EXPEDITION UP THE KWORA. 261 



the pulp is sweet, but the seeds very acrid ; of Spondias I have seen 

 two species in fruit in the woods, both edible ; Leguminosa are very 

 abundant in all forms, and as climbers are very numerous : a large tree 

 of this Order, with beautiful Mimosa-like foliage, was pointed out to 

 me as furnishing the large edible seeds known in the Eboe country 

 as " Opbchala :" the great ligneous seed-pods I have sent dried, and 

 living plants are placed in Consul Hutchinson's glazed case, for transit 

 to Kew ; Entada, Mimosa, Indigo/era, Desmodium, Phaseolus, Cassia, 

 climbing Mucuna, are common ; one beautiful species of Ccesalpiniea I 

 have also gathered; Rhizophora, apparently two species, occur about 

 the estuary of the streams, accompanied by Avicennia Africana ; Ona- 

 grarice are common in swampy places ; Jussicea villosa, and some species 

 of Isnardia ; Melastomacece are abundant as weedy plants ; one beau- 

 tiful species, bearing loose panicles of large, white fruit, occurs near 

 Clarence; JPsidium pomiferum most abundantly naturalized, forming 

 eighty per cent, of the low bush near Clarence ; large fruit of a Napo- 

 leona I met with at some distance in the forest, the leaves are different 

 from i\T. imperialis ; Luffa scabra is abundant in cultivated ground ; a 

 Momordica, with white flowers, and a fruit like M. balsamina, while some 

 species, withglobular fruit, hang from the trees over the streams; Lo- 

 ranthus, two species only have been gathered ; Rubiacece are very abun- 

 dant in shrubby forms, or as small trees ; Gardenia Stanleyana, G. 

 Vogelii, in the gloomy shade of the Oil-Palms ; " Wild Coffee," near 

 the sea only ; Heinsia jasminiflora, Musscenda Afzelii, M. tenuifolia, may 

 be everywhere seen from a boat, about the rocks in the numerous coves ; 

 a small Cephaelis, with Geophila reniformis, under Palm-trees ; Compo- 

 site no$ numerous as species ; a shrubby Vernonia occurs, ten to fifteen 

 feet high, grows near the sea ; Ageratum conyzoides is a most trouble- 

 some weed in cultivated grounds ; a species of Bidens is also common ; 

 a single representative of Goodenoviece is seen, probably the Scavola 

 Gubieensis ; the old ornament to our stoves, Asclepim curassavica, is 

 established as an introduced plant ; a beautiful species of Spathodea is 

 just bursting into blossom, it appears to be the large, scarlet-flowered 

 plant figured by Palisot de Beauvois in the ' Flore d'Oware et de 

 Benin :' I transmit specimens in spirits, and have left directions for 

 seeds to be secured after its flowering : looking out on the growing 

 plant just now, at a distance of two or three hundred yards, it presents 

 a truly gorgeous appearance; I send also the large, cucumbrr-lik< fruit 



