440 DR. A. B. EENDLE — SUPPLEMENTAET 



I arn indebted to the Botanical Museum of St. Petersburg for specimens of this 

 variety, which I had previously overlooked. I have given a description, as the original 

 diagnosis, " fructu minore, ellipsoideo," conveys very little information. 



Var. MURICATA, A. Br. ex K. Schum. in Mart. El. Bras. iii. pt. 3, 725 (1894) ; Hendle in 

 Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2, Bot. v. 397 (1899). 



I have seen the following specimens by which the range of tbe variety is much 

 extended beyond that given in my revision (Lower Egypt, Ceylon) : — 



Sicily — Palermo {JRoss in Herb. Magnus). 



Algeria — Oued (river) Boudouaou and Oued Beghaia {Battandier in Herb. Cosson) ; 

 Magroun Cherchara {Jjetourneux in Herb. Cosson). 



Egypt — Lake Mareotis {Letourneux in Herb. Cosson) ; Medinet-el-Eajum (Schwei^v- 

 furth^ no. 114). 



East Tropical Africa — Albert Xyassa {Stuhlmami, no. 2841, in Herb. Schweinfarth). 



Central Australia — Einke Biver (Kempe in Herb. Hort. Bot. Vindob.). 



Battandier's specimen from Algeria is not quite typical, having shorter leaves than 

 usual, 1 cm. long, Avith only 3 to 4 spines on each side. The Albert Nyassa plant is 

 more robust than any I have seen, with leaves often 1'5 mm. in breadth. The 

 Australian specimen differs from the Egyptian and Ceylon plants in having rather longer 

 leaves, which may reach 2*5 or even 3 cm. long, and slightly smaller fruit, barely 3 mm. 

 long by 2 mm. broad. 



The variety has evidently a wide range in the tropics of the Old World and will 

 doubtless be found in many other localities. 



Subgenus 2. Caulinia, A. Br, 

 § 1. Spathacece. 

 4*. Najas AFriNis, sp. no v. 

 Herba caulibus tenuibus ; internodiis sub apice ramulorum congestorum admodura 

 abbreviatis et cum f oliis recurvatis habitum N. minoris prsebentibus \folus patentibus, 

 planis, linearibus, margine cum dentibus parvis numerosis regulariter instructis ; 

 vagi7ii8 late rotundatis, margine breviter fimbriatis ; squamulis intravaginalibus 

 lanceolatis ; Jloribus solitariis ; spatha mascula ellipsoidea, collo Ion go, tenuiter 

 cylindrico, ore spinifero, anthera quadriloculari ; spathce foeminece collo superne in 



limbis linearibus binis oppositis unispiniferis elongate ; fructu 



Shoots to 30 cm. long, lower internodes 5 to 5-5 cm. long by '75 mm. broad. Leaves 

 1-5 to 2 cm. long by '5 to '7 mm. broad, teeth 12 to 18 on each margin, one-fourth of the 

 leaf-width in length ; sheaths 2 mm. long and broad, upper margin and shoulders 

 irregularly broken into short narrow outgrowths tipped with spine-cells, the outgrowths 

 may extend almost to the base of the sheath ; intravaginal scales '75 mm. long. Male 

 Jlower 2 mm. long including the neck of the spathe ; female, apparently not quite mature, 

 1-5 mm. long, spathe ellipsoidal with a cylindrical neck passing above into a pair of long 

 narrow spine-tipped outgrowths overtopping the two stigmas. 



Closely allied to N. Welicitschii, Rendle, from which it is distinguished by a less lax 

 habit, the tuft-like densely leaded terminal branchlets, the more regularly toothed 



