Phjl/anthus.] KUPiiORBrACEJi; (Hutchinson). 399 



capsule depressed-globose, slightly 6-lobed ; seeds almost smooth. 

 P. Niruri, Drege, Zwei Pfl. Documcnte, 151, not of Linn. P. Woodii, 

 Huk'hlnson in Keio Bulletin, 1914, 336. 



r 



• Easteun Rkgion : Pondoland ; Egossa, Sim, 2515 ! Mengana Cutting, between 

 Unitata and Port St. John's, Bolus, 10279 ! Flanayaa, 2408 ! between St. Johns 

 River and XJmsikaba River, Drtgeal between Umtentu River and Uinzimkulu 

 River, Drege b ! Natal ; near the Tugela River, Gerrard, 1925 ! Clairmont, Wood, 

 1765 1 near Pinetown, Wood, 5303 ! Friedenau Faim, near Dumisa Station, 

 Pxudatis, 317! near Maritzburg, Schlcchter, 3307 ! 



In describing this plant as P. Woodii^ I ha^■e unfortunately added to the 

 synonymy, on account of a mistaken detemiination in the Berlin herbarium. A 

 specimen loaned by Prof. Eugler was named ''P. .Afeyerianus, Mull. Arg. ! i " and 

 for some time I took this to be an authentic representative of that species ; but 

 the type of P, meyerianas is the *^P. Niruri" of Drege's Catalogue, which was 

 included by me as a synonym under P. Woodii, The Berlin specimen named 

 P, me*jeHanus is exactly P. wyrtaccm, Send. 



15. P. asperulatus (Hutchinson in Kew Bulletin, 1919, ined.) ; an 

 annual, 9-12 in. high, branched in the upper third ; stem nude in 

 the lower part, straw-coloured, minutely and sparingly scabrid- 

 puberulous; branchlets leafy, compressed-angular, finely asperulate 

 on the angles ; leaves oblong-elliptic, rounded at both ends, 4-6 

 lin. long, 2-4 lin. broad, membranous and probably sensitive, 

 glabrous, glaucous-green when dry ; lateral nerves 5-6 on each side 

 of the midrib, scarcely visible above, fairly prominent below; petiole 

 slender, about |- lin. long ; stipules subulate-lanceolate, acute, mem- 

 branous, I lin. long; flowers monoecious, the males in the lower 

 part, the females in the upper part of the branchlets ; male pedicels 

 extremely short ; sepals 6, obovate, rounded at the apex, ^ lin, long, 

 l~nerved, membranous, hyaline, glabrous; disc-glands 6, flat, rounded, 

 'Smooth; stamens 3; filaments very short, connate into a column ; 

 anthers transverse^ and so appai*ently dehiscing transversely ; female 

 flowers very shortly pedicellate; sepals 6, subacute, membranous, 

 greenish, with hyaline margins, glabrous; ovary smooth; styles 

 short, spreading from the base, with swollen bifid apices ; capsules 

 soon dehiscing, not seen entii-e, with very thin crustaceous walls ; 

 seeds triquetrous, rounded on the back, closely and longitudinally 

 sulcate. 



K-VLAHARi Region: Transvaal; Komati Poort, 1000 ft., Dec, SchloM'v^ 

 11866 ! 



16. P. Niruri (Linn. Sp. PI. ed. i. 981); an annual up to 1 ft. 

 iiigh; stem closely sulcate, smooth; flowering branchlets up to 

 4 in. long, compressed or slightly winged, smooth; leaves oblong or 

 oblong-elliptic, rounded at both ends, 3-6 lin, long, 1^-3 lin. broad, 

 inembranous, glabrous on both surfaces ; lateral nerves about 5 on 

 each side, sometimes nearly invisible ; petiole very short ; stipules 

 lanceolate-subulate, membranous, glabrous ; flowers moncecious, 

 solitary males in the lower, females in the upper parts of the 

 Wnchlets ; female pedicel about | lin. long when in fruit, glabrous ; 



