548 URTICACE.E (Brown). [Fleurya. 



According to Mr. Cooper, this plant in 1862 was and perhaps still is/ ^ used by 

 the natives to punish boys," Dr. Wood remarks of his number 1880 in iNatai 

 Plants" vi., under t. 577, that it '^is much more irritating than ^. mpe«3is 

 {F, mitis), and the natives always give it a wide berth where it is plentitul, it is 

 much worse than the common nettle, Urtica urens.*' 



III. URERA, Gaud. 



Flowers unisexual, the sexes on different plants. Perianth 4-5- 

 (or abnormallj up to 10-) lobed or partite; lobes or segments equal 

 in the male, unequal in the female flowers and more or less enlarg- 

 ing in fruit. Stamens ir-b (or in abnormal flowers 7-10), opposite the 

 perianth-segmentSj absent from the female flowers. Ovary straight 

 or slightly oblique, 1-celled, rudimentary in the male flowers ; ovule 

 solitary, Lasal, erect ; stigma oblique, sessile, head-like or hemi- 

 spherical, densely papillate-pubescent. Fruit a more or less com- 

 pressed achene, enclosed in the enlarged perianth. 



Shrubs or trees, armed with stinging hairs ; leaves alternate, petiolate, stipulate ; 

 stipules free or connate and bifid or entire at the apex ; flowers in axillary cymes 

 or panicles, solitary in each leaf-axil. 



DiSTRTB. Species about 50, in Tropical Africa, Madagascar, the Sandwich 

 Icilands and Tropical America, 2 in South Africa : 



Leaves toothed 

 Leaves entire 



**• *^* *•■ >*4 



«** ■#« ■»« V»« 



... (1) tenax. 

 ... (2) WoodiL 



1. U. tenax (N. E. Br. in Hook. Ic PL xviii. t. 1748) ; a shrub or 

 small tree, 5-15 ft. high, armed with stinging hairs on the leaves, 

 inflorescence and sometimes but not ahvays on the young branches ; 

 young main shoots or branches varying from 2 to 6 lin. thick, with 

 a smooth reddish-brown or purplish bark ; leaves alternate, deci- 

 duous; petioles ^-2^- in, long on the specimens seen, but possibly 

 longer, leaving cordate scars lA— 3;^- lin. in diam. after their fall 



blades 1-3| in. long and 1-3 in. broadj very broadly ovate to sub- 

 orbicular, acute or abruptly pointed, shallowly cordate at the 

 3-nerved base, toothed, with the teeth 1-2 lin. long and 1-3 lin. 

 broad, triangular, acute, both surfaces (except for the stinging hairs) 

 glabrous ; stipules spreading, 2-3 lin. long, lanceolate, acute, keeled, 

 glabrous, brown ; flowers sometimes in laxly branching cymes or 

 panicles, sometimes in simple raceme-like panicles and varying from 

 ^3 in. long, green ; male flowers usually 5-lobed, but sometimes 

 abnormally 7-10-lobed to about three-fourths of the way down, 

 about 1^ lin. long and the lobes f lin. broad, elliptic or oblong, 

 obtuse, concave; stamens 5, or in abnormal flowers 7-10, with stout 

 filaments ; female flowers 4-partite ; segments unequal, one minute, 

 the others larger and \-% lin. long, the two lateral ovate, subacute, 

 enlarging to 1^ lin. long and | lin. broad and becoming elliptic in 



fruit, the other ellintir. not pnlarrnno' • cw^uw pomnresspd. OVate, 



