372 XCII, SCROPHULARIACE® (HEMSLEY AND SKAN). | Alectra. 
straight, stiff, simple or with a few erect branches, 6-18 in. high. 
Leaves sessile, rather thick, almost erect and pressed against the stem, 
3-3 in. long; the lower broadly ovate, opposite, lowermost gradually 
smaller downwards, almost orbicular; the upper lanceolate, alternate ; 
all, except the lowermost, coarsely toothed (teeth in the dried state 
hooked in the upper ones), acute, rounded or cuneate at the base, 
mostly longer than the internodes, 3—5-nerved; nerves prominent 
below. Bracts sometimes shorter than the flowers, with about three 
long hooked teeth on each side, ciliolate. Bracteoles subulate, hooked, 
nearly as long asthe calyx. Flowers few, very shortly pedicellate, 4-} 
in. long. Calyx glabrous except the ciliolate margin, }-4 in. long, 
almost equally 5-lobed ; lobes about as long as the tube, hooked, ciliolate. 
Corolla considerably longer than the calyx; lobes rounded. Stamens 
very unequal ; filaments of the longer ones bearded ; anther-cells apicu- 
late.— Melasma sessiliflorum, Hiern in Cat. Afr. Pl. Welw. i. 767, and 
in Dyer, Fl. Cap. iv. ii. 375. M. indicum, Engl. & Gilg in Baum, 
Kunene-Samb., Exp. 364, but not Alectra indica, Benth. 
Lower Guinea, Angola: Huilla; at the base of Morro de Lopollo, Welwitsch, 
5802! Kampuluve stream, Bawm, 738! Kubango River, between Kavanga and 
Kalolo, Baum, 424 ! 
Mozamb. Dist. British Central Africa : Nyasaland; top of Mount Zomba, 
Buchanan, 293 ! 
Also widely spread in South Africa. Welwitsch’s 5801 may also belong to this 
species, but it has spreading leaves, and the specimen is too young for satisfactory 
determination, but as the corolla is described as galeate-bilabiate it may belong to @ 
different genus, perhaps to Bartsia. Melasma indicum, var. monticolum, Engl. 
(Jahrb, xxx. 402) is probably a variety of Alectra melampyroides. 
21. A. communis, //emsi. An erect, pubescent, slightly hispid 
herb, Stem rather stout, 1-2 ft. high, with numerous short, slender 
branches from about the middle. Leaves narrowed into a short petiole, 
opposite, except in the inflorescence, spreading, rather thick, lanceolate, 
oblong-lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, usually 1-14 (occasionally 2) in. 
long, scarcely acute, coarsely and distantly toothed, teeth thickened at 
the tips, 3-nerved nearly to the tip. Flowers usually very numerous, 
crowded, shortly pedicellate. Bracts leaf-like, usually much longer 
than the flowers. Bracteoles almost filiform, setulose, somewhat shorter 
than the calyx or equalling it. Calyx setulose, outer ribs and margin 
broadly campanulate, 10-ribbed, net-veined ; lobes triangular, acuml 
nate, longer than the tube. Corolla little longer than the calyx. 
Stamens unequal; filaments of the longer ones bearded ; anther-cells: 
slightly unequal, apiculate. 
Upper Guinea. Liberia: Kaka town, Whyte! 
Wile Land. Uganda: Mawokota, Brown, 191! Kavirondo, Whyte! 
Mozamb. Distr. British Central Africa; Nyasaland; Masuku and Tan- 
ganyika Plateau, Whyte! Mount Chiradzulu, Whyte! Shire Highlands, Buchanan, 
151! Manganja hills, Kirk / and without exact locality, Buchanan! 
Under favourable conditions this is a robust plant probably three or four feet 
high. Buchanan describes it as a “large bush.” In herbaria it has been confused 
with A, melampyroides, Benth. 
