Phyllocosmus.'] xxvm. line m (oiiver). 273 



The following are the only species of the genus, which is nearly allied to the S. American 

 monotypic genus Ochthocosmus. I have not had the opportunity of examining good seeds. 

 Flowers pedicellate, in axillary racemes. Stamens 5. Leaves oblong- 

 elliptical, 3-5 in -.LP. africanus. 



Flowers sessile, in terminal panicles. Stamens 10. Leaves obovate- 



oblong, 8-12 in 2. P. sessiliflorus. 



1. P. africanus, Kloiz&cTi in Schcenlein's Nachlass, (extr.) 233. t.-2. 

 Leaves thinly coriaceous, elliptic-oblong, narrowed to each end, acuminate, 

 entire or with few scattered minute teeth on or towards the acumen, shining 

 above, principal lateral veins rather distant, |— 1 in. apart in the longer 

 leaves ; 3-5 in. long, 1-1 } in. broad ; petiole about } in. Flowers £-i in., 

 fascicled on the nodes of axillary solitary or fasciculate spreading or ascend- 

 ing, minutely puberulous racemes, shorter than or equalling the leaves ; pe- 

 dicels slender, equalling the flower, from minute scale-like bracts. Sepals 

 broadly ovate-oblong, obtuse, minutely denticulate above, slightly unequal. 

 Petals two to three times longer than the sepals. Stamens 5. — Ochthocos- 

 mus africanus, Hook. f. PL Nigrit. 240. t. 23. Pentacocca Leonensis, Turcz. 

 in Bull. Mosc. xxxvi. (1863) 601. 



Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone, Bon ! Cape Palmas, Schcenlein. 

 A fragment in fruit only in the Kew herbarium, from the Congo {Smith), with rather 

 longer and glabrous pedicels, may belong to a distinct species. 



2. P. sessiliflorus Oliv. Leaves coriaceous, elongate-oblanceolate or 

 obovate-oblong, subacute or rather obtuse, narrowed into the petiole, re- 

 motely crenate-serrate or subentire, glabrous ; midrib and principal lateral 

 veins rather prominent beneath, the latter about f-1 in. apart in the larger 

 leaves; 8-12 in. long, 3-4| in. broad; petiole stout, £-l£ in. Flowers in 

 long ebracteate spikes usually collected in rather large terminal panicles 6- 

 10 in. long and broad ; about } in. long, inserted at right angles to the rachis. 

 Sepals ovate obtuse, slightly imbricate below, 3 inner rather larger. Petals 

 ovate-oblong, obtuse, rather rigid, three times longer than the sepals. Sta- 

 mens 10 ; filaments united at the base in a broad disk or very short ring. 

 Ovary 5-celled. 



Upper Guinea. Gaboon river, Mann I 



The dorsal suture shows some indication of inflection, so that it is possible the fruit- 

 carpels may bear a spurious dissepiment, in which case the genus ought to merge in Och- 

 thocosmus. 



5. ERYTHROXYLON, Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. i. 244. 



Sepals usually 5, free or connate below. Petals as many, imbricating, 

 deciduous, with an erect, transverse, usually 2-fid or variously thickened 

 scale on the inner face. Stamens 10; filaments connate below. Ovary 3- 

 rarely 4-celled, at the time of flowering all the cells but one suppressed ; 

 ovules usually solitary. Styles 3, rarely 4, free or connate more or less. 

 Fruit a thin, l-celled,'l-seeded drupe.— Shrubs or small trees, usually gla- 

 brous. Leaves alternate, membranous or coriaceous, entire. Stipules intra- 

 petiolar, persistent or deciduous, sometimes leafless and crowded towards the 



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