Memspermum. diofxia hf.xandria. 807 



1. M. Columba. R. 



Herbaceous, twining, hairy. Leaves sub-rolnml, fivo-lob- 

 0*1; lohet acuminate. Jilale panicles axillary, droopijig. 

 Atithers tour-celled. 



Coluinbo, &c. ^^siat. Res. x. ;?. 385. 



Uadix Colomba. M. M. Murray, iii. 33i). 



A native of the east coast of Africa in the vicinity of Oiba 

 and Mozambique. One male plant blossomed diuiitg the 

 hot season of 1807 in the garden of the late Dr. James An- 

 derson at Madras, and from it Dr. A. Berry took the descrip- 

 tion which is published in the tenth volume of the ./?«a77C 

 Researches. A fresh offset from the root of that plant was 

 obtained for the Botanic garden at Calcutta, where it was 

 planted in August 1807, and new, August 1812, it remains 

 perfectly fresh, but has never thrown out even a single bud, or 

 shown any tendency to vegetate. However, in April of the 

 same year 1812 Dr. Berry brought with him from the late 

 Dr. Anderson's garden at Madras, the original root, and se- 

 veral of its offsets, which he presented to the Botanic 

 garden. They were immediately put into the ground, and in 

 the course of a couple of months they threw out their hairy, 

 herbaceous shoots to an extent of several fathoms, and blos- 

 somed most abundantly during the rainy season. The whole, 

 as they now appear, agree well with Dr. Berry's original de- 

 scription ; only 1 should ratiier be inclined to call t!ie inflores- 

 cence a drooping p«/i/c7e, than a compound ?-«ce;;,e. In the 

 months of November and December the whole perished down 

 to the root; which on examination, had not only gained con- 

 siderably in size but each had thrown out, during the sea- 

 son, several pretty large, fusiform tubers, not unlike yellow 

 carrots, the largest of them was eleven inches in circumfer- 

 ence, and twenty inches long, 



2. M. Cocculas. Willd. iv. 825. Gcert. Sem. i. 219. /. 70. 

 Perennial, twining, scandent. Leaves cordate, base trun- 

 cate, firm and lucid. 



