Laportea.] CXXIIIp. URTICACEA (Rendle). ’ 253 
blade, 3-nerved at the base, with a few (up to 6) rather weak alternate 
ascending lateral nerves above, 3-7 in. long, 2-3 in. wide, with 
numerous dot-like cystoliths (especially above) and short appressed 
hairs on both faces and larger hairs similar to those on the stem on 
the veins beneath ; petiole slender, 1}-12 in. long, rarely shorter, 
hairy like the stem. United stipules membranous, broadly lanceo- 
late, 2-fid, 4 in. long, caducous. Male inflorescence not or scarcely 
equalling the petioles ; peduncle short, 3-1} in. long, branches few, 
spreading, bearing distinct or approximated sessile clusters of flowers ; 
flower-buds 1 lin. in diam. ; flowers stalked and soon falling ;_pedi- 
cels up to 1} lin. long; perianth 4-partite, hispidulous. Female 
inflorescence equal to or exceeding the leaves; peduncle 24 in. 
long, stout and densely beset with stinging hairs, dichotomously 
paniculate, branches and branchlets short, spreading, pedicels ulti- 
mately broadening to form wing-like lamelle which are connate 
below ; flower placed obliquely on the top of the pedicel. Inner 
segments of perianth ovate, } lin. long, covering the ovary, but not 
Increasing in fruit, outer segments unequal, the upper concave about 
half the length of the inner segments, the lower minute. Stigma 
linear with an apical tuft, 4 lin. long. Achene flattened, obliquely 
suborbicular, on a short reflexed stalk, brown with a narrow red- 
brown margin, 14 lin. in diam., sides obscurely granulate, bearing at 
the apex the persistent deflected stigma.—Wedd. in DC. Prodr. xvi. 
1.79; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 193. 
Upper Guinea. Cameroons: Cameroon Mountain, 7000 ft., Mann, 1973 ! ; 
Nile Land. Uganda: Ruwenzori; Kivata, Scott Elliot, 7739! second day’s 
march from Eldama Ravine, Whyte ! 
Mozamb. Distr. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro; Marangu, 6700 ft., 
Volkens, 1495 ! 
Near the Himalayan species L. evitata, Wedd. 
The plant described by Engler (Jahrb. xxxiii. 123) as Girardinia marginata 
from the Cameroons (west of Buea, Preuss, 618) may be referable to the above. 
The description agrees with this except for a slight difference in the leaves 
which are ‘oblong becoming narrowed above with a subacute base.” The 
two obliquely obovate sepals of the female flower suggest Laportea but are 
Meonsistent with Girardinia. A 
5. URERA, Gaud.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. iii. 383. 
Flowers dicecious in laxly panicled cymose clusters. Male-flowers : 
erianth deeply divided into 4 or 5 ovate concave lobes, which are 
slightly imbricate in bud, which is generally somewhat depressed. 
tamens 4 or 5; rudimentary ovary present, generally in the form 
of a shallow open cup on’a short stalk. Female flowers : Perianth 
of 4 unequal segments, two larger lateral and two minute outer, or 
bluntly 4-toothed or -lobed or sac-like, more or less completely en- 
veloping the young ovary. Ovary ovoid, bearing a dense short sessile 
Penicillate stigma; ovule erect from the base. Achene generally 
slightly oblique, somewhat compressed, enveloped in the succulent 
