rioRA. or MADAGASCAR. 449 



margined with close small ascending prickles. Peduncle | ft. long, 

 its leaves at the top linear, not more than a foot long and i in. 

 broad. Fruit-heads solitary, oblong, erect, 3 in. long, 2 in. in diam. 

 Drupes 50-60 to a head, hexagonal, i in. in diam. at the top, | in. 

 at the base, scarcely compressed laterally ; free apex conical, the 

 5-6 stigmas crowded in a small flattened space in its centre ; 

 epicarp breaking up into fine parallel fibres; endocarp brown 

 and horny. Styles columnar, i in. long, horny, tapering to the 

 apex, deciduous. — Baron 2320! Heads like those of Vinsonia 

 humilis and JPervilleana, as figured by Gaudichaud, Atl. Bonite, 

 t. 17 and 31. Styles like those of P. sechellarum, Balf. fil. 



DkAC^STA XIPHOPHYIiLA, U. Sp. 



Arborea, foliis sessilibus ensiformibus subcoriaceis viridibus 3-4-peda- 

 libus costa obscura, floribus in paniculam amplam deltoideam dispositis, 

 ramis patulis dense racemosis bracteis primariis magnis lanceolatis, pedi- 

 cellis dense glomeratis apice articulatis bracteis propriis minutis deltoideis, 

 perianthii segraentis tubo cylindrico subsequilongis, staminibus segmentis 

 aequilongis. 



Leaves 3-4 ft. long, 1| in. broad at the middle, tapering gradually 

 to an acute point, narrowed to |-| in. above the dilated clasping 

 base, firm in texture, closely veined, the midrib visible only when 

 looked at from beneath and lost some distance from the apex. 

 Branches of the panicle shortly peduncled, the lower a foot long ; 

 lower bracts 3-4 in. long; rhachis stout and deeply grooved; 

 pedicels usually 6-8 in a cluster, ^ in. long, articulated at the 

 apex. Perianth f-f in. long. ; segments Iigulate, equalling the 

 cylindrical tube. Anthers small, oblong, placed opposite the 

 tip of the perianth-segments. Berry usually with one seed, the 

 size of a pea.— Baron 2455 ! 2729 ! 2804 ! A fine plant, midway 

 between D.fragrans and D.floribunda. 



DlOSCOBEA ACUMINATA, U. Sp. 



Volubilis, glabra, caulibus gracillimis bulbilliferis, foliis petiolatis 

 cordato-ovatis integris acuminatis viridibus, floribus fcemineis solitariis in 

 spicas laxas axillares dispositis, bracteis minutis deltoideis, pedicellis flori 

 jequilongis, ovario obconico, perianthii segmentis viridibus orbicularibus, 

 perianthio masculo fructuque ignotis. 



A herbaceous climber, glabrous in all its parts, with very 

 slender stems, bearing globose bulbilla? the size of a pea in the 

 axils of some of the leaves. Leaves 2-3 iu. long, moderately 

 firm in texture, green on both surfaces, deeply cordate, with 7 



