- lands, Fischer, 258. Portuguese East Africa: in a journey to the mountains east of Lake Nyasa, Sleere ! 7. BUFORRESTIA, C. B. Clarke; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. ii. 850. Sepals 3, elliptic-lanceolate or oblong. Petals 3, obovate. Stamens 6, perfect; filaments without hairs. Ovary subequally 3-celled. Capsule oblong, 3-valved. Seeds 4-10 in each cell, in one vertical row.—Leaves with long cylindric sheaths, which are not rarely pierced at the base by a roundish hole through which a lateral shoot or a peduncle is extended. Panicle open. Species, 2 in Tropical Africa, 1 in Cayenne. Sepals in fruit 4 in. long, glabrous, striate : . 1. B. Mannii. Sepals in fruit } in. Jong, viscid-hairy —. é . 2. B. imperforata. 1. B. Mannii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 233, t. 6. Nearly glabrous. Stem 2 ft. long. Leaves up to 64 by 2} in., tip shortly acuminate, base cuneate. Peduncles none near the end of stem, but boring through the base of the leaf-sheaths, 1-3 in. long. Panicle 2 by }in., about 12-flowered ; pedicels 3 or 4 in each false whorl, } in. long, with an oblong bract about 4 in. long at their base. Sepals } in. long in fruit, elliptic-lanceolate, striated, glabrous, ‘‘ green” (Mann); in flower hardly } in. long. Petals white (Zann). Capsule }-+4 in. long, oblong, glabrous, with 4—7 seeds in each cell.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 452. Upper Guinea. Fernando Po, Mann, 96. The material consists of 13 in. of the middle of the stem, with 2 leaves and “2 peduncles ; and of 14 in. of the tip of the stem with 3 leaves. 2. B. imperforata, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 234, t. 7. Plant thinly viscous with scattered brown several-celled hairs. Stem often rooting near the base ; branches 10-20 in. long. Leaves 4 by 13 in., acuminate, acute ; lower leaves much smaller, sometimes reduced to sheaths. Peduncles several from the axils of the uppermost closely approximated leaves, very short, irregularly branched, bearing ultimate racemes ; in these racemes, the small broad bracts } in. long are mostly sterile, the upper bracts only bearing a pedicel 4—} in. long (exactly as in many species of Aneilema). Sepals in fruit about } in. long, viscid hairy, dark green. Petals small, white, or “ white with purple streaks : (Welwitsch). Capsule } by } in., with 6-10 seeds in each cell.— Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 433; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes- rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxvi. 87; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80. B. minor, K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone; Kukuna, near the River Searcies, Scott-Elliot, 4678 partly! Cameroons: Cameroon Mountain, 2500 ft., Mann, 1340! Preuss, 1297 ! near the Lobe River waterfall, near Batanga, Bates, 145! Barombi, Preuss, 287! Efulen, Bates, 258! Lolodorf, Staudt, 385! Bipinde, Zenker, 1094! Fernando Po, 2000 ft., Mann! Buforrestia. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). ‘ge Lower Guinea. Princes Island, Mann! Lower Congo: Bingila, Dupuis ! Angola: Cazengo; by streams in the Coffee region of Mount Muxaulo, Welwitsch, 6607 ! B, minor, K. Schum., differs by having the leaves with very few hairs or glabrate . except at the month of the sheaths. The lower axillary shoots sometimes perforate the leaf-sheath, as in the type. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Usambara; Nguelo, near Nderema (? Ngerema), on the Handei Mountains, Holst, 2280a. 8. FORRESTIA, A. Rich.; Benth. et Hook. f, Gen. Pl. iii. 850. Sepals 3, small, concave, hooded. Stamens 6 fertile ; filaments. with beaded hairs. Ovary 3-celled, with 2-1 ovules in each cell. Capsule subglobose; otherwise as Buforrestia.—Flowers in small clusters on very short axillary peduncles, which generally perforate. the base of the leaf-sheaths. Species 8, viz. 6 in South-east Asia, and the 2 following: Spikes subglobose ; stems quadrangular . < . L. #. tenuis. Spikes linear-oblong ; stems terete . . : . 2. F. africana, 1. FP. tenuis, Benth. in Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 851. Nearly glabrous, except at the ciliate mouths of the leaf-sheaths. Stems 1-2 ft. high (J/ann) ; portions seen 9 in. long, subacutely quadrangular, with 3 subterminal leaves and 4 leafless lower nodes 2} in. apart. Leaves 3} by 14 in., broadly elliptic, tip very shortly acuminate, base rounded on the quasi-petiole, |} in. long. At each of the lower nodes is a leafless. cylindric sheath } in. long, bored at the base by a peduncle { in. long, carrying a dense head hardly } in. in diam. Sepals ;'5 in. long, glabrous. Filaments with a few hairs. Ovary glabrous, with 2-1 ovules in each cell.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 433. Buforrestia ? tenuis, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 234. Lower Guinea. Spanish Gaboon : Corisco Bay, Mann, 1873! The essential difference of Forrestia from Buforrestia lies in the 2—1-ovuled cells of the ovary leading to a globose (not narrow-oblong) capsule. As I was not abso- lutely certain abont the number of ovules, and as Forrestia is a genus confined to South-east Asia, I attached this species with (?) to Buforrestia in DC, Monogr. Phan. lc. Mr. Bentham has satisfied himself that the ovules are 2—1 only in each cell, and he observes that the inflorescence is exactly that of Forrestia, and (as between these two genera) considers that this species ought to be attached to Forrestia But I suspect, when the fruit is known, thatit will be found to be a new genus ; the quadrangular branches and rounded leaf-base are exceedingly unlike Forrestia. 2. F. africana, K. Schum. Nearly glabrous, except the ciliate. mouth of the leaf-sheaths. Stem 2 ft. (at least) long, trailing, rooting at the nodes, terete or very obscurely angular, leafless below. Leaves 4 by 4 in., elliptic, narrowed at the base into a quasi-petiole }-} in. long. Peduncles less than } in. long, perforating the base of the leaf- sheaths. Inflorescences 3-11 by } in., very dense unilateral spikes, obscurely pubescent ; the ovate greea bracts } in. long, imbricated in two series (as in many species of Cyanotis). Upper Guinea. Cameroons, Preuss, 1319! Bipinde, Zenker, 853! 78 CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). | Cyanotis. 9. CYANOTIS, D. Don; Benth et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 851. Sepals 3, lanceolate, more or less connate at the base. Petals 3, ‘small, blue or reddish, long-clawed, free at the base, the claws more or less adherent into a tube. Stamens 6, perfect, similar; filaments with. many or few beaded hairs, rarely quite glabrous. Ovary sessile, hairy at the top, 3-celled; ovules 2 in each cell. Capsule thin, 3-celled, loculicidally 3-valved, normally 6—5-seeded. Seeds 2 in each cell, super- posed ; the large embryostega at the apex of the upper seed, at the base of the lower.—Flowers, in all the Tropical African species, packed closely in very short scorpicid cymes; the falcate bracts frequently imbricate in 2 rows, or the rows are not well marked, the flowers appearing irregularly and densely clustered ; the clusters are sometimes in the leaf-sheaths, sometimes collected in heads—i.e. compound clusters. Species 30 or more in the warm regions of the Old World. The Tropical African species all belong to the subgenus Lu-Cyanotis, and are very closely allied; the flowers and capsules are so very similar in all the species that the description in the genus may do well for all. *Stem suberect from a bulb. Infiorescences in smal] heads, exserted from the leaf- sheaths. Leaves lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate. Bulb about 4 in. in diam. : : ee CO. hirsuta. Bulb scarcely + in. in diam. . : : . 2. C. parasitica, Leaves linear : : : : x . 3. C. angusta. Inflorescences axillary, hardly exserted from the leaf-sheaths . : : : ; : . 4. C. feecunda. “Stem annual, suberect, slender, often much divided. Inflorescences dense, often clustered 3 : . §. C. lanata. Inflorescences very weak, few-flowered . : . 6. C. paueiflora. *=*Plants neither bulbous nor annual. Flowering stems often lateral ; sterile stems very short, bearing a tuft of larger leaves. Inflorescences not included (nor nearly included) in the leaf-sheaths. Stems abrupt at the base; roots thick. Flowering stems hemiscapose with 1 or 2 heads 7. C. longifolia. Flowering stems with well-developed leaves. Small plant with many axillary heads . . 8. C. polyrrhiza. Tall plant with few axillary heads. - 9. C. djurensis. Stem abrupt at the base; roots not thickened, Stems erect, hemiscapose; roots wiry. . . 10. C. cespitosa. Stems with well-developed leaves at the base . 11. C. wodiflora. Stem creeping in water, with slender rootlets . 12. C. Mannii. Inflorescences included, or nearly so, in the leaf- sheaths. Flowering stem 4-9 in. long, undivided . 13. C. somaliensis. Flowering stem 20 in. long, much-branched . 14. C. flexuosa. 1. C. hirsuta, Fisch. et Mey. Ind. Sem. Hort. Petrop. viii. 57. Softly shaggy, or nearly glabrous. Bulb 3 in. in diam., eatable (Roth). Stem 3-15 in. long, suberect, often divided, with many heads, roundish, Cyanotis. | CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 79 sometimes with spreading hair on all sides, often with a dense line of shaggy hair on one side, sometimes nearly glabrate. Leaves in Schimper’s type collections, attaining + by in., oblong-lanceolate. Inflorescences 6-15 on one stem, }-? in. in diam., of one or several clustered cymes; outer bracts sometimes 1—2 in. long with elongate falcate recurved tips, sometimes ovate abbreviated 4 in. long; cymes many- flowered; bracteoles 41—} in. long, falcate-lanceolate, very regularly imbricated in two rows, or in other heads on the same stem, obscurely (or not) 2-ranked. Capsule } in. long.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 254; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 155; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 433; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. 1.59; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 136 (incl. var. 3 glabra) ; Rendle in Journ. Linn. Soe. xxx. 431. C. abyssinica, A. Rich. Tent. FI. Abyss. 11. 344, t. 98 ; Hassk. Commel. Ind. 139, and in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. C. barbata, Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295 partly, not of D. Don. Zygomenes abyssinica, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 211. Commelina hirsuta Hochst. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 254, not of R. Br. nor of Kunth. Nile Land. Eritrea: Mount Kube, 5900 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1511! Mogod Valley, 4200 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1554! Ginda, 2600 ft., Scheweinfurth, 395 ; Bizen, 5800 ft., Schweinfurth, 1885; Habab, 7800 {t., Hildebrandt, 371! Abyssinia : near Adowa, Schimper, 14! Quartin-Dillon ! Mount Sholoda, Schimper, 59, Agrima, Schimper, 584! near Jelajeranne (Tchelatchekenneh), Schimper, 1556! Begemeder ; Debra Tabor, Schimper, 1107! Shireh province, Quartin-Dillon ! Wojerat province, Quartin-Dillon! Shoa, Petit ! Ankober, Roth, 176! and without precise locality, Plowden! British East Africa: Leikipia, 6000-8000 ft., Thomson ! near Mombasa, Zaylor. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro, 8700 ft., Volkens, 1915! British Central Africa: Nyasaland; Mount Zomba Plateau, 5000-6000 ft., Whyte ! Zomba and vicinity, 2500-3500 ft., Whyte ! The last-cited two collections of Whyte do not show the root ; many of the species of Cyanotis are so much alike that I do not feel at all confident (in the absence of @ bulb) that Whyte’s specimens belong to C, hirsuta. 2. C. parasitica, Hochst.ex Hassk. Commel. Ind. 116. Sparingly hairy. Stems erect, 3-4 in. long, slender, creeping at the base from bulbs } in. in diam. Flowers rather large for the genus. Otherwise as C, hirsuta.—C. B, Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 256; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 435; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 156. Zygomenes parasitica, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 214. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Samen ; Acallo-Meda, 10,500 ft., Schimper, 506! The type specimens of C. parasitica are very complete, and show that the plant is not parasitic; its small bulbs were clustered in earth—probubly in the fork of a tree. 3. C. angusta, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 260. Hairy. Stems 4-8 in. long, slender, erect from a bulb ? in. in diam. Leaves up to 3 by 3; in., linear. Heads $—§ in. long, of 1 or few cymes, very oblique; the lower bract often 1 in. long, linear from an oblique lanceolate base. Flowers small, the bracts crowded in 2 rows, shaggy.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 433. 80 CXLIII. COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). | Cyanotis. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory : Nupe, on rocky soil, Barter, 1476. Lower Guinea, Congo Free State: Lower Congo; Kisantu, on the Inkissi River, Gillet ! 4. GC. foecunda, Hassk. Commel. Ind. 110. More or less shaggy. Stems 6-14 in. long, weak, rising obliquely from bulbs }—} in. in diam. Leaves 24 by $ in. or (as in K. Schumann’s plant) much smaller, oblong-lanceolate, not narrowed into a pseudo-petiole at the base. Inflorescences numerous, hardly 4 in. long, quite or nearly included in the leaf-sheaths ; bracts not (or obscurely) 2-seriate.—C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 255; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr- v. 4383; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137. C. montana, K. Schum. in Engl. Hochgebirgsfi. Trop. Afr. 156; Durand & Schinz, _Conspec. Fl. Afr. v. 434. Commelina faccunda, Hochst. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. ii. 255. Wile Land. Eritrea: Plain of Keren, Stewdner, 1485. Abyssinia: Serraba, in Uschan, 5000-6000 ft., Schimper, 459! Samen, Schimper, 1242! Berrechowa,. 5200 ft., Schimper, 280 ! Mozamb. Dist. (German Kast Africa: Unyamwezi district (ex K. Schumann) ; Usambara ; Duga, Holst, 3163! British Central Africa : Matabeleland, Ei/iott ! Also in Arabia. K. Schumann notes that this species belongs to the sect. Ochreeflore as defined in DC. Monogr, Phan, iii, 244. This is so. But, from the bulbous roots, I think still that its true affinity is here. 5. C. lanata, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 542. Annual, with woolly fine hair, persistent about the bracts. Stems 4—18 in. long, often erect, slender, much divided, sometimes thicker and decumbent at the base, rooting at the nodes. Leaves up to 3 by } in. (often much smaller) nar- rowly oblong-lanceolate. Infiorescences scattered, axillary and peduncled, often numerous, of 1-4 clustered cymes, }—3 in. in diam.; outermost bract usually $—1 in. long, similar to the leaves but widened at the base ; bracts faleate in 2 rows in the cymes of Bentham’s type, but densely packed and very obscurely 2-ranked in the nodose heads in Schwein- furth’s.—C. B, Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 258, incl. both varieties; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 434; Schoen]. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. 4,67 ; Rendlein Journ. Linn. Soc. xxx- 431, and in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80 (incl. both varieties); K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 187; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 122 (incl. var. sublanata). C. Schweinfurthii, Hassk. Commel- Ind. 134, and in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. C. barbata, Schweinf. Fl. Aethiop. 295 partly, not of D. Don. Cyanopogon sp., Schweinf. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 258. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot, 276! Senegal, Bellamy, 8, 639, 665. Sierra Leone, Afzelius! Morson ! Dahomey, Menager. Wagos: Abeokuta, a weed in Yam ground, Millen, 100! Irving, 101! Yoruba, Millson ! Niger Territory: Nupe, Barter, 1475! Jeba, on the Niger, Barter ! Lower Niger : Patteb Mountain, Vogel, 183! Quorra (River Niger), Vogel, 122! Cameroons: Yaunde, 2600 ft.» Zenker & Staudt, 502! Nile Land. Gallabat: region of Matamma, Schweinfurth, 534! 535! British Kast Africa: Jur; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 2334! Borgo; Gurfala, Schwein- Cyanotis. CXLIII, COMMELINACE (CLARKE). 81 ¥ furth, 2246! Ukamba, 5000-6000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 6483! Giryama and Shimba Hills, near Mombasa, Taylor. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; on the highest rocks of the Presidium, Cazella, San Antonio, and Songue, Welwitsch, 6650! on rocks between Candumba and Mangue, Welwitsch, 6653 ! and without precise locality, Welwitsch, 6648 ! Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Masai Highlands (ex K. Schumann). Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi ; opposite Sena, Kirk, 246! British East Africa : Nyasaland, Buchanan, 903! The var. sublanata (C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 258) is only the ordinary plant with the wool more rubbed off than usual. The var. Schweinfurthii (C. B. Clarke, l.c.), i.e., Schweinfurth, 534, 535, 2334, has the heads of flowers much included in the leaf-sheaths. 6. C. pauciflora, A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 345. Annual, with some arachnoid wool. Stems erect, 4in. high. Leaves linear-lanceolate to linear. Inflorescences terminal and axillary, much included in the sheaths of the floral leaves; cymes small, of 1-4 pairs of 2-ranked bracts. —Hassk. Commel. Ind. 121, and in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295 ; ©. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 256; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v.435 ; Martelli, Fl. Bogos. 88. Zygomenes pauciflora, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 213. Wile Land, Eritrea : on Mount Deban, near Keren, 4580-5500 ft., Beccari, 262. Abyssinia: Tigre ; Mount Sholoda, near Adowa, Quartin-Dillon! Shireh province, Quartin-Dillon ! It may be doubted whether this species is other than a depauperated form of C. lanata, Benth., var. Schweinfurthii, C. B. Clarke. 7. GC. longifolia, Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 543, not of Wight. Shaggy or glabrate. Stem abrupt at the base; roots thick, somewhat clavate. Central stem very short, sterile, with 3-8 leaves, 6 by $ in., very narrowly lanceolate, or linear. Flowering stem lateral, arising close to the crown of the root, 8-12 in. long, carrying 2~—1 (or no) leaves. Inflorescences 2 or 1, 3 in. broad, of 4-1 cymes ; floral leaves (outermost bracts) 1-3 in. long, linear-lanceolate ; flower-bracts 2-ranked. —T. Thoms. in Speke, Nile, Append. 650; Baker in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 163; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 259 excl. var. y cespitosa ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 434 excl. var. y ; Schoenl. in Eng]. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. 4, 67; K. Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Schweinf. in Hoehnel, Zum Rudolph-See u. Step- hanie-See, ii. 353; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80. Wile Land. British East Africa: Unyoro district (ex K. Schumann); Leikipia ; upper course of the Guaso Narok, 6500 ft. (ex Schweinfurth). Lower Guinea. Congo; Curror,1! Angola: Huilla ; in damp rocky pas- tures, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6595! Pungo Andongo ; in damp rocky pastures on the Presidium, Welwitsch, 6651! Mozamb. Dist. (erman East Africa: Unyamwezi ; between Tura and Tabora, 3800 ft., Speke & Grant! British Cental Africa: Kambole, south-west of Lake Tanganyika, 5000 ft., Nutt / : The citations of Schweinfurth and K. Schumann are of their names only—their plants not having been seen.. It is not improbable that these authors identified their VOL. VIII. G 82 CXLIII. COMMELINACE (CLARKE). | Cyanotis. plants as C. longifolia, Benth., var. cespitosa, C, B. Clarke ; which I now think a distinct species, i.e., C. cespitosa, Kotschy & Peyr., n. 10 below.—The var. 6 bake- riana, C. B. Clarke (in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii, 259), is more glabrous with larger leaves than in Bentham’s type; in Natt’s plant the leaves attain 12 by j in., and are glabrate. 8. C. polyrrhiza, Hassk. Commel. Ind. 150. Moderately villous, becoming glabrate. Roots many, thick, long; on the crown of the roots (or shortened sterile stem) is the central tuft of leaves; these leaves 2 by }in., lanceolate. Lateral flowering stems 4—5, 3-5 in. long, frequently divided, with 3-5 heads of flowers, and smaller leaves ; outer- most bracts to the terminal heads } in. long, ovate; bracts of the cymes obscurely (or not conspicuously) 2-ranked.—Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295 ; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iil. 255; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 435. Zygomenes polyrrhiza, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 214. Wile Land. Abyssinia: Samen; Acallo-Meda, 10,500 ft., Schimper, 504! 9. C. djurensis, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 256. Young parts villous and with white wool, but the whole plant becomes nearly glabrate. Roots thick. Sterile central stem short; leaves on this attaining 10 by }in., linear. Lateral flowering stems 12-20 in. long, rather robust, with 2 or 3 heads of flowers and 2-0 leaves (besides the outermost bracts to these heads). Stem leaves attaining 6 in. in length, linear. Heads of several clustered cymes, $—1 } in. broad ; outermost bracts to the terminal heads 2-3 in. long, linear. Bracts to a cymes distinctly 2-ranked.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 433. . Nile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 1944! ser. iii. 217! 10. C. cespitosa, Kotschy & Peyr. Pl. Tinn. 48. Leaves and stems villous, becoming glabrate. Stems abrupt at the base, with slender wiry roots. Basal leaves tufted, up to 3 by 4 in., oblong-lanceo- late, usually persistently shaggy near the base beneath. Flowering stem 8—12 in. long, slender, erect, scapose, with 2—6 heads of flowers. Leaves on the flowering stem 1 or 0 (besides the floral leaves), reduced to sheaths with a leafy triangular point hardly } in. long. Flower- heads hardly } in. long, of 1 or few cymes, usually very oblique ; outer- most bracts 3-1 in. long, lanceolate, faleate; bracts in the cymes con- spicuously 2-ranked, hairy.—Schweinf. Beitr. FI. Aethiop. 299. C. longifolia, var. cespitosa, C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 259; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 434, Zygomenes ccesprtosa, Kotschy & Peyr. Pl. Tinn. t. 22 A. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Nupe district ; Ilorin, Barter, 3440! Wile Land. British East Africa: Bongo; Gir, Schweinfurth, 1811! Nandi Hills, 6000-7000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 6911! The fiowers, according to Barter’s label, are red, 11. C. nodiflora, Kunth, Enum. iv. 106. With spreading hair usually prominent. Flowering stems 8-18 in. long, robust, with well- Cyanotis. | CXLIII, COMMELINACE® (CLARKE). 83 developed leaves, and 2~3 heads of flowers, oblique at the base, some- times rooting at the lower nodes ; roots wiry, occasionally thickened at the tips. Leaves on the flower stems attaining 4 by $—# in., usually persistently hairy; those of the basal tuft often larger, sometimes 9 by lin. Heads usually sessile, often }-1 in. broad, very dense, with several cymes ; outermost bract 1-1} in. or more, falcate linear-oblong from a broadly ovate base ; bracts in the cymes crowded, apparently irregularly.— Bot. Mag. t. 5471; C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr, Phan. iii. 257,and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 14, with all synonyms; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 435; Schoenl. in Engl. & Prantl, Pflan- zenfam. ii. 4, 67, fig. 36 A; K. Schum.in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Martelli, Fl. Bogos. 88; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80. Mile Land. Eritrea: Keren, 4500 ft., Beccari. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa : Unyamwezi ; Uyui, Taylor! Usambara ; Mlalo (ex K. Schumann). British Central Africa: Urungu; Fwambo, Carson, 32 j Nyasaland ; Mount Zomba, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Mount Malosa, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte! Rhodesia; Inyanga Mountains, 6000-7000 ft., Hon. Mrs. Evelyn Cecil, 211! Frequent in South Africa. 12. ©, Mannii, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 258. Hair scattered, shaggy. Growing in water; stem oblique at the base with many slender fibrous roots. Stems 2-12 in. long, much branched, with 3-21 heads, the internodes often curved, much grooved and distinctly quadrangular under the nodes. Basal leaves not seen; stem leaves 2-4 by } in., linear-oblong to linear. Heads } to } in. broad, of 1-4 clustered cymes; outermost bract ovate or ovate-oblong, scarcely longer than the heads. Cymes few-flowered, the falcate hairy bracts 2-ranked. —KEngl. Hochgebirgsfil. Trop. Afr. 156; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 484; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80. C. abyssinica, Hook. f. in Journ. Linn. Soe. vi. 21, not of A. Rich. Cyanopogon, gen. nov., Welw. ex C. B. Clarke in DC, Monogr. Phan. iii. 258. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Cameroon Mountain, 7000-9000 ft., Johnston, 34! Mann, 1310! 2140! Buea, Preuss,800! Fernando Po: Clarence Peak, 9000 ft., Mann, 616! Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo; in wooded places near Mangue and Mutollo, 2400-3800 ft., Welwitsch, 6652 ! 13. ©. somaliensis, (. B. Clarke in Kew Bulletin, 1895, 229. Shaggy. Stem woody and abrupt at the base, with slender wiry roots. Basal leaves 1} in. long, narrowly triangular. Flowering stem 4—9 in. long, rather stout, undivided, with several leaves, and 2-8 axillary heads hardly exserted from the leaf-sheaths. Stem leaves 1 by }-} in., the upper (with axillary heads) shortened. Flower heads dense, the bracts to the cymes appearing irregularly clustered, Nile Land. Somaliland: Golis Range ; Hammar, Miss Edith Cole! Darra-as Mrs. Lort-Phillips! Halrawal, Donaldson Smith! British East Africa: Ruwen- zori, 6000-7000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 7813: ! The lower heads of flowers are included in the Jeaf-sheaths, the uppermost quite 84 CXLIII, COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). | Cyanotis. exserted. The sect. Ochreeflora (DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 244) is not a section—but a group of species with undefined limits. Scott-Elliot’s examples are incomplete, and are less shaggy than the type specimens ; but they must be either C. somaliensis, or a species closely allied thereto. 14. ©. flexuosa, (. B. Clarke. Glabrescent. Roots fibrous. Stem procumbent, rooting at the lower nodes, with very numerous stout branches attaining 20 in. long, with flexuose internodes. Leaves oblong- lanceolate, attaining 2 in. long, the upper by degrees shortened into the floral leaves, which are ovate abbreviated into a short narrow recurved tip. Inflorescences axillary, very numerous, nearly included in the leaf sheaths ; bracts not appearing 2-ranked.—C. nodiflora, var. B madagas- carica, C.. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 258 partly ; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 435; Rendle, Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80. Commelina flexuosa, Welw. ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 258. Lower Guinea. Angola: Auilla; Monino, in damp rocky places, very rare, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6584! This is more remote from C. nodiflora than is the Madagascar plant with which it was united in DC. Monogr. Phan. l.c. Imperfectly known species, 15. ©. Dybowskii, Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 122. Hirsute. Stem simple, rather large, erect. Leaves linear, the upper surface glabrous, the lower hairy. Cymes at the apex of the stem or of axillary branches, several, approximate, nearly sessile ; bracts similar to the leaves, or shorter; bracteoles up to 20, falcate, hairy. Upper Guinea. French Congo; Kemo Station, Dybowski, 760. Not seen. Hua compares it with C. djurensis ; he does not describe, and pro- bably did not possess, the root. There is a Cyanotis from Mount Eiphinstot Flemming, on the Kworra (Niger), Barter, 492, wrongly referred by me to C. lanata, Benth. (in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 258). The root of this is not known, but the portion seen of the robust stems is 18 in, long, little divided, the stem-leaves 43 by 3 in. It is certainly not C. lanata, Benth., and had been removed to the neighbour- hood of C. djurensis. So far as the description goes, it might be C. Dybowskii, Hua. 16. C. cephalotes, Fenzl ex Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop, 299; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 435. Nile Land. Sennaar (ex Fenzl). (}. This appears to be @ bare name; at least, Durand cannot find where it is described. 10. FLOSCOPA, Lour.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii, 852. Sepals 3; oblong to obovate. Petals 3, obovate, sessile or scarcely clawed, distinct. Stamens 6 (rarely 5), perfect ; filaments without hairs. Ovary 2-celled, with 1 ovule in each cell. Capsule obovoid, compressed, membranous, loculicidally 2-valved, 2-seeded. Seeds soli- tary, attached laterally, hemispheric or depressed conic.—Stems all bearing leaves. Inflorescence hairy and often glandular, of many flowers in a terminal more or less leafy panicle; upper part of the Floscopa. | CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). 85 panicle with minute or no bracts (in F. avillaris the panicles are mainly axillary) ; ultimate branches of the panicle bearing 2 rows of very short- pedicelled flowers, are defined by Bentham as “ 1-sided, not scorpioid cymes” ; bracts at the base of the pedicels minute or 0. Corolla from purple to rose-colour except in /. flavida; colour unknown in F. Schweinfurthit and F. tuberculata, which are allied to F. flavida. Species 15, very closely allied, found in the hotter parts of Africa, Asia, and America. Stems 1-2 ft. long, rather stout (except in F. axillaris and #, Mannii), decumbent and often rooting at the base, scarcely ever branched. Leaves quasi-petioled, i.e., much contracted above the sheath. Leaves oblong-lanceolate . - , : . 1. F. africana. Leaves elliptic, with triangular tip : : . 2. #. Mannii. Leaves sessile on the leaf-sheaths, Leaves 1-4 in. long. Seeds with ribs radiating from the embryostega 3. F. rivularis. Seeds smooth, without ribs . F. glomerata. Leaves 3 in. long : : - ; . 5. #. axillaris. Stems 3-10 in. long, erect, annzal, often branched (except F, tuberculata). ore Leaves elliptic : “ : : : . 6. F. Schweinfurthit. Leaves oblong. : : : é : . 7. #. tuberculata. Leaves narrowly lanceolate . : : : . 8. FF. flavida. 1. PF. africana, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 267. Sparingly hairy, except the inflorescence. Stem 8-24 in. long, scarcely divided (except the inflorescence), decumbent at the base, rooting from the nodes. Leaves up to 34 by 2 in., lanceolate, acuminate, tapering at the base into a pseudo-petiole often + in. long. Panicle terminal, oblong (often 4-6 by } in.) with numerous flowers (but see var. /); upper part without leaves or bracts; viscid-pubescent not very hairy ; ultimate cymes often 4-3 in. long. Capsule about ;, in. long; seeds with radiating ribs.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F). Afr. v. 435, and Etudes FI. Congo i. 271; Durand & De Wild. in Comptes-rendus Soe, bot. Belg, xxxvi. 87; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 122. Aneilema africanum, Beauv. Fl. Owar. ii. 57, t. 93, fig. 1. Commelina Chantransia, Roem. & Schultes, Mant. i. Addend. i. 376. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: in mud, near Regent, Scott-Elliot, 3918! Lomaburn, near the River Scarcies, Scott-Elliot, 5030! Lagos: by streams at Agagee, Millen, 2! 95! by water, Koboro, Millen, 154! Benin, Beauvois! Came- Yoons ; Batanga, near the River Lobe, Bates, 183! Bipinde, Zenker, 1219! Yaunde, 2750 ft., Zenker & Staudt, 143! Lower Guinea. (iaboon: Gaboon River, Mann, 1022! Munda; Sibange Farm, Soyaux, 357! French Congo: Ogowe River, Thollon, 240, 276; Lower Congo : Lispa, 1000 ft., Hens, C., 168! Bingila, Dupuis ! Var. 8 majuseula, B. C. Clarke. Stems stouter ; leaves attaining 4-6 in. long ; panicle 5-6 by 4 in., ovoid, ultimate cymes often 2 in. long ; capsules rather larger. Upper Guinea. Lagos, Millen, 97! Punch! Cameroons: Yaunde, 2600 ft. Zenker & Staudt, 143! This does not match the typical F. africana, but the points of difference are trivial. 86 CXLIU. COMMELINACEH (CLARKE). | Floscopa. 2. EF. Mannii, (’. B. Clarke in DC Monogr. Phan. iii. 268. Frag- ments of stems 4-7 in. long, undivided, rooting from the lower nodes, glabrate. Leaves 24 by 13 in., elliptic, when mature nearly glabrous, the leaf-sheaths shaggy ; tip shortly triangular, not acuminate ; base triangular on a quasi-petiole }—} in. long. Panicle terminal, 1} in. long and broad, thin, subdichotomously branched, sparingly pubescent, much overtopped by the upper leaves ; cymes small, with small flowers and capsules.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect, Fl. Afr. v. 436. Lower Guinea. Spanish Gaboon : Corisco Bay, in wet places, Mann, 1867 ! This looks very unlike the other species of the genus, but the ripe capsules aud seeds are those of Floscopa. 3. F. rivularis, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 267, incl. var. 3. Stems 1-2 ft. long,rather robust, glabrate, not or scarcely divided, decumbent and rooting at the base. Leaves 2-4 by 4—3 in., oblong- lanceolate, acute, glabrate, sessile on the sheaths. Panicle 1-2} in. long, dense, with much brown hair, exserted above the uppermost leaves. Capsule ;4,-} in. long. Seeds of the genus, conical depressed, with ribs radiating from the embryostega, sometimes densely covered with white circular short-stalked glandular discs (which wear off more or less), sometimes black, with reticulated hexagonal cells, and no (or few) glands.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 436; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr, 157 (incl. var. /3); K.Schum. in Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 122. Anedlema rivulare, A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 342. Lamprodithyros rivularis, Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 211, 295; Baker in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 163. Dithyrocarpus sp., T. Thoms. in Speke, Nile, Append. 650. Wile Land. Abyssinia: Shireh; near Kouaieta, Quartin-Dillon! by the Addo-Hohot stream, in the valley of the River Mareb, Quartin-Dillon! Wojerat district, Quartin-Dillon! Begemeder ; Senka Berr, on the River Reb, and Plains of Dembea, north of Lake Tana, 6000-8000 ft., Schimper, 1226! British East Africa: Bongo ; between Dugu and Daggudu, Schweinfurth, 2099! Dugguda, Schweinfurth, 2269! Dar Fertit: Nguggu (? Nduggu), Schweinfurth, ser. iil., 212! Ukidi (Unyoro), Speke g Grant ! Ukamba, 5000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 6918! Upper Guinea. Senegal, Bellamy, 193 (ex Hua). Mozamb. Dist. (erman East Africa: Masai Highlands and Region c* the Great Lakes, up to 8000 ft. (ex K. Schumann); Wadiboma (? Kwadiboma), Fischers 597! British Central Africa: Urungu; Fwambo, 5250 ft., Carson, 39! Nutt! Nyasaland ; Tanganyika Plateau at Fort Hill, 3500-4000 ft, Whyte ! Masuka Plateau, 6500-7000 ft., Whyte! Kondowe to Karonga, 2000-6000 ft., Whyte! Shire Highlands, Buchanan, 333! Zomba, 5000 ft., Kirk! and without precise locality, Buchanan, 818! 4. F. glomerata, Hassk. Commel. Ind. 166. Seeds without radiating ribs from the embryostega; otherwise as /. rivularis.— C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 267, and in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vil- 15; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 436; K. Schum. in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Rendle in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. iv. 93s and in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 80. Tradescantia glomerata, Roem. & Floscopa. | CXLIII. COMMELINACE& (CLARKE). 87 Schultes, Syst. Veg. vii. 1175. Dithyrocarpus glomeratus, Kunth, Enum. iv. 78. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo ; in wooded marshes at Sobato de Quibanga and near Quilunga, Welwitsch, 6631! Huilla ; in Lake Ivantala, about the mouth of the River Moambo, growing 4-10 ft. high, in deep water, Welwitsch, 6590 ! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa : on an island at Victoria Falls, Kirk / Nyasaland ; Zomba, Whyte ! Frequent in South extratropical Africa and the Mascarene Islands. I doubt if this species can be kept distinct from F. rivularis. 5. F. axillaris, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 268. Nearly glabrous, except the inflorescence. Appears to be an annual. Base of stem procumbent, rooting copiously from many nodes, whence spring clusters of weak stems 2-5 in. long, obliquely erect, very leafy. Leaves 3-1 in. long, elliptic or lanceolate, acute. Panicles terminal, and terminal on short axillary branches, pubescent. Ultimate branches of the inflorescence nearly 1 in. long, with numerous small flowers. Pedicels hardly ,4, in. long; bracts at their base ;'; in. long, ovate. Capsule and seeds of the genus.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 436. F. aquatica, Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 122 (from description). Polygala axillaris, Poir. Encycl. v. 489. Upper Guinea. Senegal, Perrottet,771! Sierra Leone, Smeathman! Afzelius! Guinea, Smith ! 6. F. Schweinfurthii, (. 2B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 269. A thinly hairy annual. Stems 6-8 in. high, erect, repeatedly branched from the base. Leaves 2 by ? in., ovate-lanceolate, sessile. Panicles terminal, more or less leafy, 1-2} in. in diam.; cymes often 1-1} in. long, villous, dense with flowers; pedicels 0—} in. long. Capsule small, ;', in. long; seeds radiately ribbed.—Durand & Schinz, Conspect. F]. Afr. v. 436. Nile Land. British East Africa: Bongo; Sabbi, Schweinfurth, 2648! Kulongo, Schweinfurth, 2672! 7. F. tuberculata, (. B. Clarke. A thinly hairy annual. Stems 6-8 in. high, erect, undivided. Leaves 24 by $—% in., oblong, sessile. Panicles terminal, 2 in. long and broad, not leafy, rusty-hispid. Cymes 1} in. long and upwards, dense; pedicels very short. Capsule ;'y in. long ; seeds apparently coarsely tubercled, the radiating ribs being interrupted by few deep depressions. Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Tanganyika Plateau at Fort Hill, Whyte ! A close ally of F, Schweinfurthii. 8. F. flavida,(. B.Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 269. A slightly hairy, weak annual. Stem 14-5 in. long, erect, frequently branched from the base. Leaves up to 24 by } in. and linear-lanceolate in the Niger plant, or 24 by } in. and lanceolate in the Djur examples, sessile. Panicles terminal, slender, of few cymes, not leafy; cymes 4-1} in. 88 CXLIII. COMMELINACEE (CLARKE). | Floscopa. long, dense ; pedicels 0-3, in. Calyx pubescent, purple (Schweinfurth). Corolla yellow (Schweinfurth). Capsule small; seeds minute, obscurely ribbed. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Borgu; near the town of Fakun, in swamps, Barter, 760! Nile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Agada, near Jur Ghattas, Sehwein- furth, 2537! Abu Guroon’s Seriba, Schweinfurth, 4286! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; 3000-6000 ft., Tangan- yika Plateau, at Fort Hill, Whyte ! Imperfectly known species. 9. F. paucifiora, (. B. Clarke. Nearly glabrous, except the in florescence and the mouths of the leaf-sheaths. Portions of stems seen up to 10 in. long, slender, nearly undivided. Leaves up to 2} by 4-1 in., narrowly lanceolate, sessile. Inflorescence terminal, attaining 1} by # in. at most, very loose, open, with at most 20 flowers (in some cases the inflorescence is a small cyme of 6 flowers). Flowers very small. Sepals rusty sticky-pubescent. Capsule small, shining white, probably 2-seeded. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone ; Samu, Scott-Elliot, 5030! From the rusty hairy sepals this must be a Floscopa ; and, if a Floscopa, it must be a new species, unless it is a depauperated state of F. glomerata ; but the species is founded on very slender material. 10. FP. Elliottii, C. B. Clarke. Annual, nearly glabrous, except the inflorescence. Stems erect, 24 in. long, branched. Leaves 1 by 4-1 in., ovate-oblong, sessile, sheaths very short. Panicle terminal, subdichotomous, of few very long loose cymes (many 2 in. long); bracteoles minute or 0; pedicels0—4, in. Capsule small, of the genus. Seeds with strong ribs radiating from the embryostega. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: in marshes near Kitchom, Scarcies River, Scott-Elliot, 4340 ! OrDER CXLIV. RAPATEACEZR. (By N. E. Brown.) Flowers hermaphrodite, regular. Perianth-segments 6, all petaloid and connate below into a long slender tube, or in 2 series; the 3 outer forming a calyx, connate at the base into a short hyaline tube or quite free, paleaceous or slightly rigid; the 3 inner petaloid, connate into a tube below. Stamens 6, inserted in the throat of the corolla-tube; filaments short ; anthers 4-celled, the cells confluent above and opening by one. introrse oblique pore at the apex. Ovary superior, obtuse, retuse or 3-lobed, perfectly or imperfectly 3-celled ; style terminal or arising between the lobes of the ovary. Ovules 1-8 in each cell of the ovary, erect from the base, or laterally affixed to the axis, anatropous. Capsule 3-valved, with the valves septiferous along the middle, or by abortion 1-celled and 1-seeded. Seeds ovoid, oblong or subglobose ; testa rather thick, smooth or minutely reticulate-striate, sometimes produced Maschalocephalus.| QXLIV. RAPATEACEE (BROWN). 89 at the apex into a short conical or mitre-like appendage; albumen copious, mealy.; embryo lenticular, seated on the albumen near the hilum.—Perennial marsh herbs of robust habit, with short thick rhizomes. Leaves all radical, usually more or less distichous ; sheaths well developed, conduplicate ; blades elongate, broadly linear-lanceolate or oblong, sessile on the sheath or distinctly petiolate, with numerous parallel veins. Flowers in dense heads involucrate by two large bracts, or in a unilateral spike enclosed in a spathe, usually on long peduncles, or (in the African species) very shortly pedunculate or subsessile in the axils of the leaves; each flower surrounded by numerous bracts, which sometimes form an involucre resembling that of the Composite. A small order of 7 genera and about 24 species, all natives of Tropical America, except the following. 1. MASCHALOCEPHALUS, Gilg & K. Schum. in Engl, Jahrb, xxviii. 148. Flowers hermaphrodite, regular. Perianth with an elongated tube and 6 subequal lobes. Stamens 6, inserted on the tube of the perianth ; anthers linear, rounded at the base, tapering towards the apex, opening by introrse pores at the apex, 4-celled, the 2 inner cells about } shorter than the outer. Ovary 3-celled; style elongated; ovules solitary in each cell, affixed near the base of the axile placenta, erect. Capsule triangular, shortly apiculate, faintly striate. Seed ellipsoid, acute at both ends, with an elongated gibbosity above the hilum; testa smooth, thinly punctulate, milk-white, provided with a radiating fibrous yellow appendage or callus at the apex; albumen copious ; embryo very small. —Marsh herbs of tufted habit. Leaves alternate, hard, somewhat rigid, densely crowded, linear-lanceolate, sheathing at the base. Flowers in heads in the axils of the leaves. An endemic genus of 1 species, which I have not seen. 1. M. Dinklagei, Gilg d: K. Schum. in Engl. Jahrb. xxviii. 148. A tufted herb. Leaf-sheaths unequally plicate, 43-5} in. long, 7 lin. broad at the base, narrowing to about 2 lin. broad where they pass into the blades, which are about 16 in. long, 14 lin. broad, linear- lanceolate, tapering towards both ends, very acute, many-nerved. In- florescence about 3 in. long. ‘Capitulum sessile in the axils of the leaves, bracteate at the base, with a few unequal complicate and carinate subulate bracts, pedunculate above the bracts; peduncle thick, trian- gular, short, almost concealed by the two larger involucrating bracts, many-flowered.” Flowers surrounded by many bracteoles. Perianth- tube slender, about 14 in. long, 3 lin. diam., cylindric ; lobes 6, sub- equal, 54 lin. long, 24 lin. broad, very thin and membranous, whitish- yellow. Upper Guinea. Liberia; in a swamp at Fish Town, Grand Bassa, about 10 ft, above sea-level, Dinklage, 2088. 90 CXLY, FLAGELLARIEE (BROWN). | Flagellaria. Orver CXLV. FLAGELLARIEA, (By N. E. Brown.) Flowers hermaphrodite or diccious, regular. Perianth 6-partite, persistent ; segments small, biseriate, subpetaloid or scarious, slightly unequal. Stamens 6, hypogynous or shortly adnate to the base of the perianth-segments ; filaments free ; anthers basifixed, introrse, dehis- cing by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 3-celled, with a solitary anatropous ovule in each cell; style short or none; stigma 3-lobed and sessile, or of 3 linear, spreading branches. Fruit a 1—3-seeded berry. Seeds with a crustaceous testa, and copious farinaceous albumen; em- bryo minute, lenticular, placed on the outside of the albumen near the hilum.—Herbs of robust habit, with stout stems bearing leaves up to the base of the inflorescence, erect or sarmentose, sometimes climbing by means of tendrils at the tips of the leaves. Leaves alternate, elongated, sheathing at the base, sometimes produced into a tendril at the apex ; veins numerous, parallel. Panicle terminal; flowers small, sessile or subsessile. A small Order of 3 genera, and about 8 species, confined to the warm regions of the Old World. Only 1 species in Africa. 1. FLAGELLARIA, Linn.; Benth. et Hook.f. Gen. PI. iii. 860. Flowers hermaphrodite. Perianth subpetaloid; segments oblong, obtuse, the three outer slightly shorter than the inner. Stamens 6, hypogynous; filaments ultimately long and much exserted. Ovary with a short style and 3 linear stigmas. Berry 1- (rarely 2-) seeded. Seed globose or ovoid, with a crustaceous testa.—Stem sarmentose, climbing by means of the tendril-tipped leaves. Panicle terminal. Flowers small, spicate at the ends of the ultimate branchlets of the panicle. A small genus of 3 species, one African, one in Fiji, and the third widely dis- persed in the tropics of the Old World, but apparently not occurring on the continent of Africa. 1, F. guineensis, Schumach. in Schumach. & Thonn. Beskr. Guin. Pi. 181. A tall climber, with a moderately stout herbaceous stem. Leaves sheathing ; sheath open to the middle, with the thin membranous margins often closely overlapping but never connate at the top; blade 43-9 in. long, 6-13 lin. broad, elongate-lanceolate, gradually tapering from about the middle into a spiral tendril at the apex, abruptly con- tracted into a rounded base immediately above the sheath. Panicle terminal, 3-44 in. long, 2-4 in. broad, pyramidal, with ascending or spreading branches, the lower subtended by leafy bracts, the upper bractless. Bracteoles minute, hyaline, ovate or suborbicular, obtuse or subacute. Flowers subsessile along the rather slender flexuose or Zig- zag ultimate branchlets of the panicle, usually with distinct internodes between them, whitish or pale yellowish. Perianth campanulate ; segments 1-1} lin. long, 3 lin. broad, the 8 outer shorter than the 3 Flagellaria.] CXLY, FLAGELLARIEX (BROWN) d1 inner, all oblong, obtuse, subpetaloid. Stamens ultimately much exserted ; filaments 2-24 lin. long; anthers linear-oblong, sagittate at the base, 14-1} lin. long. Ovary narrow, trigonous ; stigmas 3—3 lin. long, linear, rather stout, exserted and recurving over the tips of the perianth-segments. Berries globose, 2-3 lin. diam., bright red.—N. E. Brown in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 16; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 81. #. indica, T. Thomson in Speke, Nile, Append. 650; Hook. Niger Fl. 540; Oliver in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 163; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 133; Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. ii. 4, 3; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 436; De Wild. & Durand, Contrib. Fl. Congo, i fase. 2, 64; and of other authors partly, not of Linneus. Upper Guinea. (old Coast : Aquapim (Acropong) Mountains, Vogel! Cape Coast Castle, Vogel, 14! and without precise locality, Burton ! Lagos, Barter, 20172! Lagos Island, Barter, 2216! Cameroons: banks of the Cameroon River, Mann, 1! 425! Wile Land. British East Africa: Mombasa Island, Hildebrandt, 10473! Lower Guinea. Congo, Smith! Angola: Ambriz; on damp wooded hills near the town of Ambriz, Welwitsch, 3009! South Central. Congo Free State : Luvituku, Zuja, Mozamb. Dist. (German Kast Africa: Usambara ; Doda, Holst, 2945 ! Khutu , banks of the River Mgeta, Speke & Grant ! Zanguebar, Kirk? Portuguese East Africa: near the mouth of the River Shire; at Shamo, Kirk! Morambala Hill, Waller ! and at Shimwara Hills, Kirk ! Lower Zambesi ; Shupanga, Kirk ! Also in South Africa. This has been confused with F. indica, Linn., by almost all authors ; but, as was pointed out by Schumacher, it may be at once distinguished by the leaf-sheaths being open to about half-way down, although the margins often closely overlap, and also by the slender zigzag axes, along which the flowers are spaced out, with distinct inter- nodes ; whilst in F. indica the margins of the sheaths of the leaves are connate to the top, forming a closed tubular sheath, and the flowers are usually crowded together into very short subglobose spikes or glomerules, on a rather thick straight axis, without internodes or with extremely short ones. OrpeR CXLVI. JUNCACEZ. (By J. G. Baker.) Flowers regular, hermaphrodite. Perianth inferior, cut down to the base into 6 subequal biseriate glumaceous segments. Stamens usually 6, hypogynous or attached to the base of the perianth-seg- ments; filaments tiliform or flattened; anthers dorsifixed or basifixed, 2-celled, dehiscing longitudinally. Ovary superior, 1-3-celled ; ovules anatropous, usually many in a cell; style filiform, simple or trifurcate ; stigmas filiform, papillose all over. Fruit capsular, splitting into 3 valves. Seeds ovoid, globose or angled by pressure, rarely compressed ; testa thin or moderately thick, pale or black, the thin outer membrane often produced into a tail; albumen copious, firm ; embryo small, placed near the hilum.—Perennial or annual herbs, rarely shrubs with a woody caudex. Stem usually leafy only at the base. Leaves terete or linear. Flowers small, usually clustered; bracts minute scariose. 92 CXLVI. JUNCACEE (BAKER). | Juncus. Species 200-250. Cosmopolitan, mainly in temperate regions. Leaves glabrous, Ovary more or less completely 3-celled, with many ovules in a cell . : : - - . 1. JUNCUS. Leaves hairy. Ovary 1-celled, with 3 nearly basal ovules . 2. LuzuLa. 1. JUNCUS, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 867. Perianth rigid, cut down to the base; segments subequal, ovate or ovate-lanceolate. Stamens 6, rarely 3, shorter than the perianth, hypogynous or attached to the base of the perianth-segments ; filaments filiform or flattened ; anthers linear or oblong, basifixed. Ovary sessile, completely or incompletely 3-celled ; ovules many in a cell; style short; stigmas 3, filiform or linear, papillose down to the base. Seeds very small, often tailed by the pale outer membrane of the testa being produced beyond the nucleus ; albumen copious, firm ; embryo minute, placed near the hilum.—Perennial or annual herbs. Leaves flat or terete, sometimes septate, rarely reduced to membranous sheaths. Inflorescence terminal or apparently lateral, panicled or capitate. Species 170-180. Cosmopolitan, concentrated in the North Temperate zone. *“GENUINI. Leaves all reduced to sheaths. Panicle lateral. The only Tropical African species . 5 : - 1. J. effusus. ““MARITIMI, Produced leaves few, resembling the stems, Panicle lateral. The only Tropical African species . Z . - 2. J. maritimus. ““SARTICULATI. Leaves septate. Inflorescence terminal. Leaf 1, produced from the middle of the stem . 3. J. punctorius. Leaves 3-5. Stems all erect . : 5 : : : . 4. J. oxycarpus. Stems often long and decumbent : : . 5. J. Fontanesit. *GRAMINIFOLII. Leaves not septate. Inflorescence terminal. Perennials. Leaves narrowly linear. : : 2 - 6. J. Bachiti. Leaves broadly linear ; : : . . 7. J. lomatophyllus. Annuals, Flowers solitary, in forked spikes : : . 8. J. bufonius. Flowers in a terminal cluster. é ; . 9. J. capitatus, 1. J. effusus, Linn. Sp. Pl. 326. Perennial. Stems densely tufted on a short creeping rhizome, 2-3 ft. long, green, finely striated, with continuous pith. Leaves all reduced to sheaths, clasping tightly the base of the stems. Panicle dense, lateral, sessile, 1-2 in. diam. Perianth-segments lanceolate, rigid, pale green, 31; ™. long. Stamens 3, much shorter than the perianth. Capsule oblong, obtuse, as long as the perianth. Seeds not tailed.—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 228. J. communis, var. effusus, E. Meyer, Monogr. June. 22; Kunth. Enum. iii. 320. Wile Land. British East Africa: Kukuyu district ; in Kedung Valley, 6000 ft., Scott-Hiliot, 6876! Mount Kenia, in the lower forest zone, 8100 ft., Gregory. Juncus. | CXLVI. JUNCACE (BAKER). 93: Cosmopolitan, concentrated in the North Temperate zone. Occurs also in Mada- gascar and South Africa. 2. J.maritimus, Lam. Hncycl. iii. 264. Perennial, densely tufted on a short rhizome. Leaves few, basal, terete, resembling the stems, dilated at the base into pale brown sheaths. Stems terete, pale green,, wiry, finely striated. 2—3 ft. long. Panicle very compound, lateral, sessile, reaching } ft. long, bracts rigid, pale green, ovate-lanceolate. Perianth- segments lanceolate, acute, pale green, ;/, in. long. Stamens 6. Capsule oblong, acute, as long as the perianth. Seeds distinctly or indistinctly tailed.—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 256; Baker in Dyer, FI. Cap. vii. 19. J. Kraussti, Hochst. in Flora, 1845, 342. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot, 511! Nile Land. Somaliland ; Maid, Hildebrandt, 1475! Lower Guinea. Angola: Mossamedes; marshy places at Aguadas near Mossamedes and by ponds near the River Bero, Welwitsch, 3007! Also in South Africa and the North Temperate zone of both hemispheres. 3. J. punctorius, Linn. fil. Suppl. 208. Perennial, tufted on a short creeping rhizome. Produced leaf one from the middle of the stem, terete, septate ; basal leaves reduced to clasping sheaths. Stem stout, terete, hardly at all striated, 1-4 ft. long. Inflorescence an ample terminal panicle; flowers many ina cluster; bracts ovate-cuspi- date, pale green, much shorter than the flowers. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acute, pale green, rigid, 54, in. long. Stamens 6, rather shorter than the perianth. Capsule oblong, acute, brown, as long as the perianth. Seeds not tailed.—Buchen. in Abhand. Naturw. Ver. Bremen, iv. 424, t. 8; Engl. Jahrb. xii. 277 ; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 158 ; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. App. ii. 59, 107; Baker in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 20. J. Schimperi, Hochst. in Schimp. Pl. Abyss. No. 56; A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 338. Nile Land. Eritrea: near Saganeiti, 7400 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1747 ! 1802! Godofelassi, Rohlfs & Stecher. Abyssinia: Tigre; near Adowa, Schimper, 56! Magdala, Steudner, 927. Somaliland: Golis Range, Miss Edith Cole! Mrs. E. Lort-Phillips ! Also in South Africa, North Africa, and Western Asia. 4, J. oxycarpus, 4. Meyer ex Kunth, Enum. iii. 336. Peren- nial, densely tufted. Produced leaves 3-5 to a stem, short, subulate, septate. Stems moderately stout, terete, 1-2 ft. long, pale green, hardly at all striated. Inflorescence a sparse terminal panicle ; flowers about 20 in a cluster; bracts ovate-acuminate, as long as the flowers, Perianth-segments lanceolate, brownish-green, } in. long. Stamens usually 3, much shorter than the perianth, Capsule oblong, dark brown, as long as the perianth. Seeds not tailed—Buchen. in Abhand. Naturw. Ver. Bremen, iv. 431, t. 8; Engl. Jahrb. xii. 336; Pfl. Ost- Afr. C. 137; Baker in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 20. Wile Land. Usambara (ex Engler). Lower Guinea. Angola: Huilla ; plentiful in wet sandy situations through- out the district, Welwitsch, 3008! Also in South Africa. 94 CXLVI, JUNCACE (BAKER). [ Juncus. 5, J. Fontanesii, /. Gay ex Laharpe in Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. Par. iii. (1827), 130. Perennial, densely tufted. Leaves 3—5 toa stem, short, subulate, septate. Stems moderately stout, scarcely at all striated, erect or long and decumbent. Infloresence a lax terminal panicle, com- posed of few or many globose heads ; flowers many to a head ; bracts ovate, acuminate, pale green, as long as the flowers. Perianth-segments janceolate, very acute, brownish-green,} in. long. Stamens6. Capsule oblong, acute, dark brown, as long as or longer than the perianth. Seeds not tailed—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 328; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 158; Pfl. Ost-Afr.C.137 ; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. rie App. ii. 59,107. J. articulatus, Desf. Fl. Atlant. i. 313. J. quarti- nianus, A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 339. J. pyramidatus, Laharpe in Mém. Soc. Hist. Nat. Par. ii. (1827), 128; Boiss. Fl. Orient. v. 359. Mile Land. Eritrea: vicinity of Saganeiti, 7000 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, $15! 892! Abyssinia: Begemeder ; Anadehr, 7800 ft., Schimper, 555! Harre Shoa, 6500 ft., Schimper, 850; Shireh province, Quartin-Dillon. British East Africa : Karia Ndusi, near Lake Elmeteita, 6000 ft., Scott-Elliot, 6623! steppes between Ndoro and Guaso Thegu, Gregory. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Usambara; Leboma, Holst, 2556! British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Mount Zomba, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte ! Mount Malosa, 4000-6000 ft., Whyte ! ‘Also in the Mediterranean Region and Western Asia. 6. J. Bachiti, Hochst. in Steud. Syn. Pl. Glum. ii. 305. Peren- nial, densely tufted. Produced leaves 3-5 to a stem, short, narrowly linear, not septate. Stem slender, 1-14 ft. long, leafless, finely striated. Inflorescence a sparse terminal panicle; flowers many in a globose cluster; bracts ovate, green, shorter than the flowers. Perianth- segments lanceolate, 4 in. long, dark brown. Stamens 6, much shorter than the perianth. Capsule ovoid, dark brown, as long as the perianth. Seeds not tailed—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii, 437 ; Engl. Hochge- birgsfl. Trop. Afr. 158, and Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Samen; in swamps on Mount Bachit, 10,700 ft., Schimper, 114! Begemeder ; Selamuko, 8700 ft., Schimper, 1332! Mount Gana, Schimper, 11,300 ft., 1557! Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa : Usambara, Holst (ex Engler); Kili- manjaro; Marangu, 7700 ft., Volkens, 1309. 7. J. lomatophyllus, Spreng, Newe Endeck. ii. 108. Perennial, tufted, and stoloniferous. Leaves many in a basal tuft, linear, flat, 3-1 ft. long, }-$ in. broad, not septate. Stem moderately stout, leafless, deeply sulcate, 1-2 ft. long. Inflorescence terminal, laxly panicled ; flowers 6-12 in a cluster; bracts ovate, cuspidate. Peri- anth-segments 4 in. long; outer lanceolate, acute; inner oblong. Stamens 6, rather shorter than the perianth. Capsule oblong, brown, shorter than the perianth. . Seeds not tailed.—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 429; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137; Baker in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 27. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Usambara (ex Engler). Widely spread in South Africa. Juncus. | CXLVI. JUNCACEH (BAKER). 95 8. J. bufonius, Zinn. Sp. Pl. 328. Annual, densely tufted, without any creeping rootstock. Leaves all basal, subulate, not septate, the outer as long as the stem. Stem slender, 3-12 in. long. Flowers usually single, arranged in lax forked spikes ; bracts minute. Perianth- segments pale green, lanceolate, acuminate, } in. long. Stamens 3-6, much shorter than the perianth. Capsule oblong, brown, obtuse, minutely cuspidate, rather shorter than the perianth. Seeds not tailed.—A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii. 339; Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 174; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 158; Baker in Dyer, FI. Cap. vii. 23. Nile Land. Abyssinia: Tigre; in marshes near Adowa, 10,000-11,000 ft., Schimper, 1088! Samen; near Debra Eski, 9700 ft., Schimper, 33 ; swamps on Mount Bachit, 11,700 ft., Schimper, 117 ; Shireh province, Quartin-Dillon (ex Engler), Cosmopolitan, 9. J. capitatus, Weiy. Obs. 28, Annual, tufted, without any rootstock. Leaves all basal, subulate, very slender, much shorter than the stem, not septate. Stem very slender, 2-6 in. long. Flowers usually 4-8 in a single globose terminal cluster, subtended by a subu- late bract. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acuminate, brownish, 4 in. long, recurved at the tip. Stamens 3, much shorter than the perianth. Capsule ovoid-trigonous, brown, much shorter than the perianth. Seeds not tailed.—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 450; Engl. Hochge- birgsfl. Trop. Afr. 158. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Cameroon Mountain, 7000 ft., Mann, 2094! Nile Land. Abyssinia: Tigre; summit of Mount Semayata, near Adowa, 10,400 ft., Schimper, 539! Also Central and Southern Europe and North Africa. 2. LUZULA, DC.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl, iii. 868. Perianth rigid, cut down to the base; segments ovate, subequal. Stamens 6, shorter than the perianth, hypogynous or attached to the base of the perianth-segments; filaments filiform; anthers linear or oblong, basifixed. Ovary sessile, l-celled; ovules 3, arising from a short basal placenta; style short, subulate; stigmas 3, filiform. Seeds 3 or fewer, subglobose or angled on the inner side, sometimes tailed ; testa minutely striated; albumen copious; embryo minute.—Densely tufted perennial herbs. Leaves linear, ciliated. Inflorescence terminal, laxly or densely panicled. Perianth brown in the Tropical African species, Cosmopolitan, concentrated in the North Temperate zones. Species about 50, Flowers solitary, forming a lax panicle . ° . 1. L. Johnstoni, Flowers many in a cluster. j Clusters of flowers usually peduncled , . . 2. L. campestris, - Clusters of flowers sessile. Stamens much shorter than the perianth . . 3. L. spicata. Stamens slightly shorter than the perianth . 4. L. Volkensii. 96 CXLVI, JUNCACEE (BAKER). [ Luzula. 1. L. Johnstoni, Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 79. Nearly allied to L. Forsteri, DC. Stcloniferous. Leaves many in a basal rosette, linear, 3-4 in. long, slightly hairy. Stem very slender, erect, a foot or more long, bearing 2-3 remote reduced leaves. Panicle small, lax, terminal ; branch-bracts subulate; branches very slender, ascending; flowers solitary, sessile; flower-bracts ovate, acuminate, bright brown, shorter than the perianth. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acute, bright brown, din. long. Stamens 6, much shorter than the perianth. Capsule sub- globose, stramineous, much shorter than the perianth.—Eng]. Hochge- birgsfl. Trop. Afr. 157; Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro, 8000-9000 ft., Johnston, 28! 2. L. campestris, DC., var. Mannii, Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 159. Leaves many in a basal rosette, linear, 4-12 in. long, 4 in. broad, densely ciliated towards the base. Stem 3-1 ft. long, erect, bearing 1-2 reduced leaves. Panicle subumbellate, composed of several peduncled clusters or congested by the suppression of the peduncles ; branch-bracts linear-subulate, 1-3 in. long, densely ciliate towards the base ; flower- bracts ovate, acuminate, scariose, pale green, as long as or shorter than the flowers. Perianth-segments lanceolate, acuminate, dark brown, $in. long. Stamens 6, rather shorter than the perianth. Capsule ovoid- trigonous, rather shorter than the perianth.— Engl. Hochgebirgs#. arop. Afr. 157. Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Cameroon Mountain, 10,000-13,500 ft., Mann, 2108! Johnston! Fernando Po: summit of Clarence Peak, 8000 ft., Mann, 658! 1467! Nearly allied to the European L. multiflora, Lej. The species is almost cosmopolitan, concentrated in the North Temperate zone. 3. L. spicata, DC., var. simensis, Hochst. in Schimp. Pl. Abyss. Ezxsicc, 1154. Shortly stoloniferous. Basal leaves several, linear, 3-4 in. long, glabrous when mature. Stem slender, 4-1 ft. long, erect, bearing 2-3 erect reduced leaves. Inflorescence a small, oblong, erect, congested panicle ; lower branch-bracts linear, densely ciliate at the base ; flower- bracts ovate, acuminate, brown with stramineous tip and edges, shorter than the perianth. Perianth-segments dark brown, ovate-lanceolate, acute, j'; in. long. Stamens 6, much shorter than the perianth. Capsule ovoid-trigonous, about as long as the perianth.—Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xii. 128; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 157 ; Pfi. Ost- Afr. C. 137. JZ. abyssinica, Parl. Fl. Ital. ii. 310. Z. macrotricha, Steud. Syn. FI. Glum. ii. 294. Wile Land. Abyssinia: Samen ; Demerki Mountains, Schimper, 1154; Bege- meder ; Mount Guna, 11,700 ft., Schimper, 1328. British East Africa : Mount Kenia, in the Bamboo zone, 000-6000 ft., Gregory. The type occurs on the mountains of the North Temperate zone in both hemi- spheres, 4. L. Volkensii, Buchen. in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 192. Leaves 6-8 to a stem, erect, linear, 3-4 in. long, } in, broad, thick, firm, ciliate with LInuzula. | CXLVI. JUNCACEH (BAKER). 97 long deciduous hairs. Stem short, terete. Inflorescence a dense terminal panicle ; flowers many in sessile clusters; lower branches subtended by reduced leaves; flower-bracts small, ovate, acuminate, pale, ciliate. Perianth-segments lanceolate, dark brown, ;'; in. long. Stamens 6, rather shorter than the perianth. Capsule ovoid-trigonous, dark brown, shorter than the perianth.—Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 137. Mozamb. Dist, German East Africa: Kilimanjaro ; Mawenzi Peak, 12,300 ft., Volkens, 1365 ! . : : : Orper CXLVII. PALMA. (By ©. H. Wright.) Flowers usually small, regular or subregular, hermaphrodite or unisexual. Sepals 3, distinct or united, in the male flower open or imbricate in estivation, in the female usually widely imbricate. Petals 3, distinct or united, valvate or imbricate in estivation. Stamens 6 to many (rarely 3), inserted at the base of the petals or in the corolla-tube ; anthers elongate, sometimes sagittate, basi- or dorsi-fixed, dehiscing longitudinally ; filaments free or connate, subulate or filiform ; stami- nodes various. Ovary superior, more or less globose, entire or 3-lobed, or of 3 distinct carpels, 3- or more celled, often represented by a rudiment in the male flowers; style very short or none; stigmas 3, erect or recurved ; ovules solitary, erect, pendulous or attached to the inner angle of thecell. Fruit seated on the more or less enlarged calyx and corolla, dry, baccate or drupaceous, bearing at its apex, side or base the remains of the stigma, 1- or more celled, rarely of 3 distinct carpels, in Tribe Lepidocaryee covered with retrorsely imbricate scales ; mesocarp often containing fibres; endocarp membranous, crustaceous, woody or stony, smooth or marked inside with the branches of the raphe. Seeds of the same shape as the cell, free or adherent to the endocarp; hilum basal or lateral; raphe short or long, usually branched and the branches often much reticulated; albumen horny or cartilaginous, more rarely oily, solid or hollow, homogeneous or ruminate; embryo small, conical or cylindrical, usually near the hilum on the dorsal side, more rarely lateral or apical.—Solitary or gregarious plants, monocarpic or polycarpic. Stems robust or slender, simple, more rarely branched (in Hyphene), erect or climbing, smooth or spiny, ringed or bearing the scars or remains of old leaves. Leaves collected in a crown near the apex of the stem or scattered along it, usually very large, at first entire, then splitting pinnately or flabellately into more or less distinct leaflets, induplicate or reduplicate in vernation; rhachis in the pinnate leaves convex on the back, keeled above, channelled along the sides where the leaflets are inserted ; petiole subcylindrical or more or less channelled on the upper side, in flabellate leaves produced into a ligule at the apex, more or less sheathing at the base; margins of sheath often breaking up into fibres. Inflorescence (spadix) on a long peduncle from amongst the leaves or on a short one below them, moneecious, dicecious or polygamous, branched or simple ; spathes various in number and shape; bracts and bracteoles distinct or connate into a cup, or cylindrical or wanting. VOL. VIII. H 98 CXLYII. PALME (WRIGHT). [ Areca. Genera about 140; species about 1200, dispersed throughout the tropics and extending a short distance outside, TriBe I, Arecese.—Leaves pinnatisect ; segments distinct or confluent into an entire, bifid or laciniate lamina, reduplicate in vernation, Flowers monecious or diecious. Seeds umbilicate ; raphe ventral ; embryo dorsal, Ovule erect. Albumen ruminate . ° ° - 1. ARECA. Ovule pendulous, Albumen homogeneous. Stamens6 . - . ° . . st 6 2. RODOCOCOUS: Stamens many . < > . . . . 38. SCLEROSPERMA, TriBE II. Phoenicese.— Leaves pinnatisect ; segments acuminate, induplicate in vernation. Spadices interfoliaceous, diwcious; spathe 1. Carpels 3, one only ripening ; stigma terminal. Seed deeply grooved ventrally, umbilicate ; embryo dorsal. The only genus - 4. PHa:NIX. Trize III, Lepidocaryeve.—Leaves pinnatisect (in the Tropical African genera) ; segments reduplicate in vernation, Spadices terminal or axillary ; spathes many or none. Flowers hermaphrodite or unisexual. Ovary entire, more or less perfectly 3-celled. Fruit clothed with shining retrorsely imbricate scales. Seeds umbilicate ; raphe dorsal ; embryo ventral. Stems erect . : C : : : : . 5. RAPHIA. Stems climbing. Polycarpic. Spathes present, Ovary imperfectly 3-celled . : : . 6. CALAMUS. Ovary perfectly 3-celled : : : . 7. ONCOCALAMUS. Spathes none . : : : : : . 8. EREMOSPATHA. Monocarpic . < : c : : : . 9. ANCISTROPHYLLUM, TriBe [V. Borasseve.— Leaves fan-shaped ; segments reduplicate in vernation. Spadices interfoliaceous, diwcious ; spathes many, sheathing. Ovary entire, 3- celled ; ovules ascending. Seed with a diffuse hilum. Albumen homogeneous. Male flowers many in pits on the spadix. 2 . 10. BoRaAssts. Male flowers solitary in pits on the spadix . . 11. HYPHENE. Albumen ruminate . : . 12. MEDEMIA. TRIBE V. Cocoineve.—Leaves pinnatisect ; segments reduplicate in vernation Spadices interfoliaceous ; spathes 2 or many. Flowers (at least on the lower par t of the spadix) in threes, the central female, the lateral male. Ovary 1-7-celled. Fruit 1-7-celled ; stigmas terminal ; endocarp with 3-7 pores. Seed adhering to the endocarp ; hilum diffuse ; embryo opposite a pore of the endocarp. Male flowers sunk in pits on the spadix. Pericarp spongy . . : . ° - ° . 13. ELH#Is. Male flowers superficial, Pericarp thick, fibrous . 14. Cocos, 1. ARECA, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 883. Male flowers minute, solitary or geminate on the spadix-branches. Sepals 3. Petals 3, much longer than the sepals, broadly ovate. Stamens 3 or 6. Female flowers much larger than the male, solitary towards the base of the spadix-branches. Sepals and petals usually Areca. | CXLVII. PALM& (WRIGHT), 99 enlarging after flowering. Ovary entire, 3-celled; ovule erect, basal. Albumen ruminate.—Unarmed palms. Stems solitary or cespitose, annulate. Leaves in a terminal crown, equally pinnatisect. Spadix infrafoliaceous ; branches patent, pendulous in fruit ; spathes 3 to many, caducous. Species about 24, distributed through Tropical Asia, New Guinea, and Tropical Australia. 1, A. Catechu, Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. i. 1189. Stem cylindrical, un- branched, 40-50 ft. high, 20 in. in diam., annulate. Leaves 6-9; petiole thick, concave above, convex beneath, sheathing and coriaceous at the base; leaflets many, opposite, broadly linear, acuminate, broad at the base, the lower 3-4 ft.long. Spadix 2-3 ft. long, much branched, male above, female below; spathes 2, boat-shaped, obtuse, striate, coriaceous; bracts 0. Male flowers sessile. Sepals 3, ovate, acute, Petals 3, much longer than the sepals, broadly ovate, acute, yellowish. Stamens 6; filaments short, more or less united into a column below; anthers dorsifixed. Female flowers sessile. Sepals 3, broadly ovate, fleshy, very thick in the centre, thin at the margins, concave, persistent. Staminodes none or forming a hypogynous 6-toothed ring. Ovary large, ovoid, acute, smooth, 3-celled; ovules solitary; stigmas 3, triangular, acute, papillose. Fruit ovoid, tapering upwards, 2-2} in. long, smooth, orange when mature, l-celled; pericarp at first soft, afterwards con- taining many distinct longitudinal fibres. Seed conic-globose, solitary, erect, 1 in. in diam.; testa very thin ; endosperm very hard, white or pinkish ; embryo small, basal.—Mart. Palm. 169, tt. 102, 149, fig. 4; Blume, Rumphia, ii. t. 102, fig. A; Bentl. & Trim. Med. Pl. t. 276; Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. B. 15, C. 131; Hook. f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 405. Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar and coast of German East Africa, cultivated, ex Engler, Also in India, South China, and Malaya. 2. PODOCOCCUS, Mann et Wendl. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl, iii. 915. Male flower: Sepals 3. Corolla stalked, 3-lobed. Stamens 6 ; fila- ments subulate, adnate at the base to the corolla-tube and to the rudiment of the ovary ; anthers oblong, cordate at the base, dorsifixed. Female flower: Sepals 3. Corolla stalked, trifid. Staminodes 6, very small. Ovary 3-celled; stigmas 3, recurved; ovule pendulous. Fruit baceate 1- (rarely 2—3-) seeded, with the stigmatic scar near its base. Seed surrounded by the branches of the raphe, which radiate from the hilum and anastomose towards their extremities; albumen homo- geneous; embryo dorsal,.at or below the middle of the albumen.— Slender unarmed palm. Stems reed-like, annulate. Leaves alternate, pinnate ; leaflets membranous. Spadix simple, on a long peduncle; Spathes 4, tubular, marcescent; bracts short; bracteoles minute, glumaceous. Endemic, monotypic. 100 CXLV1I. PALME (WRIGHT). | Podococeus. 1. P. Barteri, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 426, t. 38, fig. A, t. 40, fig. B, and t. 43, fig. A. An erect, unbranched palm, covered with rusty scurf on all its parts. Stem 5-8 ft. high, 9 lin. in diam., annulate, with innovations arising from the base; internodes 3-5 in. apart. Leaves 6-9, 5-6 ft. long, pinnatisect, glaucous green ; sheath about a foot long, striate, splitting obliquely, lacerate at the margins ; petiole 1-1} ft. long, subterete, channelled on the upper side towards the base; rhachis convex on the back, acute above; leaflets 8-10 on each side, alternate, elliptic-oblong, 3-4 in. apart, plicate, many-nerved, the longest 1 ft. by 4 in., the lower smaller, the two terminal confluent, lower margins entire, upper irregularly eroso- dentate. Spadix lateral, patent, at length pendulous, about 2} ft. long; peduncle subterete, about as long as the rhachis; rhachis 3 lin. thick ; spathes 4 on the lower part of the peduncle, tubular, marcescent, the two lower incomplete and 4-5 in. long, the upper more complete, oblique, splitting irregularly and 8-12 in. long. Flowers produced from June to August in 8-10 straight or spiral rows of pits, ternate, the central female, the lateral male, reddish. Male flower: Sepals 3, dis- tinct, elliptic-oblong, often trifid at the apex, keeled, subfalcate, scarcely 1 lin. long, contorted in bud. Corolla 2 lin. long; lobes elliptic-oblong, concave, cartilaginous, striate on the back, patent, valvate. Stamens 6, alternately long and short ; filaments filiform, adnate at the base to the corolla-tube and rudimentary 3-toothed ovary; anthers oblong-cordate, dorsifixed. Female flower: Sepals as in the male, but less rigid. Corolla 3-fid, united with the base of the ovary into a short stalk ; lobes oblong, acute, concave, striate on the back, erecto-patent. Staminodes 6, minute. Ovary 3- (or by abortion 1-) celled, stipitate, oblong ; stigmas 3, terminal, short, recurved; ovule pendulous, Fruit baccate, edible, oblong or elongate-oblong, orange, bent above the base, with the scar of the stigma subbasal, stipitate, nearly 1 in. by 4-5 lin. Seed elongate- ellipsoid, slightly oblique, 9 lin. by 2 lin.—J. Braun & K. Schum, in ee Deutsch. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889) 148; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. Upper Guinea. Niger Delta: mouth of the Brass River, Barter, 36! 325! 1837! Left bank of the River Nun, Mann, 452! Lower Guinea. Gaboon: Munda; Sibange Farm, Soyaua, 94! 95. 3. SCLEROSPERMA, Mann et Wendl.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 919. Male flower: Sepals 3. Corolla-lobes 3, valvate. Stamens many ; filaments very short; anthers linear, extrorse, basifixed. Female flower: Calyx of 3 distinct sepals or 3-lobed. Corolla 3-lobed ; lobes convolute below, valvate at the apex. Staminodes 6 or 9, very small. Ovary unicarpellary, 1-celled ; ovule pendulous ; stigma large, oblique. Fruit a large drupe, obliquely depressed, stigmatic scar lateral ; epicarp thin; mesocarp fibrous; endocarp thin but hard. Seed depressed globose, surrounded by the branches of the raphe, which radiate from Sclerosperma. | CXLVII, PALM (WRIGHT). 101 the linear hilum and form a loose network towards their extremities ; albumen copious, very hard, homogeneous ; embryo dorsal near the apex, almost opposite the hilum.—Slender, gregarious, unarmed palms. Stems very short, densely fastigiate. Leaves fascicled, erecto-patent, imparipinnate ; leaflets subopposite. Spadix short, simple, bearing at the base two male flowers at the side of each female, in the upper part male flowers only ; spathes 2, persistent; bracts membranous. Endemic, monotypic. 1. 8S. Mannii, Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 427, t. 38, fig. C, and t. 40, fig. A. Slender cespitose palms. Stem very short. Leaves 10- 13 ft. long, rigid, sparingly clothed with rusty evanescent scurf ; sheath 1-14 ft. long, breaking up at the margin into reticulate fibres ; petiole 7-8 ft. long, subterete ; blade elliptic-oblong, 4—5 ft. by 2 ft.; rhachis acute above, convex beneath; leaflets 9-12 on each side, obliquely truncate, slightly contracted at the base, light green, smooth and shining above, whitish and covered with deciduous rusty scales beneath, crenate and minutely toothed at the apex, 14-2 ft. by 2-3 in., 3-5- nerved ; terminal leaflets unequal, confluent below, 12—17-nerved. Primary spadix about 8 in. long, the lateral erect, concealed amongst the leaf-bases ; peduncle 4 in. long, 9 lin. thick, brownish tomentose. Spathes 2, persistent, fuscous; outer 5-6 in. long, irregularly laciniate at the apex ; inner about 8 in. long, ellipsoid, breaking up at the apex into reticulate fibres. Flowers spirally arranged, in the lower part one female between two male, in the upper part male only densely crowded ; bracts broadly ovate, acute, concave; male bracteoles small or obsolete, female broadly ovate, acute. Male flower: Sepals oblong-lanceolate, concave, keeled, membranous, 14-2 lin. long, those of the apical flowers one-half the size, linear-spathulate, obtuse, incurved, membranous below. Corolla-lobes elliptic-oval, rigid, thick, 3-4 lin. long, those of the upper flowers broadly obovate, mucronate, incurved, 5 lin. long, reddish. Filaments very short, hemispherical; anthers linear; con- nective percurrent. Female flowers: Sepals free or shortly united, broadly ovate, acute, incrassate, concave, slightly keeled, margin with deciduous scales. Petals ovate, abruptly acuminate, concave, marces- cent, as long as or slightly longer than the sepals. Staminodes 6 or 9, minute, lanceolate. Ovary ellipsoid, shorter than the petals ; stigma large, suberect ; ovule basal. Drupe 1} in. diam., subglobose, obliquely depressed, bearing the stigmatic scar near the apex; epicarp brown, thin, rather shiny ; mesocarp of very thin fibres; endocarp thin, stony. Seed 1 in. by 9 lin.; hilum slightly excentric, with radiating anastomosing fibres; albumen copious, very hard; embryo near the apex.— Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 112. Lower Guinea. Gaboon: in swampy places near the River Gaboon, from Point Clara upwards, Mann, 1046! Soyaux (ex Drude). 102 CXLYII. PALM& (WRIGHT). [ Phenix. 4. PHGINTIX, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 921. Male flower oblong or lanceolate. Calyx cupular, 3-toothed. Petals 3, slightly connate at the base, valvate. Stamens 6 ; filaments connate at the base; anthers linear-oblong, dorsifixed. Rudiment of ovary smallor none. Female flower globose. Calyx asin the male. Petals 3, rotundate, concave, broadly imbricate. Staminodes 6, connate. Carpels 3, distinct ; stigma sessile; ovule erect. Fruit drupaceous ; stigmatic scar terminal. Seed deeply grooved on the ventral side; albumen cartilaginous; embryo minute, dorsal. — Unarmed trees. Stems cylindrical. Leaves pinnate; leaflets lanceolate, induplicate. Spadix interfoliaceous, branched. Spathe solitary. Flowers small, yellow, dicecious. Species about 12, dispersed through Tropical and Subtropical Asia and Africa. Fruit fleshy . 4 : : . : ° . 1. P. dactylifera. Fruit dry. Endocarp hard. Seed slightly pointed above, 7 by Aphine : : : 9 4 : . 2. P. abyssinica. Endocarp thin. Seed rounded above, 5-7 by 2}— olin ~ ° . ’ . : . 3. P. reclinata, 1. P. dactylifera, Linn. Sp. Pl. ed. i. 1188. Stem tall, straight, cylindrical, soboliferous at the base, scaly in the younger parts with the remains of leaf-bases. Leaves 10 ft. or more long, glaucous; leaflets lanceolate-linear, acuminate, somewhat 4-ranked, the anticous often distichous, irregularly and remotely aggregate, the central longest. Female flower globose. Corolla twice as long as the calyx. Drupe long, elliptic, variously coloured, usually more than 1 in. long; pericarp thick, fleshy, saccharine.—Gertn. Fruct. i. 23, t. 9, fig. 2; Forsk. Fl. Atgypt.-Arab. exxvi.; Lam. Encycl. ii. 261, and IIl. t. 893, fig. 1; Hook. Journ. Bot. 1834, 212; Delile, Fl. Egypte, 169, t. 62; Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig, 1838, 638, and 1839, 38, and Palm. ili, 257, t. 120, t. X, fig. 1, t. Z, i. fig. A; Kunth, Enum, iii. 255; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 233; Becc. Malesia, iii. 355, t. 43, figs. a Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. B. 12, C. 130; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. Upper Guinea. Senegambia: Fort St. Louis, Brunner (ex Martius). Isle of Goree ; Porto Prana, Brunner (ex Martius). Wile Land. British Somaliland: Waggar Mountains, Mrs. Lort-Phillips Lower Guinea. Congo and Benguela (ex Martius). Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: “On the Zambesi there is one solitary tree outside the stockade of Sena,” Kirk. German East Africa: Kiliman jaro, up to nearly 6000 ft., Johnstoz, 197! British Central Africa: Nyasaland on the Upper Shire at Matope, Scott-Elliot, 8494! Owing to this species having been cultivated throughout Tropical Africa from remote times, it is difficult to decide where it is truly indigenous. 2. P. abyssinica, Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110, 119. Habit of P. dactylifera, Linn. Lower leaflets reduced to spines; upper lanceolate, more or less aggregate, 10 in. by 4 in. Calyx of male Phenix. | CXLVII, PALME (WRIGHT), 103 flower half as long as the corolla, urceolate. Fruit dry, seated on the marcescent cup-shaped calyx and corolla; endocarp hard. Seed very slightly pointed above, 7 lin. long, 4 lin. broad.—P. dactylifera ? Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 153. Nile Land. Eritrea: Valley of Ainsaba, near Keren, Steudner, 1540! between Keren and Adowa, Steudner, 1511; Hamasen district, Steudner, 1541. Abyssinia : Adowa, Schimper, 794! Steudner, 1539. 3. P. reclinata, Jacq. Fragm. i. 27, t. 24. Stem erect, 3-4 ft. high. Leaves 3-5 ft. long, bright green; petiole flat above, slightly convex beneath, expanded at the base into a fuscous fibrous sheath ; leaflets rigid, lanceolate, acuminate, pungent, the central 1 ft. by 1 in., the lowest subspinescent and aggregate, the remainder equidistant, midrib with white floccose indumentum on the lower side. Male flower lanceolate, acuminate. Female spadix 2 ft. long; branches 6-8 in. long; peduncle over 1 ft. long, complanate, glabrous. Petals fuscous. Drupe cylindric-elliptic, 7-8 lin. long, 4—5 lin. wide at the middle, dullred. Seed ovate, 5 lin. long, deeply sulcate; embryo a little below the middle.— Willd. Sp. Pl. iv. 731; Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 638, and Palm. iii. 272, t. 164; Kunth, Enum. iii. 256 ; Bece. Malesia, iii. 349; Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. B. 13, C. 130; C. H. Wright in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 29; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. iv. App. iii. 33; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 82; Penzig in Atti Congr. Bot. Genova, 1892, 363. P. spinosa, Schum. & Thonn. Beskr. Guin. Pl. 437; Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 638, and 1839, 45; Kunth, Enum. iii. 256; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 234; Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 526; Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 428; J. Braun & K. Schum. in Mitth. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889) 148 ; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 272; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss, ii, App. ii. 51. P. leonensis, Lodd. ex Kunth, Enum. iii. 256. P. senegalensis, Van Houtte ex Salomon in Gartenflora, 1884, 305. Upper Guinea. Senegal, Perrottet, 760! South Senegambia, Brunner! Sierra Leone, Oldfield! Gold Coast: Aburi Hills, Johnson, 459! Niger Delta : banks of the River Nun, Mann, 528! Nile Land. Eritrea: Aidereso, 4000 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1610! Arrot Valley, Barario, 4400 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 740! Geleb, 4592 ft., Schweinfurth ! near Keren, 6232 ft., Schweinfurth ! Steudner, 1540! Penzig. British Kast Africa : Pemba Island, Stuhlmann, 1128 (ex Drude) ; Jur; Genana, near Jur Ghattas, Schweinfurth, 1358! Uganda; Kampala, Scott-Elliot, 7352! Stuhlmann, 1800 (ex Drude) ; Mombasa, Wakefield ! Lower Guinea. Estuary of the Congo, as far as the Isle of Mateba, Dupont, Roger. Congo: Masongolo, Burton! Smith! Angola: Pungo Andongo ; plentiful on the marshy banks of the Rivers Cuanza, Lombe, &c., and at Sansamanda and Mopopo, Welwitsch, 6667! Icolo e Bengo ; between Tantambonda and Quicanda, Welwitsch, 6658! Barra do Dande ; plentiful on the banks of the lake and of the River Dande, near Bombo, Welwitsch, 6659 | 66598 ! Calumquembo district, Wel- witsch, 6672! South Central. Congo Free State: Lunda; at Muschi Brook, Buchner, 689 (ex Drude). 104 . CXLVIL PALM (WRIGHT). [Pheniz. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa : Ugalla River, Bohm, 424 (ex Drude) ; Usambara; coast region, Holst, 2847, mountains to 6200 ft., Holst, and Pangani River, 2600 ft., Volkens, 462 (ex Drude), British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; Fort Hill and Songue, Whyte! Central regions of the continent and on the coast, ex Kirk, Also in South Africa, 5. RAPHTIA, P. Beauv.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. ii. 935. Male flower: Calyx tubular, entire or minutely toothed. Corolla curved ; petals 3, linear-lanceolate, valvate. Stamens 6-16, inserted at the base of the petals; filaments subulate or thickened and connate at the base; anthers erect, linear, inserted near their bases. Rudiment of ovary none. Female flower larger than the male. Calyx as in the male. Corolla more or less campanulate, 3-toothed. Staminodes in a 6- to many-toothed cup adnate to the corolla. Ovary 3-celled, retrorsely scaly; stigmas sessile, recurved, subulate; ovule inserted slightly above the base of the cells. Fruit large, oblong or ellipsoid, rostrate, 1-seeded, covered with retrorsely imbricate scales; pericarp thick; endocarp spongy; seed laterally fixed, oblong, sulcate; hilum lateral ; raphe linear with reticulate branches; albumen bony, solid, ruminate; embryo ventral.—Monocarpic palms, unarmed or with the sheaths only armed. Stems erect, simple or dichotomously branched, densely annulate. Leaves in a terminal crown, equally pinnatisect ; leaflets linear-lanceolate, acuminate, margins recurved at the base and setose or aculeolate, rhachis not produced at the apex. Spadices mone- cious, large, pendulous, cylindrical, much-branched; branches and branchlets thick, compressed, the latter pectinately arranged, densely covered with cup-shaped bracts; common spathe none. Flowers solitary in each bract, the male at the base of the ultimate branches of the spadix, the female at the apex. Species about 12 in Tropical Africa and the Mascarene Islands, and 1 in Tropical America. Fruit more or less turbinate. Fruit-scales rounded at the apex l. R. Ruffia. Fruit-scales acuminate . 2. R. textilis. Fruit cylindrical or ellipsoid. Stamens 6. Scales of fruit in 12 rows . a . 38. R. Monbuttorum. Stamens 8. Fruit oval-ellipsoid, with 8-10 rows of scales ‘ : : ‘ - 4, R. Gertnert. Stamens 10, Fruit cylindric-ellipsoid, with 8-9 rows of scales . . : : : . 5. R. vinifera. Stamens 15. Fruit long oval, with 12 rows of scales 6. R. longiflora. Stamens 16. Fruit oval-ellipsoid, with 12-15 rows of scales . - ‘ : : 7. R. Hookeri. 1. R. Ruffia, Mart. Palm. iii. 217. Stem 6-26 ft. high, 1 ft. thick. Leaves up to 65 ft. long; petiole up to 13 ft. long, 10 lin. thick. Calyx of male flowers pedicelled. Fruit obovate or pyriform, somewhat depressed and mucronate at the apex ; scales in 12-15 rows, very convex; Raphia.]| ss CXLVII, PALME (WRIGHT). 105 polished, chestnut-brown, adpressedly ciliate—Kunth, Enum. iii. 217 ; Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. B. 16, C0. 131. Raphia pedunculata, P. Beauv. in Desv. Journ. Bot. ii. 87, and Fl. Owar. i. 78, t. 44, fig. 2, t. 46, fig. 2. Sagus farinifera, Gertn. Fruct. ii. 186, t. 120, fig. 3. Sagus Ruffia, Jacq. Fragm. 7, no. 27, t. 4, fig. 2. Sagus pedunculata, Lam. Encycl. Suppl. v. 13, and Ill. iii. 357, t. 771, fig. 2.a-g. Metroxylon Ruffia, Spreng. Syst. ii. 139. Wile Land. British East Africa: Taveta, near Kilimanjaro, ex Engler. Mozamb. Dist. Pemba Island and Zanzibar, ex Engler. German East Africa : on the coast, and Usagara and Usambara regions, ex Engler ; Kilimanjaro region; Lake Yipe and Kahe, ex Engler. Also in Madagascar, 2. R. textilis, Welw. Apont. 584. Fruit oval-turbinate, 2} in. long, nearly 2 in. thick; scales in 11-14 rows, 11 lin. long, 11-12 lin. wide, rather convex at the base, flatter towards the apex and witha broad shallow furrow, dark chestnut, acute at the base, darker and slightly fimbriate at the margin. Seed oval-turbinate, 2} in. long, 16 lin. thick ; albumen slightly ruminate.—Syn. Explic. 39; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 83. R. Welwitschii, Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 439, t. 42, fig. B; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Lower Guinea. Angola: Golungo Alto; near rivulets at 1800-2000 ft., and 120 miles from the coast, Welwitsch, 6666! 6671! and fruit 1054! Barro do Dande ; gregarious on the River Dande, Welwitsch, 6663! 3. R. Monbuttorum, Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111, 180. Acaulescent or with a stem up to 5 ft. long. Leaflets irregularly arranged, up to 1} in. wide. Male flower: Calyx shortly campanulate, —4 as long as the corolla. Corolla-lobes curved, narrowly lanceolate trom a linear base, long acuminate, 9-10 lin. long. Stamens 6, adnate to the base of the corolla-lobes ; anthers narrowly linear from a sagittate base, shorter than the filaments; connective shorter at the back than the anther-cells. Female flower scarcely half as long as the male, obtuse and broad. Calyx enclosing, and its teeth overtopping, the short corolla. Staminodes absent. Young fruit long-pointed from an oval =. ia unknown; scales in about 12 rows.—Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. Wile Land. British East Africa: Jur; Okel (Okale), Schweinfurth, 1738! Lakes Albert Edward and Albert Nyanza, ex Engler. South Central. Congo Free State: Monbuttu; in the water of the valleys near Munza, Schweinfurth, 3357 ! Mozamb. Dist. Tanganyika, ex Engler. 4. R. Geertneri, Mann d: Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 437, t. 42, fig. D. Spadix laxly branched ; branches slender, the lower 5-7 m. long, 4 lin. thick. Male flowers 6 lin. long. Petals elliptical. Stamens 8; filaments clavate. Female flower: Petals 6 lin. long. Staminodes about 8. Fruit elongate- or oval-ellipsoid, 2}—3 in. long, 1} in. thick, obliquely mucronate; scales in 8-10 rows, slightly emar- ginate at the base, 8 lin. long, 8 lin. broad, light chestnut, slightly 106 CXLVII, PALM (WRIGHT). | Raphia. fimbriate at the margin. Seed elongate-ellipsoid, acute at either side, 2-21 in. by 9-11 lin.; albumen with narrow ruminations.—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. &. vinifera, Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111, not Beauv. Sagus Palma-pinus, Gertn. Fruct. i. 27, t. 10, fig. 1. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Berria (Beria), Scott-Elliot, 5002! Fernando Po; from the shore to an altitude of 500 ft., Mann! Gold Coast, Cameron ! 5. R. vinifera, P. Beawv. Fl. Owar. i. 77, t. 44, fig. 1, t. 45, t. 46, fig. 2. Stems of medium height. Leaves 6-7 ft. long; leaflets spiny. Spadix about 8 ft. long, laxly branched ; lower branches 3-34 ft. long, upper 1 ft. long; lower branchlets 8-10 in. long. Stamens 10-12. Female flowers usually in the upper part of the spadix. Staminodes about 20. Fruit cylindric-ellipsoid, shortly mucronate, 3 in. long, 14—1? in. thick ; scales in 8—9 rows, very broad, slightly emarginate at the base, rather convex above the base, with a deep groove within the apex, flattened at the margin, 9-10 lin. long, 9 lin. wide, greenish, margin slightly fimbriate and brownish. Seed 2} in. long, 1 in. thick; albumen with narrow ruminations.—Mart. Palm. iii. 216, and in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639; Hook. Niger Fl. 526; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 234; Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 437, t. 42, fig. C; J. Braun & K. Schum. in Mitth. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889) 148; Kew Bulletin, 1891, 1; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 273; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 82. Metroxylon viniferum, Spreng. Syst. ii. 139.— Palma conifera ex Guinea, C. Bauh. Pinax, 510. Palma vinifera Theveti, C. Bauh. Hist. i. 369. Upper Guinea, Sierra Leone, Afzelius! Winterbottom (ex Martius). Niger Territory: Oware and Benin; abundant by the sides of rivers, ex P. Beauvois ; banks of the Old Calabar River, Mann! Lower Guinea. Lower Congo, Hens, Demeuse, Laurent, and Dupuis (ex Durand & Schinz), Congo, Smith, and Lockhart (ex Martius), Angola : Huilla ; Morro de Lopollo, 5200-5800 ft., Welwitsch, 6657 ! Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa: Nyasaland ; hilly regions south of Lake Nyasa, Kirk, and without precise locality, Buchanan ! _The Bamboo Palm. In the Yoruba language this palm is variously known as Igi-oguro, Eriko, and Akpako ; its bass-fibre as Iyo, and the fishing-lines made from it as Lyo-oguro and Iyo-agbe, P. Beauvois states that the negroes of Oware and Benin call the wine made from the sap of the trunk Bourdon. 6. R. longiflora, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 438, t. 39, fig. A. and t. 42, fig. E. A palm 40-50 fi. high. Stems czespitose, 3—4 together, 15 ft. high, 1 ft. thick. Leaves 33 ft. long; petiole 11-12 ft. long, breaking up at the margins into rigid fibres ; leaflets about 160 on either side, coriaceous, 5-54 ft. long, 21-21 in. wide, spiny on the upper side of the midrib and on the margins near their base, unarmed towards the apex; secondary nerves solitary near the margins, promi- nent beneath; tertiary nerves 9-10 on either side of the midrib. Spadix with thick branches. Male flowers 12-13 lin. long. Stamens 15. Female flowers 4—5 near the base of the lower branches. Fruit elongate- oval, 3-3} in. long, 16-17 lin. thick, crowned by a long oblique mucro} scales in 12 rows, 8 lin. long and wide, very convex, very shallowly Raphia. | CXLVII. PALME (WRIGHT). 107 furrowed, obtuse (rarely slightly emarginate) at the base, almost entire at the margins. Seed long ellipsoid, 24 in. long, 11 lin. thick ; albumen with narrow ruminations.—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Upper Guinea. Gold Coast: River Volta, Rumsey, 6! Lower Guinea. Spanish Gaboon: Corisco Island, Mann, 1910! 7. R. Hookeri, Vann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 438, t. 39, fig. B, t. 42, fig. A. Stem about 30 ft. high, 1 ft. thick. Leaves about 40 ft. long; petiole 10-12 ft. long, breaking up at the edges into curved pendulous fibres; leaflets about 200 on each side, rather rigid, 4-5 ft. long, 12-2 in. wide, spiny on the upper side of the midrib towards the base and apex and on the keel, glaucous beneath. Spadices in pairs, rarely solitary, from the upper part of the stem, pendulous, densely and compactly branched, slightly glaucous; primary branches about 60; branchlets rigid, the lower 10-11 in. long. Male flowers 9 lin. long. Stamens 16. Female flowers 9-12 at the base of the lower branches. Fruit oval-ellipsoid, 33-4 in. long, 13-2 in. thick, obliquely long mucronate; scales in 12-15 rows, 9 lin. by 8 lin., very slightly sulcate, chestnut or cinnamon, obtuse at the base, almost entire. Seed 24-3 in. by 13-15 lin.; albumen narrowly ruminate.—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Upper Guinea. Old Calabar and Cameroons, in humid places along the coast, Mann, 1911! also cultivated. Lower Guinea. Spanish Gaboon: Corisco Island, Mann, 1911! The Wine Palm. Native name, Ukot. Imperfectly known species. 8. R. angolensis, Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 83. Fruit larger than in R. longiflora, and longer in proportion to its breadth, 43 in. by 1} in ; scales almost square, light brown, getting darker towards the blunt base, the largest rather more than 9 lin. each way. Seeds narrowly ellipsoid, blunt and almost flat at the apex, tapering very gradually from above the middle to the base; embryo 4 the way from the apex; rumination similar in character to that of 2. longiflora, but not so copious. Lower Guinea. Angola; without precise locality, Welwitsch ! 9. R. maxima, Pechwel-Loesche, Loango-Exped. iii. 164 ; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 128; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 83. Lower Guinea. French Congo: Loango, Pechuel-Loesche. Drude suggests that this (which has not been described) may be synonymous with R. Hookeri. 6. CALAMUS, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 931. Male flower: Calyx cupular, trifid. Petals 3, free or connate at the base, oblong or lanceolate, acute, valvate. Stamens 6, inserted at the base or throat of the corolla; filaments short, free or connate at the base; anthers linear, sagittate or oblong, dorsifixed. Rudiment 108 CXLVII, PALME (WRIGHT). [ Calamus. of ovary minute or absent. Female flower: Calyx cupular, trifid. - Corolla tubular at the base ; lobes 8, ovate, acute, valvate. Staminodes 6, united into a cup free from or adnate to the corolla-tube. Ovary ovoid or globose, incompletely 3-celled; style short or long; stigmas short or long; ovules 3, erect. Fruit globose or ellipsoid, 1- (very rarely 2-3-) seeded; style terminal; pericarp covered with retrorsely imbricate scales. Seed various in shape, smooth or sinuously sulcate, suberect ; chalaza lateral; branches of the raphe extending from the chalaza to opposite the position of the subbasal or central embryo ; albumen homogeneous or slightly ruminate—Armed, usually slender palms. Stems long climbing, rarely erect, remotely ringed. Leaves remote, equally pinnate ; leaflets equidistant or fascicled, usually setose on the nerves and margins; rhachis usually prolonged into a long leaf- less spiny cirrhus; petiole short or long, trigonous ; sheath spiny, some- times bearing a long spiny flagellum from ome side. Spadices short or long, with slender (rarely thick) paniculate branches, polygamous or diccious; spathes many, tubular; bracts densely imbricate; flowers distichous or subdistichous on the branches, 1 or 2 to each bract; bracteoles free or connate. Species about 200, chiefly in Tropical and Subtropical Asia, and a few in Australia. Leaflets linear-lanceolate. Fruit ovoid, pointed, brown . . : 1. C. deeratus. Fruit globose, obtuse, mucronate, reddish 2. C. niger. Leaflets oblong-lanceolate 3. C. Bartert. Leaflets obovate-trapezoid 4. C. Cabre. 1. C. deerratus, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 429, i. 41, fig. F. Stem climbing, 20-25 ft. long. Leaves about 5 ft. long, ovate, patent ; sheath cylindrical, tight, unarmed below, with transverse rows of recurved subulate-conical spines above, oblique and furnished with very acute spines at the mouth; petiole semiterete, 3 in. long; 6 lin, thick, slightly channelled above, margins and back with a few erect subulate spines 9-12 lin. long; leaflets linear-lanceolate, much contracted at the base, acuminate, about 35 on each side, alternate, equidistant, 7-nerved, with black bristles on the margins and under (rarely upper) side of the nerves, and minute light brown scales on the undersurface ; central leaflets 14-15 in. long, 12-14 lin. wide, 1-1} in. apart ; terminal leaflets 6 in. long. Spadix elongate, slender, decurved, main axis prolonged into a very long terete naked appendage, primary branches twice or thrice simply branched; peduncle connate at the base with the sheath of the uppermost leaf; spathes long, cylindrical, obliquely split at the apex, the lowest about 1 ft. long, ancipitous and distantly spinulose on the margins, the upper unilateral and sparingly spiny ; bracts cup-shaped, obliquely acuminate, bracteoles dense, smaller than the bracts and less acuminate; flower-bearing branches 2 in. long: Male flowers 3 lin. long, solitary, yellow. Calyx cup-shaped, trifid ; lobes broadly-ovate. Corolla twice as long as the calyx, tripartite; lobes oblong-ovate. Stamens 6; filaments subulate, united at the base ; anthers linear-oblong, sagittate at the base. Rudiment of ovary glo Calamus. | CXLVII. PALMZ (WRIGHT). 109 bose ; stigmas 3, long. Female flower enclosed in a bracteole together with a male or neuter flower, yellow. Calyx and corolla as in the male. Staminodes 6. Ovary oblong; stigmas 3, shortly recurved, tri- angular. Fruit ovoid, attenuate at the apex, 7-8 lin. long, 4 lin. diam.; scales in 19-21 rows, rather convex, marked with a shallow median furrow, shining, margin membranous, erose, brown. Seed 4-5 lin. long, oblong-ellipsoid, slightly compressed, rugulose; chalaza dorsal, incrassate ; albumen horny ; embryo basal, erect, close to the hilum.— Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111; Cummins in Kew Bulletin, 1898, 80. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Bagru River, Mann, 895! Cameroons : Cameroon River, Mann, 2147! Gold Coast: Kibbi, in Akim district, Johnson, 242! Ashanti, Cummins, 128! 2. C. niger, Willd. Sp. Pl. ii. 203. A palm armed with many long subulate dark brown spines. Leaves remote; petiole semiterete, 1 in. thick, beset with many short spines; sheath covered with subulate. spines ; leaflets many, linear-lanceolate, very acuminate, 15 in. long, 4 in. wide, 3-nerved, midrib prominent, margins setigerous; rhachis cirrhi- ferous above, furnished with uncinate spines. Spadices near the apex of the stem, nodding, paniculately branched; peduncle long. Fruit globose, nearly 1 in. diam., with a short mucro on the obtuse apex; scales reddish when ripe.—J. Braun & K. Schum. in Mitth. Deutsch.. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889) 147. Demonorops niger, Blume, Rumphia, iii. 5. Deemonorops melanochetes, Mart. Palm. iii. 203, partly; Kunth, Enum. iii, 202. Upper Guinea. Cameroons, Braun. Also in the Malayan Archipelago. 3. C. Barteri, Becc. ex Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 134. Stem 30-50 ft. long, about the thickness of the finger. Rhachis of leaf not. produced into a cirrhus ; leaflets lanceolate-oblong ; margins, midrib on both surfaces and secondary nerves on the under surface only beset with fine pungent hairs 1 lin. long. Ultimate branches of the spadix disti- chous, compressed, 9-14 lin. apart, 23-3} in. long, each bearing 30-40: flowers distichously arranged; bracteoles of the male flowers half as long as the flowers, with two wing-like keels. Calyx 2-} as long as the corolla. Corolla narrowed at the base intoa short pedicel. Stamens 6, nearly as long as the corolla ; anthers versatile, fixed at their centre to the three-sided subulate filaments. Kudiment of ovary shortly trifid, scarcely as long as the filaments. Fruit 6 lin. long, 4—5 lin. in. diam.,. acuminate ; scales in about 20 rows, rhomboid, darker and slightly fim- briate at the margins. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Musaia, in marshy ground, climbing, Scott- Elliot, 5121! Kambia, Scott-Elliot, 4738, and without precise locality, Scott-Hiliot,. 4460 (ex Drude). Niger Territory : Lower Niger; Onitsa, Barter, 110! In Barter’s specimen a cirrhns nearly 2 ft. long, bearing numerous recurved spines, springs from within one of the leaf-sheaths. ‘Stem much used in the lower part of the river [Niger],” Barter. ‘Used for making rope. Native name ‘ Tembi,’” Scott-Elliot. 110 CXLVII, PALMA (WRIGHT). [ Calamus. 4, GC. Cabree, De Wild. d&: Durand in Comptes-rendus Soc. bot. Belg. xxxviii. 151. A climbing shrub. Leaves long; rhachis gradually attenuate upwards and prolonged into an unarmed or slightly armed cirrhus, convex below, slightly rounded above, bearing 1—2 uncinate re- curved black-tipped spines 2 lin. long between each pair of leaflets ; leaflets nearly equidistant, rather more remote towards the apex, alter- nate, 23-54 in. long, 14-34 in. wide, obovate-trapezoid, flat, much narrowed and reduplicate at the base, chartaceous, longitudinally pli- cate, midrib and secondary nerves slightly prominent, margins repando- crenate in the upper part, sparingly spiny, shining on the upper side; “ abortive leaflets opposite, the lowest 43-7 in. distant from the upper- most, 9-14 lin. long, 1-24 lin. broad, thick, confluent and thickened at the base, slightly sigmoid, horny, subulate-triquetrous, two faces concave, the upper gradually getting nearer and smaller.” Lower Guinea. Lower French Congo: forests of Mayombe, Cabra. I have seen no specimen of this species, of which the leaves alone are known. Imperfectly known species. 5. ©. Heudelotii, Becc. ex Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 112, 134. Petiole short, flat and unarmed above, convex and with recurved spines up to7 lin. long beneath; sheath tubular, oblique at the mouth, sparingly armed with short stout spines; rhachis in the upper part of the leaf acute and unarmed above, convex and armed with black-tipped recurved spines 3 lin. long beneath ; Jeaflets about 6 lin. apart, linear-lanceolate, gradually acuminate, with pungent upward pointing sete on both surfaces and margins ; terminal cirrhus copiously armed with small recurved spines. Ultimate branches of spadix 2 in. long ; bracteoles cupular, irregularly lacerate at the mouth. Fruit ovate, shortly apiculate; scales in about 15 rows, light brown, with a central furrow.—Calamus sp., Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 430, in note. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot, 372! Gambia, Ingram ! The material is, as stated by Mann and Wendland (l.c.), insufficient to allow a satisfactory description of this species being drawn up. 7. ONCOCALAMUS, Mann et Wendl.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 936. Spadix lateral, monecious, distichously branched; branches long, pendulous ; spathes incomplete. Flowers 11~3 in alternate distichous bracteolate glomerules, the central one female, the rest male. Male flower: Calyx campanulate, shortly 3-lobed. Corolla 3-partite almost to the base. Stamens 6; filaments united into a minutely 6-toothed campanulate cup; anthers cordate, dorsifixed. Rudiment of ovary oblong ; style cylindrical ; stigmas minute. Female flower: Calyx and corolla as in the male. Staminodes like the filaments of the male flower. Ovary 3-celled; style very short; stigmas 3, tongue-shaped ; ovule fixed slightly above the base of the cell. Fruit unknown.— Oncocalamus. | CXLVII. PALME (WRIGHT). nee | Climbing palms with long slender stems. Leaves pinnate or bifurcate ; rhachis produced into a cirrhus armed with weak spines. Species 2, endemic. Leaves pinnate ; leaflets about 16 on each side . - 1. O. Mannis. Leaves bifurcate, or pinnate in the upper part only . 2. O. acanthocnemis. 1. O. Mannii, Wendl. in Kerchove, Palm. 252. Stems about 60 ft. long, 6-12 lin. thick, Leaves remote, 5-6 ft. long, dark green, copper- coloured when young; sheaths 1-14 ft. long, cylindrical, clothed (as well as the rhachis) with dark brown caducous or deliquescent scales ; stipules sheathing, 6-9 lin. long, obliquely truncate; rhachis sparingly and minutely spiny at the margins, produced at the apex into a cirrhus 3 ft. long armed with weak deflexed spines 6 lin. long and 14-2 in. apart, alternate below, opposite above; upper leaflets about 16 on each side, alternate or sub-opposite, long lanceolate, acute, slightly falcate, shining, 9-10 in. long, 12-15 lin. wide, midrib distinct, secondary nerves 6-7 on each side, obscure, margins with minute distant spines; lower leaflets smaller and nearer together. Spadices 4—5 ft. long, dark brown, pen- dulous, distichously branched, unarmed, naked at the base, clothed above with tubular adpressed sheaths 2 in. long, truncate and irregularly splitting at the mouth; branches 10 in. long, pendulous, alternately distichous, naked and adpressed to the spadix below, clothed above with infundibuliform imbricate bracteoles splitting down one side. Flowers fascicled, in the lower part of the branch in groups of 11, at the apex of 3, the central one female and ebracteolate, the lateral male, in equal numbers on each side of the female, bracteolate-—Calamus (Oncocala- ong Mannii, Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 436, t. 41, fig. E, t. 43, g. E. Upper Guinea. Lagos: Ebuti Metta, Millen, 18! Lagos Island, Barter, 20220! Lower Guinea. Gaboon: Gaboon River, Mann, 1044! and on the Sierra del Crystal, 1500 ft., ex Mann. 2. O. acanthocnemis, Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111,133. Stem slender, reed-like, 3 lin. thick; sheaths long, cylindrical, sparsely covered all over with blackish reflexed spines. Leaves very shortly petioled, simply bifurcate or irregularly pinnately divided between the upper nerves; lobes broadly lanceolate and acute when the leaf is simply bifureate, or when more divided the upper lobes narrowly linear-lanceolate and 9-14 lin. apart, bearing marginal spines 4 lin. long; primary nerves about 8 on each side, prominent on the upper surface, scarcely raised on the lower; cirrhus many times longer than the very short midrib, armed with slender spines, destitute of larger prickles. Inflorescence and fruit unknown. Lower Guinea. Gaboon : in intertwining masses (bushropes) in the woods, Biittner, 527, 529 ; Gaboon River, Mann, 10444! Congo: Bolobo, Hens, C, 170! 8. EREMOSPATHA, Mann et Wendl. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 936. Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx campanulate, 3-toothed. Corolla 112 CXLVII, PALM (WRIGHT). [ Zremospatha. urceolate; lobes 3 short, acute, valvate. Stamens 6, perigynous ; fila- ments short, broad, connate ; anthers cordate, fixed near the base at the back, Ovary 3-celled; stigmas 3, lingulate; ovule subbasal. Fruit baccate, 1- (rarely 2-3-) seeded ; scales thin, fragile; endocarp membranous. Seed peltate, slightly rugose ; hilum linear ; raphe linear, its branches radiating from the hilum ; albumen homogeneous ; embryo ventral.—Climbing palms. Stems long, slender, ringed. Leaves equally pinnate, subsessile ; leaflets alternate and opposite; rhachis bearing weak spines, produced at the apex into a long cirrhus bearing opposite decurved spines (reduced leaflets), Spadices short ; peduncle and branches compressed, distichous, thick, patent; spathes none ; bracts minute. Species 3, endemic. Leaflets elliptic-obovate . “ c : : . 1. #. Hookert. Leaflets long lanceolate, Fruit scales in 18 rows, Leaflets acuminate . . 2. E. euspidata, Fruit scales in 24 rows, Leaflets acute. : . 3. EH. macrocarpa. 1. E. Hookeri, Wendl. in Kerchove, Palm. 244. Stem 6 lin. thick. Leaves 4—5 ft. long; sheath tubular, glabrous, produced at the apex into an obliquely truncate ochrea 6-9 lin. long; rhachis 6 lin. thick at the base, prolonged at the apex into a cirrhus unarmed except for the recurved spines representing reduced leaflets ; leaflets 12-14 on each side, the basal ones rather closer together than the upper, elliptic- obovate, 6-7 in. by 2-2} in., flat, thin; central nerve and 5 secondary nerves rather prominent on both surfaces; upper margin slightly repand-crenate, lower furnished with a few spines 2 lin. long. Spadix long peduncled, 14-2 ft. long; rhachis slightly compressed, simply and distichously branched; branches 14-22, patent; bracts transversely- oblong, acuminate. Fruit ovoid-cylindric, 10-12 lin. long, 8-9 lin. in, diam., 1- (rarely 2-) seeded, with 20 rows of rhomboid scales. Seed peltate, 9 lin. long, 6 lin. wide, 3 lin. thick—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi, 111. Calamus (Eremospatha) Hookeri, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 434, t. 41, fig. C. Upper Guinea. Niger Delta: at the mouth of the River Nun (Niger), Mann, 451! West Tropical Africa; without exact locality, Kalbreyer, 65! Cameroons: aK, Preuss, 460, and on the banks of the river near Ndian Factory, Dusén (ex rude }. South Central. Congo Free State: Monbuttu; by Kambele River, Schwein- furth, 3671 (ex Drude), _2. BE. cuspidata, Wendl. in Kerchove, Palm. 244. Stem 1 in- thick. Leaves 6-7 ft. long ; sheath tubular, smooth, about 1 foot long, produced at the apex into an obliquely truncate ochrea 1 in. long; rhachis 6 lin. thick at the base, produced at the apex into a long cirrhus bearing sigmoid subulate triquetrous recurved spines, with 1-2 uncinate spines between each pair of leaflets; leaflets 25-27 on each side, basal rather nearer together than the upper, opposite or alternate, 8-9 in. by 10-12 lin. long, lanceolate, acuminate into a point 1-2 in. long, chartaceous, glabrous on both surfaces, with more numerous and Evremospatha. | CXLVIL. PALME (WRIGHT). 113 more slender spiny cilia on the margins than in #. macrocarpa. Midrib rather prominent, secondary nerves 6 on each side. Spadix 18-20 in. long, on a peduncle 1 foot long; branches 20-30, patent, 2 lin. thick ; bracts transversely oblong, acuminate. Flowers in pairs, sessile. Calyx campanulate, 3-toothed, 2 lin. long, rigid, obscurely striate. Corolla 5 lin. long, much inflated, thick, 3-toothed. Stamens 6; fila- ments connate for the greater part of their length into a tube and adnate to the corolla; anthers erect, cordate, inserted at the base on the dorsal side, introrse. Ovary ovoid-globose, 3-celled ; style short ; stigmas 3, lingulate, ciliate. Fruit ellipsoid, 1 in. long, about 9 lin. diam., 1- (rarely 2-) seeded, with 18 rows of rhomboid scales. Seed slightly compressed, 9 lin. Jong, 5 lin. wide, 3-4 lin. thick, brown ; chalaza dorsal, much thickened; hilum linear; embryo ventral, about half-way up the albumen.—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Calamus (Eremospatha) cuspidatus, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 434, t. 41, fig. A. Lower Guinea. (Gaboon: at the mouth of the River Gaboon, Mann, 1043! 3. E. macrocarpa, Wendl. in Kerchove, Palm. 244. Stem 30-50 ft. long, scarcely 1 in. thick. Leaves about 9 ft. long; sheath tubular, about 1 ft. long, produced at the apex into an obliquely truncate ochrea 1 in. long, clothed with brownish evanescent scurf; rhachis 4—5 lin. thick at the base, bearing uncinate spines, produced into a cirrhus bearing 7-11 pairs of decurved subulate-triquetrous spines, but other- wise unarmed ; leaflets about 23 on each side, the upper rather wider apart than the lower, long lanceolate, acute, slightly dentate, papery, rigid, glabrous, shining, with brown spiny cilia 1-2 lin. long on the margins, the upper 14 in. by 12-13 lin., the lower gradually decreasing in size, midrib rather prominent, secondary nerves 6 on each side. Spadix 13-2 ft. long, glabrous, simply and alternately distichously branched ; peduncle 6-8 in. long, nearly 6 lin. thick, concave on the face, convex on the back; branches 4—5 in. long, 1 lin. thick at the base ; bracts semi-amplexicaul, ovate, acuminate, 3 lin. long, marcescent. Flowers as in 2. cuspidata. Fruit 1} in. long, compressed cylindrical, very shortly attenuate at the base, 1- (rarely 2-) seeded, with 24 rows of rhomboid rather flat scales, 2 lin. wide. Seed compressed, 9-12 lin. long, 9 lin. wide, 4-5 lin. thick, brown ; chalaza incrassate and forming amammilla on the dorsal side ; embryo ventral, a little above the hilum. —Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Calamus (Eremospatha) macro- carpus, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 435, t. 41, fig. B, and t. 43, fig. B. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone: Bagru River, Mann, 1! Niger Territory: Old Calabar River, Mann, 2330! 9. ANCISTROPHYLLUM, Mann et Wendl.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 937. Flowers hermaphrodite. Calyx campanulate, shortly 3-lobed. Corolla-tube short ; lobes 3, linear-oblong, acute, valvate. Stamens 6 ; VOL, VIII, I 114 CXLVII, PALME (WRIGHT). [Ancistrophyllum. filaments adnate to the corolla, lingulate or clavate; anthers elongate, sagittate, dorsifixed. Ovary 3-celled, attenuate into a long slender style ; stigmas 3, short ; ovules erect. Fruit baccate, 1-seeded, oblong, clothed with retrorsely imbricate scales. Seed oblong, compressed, smooth, erect; hilum basal; raphe linear, reaching almost to the apex on the dorsal side and then with obscure branches; chalaza dorsal, slightly incrassate and pressed into the albumen; albumen homogen- eous, hard; embryo ventral, horizontal, about half-way up the albumen. —Monocarpic, climbing palms. Stems cespitose, slender, elongate. Leaves remote, alternate, equally pinnate ; leaflets somewhat aggregate or alternate; rhachis produced at the apex into a long cirrhus ; sheath spiny, produced into a long ochrea. Spadix terminal, distichously branched ; spathes many, incomplete; bracts spathaceous, enclosing 2 flowers ; bracteoles united into a bicuspidate cup. Species 3, endemic. Petiole long. Leaflets broad. Seed round. Leaflets unarmed at the margins . : : aL A. lee. Leaflets with spiny cilia at the margins . E . 2. A. opacum. Petiole short. Leaflets narrow. Seed compressed . 3. A. secundiflorum. 1. A. leeve, Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Stem climbing, slender, 30-40 ft. long, annulate, unarmed. Leaves 4—5 ft. long, 9-12 in. apart, covered with easily removable dark brown tomentum, becom- ing glaucous; sheath about 1 ft. long, tubular, closely adpressed to the stem, bearing solitary horizontally patent spines towards its apex, pro- duced at the apex into an ochrea 1 ft. long, splitting down one side and clothed with very strong scattered compressed subulate spines; petiole 8-9 in. long, 3 lin. wide, flat above, convex beneath, bearing remote recurved spines thickened at the base; rhachis gradually attenuate upwards, convex on the back, spiny on the margins, compressed in the upper part and produced into a cirrhus 1-1} ft. long, bearing 4-6 alternate much-reduced leaflets ; leaflets in 9-13 opposite or subopposite clusters, broadly elliptic-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed at the base, slightly falcate, smooth and shining on both surfaces, unarmed, with 2 (rarely 1) primary nerves prominent below, central ones 7—9 in. long, i: in. wide, the lowest smaller and slightly deflexed. Spadix ovate, 13-2 ft. long; primary branches 6-8, the lowest somewhat recurved and simply branched ; lowest branchlets 4-5 in. long; spathes tubular, obliquely splitting, very spiny, produced at the apex into a tail several in. long ; bracts 1 in. long, tubular, inflated, obliquely truncate, very long acuminate on one side at the apex; bracteoles very numerous, 2-3 lin. long. Flowers distichous, patent, geminate, each pair sub- tended by a more or less concave bracteole, shortly pedicelled. Calyx campanulate, 2 lin. long, trifid; lobes ovate, acuminate, rigid, striate on the back. Corolla 4 lin. long, yellow; lobes 34 lin. long, 1 lin. wide, long lanceolate, acute, thickened at the margins, valvate, rather rigid, concave, striate. Stamens 6, a little shorter than the corolla; filaments thick, tongue-shaped, acute, 1} lin. long; anthers bifid at the base, 1 lin. long, yellow, fixed at the centre of the back. Ovary Ancistrophyllum. | CXLVII. PALME (WRIGHT). 115 globose; style columnar, 2 lin. long, hollow inside; stigmas 3, oblong, short, 3-celled ; ovules solitary. Fruit-scales in about 18 rows, fimbriate, straw-coloured, brown at the margins.—Calamus (Laccosperma) levis, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 430, t. 38, fig. B. Lower Guinea. Gaboon: in shady virgin forests in the neighbourhood of the Gaboon River, Mann, 1045! Munda, Soyaux, 155 (ex Drude). _ 2. A. opacum, Drude in Engl, Jahrb. xxi. 111. Stem 25-30 ft, long, soboliterous. Leaves patent, 6-8 ft. long, clothed with easily removable brownish tomentum; sheath 1 ft. long, tubular, closely investing the stem, armed towards the apex with scattered ancipitous subulate spines 6 lin. long, yellow at the base and black at the apex, produced at the apex into an ochrea 6-12 in. long, bearing spines like those on the sheath ; rhachis convex on the back, flattened on the upper side near the base, but acute towards the apex, produced at the apex into a filiform cirrhus 24-3 ft. long, bearing 4—6 reduced hook-like leaf- lets, the lower alternate and 4-6 in. apart, the upper opposite, smaller and nearer together, margins densely covered with recurved spines throughout ; leaflets in opposite clusters, long- or elliptic-lanceolate, con- tracted at the base, acuminate, marcescent, opaque, distantly spiny on the margins, falcate, prominently 1—4- (rarely 5-) nerved, 8-12 in. by 1-4 in. Spadix ovate, 14-23 ft. long; primary branches patent, the lower 1—1} ft. long; branchlets alternately distichous, turned to one side, pendulous, 4—8 in. long, slender. Flowers geminate, alternately distichous, shortly pedicellate, patent. Calyx campanulate, nearly 2 lin. long, thickened at the base, rather rigid; lobes broadly ovate, acute. Corolla nearly 4 lin. long ; lobes elliptic-lanceolate, acute, rigid, concave, striate on the back, valvate. Stamens 6, slightly shorter than the corolla; filaments thick, tongue-shaped, acute, adnate to the base of the corolla ; anthers elongate, bifid at the base, dorsifixed. Ovary globose ; style columnar, 2 lin. long; stigmas 3, oblong, fimbriate ; ovules soli- tary, inserted a little above the base of the cell. Fruit baccate, 1-seeded, globose, 6 lin.in diam.; scales in 12 rows, membranous, with an obscure longitudinal furrow, straw-coloured, darker at the margins. Seed sub- globose, deeply channelled, 5 lin, in diam., with a deep pit bearing a cen- tral mammilla on the dorsal side ; raphe linear ; albumen hard ; embryo ventral, horizontal, about half-way up the albumen.—Cummins in Kew Bulletin, 1898, 80. Calamus (Laccosperma) opacus, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 431, t. 41, fig. D, and t. 43, fig. D. Laccosperma opacum, J. Braun and K. Schum. in Mitth. Deutsch. Schutzgeb, ii. (1889), 148. Upper Guinea. Gold Coast: Ashanti; Assin-Yan-Kumassi, Cummins, 229! Cameroons : Barombi, Preuss, 307 (ex Drude). Fernando Po: in shady woods from the shore to 1000 ft., Mann, 97! 3. A. secundiflorum, Wendl. in Kerchove, Palm. 230. A cespi- tose, widely climbing palm. Stem 50-60 ft. long, 1} in. in diam., un- armed. Leaves 12-14 ft. long, 1-1} ft. apart, pale green; sheath 1-1} ft. long, cylindrical, with short scattered conic-subulate spines 1-2 lin. long near the apex only, produced at the apex into a long 116 CXLVII. PALM& (WRIGHT). [ Ancistrophyllum. ochrea ; petiole 4 in. long, 9 lin. in diam., concave above, convex beneath, spines marginal, remote, subulate from a thickened base, black at the apex, recurved ; rhachis gradually attenuate upwards, convex and unarmed on the back, convex on the face in the lower part, acute-angled in the upper, with very slender subulate straight or slightly curved spines 3-6 lin. long between the leaflets ; cirrhus 5-6 ft. long, unarmed or slightly spiny ; reduced leaflets up to 18, recurved, much thickened at the base, flattened or triangular above, the lowest alternate, 4-8 in. apart, 2 in. long, 3 lin. wide, the upper opposite and confluent at the base, getting gradually smaller and closer together; leaflets 45-55 on each side, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, abruptly contracted at the base, | with spiny cilia on the margins, rather rigid, straight, with 1-2 nerves rather prominent and remotely spiny on the upper side, the lowest approximate, 4~5 in. long, 6 lin, wide, the central 12~13 in. long, 9-18 lin. wide, the upper rather more distant. Spadix broadly ovate, 4-6 ft. long; primary branches 10-15, about 3 ft. long; bracts cylin- drical, obliquely truncate, unarmed, smooth, adpressed ; flower-bearing branches 1 ft. long, slender, distichous, pendulous, turned to one side ; bracteoles narrowly campanulate, 2 lin. long, obliquely truncate. Flowers geminate, yellowish, shortly pedicellate, horizontally patent. Calyx nearly 2 lin. long, campanulate, smooth, thickened at the base ; lobes semi-oblong, rather acute. Corolla 4 lin. long ; lobes linear-oblong, shortly acute, rather thick, patent, valvate, 1-1} lin. wide, convex, faintly striate. Stamens 6, shorter than the corolla; filaments thickened, compressed ; anthers 2 lin. long, linear, bifid at the base, introrse. Ovary globose, 3-celled; style columnar ; stigmas 3, oblong ; ovule erect. Fruit baccate, 1-seeded, orange-colour when fresh, brown when dry, 6 lin. long, 4-5 lin. in diam., oblong, compressed ; scales in 17 rows, membranous, brown, chestnut-brown and scabrid on the margins. Seed smooth, oblong, compressed, obtuse or slightly bilobed at the base, very shortly mucronate at the apex, 4-51 lin. long, 3-4 lin. wide, 24 lin. thick, fixed at the lower end; hilum roundish; raphe linear, passing into an adpressed mammilla; chalaza in the upper half of the seed ; testa chestnut-brown, smooth, somewhat shining; albumen homogeneous, horny, impinged upon on the dorsal side by the testa and the raphe; embryo ventral, horizontal, about half-way up the albumen.—Hook. f. in Kew Report, 1882, 69; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Calamus secundiflorus, Beauv. Fl. Owar. i. 15, tt. 9-10; Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639, and Palm. iii, 341; Tuckey, River Congo, 497; Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 291. C. (Ancistrophyllum) secundiflorus, Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soe. xxiv. 432, t. 38, fig. D, t. 41, fig. G, t. 43, fig. C; Durand & Schinz, Etudes Fl.Congo, i. 272. C. Schwein- furthii, Bece. ex Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone, Afzelius! Niger Delta: mouth of the River Nun, Mann, 453! and along the coast from the equator to Sierra Leone, ex Mann. Benin, Beauvois (ex Drude). Niger Expedition, without precise locality, Barter; 61! Old Calabar, Milne! Cameroons; Barombi, Preuss, 389 (ex Drude). #. Nile Land. British East Africa: Niamniam ; at Mansilli Brook, Schwein- Furth, 2860! Aneistrophylium. | CXLVII. PALME (WRIGHT). 117 Lower Guinea. Lower French Congo: Mayombe, Laurent. Lower Congo, Smith. Angola: Golungo Alto ; Trombeta, Welwitsch, 6669 ! 66698 ! South Central. Congo Free State : Lunda, Buchner, 687 (ex Drude). 10. BORASSUS, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 939. Male flowers small, densely packed in pits on the catkin-like branches of a simply branched interfoliaceous spadix, subtended by scaly bracts. Sepals 3, narrow, free, imbricate. Petals united below into a long stipes, glumaceous, obovate-spathulate, patent, imbricate. Stamens 6; filaments very short, subulate ; anthers large, oblong, basifixed. Ovary represented by 3 sete. Female flower much larger than the male, globose. Sepals reniform, imbricate, fleshy. Petals similar to the sepals, but smaller. Staminodes 6—9 inserted at the base of the petals. Ovary 3-celled, entire or tripartite; stigmas sessile, recurved ; ovule basal, erect. Fruit large, subglobose, enclosing 3 pyrenes; pericarp thinly fleshy ; pyrenes obcordate, densely fibrous outside. Seed with its testa adhering to the endocarp; albumen homogeneous, horny, hollow ; embryo near the apex of the seed..—Tall, unarmed palm. Stem robust, annulate, thickened at or above the middle, sometimes branched at the apex. Leaves in a terminal crown, large, flabellate ; segments in- duplicate, bifid, margins smooth; ligule short, rigid ; petiole spiny ; sheath short. Spadices large; spathes at the base of the branches, incomplete; male branches densely covered with multiseriate densely imbricate bracts ; female branches thick, rather tortuose, fewer-flowered than the male. Flowers dicecious. Fruit brown. Species 1 in Tropical Africa, extensively cultivated in India, and probably wild in the regions around the mouth of the Indus. 1. B. flabellifer, var. ethiopum, Warburg in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Ajr. B, 20, C. 130. Stem 60-70 ft. bigh, thicker above the middle, the younger part clothed with the persistent bases of old leaves. Leaves flabellate, broader than long, divided to the middle, 5-12 ft. long; seg- ments lanceolate-ensiform ; petiole straight, slightly sheathing at the base, concave above, convex below, spiny on the margins ; sheath break- ing up into filaments. Male inflorescence : Spadix 3-6 ft. long, simply branched ; peduncle slightly compressed; branches subterete, bearing at their apex 2-3 sessile cylindrical catkins 12 in. by 2 in.; spathes solitary at the base of and as long as each branch ; bracts imbricate, 2 lin. long. Calyx tubular; lobes 3, oblong, obtuse, erect. Corvlla- tube as long as the calyx; lobes 3, oblong, obtuse, concave, patent, yellowish-green. Stamens 6, patent; filaments subulate. Female in- florescence: Spadix simple, 4-8 ft. long, nodding; spathes 6-12, arranged as in the male. Sepals reniform, imbricate, concave. Petals half as long as the sepals, gibbous, shining. Staminodes 6, rudimentary. Drupe ovoid, obtuse, obscurely trigonous, smooth, coriaceous, orange- coloured ; epicarp containing fibres. Seeds 3, ovoid, compressed.— Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110; Dammer in Engl. Jahrb. xxvill. 855. B. flabelliformis, Murr. Syst. ed. 13, 827; Schumach. & Thonn. Beskr. 118 CXLVII. PALM (WRIGHT). | Borrassus. Guin. Pl. 443; R. Br. Vermischte Schriften, i. 269; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 232. B. ethiopum, Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639, and 1839, 46, and Palm. iii. 220; Hook. Niger Fl. 526; Speke, Nile, Append. 651; Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 439; Henriques in Bolet. Soc. Bot. v. 206; J. Braun in Mitth. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889), 147. Upper Guinea. Senezg:l, Ronn. Senegambia, Brunner! Gorea (Goree), Dollinger. Gambia, Adanson. Gold Coast: River Volta, Isert ; Accra, Hort. Sander.! Ashanti, Thonning, Afzelius. Benin, ex Martius. Niger Territory : Nupe, Barter, 792! Isolated on the coast, Mann. Cameroons, ex Braun. Wile Land. British East Africa : “ Very few about the equator, plentiful in the Shiluk country ” (bordering the White Nile), ex Speke & Grant, 71. South Central. Congo Free State: Kasai River, Buchner (ex Drude). Lower Guinea. {sland of St. Thomas, ex Henriques. Lower Congo, Naum, Laurent. Congo, ex Brown. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: in the Unyamwezi district, ex Speke ¥ Grant. Makutu Steppe, between Khutu and Uhehe districts, Goetze ; Khutu 5 Kisaki Steppe, amongst hills not far from Msoro (River) and Msengere, Goetze. Native names, Vjye-Tjo, ex Schumacher & Thonning. Deleb Palm, M’vooma. In Unyamwezi district the young ones are called “ Meelalla,” and the leaves furnish thatch, rope, sieves, fences, firewood, and flageolet reeds, the roots are boiled and eaten in times of famine, and a sweet insipid toddy is extracted, whilst on the Nile the leaves are made into strong white baskets and mats for markets, according to Speke & Grant. 1l. HYPHANE, Gertn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 940. Male flowers: Sepals linear-oblong, imbricate, connate at the base. Petals broadly ovate, obtuse, concave, imbricate, connate at the base into a short stalk. Stamens 6; filaments short, subulate ; anthers linear, inserted at the bifid base. Rudiment of ovary none. Female flowers larger than the male, very shortly pedicellate. Sepals 3, ovate- orbicular, obtuse, imbricate. Petals a little smaller than the sepals, broadly ovate, obtuse, imbricate. Staminodes 3, connate into a mem- branous ring. Ovary subglobose, obscurely 3-lobed, 3-celled ; stigmas 3, minute, sessile, terminal, at length excentric; ovule attached by a broad base to the side of the cell. Fruit sessile or stalked, terete or obscurely lobed, often flat or intruded at the base and apex, 1-celled; stigma basal; pericarp fibrous, with a shining epidermis; endocarp woody, fleshy inside. Seed adnate to the endocarp, erect, ovoid or obovoid, intruded at the base; testa very hard; fuscous; raphe reticulately branched ; albumen homogeneous, hollow; embryo apical.— Unarmed except for the spines on the petioles. Stem cylindrical or ventricose, simple or dichotomously branched. Leaves in a terminal crown, orbicular or flabellate; segments ensiform; petiole concavo-convex, plano-convex or more rarely bi-convex; sheath short, open ; ligule oblique or equilateral. Spathes cylindrical, incomplete; spadices dicecious, male and female similar; spadix-branches alternate; flower-bearing Hyphiene.] CXLVII, PALMA (WRIGHT). 119 branches subfastigiate; bracts semicircular, very densely imbricate ; bracteoles membranous, bearded. A genus of about 15 species, extending into Arabia and Madagascar. Many of the species are described from imperfect material and are ill-defined. Stem cylindrical. Stem dichotomous. Fruit turbinate-pyriform, shallowly furrowed 1. H. coriacea. Fruit long pyriform, obtusely keeled . : . 2. H. Wendlandit. Fruit obliquely ovoid, obscurely trigonous . 3. H. thebaica. Stem unbranched. Petiole eoncavo-convex. Fruit shortly turbinate. 4. H. guineensis. Petiole deeply channelled above; ligule equi- lateral. Fruit oblong or obovoid , . 5. H. crinita. Petiole plano-convex ; ligule oblique. Fruit oblique at the base - g : . 6. H. Goetzei. Stem ventricose ‘ : ; : : z . 7. H. ventricosa, 1, H. coriacea, Cerin. Fruct.i. 28, t. 10, fig. 2. Stem 30 ft. high, dichotomously branched. Fruit turbinate-pyriform, shallowly furrowed, broadest above the middle, flat at the apex; fibres of the pericarp shorter than the triangular putamen; cavity of putamen oblong. Seed ovoid-ellipsoid, attached by its centre-—Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639; Kirkin Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 234; Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 93; Engl. Pil. Ost-Afr. B. 25, C. 180; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110, 122. Corypha africana, Lour. FI). Cochinch, 213; Wendl. in Kerchove, Palm. 247. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: on the coast, Usambara, Holst, 3172, 3174 (ex Drude); on the Rovuma River, 8-12 miles from the sea coast, Kirk. “ Eastern Africa, in woods,” ex Loureiro. Kirk (1.c.) distinguishes two varieties thus :—(1) Stem 30 ft. high, much branched ; fruit smaller and less flattencd than in the following. (2) Often a bush with a small stem rarely branched more than once ; fruit deep brown, much flattened at the apex. The latter, which is said to be abundant at the mouth of the Zambesi, may be the same as Drude’s variety minor, from Pondoland (Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110, 122). Also in Madagascar. 2. H. Wendlandii, Dammer in Engl. Jahrb. xxviii. 353. A tree 65-82 ft. high, usually much branched. Leaves flabellate, 34 ft. long, 43 ft. broad; petiole concavo-convex in the lower part, plano- convex above, glabrous, with dark brown curved spines 7-16 lin. apart on the margins; ligule very oblique, aculeate-dentate; rhachis prolonged nearly to the middle of the leaf, densely spiny above the base ; lamina with about 48 lobes, minutely spiny on the nerves above the base. Male inflorescence racemose ; branches bearing 1—4 spikes 6—8 in. long near the apex; bracts cylindrical, oblique, acute ; bracteoles widely cochleariform, truncate, bearded at the sides. Calyx mem- branous, turbinate, 1} lin. long, 3-toothed. Corolla 3-partite; lobes oblong, obtuse. Stamens 6 ; filaments subulate, the three inner dilated at the base, 1 lin. long. Rudiment of ovary very minute. Female inflorescence racemose, 2-2} ft. long; branches bearing 1, rarely 2, cylindrical spikes at the apex about 8 in. long, 4 lin. in diam. ; bract 120 CXLVII. PALM (WRIGHT). | Zyphene. cylindrical, oblique, acute; bracteoles widely cochleariform, truncate, bearded at the sides. Calyx 3-partite, pilose outside the base; lobes | ovate, fleshy, 2 lin. long. Corolla 3-partite; lobes long, oval, mem- branous, 14 lin. long. Staminodes none. Ovary conical; stigmas 3, sessile. Fruit pedicellate, long pyriform, obtusely keeled, 5 lin. long, oblique at the base. Seed with bony albumen; embryo cylindrical, near the apex of the seed. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Khutu; in the Kisaki Steppe, by the Rufiji River, 820 ft., Goetze, 69. Native name, Mkase. 3. H. thebaica, Wart. Palm. iii. 225, tt. 1381-133. Stem terete, 10-30 ft. high, about 1 ft. in diam., simple or more frequently dichoto- mously branched. Leaves 20-30 in a terminal crown on each branch ; petiole sheathing at the base, triangular below, plano-convex upwards, spiny on the margins, with rusty tomentum ; lamina suborbicular ; lobes 20 or more, linear-lanceolate, acuminate, 14 ft. long, lin. wide; primary nerves thick, concave above, secondary numerous. Male spadix 4 ft. long, 1-2 in. thick at the base, at first erect, afterwards patent ; spathes nearly cylindrical; flower-bearing branches 6-10 in. long, 3—2 at the end of branches 3-4 in. long; bracteoles } lin. long; flowers in pairs, shortly pedicellate. Calyx 3-lobed, contracted below. Corolla stipitate; lobes widely ovate, obtuse, concave. Stamens 6, rarely 7; filaments subulate from a thickened base; anthers linear, slightly sagittate, nearly basifixed. Rudiment of ovary absent. Female spadix like the male; bracteoles densely imbricate, with a transverse line of tomentum half-way up the back ; flowers very shortly pedicellate. Calyx-lobes orbicular-ovate, light green. Petals smaller than the sepals, orbicular- ovate, concave. Staminodes 6. Ovary globose or 3-lobed; stigmas sessile or nearly so. Fruit of 1 (rarely 2-3) obliquely-ovoid carpel, 3 in. long, 2}in. indiam. Seed ovoid.—Mart. in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639, and 1839, 51; Grant in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 187; Speke, Nile, Append. 651; Penzigin Atti Congr. Bot. Genova, 1892, 363 ; Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 193, 291, and in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. App. ii. 52. Cucifera thebaica, Del. Fl. Egypte, 1, tt. 1-2. Upper Guinea. Gambia: on the banks of the River Gambia, Whitfield? Bornu, ex Drude. Wile Land. Nubia: near Alt Dongola, Ehrenberg (ex Schweinfurth). Eritrea = Arkiko and Monkullo, near Massowa, and in the valley of the River Barca, ex Penzig- Kordofan, Sennar, Abyssinia and Bahr-el-Abiad (White Nile), ex Schweinfurth ; White Nile, Flower! Speke § Grant. Somaliland : Schebeli, Donaldson Smith, 1! British East Africa: Lamo (Lamu Island), Kirk, 1! Also found in extra-tropical Egypt and Arabia. ; Native names: at Berber “Mohamma,” at Tigre “Ssehhelib.” “At Berber the leaves are made into course rope, and the trunks into beams and posts ” (Speke 5 Grant). Although this species is frequently mentioned by travellers as the Doum oF Dum palm, it is very poorly represented in British herbaria. 4. Hi. guineensis, Schwmach. & Thonn. Beskr. Guin. Pl. 445. Stem tall, cylindrical, the younger part armed with the bases of old Hyphene. | CXLVII. PALMA (WRIGHT). 121 leaves. Leaves roundish ovate, broader than long, plicate, divided to the middle into ensiform replicate segments, subpinnately palmate, 2-6 ft. long ; petiole as long as the lamina, slightly concave above, con- vex below, spiny on the margins, widened and having a fibrous network on either side at the base. Male inflorescence : Spadix simply branched, 2—5 ft. long; peduncle slightly compressed ; branches alternate, woolly, acute at the margins, bearing near their apices 2—3 sessile cylindrical cat- kins 1 ft. long and 1 in. thick, clothed with numerous imbricate adpressed bracts 1 lin. long and 6 lin. broad. Flowers in 6—8 rows, 2—3 enclosed in each scale. Calyx trigonous; lobes 3, oblong, obtuse, erect, concealed by the bracts. Corolla-tube as long as the calyx; lobes 3, exserted, rotate, oblong, obtuse, concave, subcartilaginous, green. Stamens 6, inserted in the corolla-tube, patent ; filaments subulate, a little shorter than the corolla; anthers oblong. Rudiment of ovary none. Female inflorescence similar to the male. Fruit shortly turbinate, very obtuse, obscurely trigonous, shining; epicarp chartaceous, thin; mesocarp fibrous, rather sweet ; endocarp hard, with an apical pore. Seed carti- laginous, hollow in the centre—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 461, and Etudes FI. Congo, i. 274; Giissfeldt & Pechuel-Loesche, Die Loango-Exped. i. t. 1; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 83. Lower Guinea. Estuary of the Congo: Isle of Mateba, Dupont. Loango, ex Drude. Angola: plentiful on dry or sandy hills, especially between Barra do Bengo and Barro do Dande, Welwitsch, 6662! Ambriz; maritime hills near Quizembo, Welwitsch, 6668! along long tracts of coast from Dande and Lifune as far as the mouth of the River Cuanza, Welwitsch, 6670! Lo»nda; on the coast between Ambriz and Loanda, Welwitsch, fruit 1052! Guinea, without exact locality, Thonning. Native name, Songu-Tjo, ex Schumacher & Thonning. 5. Hf. crinita, Gorin. Fruct. ii. 13, ¢. 82, fig. 4. Stem 20-30 ft. high, more or less flexuose or erect, undivided. Leaves large, with fibres between the lobes, covered on both surfaces with very fugacious white tomentum, scabrous on the margins and upper sides of the nerves ; ligule large and nearly equilateral; petiole sheathing at the base, spiny on the margin, deeply channelled above. Fruit oblong or obovate, depressed, smooth ; pericarp containing numerous fibres shorter than the thick subglobose putamen. Seed attached below its centre.— Mart. Palm. iii. 227; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soe. ix. 235 ; Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 92; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 130 ; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110, 122; C. H. Wright in Dyer, Fl. Cap. vii. 30. H. natalensis, G. Kunze in Linnea, xx. 15; Gard. Chron. 1890, viii. 381. H. petersiana, Klotzsch ex Mart. Palm. iii. 227. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Usambara; by the River Pangani in Mauia district, Stuhlmann, 24 (ex Drude), Portuguese East Africa and British Central Africa : “200 miles up the Zambesi it is common, also at the south end of Nyasa, and on the River Shire,” ex Kirk. Mozambique and Sofala, ex Drude. Also in Natal and Madagascar. 6. H. Goetzei, Dammer in Engl. Jahrb. xxviii. 354. A tree 50-65 ft. high. Stem simple. Leaves about 3 ft. by 4} ft. ; petiole 122 CXLVII. PALME (WRIGHT). [ Hyphene. plano-convex, slightly concave on the upper side near the base, with dark brown, usually sharply curved, spines on the margins, the lower spines as well as the petiole margins densely covered with fuscous floccose tomentum ; ligule oblique, irregularly spiny toothed, acuminate ; rhachis about 30 in. long, produced beyond the centre of the leaf, slightly toothed above the base; lamina cut 3 its length into about 75 lobes, slightly floccose on the nerves near the base, with long filaments between the lobes. Male inflorescence racemose; branches bearing near their apices 2-3 cylindrical spikes 34—5 in. long, 5 lin. thick ; bracts cylin- drical, oblique, long acuminate, with floccose tomentum on the back near the apex ; bracteoles widely cochleariform, truncate, pilose on the back. Calyx turbinate, membranous, | lin. or rather more long, 3-lobed. Corolla 3-partite ; lobes ovate or obovate, acute, | lin. long, } lin. broad. Stamens 6; filaments subulate, } lin. long; anthers sagittate, dorsifixed below the centre, 1 lin. long. Female inflorescence racemose, about 27 in. long; branches 4-5, each bearing a single cylindrical spike; bracts cylindrical, oblique, acuminate or acute; bracteoles widely coch- leariform, truncate. Flowers unknown. Fruit on a subcylindrical pedicel about 3 lin. long, oblique at the base, flattened and slightly impressed above, 2# in. long, 1-2 in. in diam.; endocarp woody; pericarp at the side 2 lin. thick, at the apex and base 4 lin. thick ; foramen about 5 lin. in diam. Seed 16 lin. long, 11 lin. in diam. ; albumen ovate, bony, enclosing an ovate cavity ; embryo turbinate, near the apex of the seed. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: between Khutu and Uhehe, on the eastern slope of the Vidunda Mountains, by the Ruaha River, on waste ground in moist grey soil, 1640 ft., Goetze, 413. 7. H. ventricosa, Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 235, ‘ Known from other species by its loftier stem, swollen in the middle; ligule unilateral; fruit spherical, surrounded by a considerable quantity of farinaceous matter, and larger than that of H. coriacea or H. crinita. —Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 93; Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 130; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. iv. App. iii. 34; Gard. Chron. 1884, xxi. 649, fig. 126; Dinter in Gard. Chron. 1900, xxviii, 372, and in Gartenfl. 1901, 176. Lower Guinea. Congo, ex Johnston. German South-west Africa : Damara- land, Dinter ! Mozamb. Dist. Rhodesia: Victoria Falls, on the Zambesi River, and believed to extend southwards to Lake Ngami, ex Kirk, ** Called Mokolwana by the Makololo,” Kirk. Dinter states (l.c.) that this species occurs abundantly south of Grootfontein, out- side the tropic. Imperfectly known species. : 8. H. aurantiaca, Dammer in Engl. Jahrb. xxviii. 355. Fruit ovate, slightly impressed above, not oblique at the base, faintly keeled on one side, about 22 in. long, 2 in. in diam. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: extending from Langenburg to Lake Rukwa, Goetze. This is said to differ from H. Goetzei, Dammer, in the shape of the fruit, which has a bloom on the ripe endocarp, and the shape of the seed, Hypheene. | CXLVII, PALM (WRIGHT). 123 9. Hl. benguellensis, Welw. Syn. Explic. 40. A very elegant palm. Stem 20-25 ft. high, about 6 in. thick, straight, “cylindrical, moderately ventricose above the middle,” always simple. Berries exactly spherical, shining dull brown.— Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 92; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 460; Drude in Engl. Jahrb, xxi. 110, 123; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 84. Lower Guinea. Angola: Mossamedes ; plentiful in rather damp sandy places near the banks of the River Caroca, near Porto-Pinda and Cabo Negro, forming very elegant woods round the native village Caroca, Welwitsch, 6656! Welwitsch, fruit, 1053 ! 10. H. compressa, Wendl.in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 93. Fruit laterally compressed, about 3 in. Jong, 24-27 in. in diam. Seeds laterally com- pressed, lenticular, 14 in. long, 1-1} in. in diam.—-Drude in Engl. Jahrb, xxi. 110. “Central Africa :” without exact locality or collector’s name. 11. H. macrosperma, Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 92. Fruit ovate, yather obtuse, very smooth at the top, slightly swollen on the ventral side, 2} in. long, 24 in. in diam., resembling that of H. thebaica, but rounder, more obtuse, and of a duller colour. Seed roundish ovoid, 1? in. long, 14-1? in. in diam.—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 110. “Central Africa: ” without exact locality (probably from the Niger Region), Baikie (ex Wendland). I find no specimen corresponding to this at Kew. 12. H. turbinata, Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 92. Fruit orbicular from an obtuse base, very smooth at the top, much constricted half-way up, much swollen on the ventral side, faintly keeled on the dorsal, dull brown, 2} in. long, 2-2} in. in diam. Seed truncate, inverted conic, rounded and swollen on the ventral side, 1} in. long, 1-14 im. in ~diam. “ Central Africa: ” without exact locality, Livingstone (ex Wendland). I find no specimen corresponding to this at Kew. 12. MEDEMIA, P. G. von Wiirttemberg ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii, 882. Fruit ellipsoid, separating from the perianth, 1-seeded, with 2 small -smooth (sometimes confluent) areoles at the base ; scar of stigmas oppo- site the areoles ; pericarp thick, corky, light coloured, shiny, rugulose when dry ; endocarp smooth, white. Seed oblong, attached to the side -of the endocarp by a wide base; testa thick, slightly coriaceous and whitish outside, brown within; albumen horny, slightly ruminate, hollow in the centre ; embryo basal.—Stem simple. Leaves flabellate, with a few filaments between the segments; petiole unarmed ; ligule none. Male catkins slender, with reddish tomentose scales. Mature -carpels 1-3. A genus of 2 imperfectly known species, confined to T ropical Africa. 124 CXLVII. PALMA (WRIGHT). | Medemia. Seed much longer than broad . 4 . : . 1. M. Argun. Seeds nearly as broad as long . : < ‘ . 2. M. abiadensis. 1. M. Argun, P. G. von Wiirttemberg ex Mart. Palm. iti. 227.. Fruit ellipsoid, dull brown, 22 lin. long, 17 lin. in diam., bitter, not edible. Seed ellipsoid, 17 lin. long, 12-14 lin. in diam.—Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 93; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Hyphene Argun, Mart. Palm. iii. 227; Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 291. Wile Land. Nubia and Kordofan, between 20° and 21° N., Kotschy, and Prince Paul Wilhelm of Wiirttemberg (ex Martius), Schweinfurth! Wady Delah, near Murat in the Great Nubian Desert, between Korosko and Aboo Hammed,. Tossiau ! Steps have beeu taken by the Government to preserve the grove at Wady Delab,. which was in danger of extermination by the inhabitants, who use the leaves for making matting. 2. M. abiadensis, Wendl. in Bot. Zeit. 1881, 93. Fruit ellipsoid, bright brown, 18-19 lin. long, 14-15 lin. in diam. Seeds 12-13 lin.. long, 10-11 lin. in diam.—Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 111. Wile Land. On the White Nile, Armand. 13. BLAIS, Jacq. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 944. Male flowers : Sepals linear or lanceolate, concave, imbricate. Petals. smaller and thinner than the sepals, valvate. Stamens 6; filaments connate into a thick fleshy cylindrical tube below, free and reflexo- patent at theapex ; anthers linear-oblong, bilobed at the base, exserted,. basifixed. Rudiment of ovary minute. Female flowers much larger than the male, ovoid. Sepals ovate, imbricate at the base. Petals a little longer than the sepals, erect, convolute-imbricate, entire or split at the apex. Disk annular. Ovary ovoid or subcylindrical, 3-celled, or by abortion 1-2-celled ; style thick, pyramidal ; stigmas large, linear, revolute ; ovule filling up the cell, micropyle subapical. Fruit ovoid or obovoid, 1—3-seeded, intruded at the base, umbilicate at the apex; stigmas: terminal ; pericarp spongy and oily, fibrous inside; endocarp thick, long, with 3 pores above the middle. Seed adnate just below the centre © the cell; testa thin; raphe reticulately branched ; albumen cartilagi- nous, homogeneous, hollow; embryo opposite a pore of the endocarp.— Slender or tall, unarmed palms. Stem unbranched, erect or decumbent,. annulate, clothed with old petiole-bases. Leaves many in a terminal crown, large, pinnate ; petiole short, thick, spiny on the margins or un- armed, with a short open sheathing base ; leaflets ensiform, acuminate, recurved at the base. Spadices interfoliaceous, short, thick ; peduncle loosely clothed with acute bracts ; branches dense, male terminating 1D 4 spine, female more robust ; spathes 2, complete, at length breaking up into fibres ; male bracts very densely imbricate, connate into cupules ;. male bracteoles scale-like ; female bracts large, lanceolate, spinescent,. overtopping the flowers ; female bracteoles like the sepals. Species 1 in Tropical Africa, 2-3 in Eastern Tropical South America. Eleis.| CXLIII. PALME (WRIGHT). 125 1. E. guineensis, Jacq. Stirp. Amer. 280, t. 172, ed. pict. 136, £.257. Stem robust, 20-30 ft. high, 1 ft. or more in diam., annulate, and bearing the remains of old leaves. Leaves 12 or more in a terminal crown, 10-15 ft. long, erecto-patent ; petiole 4 ft. long, widened at the base, plano-convex, more or less brownish lepidote, spiny on the mar- gins; leaflets 50 or more, 14 ft. or more long, 14-2 in. wide, midrib distinct, secondary nerves about 6 on each side. Spadices 8 to many, male 4—6 in. long, with many branches bearing densely imbricate flowers, female peduncled with the branches congested into a globose capitulum. Male flowers : Sepals linear. Petals linear-oblong. Anthers linear, subsagittate. Rudiment of ovary minute, white. Female flowers: Sepals ovate. Petals glabrous, reddish-brown. Ovary ovoid, sometimes angular ; style pyramidal, triquetrous; stigmas large, ovate-lanceolate, reflexo-patent.—Mart. Palm. ii. 62, tt. 54, 56, and in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639, 1839, 46; R. Br. Vermischte Schrift. i. 269; Schum. & Thonn. Beskr. Guin, Pl. 439; Tuckey, River Congo, 455; Hook. Niger FI. 13, 526; Mann & Wendl. in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxiv. 424, 439; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 231 ; Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 291 ; Giissfeldt & Pechuel-Loesche, Die Loango-Exped. i. 56, with fig., 208, 224, with fig.; J. Braun in Mitth. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889), 148 ; Engl. Pa. Ost-Afr. B. 8, C. 131; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 112; Henriques in Bolet. Soc. Brot. v. 206, 218; Durand & Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 462, and Etudes Fl. Congo, i. 274. EH. guineensis, var. macrosperma, Welw. Apont. 584; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 84. Upper Guinea. Senegambia: Cape Verde, Brunner! Liberia : Cape Palmas, Vogel, 65! Lower Niger: foot of Mount Patteh, Vogel. Old Calabar, Milne! Fernando Po, Mann ! Nile Land. British East Africa: Bahr-el-Abiad (White Nile), Schweinfurth. Lower Guinea. Island of St. Thomas, Moller! French Congo: a short distance south of Cape Lopez, Johnston. Congo, Tuckey. Lower Congo: from Moussouk to Kinchassa, Dupont ; and without precise locality, Smith, Dupuis, Laurent. Angola: Icolo e Bengo; Quifandongo, Welwitsch, fruit, 1057! Bengo shore, Welwitsch, fruit, 1060! Barro do Bengo ; plentiful in damp woods on the banks of the River Bengo at San Antonio, Welwitsch, 6660! Golungo Alto ; banks of the River Delamboa, Welwitsch, 6664! and 1061 (wool from leaf) ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Kirk! Pemba Island, ex Engler ; Tanganyika, ex Engler. British Central Africa: Nyasaland; west shore of Lake Nyasa, near Sani Hill, Kirk! Fort Hill and Songue, Whyte ! South Central. Congo Free State: Monbuttu; near Munza (cultivated) Schweinfurth, 3349 ! Var. microsperma, Welw. Apont. 584, Fruit 14 in. or less long.—Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 84. : Lower Guinea. Angola: banks of the River Bengo, Welwitsch, fruit, 1058! Golungo Alto ; everywhere plentiful in woods at Bango, Welwitsch, fruit, 1059! Native name, Disombo. This is the Oil Palm, and bears the following native names:—In Guinea, Tehn-Tio (Schumacher & Thonning); on the Congo, Maba=the fruit, Hmba=a single nut, Cachio=a cluster of fruit (Tuckey); in Angola, Dthého, and the tomentum of the petiole= Uruco or Urueu ; in the Island of St. Thomas, Denden or Palmeira Andim,. 126 CXLYII. PALMA. (WRIGHT). | Cocos. 14. COCOS, Linn. ; Benth. et. Hook f. Gen. Pl. iii. 940. Male flowers asymmetrical. Sepals small, acute, erect, valvate. Petals obliquely oblong, acute, valvate. Stamens 6, included ; fila- ments subulate ; anthers linear, acute or obtuse, fixed at the bifid base, erect. Rudiment of ovary minute or absent. Female flowers much larger than the male, ovoid, perianth increasing after flowering. Sepals ovate or ovate-lanceolate, thickly coriaceous, erect, imbricate. Petals enclosed by the sepals, dilated and convolute-imbricate at the base, more or less elongated and valvate at the apex. Disk annular or obscure. Ovary ovoid or depressed globose, 3—celled, 2 often obsolete, attenuate into a short style; stigmas subulate, erect, at length re- curved ; ovule subbasal, ascending. Fruit ovoid or ellipsoid, terete or obscurely trigonous, rostrate, rounded or intruded at the apex, 1-seeded ; style terminal ; pericarp thick, fibrous; endocarp woody, fibrous, with 3 pores towards the base or at the middle. Seed the same shape as the cell; testa fuscous ; raphe with reticulate branches ; albumen homogeneous, hollow or solid, with radially disposed fibres ; embryo opposite a pore of the endocarp.—Slender or tall palms. Stem un- armed, often clothed with the bases of old leaves. Leaves in a terminal crown, pinnate ; leaflets equidistant or fascicled, 1- to many- nerved, entire or toothed at the apex. Spadices interfoliaceous, erect, at length cernuous; branches erect or cernuous ; lower spathe split at the apex; upper fusiform or clavate, woody, sulcate on the back ; bracts various. Flowers white or yellow, the lower female with a male on either side, the upper male. Species about 40, one throughout the tropics, the others in Tropical and Sub- tropical South America. 1. GC, nucifera, Linn. Sp. Pl. 1188. Stem 40-80 ft. high, 1} ft. or more in diam., terete, annulate. Leaves 12-16 ft. long, slightly arcuate, central ones erect; petiole slightly sheathing, gibbous on the back at the base, concavo-convex; rhachis sulcate at the sides, at first with brownish tomentum, at length glabrous ; leaflets almost equi- distant, narrowly lanceolate, acute; midrib thick, yellowish. Spathes. fusiform, acute, deeply sulcate, with caducous brownish tomentum; peduncle of spadix 1 ft. long, 1 in. in diam., slightly compressed ; branches many, 13-2 ft. long, subtriquetrous; bracts widely triangular, mucro- nate ; bracteoles minute, triangular. Male flowers: Calyx 1 lin. or less long ; lobes ovate, acute, whitish. Petals narrowly lanceolate, subacute, 13-2 lin. wide at the centre, longitudinally striate. Stamens slightly shorter than the petals; filaments very short, subulate > anthers linear, obtuse, white. Rudiment of ovary minute, trigonous- Female flower: Sepals suborbicular, acuminate, concave. Petals en- closed in the calyx, orbicular, acuminate. Ovary depressed globose, 3-celled ; stigmas subulate, connate at the base. Fruit large, 10 oF more maturing on the same spadix, ovoid or subglobose trigonous ; epicarp thin, glabrous, fuscous, at length pale yellow; mesocarp very Cocos. | CXLVII, PALMA (WRIGHT). 127 thick, spongy, and with longitudinal fibres; endocarp bony, 3-4 lin. thick, adnate to the fibres of the mesocarp, dark brown, with 3. ridges connate at the apex; pores 3, basal. Seed ovoid, hollow, when. young filled with a milky fluid; albumen rather hard, white; embryo oblong, slightly attenuate below the middle.—Mart. Palm. ii. 123, tt. 62, 75, and 88, figs. 3-6, and in Miinch. gel. Anzeig. 1838, 639,. 1839, 45; Kunth, Enum. iii. 285; Kirk in Journ. Linn. Soe. ix. 231; Grant in Trans. Linn. Soc. xxix. 187; Henriques in Bolet. Soc. Brot. v. 206, 218; Engl. Pf. Ost-Afr. B. 3, C. 131; Beccari in Malpighia, i, 441; J. Braun in Mitth. Deutsch. Schutzgeb. ii. (1889), 147 ;. Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. App. ii. 52; Hook f. Fl. Brit. Ind. vi. 482; Drude in Engl. Jahrb. xxi. 112; Durand & Schinz, Etudes. Fl. Congo, i. 274; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. ii. 84. Upper Guinea. Senegal: St. Louis, Brunner! Gambia and Cape Verde, Brunner ! Lower Guinea. Island of St. Thomas, ex Henriques. Lower Congo. at Boma, Dupuis ; and at other points, Laurent, Angola: Loando; Ilha de Loando,. Welwitsch, 6661 ! Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar: very abundant, ex Speke & Grant. German Kast Africa: a few on the coast, ex Speke & Grant. Portuguese East Africa: a few trees above Tete on the left bank of the Zambesi, ex Kirk. Also in Tropical Asia and Polynesia. The cocoa-nut. Native name in the Island of St. Thomas, Coqueiro. Orper CXLVIIL. PANDANEA, (By C. H. Wright.) Flowers unisexual. Perianth none or (in Sararanga) rudimentary. Male flowers: Stamens usually many, hypogynous or spicate or um- bellate on the axis; filaments filiform, short or long; anthers 2-celled, dehiscing longitudinally. Female flowers: Ovary 1- to many-celled ; stigmas as many as the cells of the ovary, erect or more or less adpressed to the top of the ovary, usually sessile; ovules solitary and laterally fixed, or numerous on parietal placentas. Fruit drupaceous or baccate, 1- to many-celled; mesocarp fibrous or succulent ; endocarp often long. Seeds with thin testa in the drupes, crustaceous in the berries ; embryo. basal.—Shrubs or trees. Stem simple or branched, often supported on thick adventitious roots. Leaves narrow, often imbricate in spirals, sheathing at the base. Inflorescence spicate, capitate, or paniculate, unisexual, rarely polygamo-diecious; flowers usually sessile and crowded ; bracts spathe-like. Genera 3; species about 220, widely spread through the Mascarene Islands, Tropical Asia, Malaya, Australia, and Polynesia, and extending outside the tropics in India and Australia. 1. PANDANUS, Linn.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen, Pl. iii. 949. Flowers unisexual. Perianth none. Stamens many, spicate on the axis of the inflorescence, or umbellate, fascicled or racemose on the floral axis; anthers linear or oblong, basifixed, erect, sometimes apiculate 128 CXLVIII, PANDANEE (WRIGHT). [| Pandanus. pollen often tubercled. Female flowers densely crowded. Staminodes generally absent. Carpels 1-celled, solitary or united into phalanges, flat, convex or pyramidal, obtuse, umbonate or rostrate, usually angular; stigmas reniform or horse-shoe-shaped, rarely forked ; ovule solitary, broadly laterally affixed. Drupes densely congested, but scarcely con- nate, into globose, elliptic or ovoid groups (syncarps); pericarp thin, the upper part sometimes deciduous ; mesocarp fibrous and sometimes also fleshy ; endocarp bony, 1- to many-celled. Seed ovoid or fusiform ; albumen oily ; embryo basal, very small.—Trees or shrubs. Stem erect, rarely prostrate, annulate, much forked, rarely simple, bearing thick aérial roots. Leaves linear, acute, usually spiny on the margins and underside of the midrib, sessile, sheathing at the base. Male spadices spicate, female terminal, spicate, racemose or solitary, sometimes pendu- lous; spathes white or coloured. Seine about 150, throughout the tropics of the Old World, and extending into Northern India, Queensland and New South Wales. Many of the species have been described from imperfect material, and are accordingly difficult to classify. *“Drupes many-celled. Stigma oblique or erect. Cells of the drupe pyramidal or conic at the apex, separated by deep furrows, Stigma 2-4 lin, wide; endocarp scarcely 5 lin. long cS pL. Pe Heodee. Stigma | lin. wide ; ; endocarp 14 lin, long . 2. P. Kirkit. Cells of the drupe almost flat at the scarcely separated by furrows . 3. P. platycarpus. Stigma flat or scarcely ascending. Drupes 6—15-celled. Cells of drupe separated by furrows at the apex. ; 4. Cells of drupe not separated by furrows at the apex < : : 5 Ge Drupes 2—5-celled. Syncarps ovate; drupes 14 in. long Syncarps oblong ; drupes 3 3-1 in. long Drupes solitary, 13-14 in. ‘long ‘ : **Drupes 1- (rarely 2-3-) celled. Syncarps solitary. Drupe shortly rostrate . : 7 1k Drupe obtusely umbonate. Drupe shortly pyramidal at the apex. . 10. P. Welwitschii. ee, P. . thomensis. . Hahnii. . Stuhlmanni. P. P. P. Goetzei. P P. rabaiensis. - oF oF . heudelotianus. Drupe nearly flat at the apex : . . 11. P. livingstonianus. Drupe neither rostrate nor umbonate : . 12. P. Petersit. Syncarps spicate. Apex of drupe minutely spiny. Syncarps subtended by leaves ; apex of pa conic . . 13. P. kamerunensis. Synearps not subtended by leaves ; apex of drupes long pyramidal . 4 . 14, P. Candelabrum. Apex of drupe not spiny. Free part of drupe short. ‘ . 15. P. barterianus. Free part of drupe 5 lin. long. : . 16. P. Teuszis. Pandanus.| CXLVIII. PANDANEE (WRIGHT). 129 1. P. Heddei, Warb. in Engl. PAanzenr. Pandan. 46. Drupe 19 lin. long, 14 lin. in diam., deeply sulcate at the apex; stigmas irregu- larly lobed, 2-2} lin. in diam.; endocarp bony, about 4 lin. long; upper part of mesocarp consisting of white spongy pith. Mozamh. Dist. German East Africa: on the sea-coast at Dar-es-Salaam, Hedde, 31. 2. P. Kirkii, Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 326. Syncarps similar to those of P. Candelabrum, Beauv. Drupes 7—9-celled, 24-24 in. long, 1}-1% in. wide at their greatest diameter, obovate-cuneiform, upper portion convex and polished, bearing 7-9 slightly elevated subangular divisions, terminating in a short blunt umbo, lower portion narrow and fibrous ; endocarp solid, mahogany-coloured ; mesocarp densely fibrous above.—Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 46. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa: Mainland, opposite Zanzibar, Kirk ! Native name, Rope. A male inflorescence labelled “ Zanzibar, Dr. Kirk,” may belong to this species. It can be described thus :—Bracts ovate, acuminate, very finely denticulate. Stamens spicate on a thick pedicel; connective produced above into an arista. 3. P. platycarpus, Warb. in Engl. Pfhanzenr. Pandan. 50. Drupes 8-9-celled, obpyramidal, 24 in. long, 14-2 in. in diam., about 6-angled, almost flat, and marked with corky channels at the apex, furrows dividing the cells obscure ; stigmas subascending, rarely sessile, reni- form, 1 lin. in diam., more or less deeply bilobed. Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Krause. 4. P. thomensis, Henriques in Bolet. Soc. Brot. v. 206,¢. BE. A branched tree 26-50 ft. high. Leaves somewhat sheathing at the base, 54 ft. long, 34 in. wide at the middle, acute, the whole of the margin and the back of the midrib (except in its lowest quarter) thickly armed with rather slender decurved cartilaginous spines. Male inflorescence a terminal leafy spicate panicle; spathes gradually increasing in size upwards, keeled, very sparingly spiny on the midrib, rather shorter than the spadix-branches ; rhachis fleshy, compressed. Stamens irregu- larly umbellate; filaments rather thick, conical, more or less connate; anthers 14 lin. long, shortly apiculate. Female inflorescence solitary, terminal, at first erect; spathes somewhat sheathing, gradually becoming smaller upwards, keeled, armed on the whole margin and from the centre of the midrib with slender more or less recurved teeth ; Spadix ovate, 2 in. long, 14 in. thick; rhachis fleshy. Syncarps ovate, 84 in. long, nearly 6 in. in diam., pendulous on a long peduncle. Drupes obconic, rather convex above, 10-14-celled, sulcate and tuber- culate above, 3 in. long, 14-2} in. in diam.; stigmas sessile, rather thick, irregularly radiating; endocarp placed at the centre of the drupe; mesocarp spongy and fibrous above.—Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 325; Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 56. Lower Guinea. [Island of St. Thomas: lower region up to 1600 ft., Moller, Rolas Island, Quintas. Native name, Péo esteira. Fruit produced in December. VOL, VIII. K 130 CXLVIII. PANDANEE (WRIGHT). [ Pandanus. 5. P. Hahnii, Ward. in Engl. Pfanzenr. Pandan. 56. Drupe 6-12-celled, 2 in. long, 19-24 lin. in diam., slightly compressed, flat and scarcely sulcate at the apex, shortly pyramidal below the apex, scarcely narrowed to the broadly truncate base, 4—7 lin. broad at the flat apex ; stigmas sessile, flat, reniform, 1 lin. long; endocarp thick, bony, in the centre of the drupe; mesocarp spongy and containing fibres. “East African Islands ; cultivated in Martinique, Hahn.” The indefinite locality renders it doubtful whether this is a member of the Tropical African flora. 6. P. Goetzei, Warb. in Engl. Jahrb. xxviii. 350. A tree, 33- 50 ft. high, much branched. Leaves 4 ft. long, 2? in. wide at the base, gradually acuminate, armed on the margins and midrib with scattered robust spines. Syncarps many, spirally arranged on the peduncle, almost sessile, ovate, 4-47 in. long, 3}-4 in. in diam. Drupes 70-90 in each syncarp, 2—5-celled, 18 lin. long, 9-12 lin. in diam., scarcely com- pressed, convex at the apex, slightly ribbed, narrowly pyramidal at the base ; areole at the apex flat, angular, 2-3 lin. in diam. ; stigmas sessile, reniform, 1 lin. or less in diam. ; endocarp bony, large, in the centre of the drupe; mesocarp woody above, scarcely spongy.—Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 57. Mozamb. Dist. (German East Africa: Uhehe; Lofio River (Lasio River, by error, in the place of original publication), Goetze, 437. 7. P. Stuhlmannii, Ward. in Engl. Phanzenr. Pandan. 57, fig. 16, L-M. A tree about 50 ft. high. Stem branched at the apex. Aérial roots adpressed to the stem. Leaves nearly 10 ft. long, 2? in. wide, long and very slenderly acuminate, armed on the margins and midrib with long thick spines. Syncarps many, spirally arranged on the peduncle, almost sessile, oblong, 44-5 in. long, 2-23 in. in diam. Drupes 80-100 in each syncarp, 2-5-celled, 1 in. long, 6—9 lin, in diam., scarcely compressed, convex and ribbed at the apex, narrowed to the widely pyramidal truncate base; apical areole somewhat de- pressed, angular, 14-3 lin. in diam., with prominent ribs on the margin ; stigmas sessile, scarcely reniform, 4 lin. in diam. ; endocarp bony, 12 the centre of the drupe ; mesocarp spongy and fibrous above. Mozamb. Dist. German East Africa : Dar-es-Salaam, Stuhlmann. 8. P. rabaiensis, Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 325. Leaf 5} ft. long, 2} in. broad, linear, gradually tapering upwards and produced into a long narrow flagellum, glaucous, coriaceous, armed on the margins and keeled midrib with ascending light-coloured spines. Male inflo- rescence paniculate. Stamens spicate on the ultimate branches of the panicle ; filaments terete, up to 3 lin. long ; anthers linear, 24 lin. long, connective prolonged and sometimes recurved at the tip. Drupes solitary, 1-5- (usually 4-) celled, 14-14 in. long, 3-1 in. in diam., apical quarter or third free and rounded, obconic, 5—6-angled below ; mesocarp fibrous, spongy above; endocarp thick, woody, conical above ; Pandanus. | CXLVII1. PANDANEZ (WRIGHT). 131 stigmas 1-5 surrounding or seated in a depressed central areole.— Journ. Linn. Soc, xxx. 432, t. 34, figs. 1-6 ; Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 61. Nile Land. British East Africa: Kisululin, on the Rabai Hills, near Mom- basa, Taylor / Native name, Mi¢sapu. 9. P. heudelotianus, Balf. f. in Journ. Linn. Soc. xvii. 49. Drupe 1—3-celled, 2? in. long, 9 lin. in diam., the upper 9 lin. rounded conical and subrostrate, the lower part gradually narrowed and angular ; stigmas sessile, horseshoe-shaped or triangular ; mesocarp apparently slightly hollow.—Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 325, t. 347, tigs. 5-6; Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 63. Heterostigma heudelotianum, Gaud. Voy. Bonite, Bot. Atlas, t. 25, figs. 15-31; Walp. Ann. i. 755; Ad. Brongn. in Ann. Se. Nat. sér. 6, i. 291 ; Solms-Laub. in Linnea, xlii. 66. Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Heudelot. 10. P. Welwitschii, Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 324, t. 347, figs. 1-4. An erect tree, 10-20 ft. high. Stem 1 ft. in diam, at the base Branches few, short, ascending. Leaves in terminal crowns, long linear, 33 ft. long, 14 lin. wide at the middle, near the base abruptly contracted, gradually narrowed upwards, with large sharp upcurved spines on the margins, and similar decurved ones on the mid- rib. Syncarps ovate-elliptic, yellowish when ripe, 6 in. long, 3 in. in diam. Drupes 12-14 lin. long, 5-7 lin. in diam. when dry, cuneiform, rounded above, narrowed below, upper 1} lin. free, shortly pyramidal, with a blunt central umbo, 1—2-celled; endocarp in the centre of the drupe, thick, deep red; mesocarp spongy above, fibrous below.— Cat. Afr, Pl. Welw. ii. 84; Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 65. P. Candelabrum ? Hook. Niger Fl. 527; Welw. Apont. 586. Lower Guinea. Angola: Pungo Andongo, banks of the River Cuanza, near Candumba and Ilha Calemba, Welwitsch, 5770! and fruit, 1015! 11. P. livingstonianus, Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 326. Upper leaves with upwardly curved teeth on the margins only, the lower ones on the midrib also. Syncarps ovate, 5 in. long, 3 in. in diam. Drupes 5-angled, flat and 6—7 lin. across at the top, with a central subobtuse umbo.—Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 66. Mozamb. Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Zambesi Delta; mouth of the Luabo River, Kirk ! This may be (as suggested by Dr. Rendle, l.c.) the species referred to by Living- stone (The Zambesi and its Tributaries, 19), which from the plate appears to be a tree 40-50 ft. bigh supported for a height of 8-9 ft. by forking roots. 12. P. Petersii, Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 66, fig. 17 J-L. A pyramidal tree, 13-26 ft. high. Stem branched, about 8 in. in diam. ; branches armed with short acute spines. Leaves about 20 in. long, 9 lin. broad, armed on the margins and midrib. Syncarps solitary, elliptical. Drupes 1-—2-celled, oblanceolate, 14 lin. long, 5-7 lin. in 132 CXLVIII. PANDANEZ (WRIGHT). | Pandanus. diam., angular and cuneate (but scarcely rostrate) at the base ; free apex 1} lin. long, convex, pyramidal, scarcely costate or umbonate ; stigma terminal, reniform, {—1 lin. in diam.; endocarp bony, 34-4 lin. long ; upper 3 lin. of mesocarp somewhat hollow and fibrous.—Frey- cinetia sp., Peters, Reise Mossamb. Bot. 510, in obs. Mozamb. Dist, Portuguese East Africa: Mozambique; on the banks of Lucuare and Munanche Rivers, Peters. 13. P. kamerunensis, Warb. in Hngl. Pllanzenr. Pandan. 66. A branched tree. Leaves thick, glaucous beneath, narrowly acuminate for about 9 lin., 19-28 lin. wide, with distant sharp spines on the margins and midrib; spines on the lower part of the midrib pointing downwards. Male inflorescence a compound spike; spikes cylindrical, white, 6-13} in. long, 7-16 lin. in diam., densely many-flowered ; peduncle 5-19 lin. long, 14-2} lin. in diam. Stamens 6-10, subum- bellate at the apex of a narrow column 23-6 lin. long; filaments filiform, 2-3} lin. long; anthers 4—3 lin. long, linear, acute. Female inflorescence terminal, compound; peduncle 194 in. long. Syncarps 6, sessile, ovate-globose, 3-44 in. long, 23-4 in. in diam., slightly trigonous, scarcely surrounded by the spathes. Drupes 150-300 in each syncarp, 1—2-celled, connate high up, 14 lin. long, 5-6 lin. in diam., free part pyramidal, 5-6 lin. long, tuberculate, acutely angled, subacute, with minutely spiny ribs at the apex; stigmas terminal, reniform, sessile, ? lin. in diam.; endocarp bony, situated below the centre of the drupe, 5 lin. long; mesocarp fibrous in the upper part, nearly 10 lin. long. Upper Guinea, Cameroons, Schran. Native name, Mupupu. Warburg suggests that Mann, 1861, collected at Ambas Bay, may belong to this species (see Solms-Laub. in Tinnea, xlii. 28, and Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 322) ; also a male spike from the River Limbe in the Cameroons, Deistel, 108. 14. P. Candelabrum, Beauv. Fl. Owar. i. 37, tt. 21-22. A branched tree. Stem erect, supported in the lower part by aérial roots ; lower branches horizontal, upper erect. Leaves glaucous, wide, acuminate, with sharp spines on the midrib and margins. Male spadices oblong-cylindric, white, fragrant; spathes longer than the spadices, narrowed to an acute apex, spiny on the margins and back of the midrib. Stamens about 12, subumbellate. Female spadix sub- ovate. Spathes similar to those of the male, but much _ shorter. Drupes 1- (rarely 2-3-) celled ; stigma flat, irregularly subcordate.— Lam. Encycel. Suppl. i. 576 ; Spreng. Syst. iii. 898; Kunth, Enum. ill. 96; Solms-Laub. in Linnea, xlii. 27; Balf. f. in Journ. Linn. Soe. xvil. 43 ; Gurich in Mitth. Afr. Gesell. in Deutsch. v. 51; Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 321; Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 67. Tuckeya Candelabrum, Gaud. Voy. Bonite, Bot. Atlas, t. 26, figs. 10-20. Upper Guinea. Niger Territory: Banks of the River Formosa, near Agathon, Beauvois. Cameroon Mountains, Mann, 2! A male inflorescenee from Ambas Bay (Mann, 780), probably belongs to this species. Pandanus. | CXLVIII. PANDANEZ (WRIGHT). 133 15. P. barterianus, Lendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 324. Syncarps very broadly ovate or almost spherical, up to 5 in. long and 44 in. in diam. Drupes 5-7-angled and shortly pyramidal at the top, pro- duced in the centre into a short blunt apiculus—Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 67. Upper Guinea. Fernando Po, Barter, 2! 16. P. Teuszii, Warb. in Engl. Planzenr. Pandan. 67. Drupe (alone known) 1—2-celled, 14-lin. long, 4-64 lin. in diam., cuneate-fusi- form, the basal 9 lin. gradually acuminate, the apical 5 lin. shortly pyramidal and angular, scarcely produced at the apex. Lower Guinea. Gaboon, Teusz. Imperfectly known species. 17. P. leonensis, Hort. Lodd. ex Wendl. Index Palm. 46, name only; Balf. f. in Journ. Linn. Soc. xvii. 51; Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 327; Warb. in Engl. Pflanzenr. Pandan. 89. “ Guinea.” 18. P. sessilis, Boj. Hort. Maur. 302, non Wendl.; Balf. f. in Journ. Linn. Soc. xvii. 61; Rendle in Journ. Bot. 1894, 327; Warb. in Engl. Phanzenr. Pandan. 90. Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar and Pemba Islands, ex Bojer. OrverR CXLIX. TYPHACEA, (By N. E. Brown.) Flowers unisexual, monecious, in dense bracteate heads or spikes. Male flowers with a perianth of 3-6 scales, or without a perianth, but irregularly intermingled with slender narrowly clavate filaments, or spathulate or cuneate scales, which are often variously toothed or lobed. Stamens with free or connate filaments and basifixed, linear, oblong or cuneate, 2-celled anthers, opening by longitudinal slits; connective sometimes produced beyond the apex of the cells; no rudiment of an ovary. Female flowers with a perianth of scales or fine hairs, some- times accompanied by slender spathulate or clavate bracteoles. Ovary Superior, 1-celled, sessile or stalked ; style simple, terminal, persistent ; stigma unilateral, elongate ; ovule solitary, pendulous from the apex of the cell, anatropous. Fruit sessile or stalked ; pericarp thin and mem- branous, or thick with a spongy outer layer, and a hard, woody inner layer. Seed albuminous, testa thin; embryo cylindric, axile.-—Peren- nial aquatic or marsh herbs with creeping rhizomes. Leaves alternate, linear or strap-shaped, sheathing at the base; veins parallel. Flowers small or minute, sessile, bracteolate or ebracteolate, densely crowded into globose heads or cylindric spikes along simple or branched axes, with or without leafy bracts at their base. The male inflorescence terminal. A small order of two genera and about 25 species, very widely dispersed. 134 CXLIX, TYPHACEE (BROWN). Concerning the affinities of this family, see Celakovsky in Oesterr. Bot. Zeitschr. 1891, 117, 154, 195, 224, and 266 ; also Graebner in Engler, Pflanzenreich, Typhacee. 1. TYPHA, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. ili. 955. Flowers densely crowded into simple cylindric spikes; the male spike terminal and separated from the female spike or contiguous to 1t. Male flowers irregularly intermingled with variously shaped scales or slender, clavate, curved filaments. Stamens with their filaments variously connate; anthers linear, basifixed, 2-celled, connective pro- duced beyond the cells; pollen simple or compound. Female flowers ebracteolate or mingled with slender clavate or spathulate bracteoles, and often with abortive clavate female flowers (carpodia) mixed with them. Perianth composed of several very fine simple or clavate’ hairs. Ovary superior, stalked, at least after fertilization, narrow, 1-celled, with a solitary pendulous ovule; style elongated, slender, erect; stigma linear or lanceolate. Fruit minute, stalked, ellipsoid or sub- cylindric, with a thin membranous pericarp. Seed subcylindric or narrowly ellipsoid, albuminous ; testa thin; embryo axile.—Aquatie or marsh herbs with creeping rhizomes and erect stems. Leaves alter- nate, linear or strap-shaped, parallel-veined. Flowering-stem erect, simple, terminated by the dense cylindric superposed unisexual flower- spikes. Bracts none, or linear and deciduous or caducous. Species about 18, but probably some are only varietal forms, widely distributed. Female flowers with bracteoles (see also 7’, capensis). Stigma linear. Bracteoles much longer than the hairs : . 1. ZT. angustata. Bracteoles about as long as the hairs or but slightly exceeding them. Bracteoles obovate-, obcordate-, or orbicular- spathulate < ‘ 2. T. angustifolia. Bracteoles lanceolate-spathulate 3. ZT. australis. Stigma lanceolate . ‘ 4. T. Schimpert. Female flowers without bracteoles ; stigma lanceolate. Bracteoles of male flowers simple, linear, acute, whitish ; pollen compound ° . 5 Bracteoles of male flowers forked or toothed, brownish ; pollen simple é 5. T. latifolia. 6. T. capensis, 1. T. angustata, Bory d Chaub. Exped. Sc. de Morée, iii. pt. 2, 338. Plant 5-9 ft. high. Leaves 2-5 lin. broad, convex on the back at the base. Male and female spikes subequal or the male longer; 4-1 in. distant, very rarely contiguous. Male flowers with bracteoles varying from filiform to narrow lanceolate-spathulate, entire or toothed, acute, light brown; pollen simple. Female flowers bracteolate ; brac- teoles much longer than the hairs, lanceolate-spathulate or elliptic spathulate, acute; stigmas linear, a little longer than tne bracteoles ; hairs simple.—Rohrb. in Verhandl. Bot. Ver. Brandenb. xi. 87-89 incl. vars. leptocarpa, Rohrb. & ethiopica, Rohrb.; Kronfeld in Ver- Typha.) CXLIX. TYPHACEE (BROWN). 135 handl. Zool.-Bot. Gesell. Wien, 1889, 159-161, t. 4, fig. 6, & t. 5, fig. 1; Schweinfurth. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 92 ; Durand «& Schinz, Conspect. Fl. Afr. v. 470; Graebner in Engl. Pflanzenr. Typhacez, 14. 7’. ethiopica, Kronfeld, l.c. 162. 7’. angustifolia, A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. ii, 350 partly ; Schweinf. Pl. Nilot. 37; and in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append ii. 7; not of Linn. Wile Land. Nubia, Kordofan and Sennar,