ZorantJms.] loraxtiiace-E (Sprague). 121 



coriaceous^ glabrous, dull, nerves indistinct; petiole about h lin. 

 long, minutely rusty-pilose in a young state ; umbels axillary, 

 solitary or fascicled, 3-4-flowered ; peduncle 1^ lin long, pubcrulous 

 above, with cupular sockets in wliicli the pedicels are inserted ; 

 pedicels very slender, 2| lin. long ; bract shorter than the receptacle 

 and calyx, elliptic-ovate from a saucer-shaped base, dorsal margin 

 |- lin. long, minutely ciliate, ventral margin ^ lin. long ; flowers 

 tetramerous, only known in bud ; receptacle and calyx together 

 campanulate, I lin. long ; calyx subtruncate, J^-f lin. long, minutely 

 ciliate ; corolla 8 lin. long in bud, clavate, tetragonal, apical swelling 

 2^ lin. long, obtuse ; filaments becoming involute when the flower 

 expands, inserted 2 lin. above the base of the corolla, linear, 3/, lin. 

 long, grooved on the inner surface, produced in front of the anther 

 into a triangular very acute tooth, ^ lin. long ; anthers linear, 

 2 lin. long, truncate, the inner lobes ^ lin. shorter than the outer ; 

 disc tetragonal, hardly lobed, } lin. high; style filiform; stigma 

 ellipsoid, -^ lin. long. 



Eastern Region : Mozambiq^ue ; Macocololoj Sckkchter, 12061 ! 

 Allied to L. ramidosuSj Sprague^ a native of British East Africa. 



11. VISCUM, Linn. 



Floicers monoecious or dioecious. Cahjx absent or represented by 

 a mere rim. Corolla regular. Male flower trimerous or tetra- 

 merous : —Receptacle more or less hollowed. Corolla polypetalous, 

 but usually appearing gamopetalous owing to the absence of 

 demarcation between the petals and the receptacular tube ; petals 

 3-4, more or less triangular. Anthers sessile, adhering by their 

 dorsal surface to the lower part of the petals and the u]>per part of 

 the receptacular tube ; cells numerous, dehiscing introrsely by pores. 

 Female flower : — Corolla superior, polypetalous ; petals 3-4, deciduous 

 or persistent. Ovary inferior; style short or none; stigma thick, 

 cushion-shaped. Berry crowned by the petals or not. Seed albu- 

 minous ; embryos 1-3, terete. 



Green leafy or, at first sight, leafless shrubs, parasitic on other plants. Brauches 

 usually nnic]i forked, jointed immediately above the nodes ; interaodes often 

 compressed, angled or not; leaves opposite, well developed or represented by 

 small scales ; inflorescences axillary, or axillary and terminal, consisting of solitary 

 or fascicled flovvera or cymules ; cymules peduncled or sessile, 3-9-flowered, with 

 the flowens in one plane ; flowers small, inconspicuous, green, j-ellow or white ; 

 berries red, orange, yellow or wliite. 



Each axillary branch, of whatever order, ha.s a pair of small scale-leaves at its 

 very base. The scale-leaves, which are placed transversely with respect to the 

 subtending leaf, are also found at the base of each axillary inflorescence. Each 

 cymule and, as a rule, each solitary flower is subtended at its base by a peduncled 

 or sessile pair of bracts (hracteal cup). 



DisTRiD. Species about 60, all Old World, mostly natives of warm regions. 



