42 CXLIII. COMMELINACES, (CLARKE). [| Commelina. 
in Linnea, xxiv. 656, xxv. 183; Hassk. in Schweinf. Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 
209, 295. (C. latifolia, Hochst. in Schimper, Exsice. 341, not of 
A. Rich. C. rhizocarpa, Afzel., C. radiciflora, R. Br. and C. vivipara, 
Ritchie ex C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 159-160; cfr. Wein- 
mann in Flora, 1820, 733. 
Upper Guinea. Cape Verd Isles, Cardoso, 61! Hooker, 101! Sierra Leone: 
near Wallia, Scott-Elliot, 4250! Lagos, Millen, 31! Niger Territory : Lower 
Niger, Stirling Hill, Anse//! Cameroons: Yaunde, Zen/-er & Staudt, 344 ! 
Mile Land. Nubia: Soturba Mountains, Schweinfurth, 5833! Hor Samanib, 
near Suakin, Lord / Eritrea: Damas Valley, 1600 ft., Schweinfurth & Riva, 1180! 
Mogod Valley, 4500 ft., Schweinfurth § Riva, 1607! Galabat; region of Matamma, 
Schweinfurth, 530! Abyssinia: Tigre ; Sholoda Mountain, near Adowa, 6700 ft... 
Schimper, 341! Shoa ; Alia Amba, near Ankober, Ro/h! Somaliland: Golis Range, 
Mrs, Lort-Phillips! Shaile (? Sheikh) Pass, Miss Edith Cole! British East 
Africa: Uganda ; near Kampala, Scott-Hiliot, 7268! Nyika country, near Mombasa, 
Wakefield ! 
Lower Guinea. [French Congo: Loango, Soyaur, 102! Lower Congo: 
Bingila, Dupuis! Angola: Loanda, Welwitsch, 6621! Cazengo, Welwitsch, 6611 ! 
Golungo Alto ; near Bango, Welwitsch, 6598! Pungo Andongo; in thickets on the 
huge rocks of the Presidium, 2400-3800 ft., Welwitsch, 6646! Huilla ; Morrode 
Monino, 3800-5500 ft., Welwitsch, 6582! 
South Central. Congo Free State: M’towa, on Lake Tanganyika, Descamps ! 
Mozamb, Dist. Portuguese East Africa: Lower Zambesi; Hill of Tette, 
Kirk! British Central Africa: Ngamiland ; Kwebe, near Lake Ngami, 3300 ft., 
Lugard, 243! Mrs. Lugard, 148! Zambesi Valley ; Shesheke, Holub! Matabele- 
land, Elliott ! 
Very common through the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World. 
Usually recognised by the broad-elliptic leaves subobtuse at either end and the 
funnel-shaped spathes. The leaves are usually hairy, sometimes glabrate (though in 
that case often rufous-ciliate at the top of the leaf-sheath). Neither in this nor in 
other species of Commelina do I find either the quantity or the colour of the hairs 
constant. Various other species of Commelina are similarly amphicarpic. The 
example of Schweinfurth, 1607, at Kew, distributed as C. beccariana, Mart., is 
C. benghalensis, Linn, with a piece of C. Petersii mixed with it. But C. beccariana 
is described as having a yellow flower, so that it is not C. benghalensis. 
Var. 8 hirsuta, C. B, Clarke in DC, Monogr. Phan. iii. 160. Leaves longer and 
more hairy, sometimes very villous with brown or rufous bairs.—Martelli, Fl. Bogos. 
87; Schweinf, in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ii. Append. ii. 53; Rendle in Cat. Afr. Pl. 
Welw. ii. 76. C. hirsuta, R. Br. in Salt, Abyss. Append. 63; Hassk. in Schweinf. 
Beitr. Fl. Aethiop. 295. C. kilimandscharica, K. Schum. in Engl. Pil. Ost-Afr. 
C. 134. C, latifolia, Hochst., partly, not of A. Rich. as see DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 160. 
Upper Guinea. Togoland: Misahéhe, Pawmann, 403! 
Wile Land. Abyssinia, Parkyns ! 
Lower Guinea. Angola: Loanda ; in thickets at Alto das Cruzes, Welwitsch, 
6622 ! 
Mozamb. Dist. Zanzibar, Goodwin! German Kast Africa : Kilimanjaro ; 
Marangu, 4900 ft., Voikens, 2254! British Central Africa: Nyasaland, Buchanan, 464! 
This variety is also common in India. 
Schweinfurth gives many localities for this variety in Eritrea; the numbers, how- 
ever, he cites (so far as I have seen them) I should rather call typical C. benghalensis, 
Linn. ; but no line can be drawn between the species and the Var. 8 hirsuta. 
16. C. uncata, (. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 169. Spathe 
having its midrib (keel) strongly curved. Capsule 4 in. long, some- 
