306 XLVII. § CHESALPINIEZ (OLIVER). [ Brachystegia. 
narrowed or obtuse, midrib slightly eccentric; 1—-2in. long, 4— in. 
broad, the upper usually the larger, subsessile, or the upper margin of 
the lamina }-1 line above the lower ;, common petiole slender }—1 in. 
between each pair of leaflets bearing at the insertion of each a pair of 
small glands. Flowers “ greenish-white,” in very dense, terminal, 
simple, or slightly branched racemes 1-3 in. — Bracts very early 
caducous, very small, linear (Mr. Bentham). Involucral bracteoles 
3—4 lines long, thin, elliptical or obovate, pubescent outside, spreading 
at flowering. Perianth reduced to 2 (or 8) minute, narrow-linear or 
-spathulate ciliolate unequal scales, 1 line long or less. Staminal tube 
shorter than the stipes of the pilose ovary. Style elongate glabrous. 
Ovules 5-6. Legume 2-valved, oblong, 34—44 in. long, 1-1} in. broad ; 
valves thin but very hard and woody, smooth and glabrous externally. 
Seeds compressed, elliptical or obovate, $—? in. long. 
South Central. Highlands of Batoka country, Dr. Kirk! 
Mozamb. Distr. Near Lake Shirwa, Dr. Meller! 
The seeds are eaten, and the fibrous bark beaten out into a substitute for cloth by 
the natives. (Dr. Kirk.) 
2. B. spiceeformis, Benth. in Linn. Trans. xxv. 312. <A tree of 
20-40 ft. or higher; leafy shoots pubescent, at length glabrate. 
Leaflets thinly coriaceous, usually in 4—6 pairs, more rarely 2—3-jugate, 
ovate-elliptical or varying to oval-oblong obtuse often minutely emar- 
ginate or shortly and obtusely pointed, base unequally rounded, penni- 
veined with rather prominent reticulation, or in some luxuriant leaves 
the lower half of the leatlet with 3 or 4 ascending secondary nervures 
from the base, minutely pubescent or glabrate; 1-14 or occasionally 
over 2in. in length; petiolule distinct but very short, with a glandular 
or stipelliform dilatation at the base. Stipules linear, membranous, 
early deciduous. Flowers subsessile in terminal, simple, very dense, 
ferruginous, spiciform, ovoid or oblong-ovoid racemes 1 or 2 in. long, 
much exceeded by the leaves. Bracts linear to obovate-oblong 2—8 lines 
long, deciduous. Involucral bracteoles obovate or elliptical 4-3 in. long. 
Perianth usually reduced to 2 linear or lanceolate ciliate scales about 
lline in length, alternating with the bracteoles; occasionally a few 
additional minute scales are present. Stamens 10-13, unequally and 
distinctly monadelphous, glabrous. Ovary laxly or substrigose-pilose 
ona supe of its own length; ovules 7-8. Legume at right angles 
to the short stout stipes, broadly more or less oblong, ventral suture 
en -ae! thickened, terminating in a short, straight, pungent apiculus ; 
valves thickly woody-coriaceous, at length smooth, 3—4}in. long, 
14-14 in. broad. 
Lower Guinea. Huilla, Angola, Dr. Welwitsch! Var. grandiflora, Benth. 1.c. 
Bracts linear or oblong channelled. Bracteoles oblanceolate, puberulous externally, 
} in. long. Pedicels about 1 line. Sierra da Hella, Huilla, Dr. Welwitsch! 
Mozamb. Distr. Robeho mountains, Zanzibar, Speke and Grant ! 
Speke and Grant remark that the bark is employed in various fabrics by the natives, 
and that a red juice exudes on cutting it. 
