402 DR. A. B. RENDLE — SYSTEMATIC 



middle of the blade they are about half the leaf-width in length ; leaf apex 1- to 2" 

 spinulate. Sheaths 2 to 3 mm. long and nearly or quite as broad : their truncate upper 

 margin or rounded shoulders hear 5 to 9 small erect teeth, tipped with yellowish spinules. 

 Intra vaginal scales a little over 1 mm. long. 



Male flowers subsessile, 3 mm. long, mouth of the short beak of the spathe oblique 

 and tipped with sharp yellowish -brown spines ; one, in which elongation of the pedicel 

 had taken place, was 4"5 mm. long, the narrowly ovate anther with its closely-fitting 

 perianth measuring 2*5 mm. ; pollen-grains roundish. 



Female fl Givers 2*2 mm. long; spathe closely resembling that of the male, but with a 

 much longer neck, nearly as long as the lower portion. 



Seed 2"5 mm. long by about f mm. in diameter, very pale brown, with about 25 rows 

 of distinct quadrilateral markings. 



Tropical Afeica — Angola, Barra do Bengo, in a large lake near Quifandongo 

 [JVelwitsch, no. 247), and Barra do Dande, lakes on left of the river Dande, 

 near Bombo ( TFelwitsch, no. 247 b). 



5. NAJA.S MADAGASCARiENsis, sp. nov. (PI. XL. figs. 55-63.) 

 Laxissima, caulibus et foliis elongatis, his angustissimis, in ramis juvenilibus filiformibus, 

 margine superne solum minute et sparse denticulato ; vaginis anguste cylindricis 

 oblique vel vix auriculatis, vel rotundatis, sparse denticulatis ; squaniulis intra- 

 vaginalibus filiformibus ; florihiis solitariis, masculis breviter pedicellatis, spatha 

 anguste ovoidea cum coUo cylindrico, apice aculeifero hifido ; anthera quadriloculari ; 

 femineis sessilibus, ovario ellipsoideo a spatha cum collo cylindrico, ore spinifero, 

 circumdato ; friictu anguste ellipsoideo sub apice angustato, a spatha persistente 

 vestito, pericarpio semini conformi et areolas testae quadratas vel sexangulares in 

 seriebus numerosis ordinatas monstrante. 

 The habit is extremely lax, the whole plant being limp and falling into a tangled 

 thread-like mass wlien removed from the water. Shoots 30 cm. long were measured, and 

 greater lengths are probably reached. Lower internodes reaching 7 cm. in length, and 

 nearly 1 mm. broad, upper shorter, 2*6 to 1 cm. long just below the top, and about ^ mm. 

 broad. Leaves to 4-5 cm. long by -4 mm. broad below, tapering gradually upward to 

 the very fine bispinulate apex. Sheaths 3 to 5 mm. long by about one-third as broad, 

 asymmetrically auricled, with a few (4) small teeth on the upper margin, or with slightly 

 raised or sloping shoulders with 4-6 or more small teeth. To the naked eye the leaf- 

 margin seems untoothed ; a lens discloses a few (about 5) teeth in the upper third, the 

 remainder being entire. Teeth consisting of a sharp ascending brown spine on a sliglit 

 elevation of the margin. Intra vaginal scales a little over 1 mm. long. Male and 

 female flowers on the same shoot. 



Male flowers to 4 mm. long, neck of spathe nearly 1 mm. long, shortly bifid at the 

 top, where it bears a few sharp brown spines ; perianth fitting closely to the anther, and 

 meeting in two thickened lips above its apex. 



Female floivers about 3 mm. long; ovary closely enveloped by the spathe; neck of 

 spathe, about 1 mm. long, surrounding the two stigmas. 



