400 XLIII. AMPELIDKiE (BAKER). [ Vltli - 



Mozamb. Distr. Zambesi-land, Dr. Kirk ! 



A wide-climbing shrub trailing over trees and bushes, and in Senegambia growing upon 

 the nests of the Termites ; easily recognized by its deeply-lobcd leaves and thick, herbaceous, 

 tetrapterous stems, constricted at the "nodes. 'The fruit is eatable. It is also a plant of 

 Arabia, Iudia, and the Moluccas. 



33. V. cavicaulis, Baker. Stem wide-climbing, \ in. thick but hollow 

 in the centre and compressible, striated, naked. Petioles 4-6 in. long, firm, j 

 glabrous. Leaves often measuring 1 foot each way, with 5 principal lobes | 

 which reach two-thirds or three-quarters of the way down, the central one 

 spathnlate, the others unequal-sided and again deeply lobed, the edge of all 

 broadly and not deeply toothed, texture membranous, both sides glabrous, 

 the veins not prominent. Tendrils long, firm. Panicle thyrsiform, the ulti- 

 mate branches racemose; pedicels very short, slightly pubescent. Calyx 

 cyathiform, not lobed, scarcely more than \-\ line broad. Petals 5, deep 

 red, \ line long. Stamens 5. 



Upper Guinea. Gaboon river, Mann ! 



A wide-climbing shrub with thick, firm, herbaceous stems like those of a Heracleum, 

 very large, deeply-lobed leaves and very small, deep red flowers. Fruit not known. | 



*34. V. vinifera, Linn. ; DC. Prod. i. 633. Stem wide-climbing, firm, 

 naked. Leaves rotundate-cordate in general outline, deeply 5-lobed, irregu- 

 larly and deeply, often doubly toothed, texture membranous, upper surface 

 glabrous, lower often slightly matted with white cottony down. Flowers m 

 copious thyrsoid panicles ; pedicels -i in. long, slender. Calyx under 5 line 

 across, not lobed. Unexpanded corolla oblong, 1 line long. Petals 5. 

 Stamens 5. Ovary flask-shaped, the stigma sessile. 



Cultivated in Abyssinia and Angola. 



35. V. Grantii, Baker. Stem wide-climbing, slender, firm, naked. 

 Petioles 1-2 in. long, slender, firm, glabrous, slightly tomentose when young- 

 Leaves rotundate-cordate in general outline, deeply 5-lobed, 3-5 in. broad 

 each way when the plant is in flower, the basal ' lobes rounded, i~i * 

 deep, the terminal one spathulate, the rounded sinuses on both sides ot it 

 reaching halfway down the leaf, the edge all rounded, furnished with ir- 

 regular, triangular, mucronate teeth, texture membranous, the upper surface 

 full green and glabrous, the lower paler green and shining when mature, 

 slightly pubescent on the veins in the young plant. Tendrils slender, 

 copiously branched. Flowers in lateral subcymose panicles. Peduncle 

 in. or more long, firm, naked ; pedicels very short, pubescent. Calyx loosely 

 cyathiform, \ line across, membranous towards the border, bluntly 5-lobed. 

 Unexpanded corolla subglobose. Petals 5, \ line long. Stamens 5. Ovary 

 roundish, 2-celled, each cell 1-ovulate ; stigma sessile. 



Nile Land. Usui slopes, lat. 2° 42' S., Speke and Grant I 



A wide-climbing shrub very closely allied to V. vinifera, from which it differs mainly 1 

 its more finely-toothed leaves, less copiously-flowered, aubcymose flower-clusters, and su - 

 globose unexpanded corolla. 



36. V. jatrophoides, Wdvo. mss. Eoot thick, fleshy, perennial. Stem 



