The Liberian Flora 



MARANTACE.'E 



Sarcophrynium brachystachyum, A'. ScJmui. {syii. Phrynium brachy- 

 stachx'um, Kocni.) : a perennial tall herb with a creeping rhizome 

 producing tufts of basal leaves with oblong to elliptic blades 

 (up to 20 in. b)' lo in.) on very long petioles, and flower-stems 

 which imitate a basal leaf with a fascicle of 2 — 3 densely 

 bracteate spike-like racemes springing from its petiole, with white 

 or pale violet flowers, not quite h in. long, and red globose more 

 or less fleshy fruits, about h in. in diameter ; often gregarious 

 in forests near water. Grand Basa, l'\i^v/, 77 ! ; Cape Palmas, 

 [ \i^v/, 29 ! 



*S. spicatum. A'. Schnm. : a perennial herb about 4 — 5 ft. high, with 

 asymmetrically elliptic leaves, and simple peduncled spikes (i in. 

 long) of white flowers ; in primary forest near the mouth of 

 the River Cestos, Diiikla^s^c, 1946. 



Trachyphrynium violaceum, Rid/. : a shrub with a smooth simple stem 

 up to 10 ft. high and numerous long scandent branches with 

 oblong leaves, rounded or truncate at the base and borne on 

 stout thickened petioles, with simple or forked spike-like com- 

 pound zigzag racemes, the 2-flovvered branches of which are 

 encased in deciduous bracts with white and reddish flowers, 

 under i in. long, and trigonous densely muricate fruit.s, measuring 

 2 in. across ; Kakatown, JT/n'ti' ! (imperfect specimens). 



*Clinogyne arcta, Stapf (sp. nov.) : a perennial tall herb, similar to 

 C.Jicxuosa, K. Schum. ; blades ovatc-oblong, acuminate, the upper 

 6 in. by 2 — 2% in., on short thickened petioles, the lower with 

 much longer petioles of which only the upper end is thickened ; 

 racemes slender flexuous, compound, solitary or in panicles of 

 2 — 4, to more than 6 in. long ; bracts up to 8 or more and 

 over I in. long, persistent and permanently adpresscd branchlets 

 of the raceme 2-flovvered and about i^ in. long, flowers purplish, 

 not quite i in. long, with villous ovaries ; Sino Basin and 

 Kakatown, Whyte ! 



Maranta arundinacea, L. : the well-known " Arrow-root " plant, a native 

 of America, generally cultivated in the tropics on account of its 

 farinaceous tubers ; grown near Monrovia, according to Vogel. 



VOL. II 657 10 



