664 ASOLEPIADE (Brown). | Asclepias. 
DistR1B. Species about 150, distributed throughout Africa and the warmer 
parts of North and South America, with 2 species in Arabia and the Orient, and 
2 naturalised in many warm countries. 
Until recently nearly all the South African species of this genus were placed 
under Gomphocarpus, but as stated in the Flora of Tropical Africa, iv. i. 314, 
this cannot be maintained as generic. lly distinct from Asclepias. The only 
distinction between them is the presence in Asclepias or absence in Gomphocarpus 
of a horn, tooth or other process within the cavity of the corona-lobes, In some 
Tropical species, however, the process is present or absent in different flowers of 
tle same species, sometimes even in different umbels on the same plant, so that 
both genera are represented in the same individual. ‘This may possibly be the case 
with some of the South African species, but I have not yet noticed its occurrence. 
Dr. Schlechter has united these genera in the Journal of Botany, 1895, 324, and 
1896, 451, but has also included with them Pachycarpus and Xysmalobium, 
without giving inclusive characters or a reason for doing so. ‘The genera 
Asclepias, Pachyglosswm, Xysmalobium, Woodia, Schizoglossum, Fanninia and 
Krebsia are all very closely allied, but as here limited are easily recognised by 
their coronal structure and usually also by habit; if the former character be 
ignored, then all must be merged into one unwieldy genus, as has been done by 
Baillon, which is not desirable. The absence of sharply defined characters for 
these genera has been productive of much confusion among recent writers, the 
same species having been described by.the same author under two genera in more 
than one instance. See also Flora of Tropical Africa, iv. i. 299, 314, 353, 376. 
Corolla not lobed beyond the middle, subglobose-campanu- 
late ; leaves linear ve ee ae ae as 
Corolla lobed nearly to the base, often reflexed or the lob:s 
spreading to suberect : 
* Corona-lobes with a compressed erect process or ho:n 
within the cavity : 
Leaves linear; corolla-lobes 4-5 lin. long ... ... (18) navicularis, 
Leaves filiform, linear or linear-lanceolate ; corolla- var. B. 
lobes 14-3 lin. long. 
- Stems numerous, 3-6 ft. high; umbels several, 
pedunculate, racemosely scattered along the stems (25) filiformis. 
Stem solitary; umbels few and sessile in a 
terminal umbel-like cluster, with or without a 
distant sessile or rarely pedunculate umbel 
below them, or solitary and terminal. 
Stem more than 14 ft. high; corolla not yellow, 
purplish on the back of the 3 lin.-long lobes ; 
corona-lobes like a deep spoon-bowl, with a 
pair of nearly free linear teeth at the base ... (22) cognata. 
Stem }-1} ft. high; corolla yellow; teeth at 
the base of the corova-lobes not linear nor 
nearly free, or subobsolete. 
Corolla-lobes 14-24 lin. long; corona-lobes 
open, spoon-bowl-like, not compressed nor 
subquadrate, with short teeth at the base (23) flava. 
Corolla-lobes 24-3 lin. long; corona-lobes 
compressed-cucullate, subquadrate in side 
view, truncate at the top, scarcely produced i 
into teeth... | cer cerbaarl, ‘Woedeberde ang] (VA) DORINOMIIN 
Leaves oblong, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate ; 
corolla-lobes 54-6} lin. long, bordered with white 2 
hairs... tes eis oi ‘ive vas ... (35) cultriformis. 
**Corona-lobes with a median keel down the inner face 
of their cavity or upper part; leaves oblong, 
oblong-lanceolate or lanceolate. 
(1) macra. 
