Securidaea.] xv. polygale.e (oliver). 135 



to the above, with short lateral branches reduced to sharp spines and not yielding a fibre, 

 out the leaves and fruit afford no distinctive character. A similar plant occurs at Delagoa 

 Bay {Forbes in Herb. Kew.). This may be the plant described by Reichenbach as Hele- 

 ropterys macroptera, referred to by A. de Jussieu, Monog. Malpigh. 227. 



2. S. Welwitschii, 7 iv. A large shrub often climbing to a great 

 height, with smooth and glabrous branches. Leaves thinly coriaceous with 

 curved looping lateral veins, broadly elliptical or varying from obovate- to 

 ovate-elliptical, usually shortly and obtusely or acutely acuminate, cuneate 

 broadly rounded or rarely subcordate at the base, glabrous, shining above, 

 rather paler and somewhat opaque beneath, 2-4 in. long, l-2£ in. broad ; 

 petiole £ in. or less. Flowers white or sulphur-yellow or petals rose-coloured 

 at the base, in axillary simple branched or fascicled racemes shorter than the 

 leaves or in terminal pyramidal panicles consisting of alternate successively 

 snorter spreading or ascending racemes. Bracts deciduous ; pedicels fili- 

 form, i_i j n long, spreading, Three outer sepals orbicular, -jV-to m - 

 Wing-sepals three to four times as long, orbicular, concave, white. Lateral 

 petals oblong or obovate. Samara about 2 in. long, not much exceeding | 

 in. in breadth above, gradually narrowed below. — S.floribunda, Welw. Apont. 

 %to-geog. (non Benth.) 562. 



Upper Guinea. Camaroons and Muni rivers, Mann ! 



Lower Guinea. Angola, prov. Golungo Alto, Dr. Welwitsch ! 



The intlorescence varies as in other lianes forming the flowering crown of forest trees. 



3. CARPOLOBIA, G. Don; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL i. 139. 



Flowers irregular. Sepals 5, free ; 2 inner usually distinctly larger. Pe- 

 tals 5, nearly equal, adnate below to the staminal sheath ; median petal (keel) 

 ftfleate. Stamens 5, monadelphous ; the sheath open above, adnate to the 

 petals; anthers 2-locular, dehiscing as in Securidaca. Ovary 3-celled, with 

 °ne ovule in each cell ; style incurved above. Fruit 3-2-lobed, 3-2-seeded, 

 Or glohose and 1-seeded, more or less fleshy or pulpy when ripe, with a coria- 

 ceous epicarp. Seed with hairy testa, and copious fleshy albumen.— Ever- 

 green shrubs, with alternate entire leaves. Flowers white and purple or 

 yellowish, in short axillary racemes or fascicles. 



1 am by i 10 means sure that the two forms described here as specifically distinct, might 

 *ot more correctly be regarded as modifications of one species. The only important differ- 

 ence between them is in the relative size of the outer and iuner sepals. Ibe genus is con- 

 fined to W. tropical Africa, 

 nncrmost sepals twice as long as outermost 



P als subequal or innermost a little larger 



, I- C. alba, Don, Gen. Syst. i. 370. A small tree or shrub, attaining 

 f-10 ft. Branches shortly pubescent or puberulous. Leaves firmly mem- 

 WMKWM or aubcoriaceous, 'oblong-elliptical or varying from oblaticeolate to 

 ^ovate-elliptical, with an acute or rather obtuse more or less abrupt acu- 

 »«; base narrowed to the petiole or cuneate, glabrous or nearly so, usually 

 2 ~4 in. long, f-H j„. wide ; petiole about 1 line. Flowers white or petals 

 P^e- or violet-tipped, in axillary fascicles or very short racemes of 2 to 4 

 °' solitary ; pedicels 1-3 lines. Sepals more or less ovate obtuse or rather 



1. C. alba. 



2. C.luiea. 



