GARDENIA THUNBERGIA AND ITS ALLIES. 417 
expressed by Massee and Salmon (supra) as to the wide distribution of 
individual species of coprophilous fungi. 
It only remains for the writer to acknowledge his indebtedness to 
Miss A. Lorrain Smith for much assistance in determining species, and 
to Mr. G. Massee for assistance in the genus Coprinus. 
EXPLANATION OF PLATE 36. 
Fig. 1. Coprinus Cheesmani, Gibbs. Group of plants, nat. size. 
ә 
Fig. 2. Plants marked “а” and “6” in fig. 1, X 3. 
Fig. 3. Section slightly magnified. 
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Fig. 4. Cells of epidermis and hairs, x 200. 
Fig. 5. Spores, x 400. 
Gardenig/ Thunbergia and its Allies. 
By Dr. Отто Srafr, F.R.S., Sec.L.8., and J. HUTCHINSON. 
(PLATE 37.) 
[Read 18th June, 1908.] 
THE small group of plants which forms the subject of this paper 1з repre- 
sented in the *Flora of Tropical Africa, vol. iii. pp. 100 & 101, by two 
species: Gardenia Thunbergia, L. fil, and ©. Jovis-tonantis, Hiern ; but 
under the former not less than five names originally intended for as many 
distinct species appear in the list of synonyms. As Gardenia Thunbergia 
was described from a Cape plant, and the reduced species from material 
collected mainly in the northern parts of Tropical Africa, the area of 
G. Thunbergia was assumed to cover practically the whole of Africa, with 
the exception of the temperate north. Guided by this assumption, sub- 
sequent authors were frequently led to refer to this apparently common and 
widely spread species, plants which differ from it at least as much as 6. Jovis- 
Thus G. Thunbergia 
tonantis does, and in some cases indeed much more. 
More recently 
grew more and more into a collection of incongruous forms. 
three new species, evidently closely allied to 6. Thunbergia, were described. 
They were not split off from that species, and in so far did not touch its 
composition ; but, on the other hand, they made the incongruity of its 
components still more glaring, at least to those who had an opportunity of 
mustering a considerable accumulation of specimens of * G. Thunbergia.” 
Ample opportunity of this kind was given to Mr. Hutchinson, who during 
the last two years, under my direction, sorted and named the Rubiaceæ of 
the large African collections which had accrued to Kew. We therefore 
