Tab. 5G33. 



SYNADENIUM Grantii. 



Captains Grant's MUkbush. 



]S"at. Ord. Euphorbiacej:. — Moncecia Monandbta. 



Gen. Char. Involucrum campanulato-bemispbaericum, rcgulare, 5-lobum, 

 5-glandulosum, glandulis in cupulam horizontalem plano-concavam margine 

 lobulatam integram v. lobos involucri includentem coalitis. Flores tnasculi 

 25-30, in fasciculos'5 lobia involucri oppositos dispositi, ecalyculati. Brac- 

 teolce alia? inter fasciculos lineares distinctae apice fimbriatac, alia? circa 

 florem femineum ultra medium in tubum membrauaceum apice fimbriatutn 

 coalita;. Flos femineus centralis, obsolete calyculatus. Styli ad medium 

 eonnati. Semen carunculatum. — Frutices v. arbuscula? Africani, remit tr- 

 retibus carnosis. Folia sparsa, Integra. Cymse terminates, corymbose, laxa, 

 2-B-ckotom(e. Involucra alia in dichotomiis sessilia, alia terminaha, basi 

 foliis floralibus 2-nis oppositis suffulta. Boiss. 



Sysadenittm Grantii ; frutex erectus, ramosus, glaberrimus, raima crassis 

 teretibus, foliis obovato-spatbulatis obtusis in petiolum brevem attenu- 

 atis, floralibus parvis appressis tomentosis involucro sequilongis apice 

 rotundatis, involucri pulvinati annularis integerrimi tomentosi lobis 

 margine interiori pulvini insertis erectis late oblongis gibbis apice den- 

 tatis, calyculis masculis sub-5-lobis, lobis angustis ciliatis. 



During Captains Speke and Grant's adventurous journey 

 to the lake-feeders of the Nile, the latter of the distinguished 

 explorers made an excellent collection of dried plants, which 

 has thrown great light on the botany of Central Africa ; 

 together with some seeds, which vegetated in the Royal 

 Gardens, including the beautiful Muss&nda luteola (Plate 

 5573). The dried plants were examined by Dr. Thomson, 

 and are enumerated in the Appendix to Captain Speke's 

 work ; amongst them was a fragment of a succulent Euphor- 

 biaceous plant, which, having retained its vitality, was taken 

 by Dr. Thomson to the propagating pits, and being planted, 

 has now developed into a striking green Euphorbiaceous 

 bush, seven feet high, — the subject of this Plate. It be- 

 longs to a very curious genus, Synadenium, closely allied to 

 Euphorbia itself, established by M. Boissier in his excellent 



MABCH 1st, 1867. 



