PLANTS FROM THE EKET DISTRICT, S. NIGERIA 6 



fore seems undesirable to place in Cynometra plants possessing 

 the structure of Talhotiella. 



T. eketensis is very closely allied to the plant described by 

 Dr. Harms (in Engl. Jahrb. xxvi. 267) as CryptosepaUtm ? Staudtii. 

 Unfortunately good flowers were not present when his species was 

 described, and the number of the stamens is doubtfully considered 

 to be 2-3. Talhotiella is quite different in structure from Crypto- 

 sepaluvi ; in this latter genus the calyx, as the name implies, is 

 minute, there is one posterior petal, three stamens, and the ovary 

 is 2-4-ovulate. 



Mrs. Talbot's notes are as follows : — Bushes growing in pro- 

 fusion in rather loose drift sand. Highest growth 4-6 metres. 

 Dwarfy shrubs flower at 1 metre. New leaves very pale green 

 shaded mauvy pink, older leaves dark glossy green. Flowers all 

 white ; stamens and anthers brightest orange ; petiole white at 

 top, palest green below. Bracts bright pink. 



EOSACE^. 



Strepho7iema Mannii Hook, fil. Agrees with Mann, No. 2293 

 in Hb. Kew, from Old Calabar and Gaboon rivers. 



The position of the genus Strephonema is a matter of some 

 uncertainty. Bentham & Hooker in their Genera Plantarum place 

 it in Lythracese, from which Koehne •= excludes it in his Mono- 

 graph of the order. Baillon has suggested that it is an abnormal 

 Eosaceous plant. The ovary is partly adherent to the tube of the 

 calyx, and there are two pendulous collateral ovules. Mr. Spencer 

 Moore and I, who have both dissected flowers independently, 

 came to the same conclusion, and incline to agree with Baillon's 

 suggestion, and consider that the structure indicates considerable 

 affinity with such genera as Pygeum in the Pruneae tribe of 

 Eosacege. 



Ehizophorbje. 



Cassipourea eketensis Baker fil., sp. nov. Bamuli graciles 

 teretes glabri ; foliis inter minores generis oppositis ovatis basi 

 cuneatis breviter petiolatis subcoriaceis glabris apice acuminatis 

 apice ipso obtusis nervis lateralibus utrinque 5-7 ante marginem 

 arcuatis inter sese conjungentibus costa subtus prominente ; 

 stipulis caducis ; florihus axillaribus glomeratis ; pedicellis calyce 

 brevioribus ; calyce campanulato usque ad medium 5-lobato lobis 

 triangularibus acutis erectis valvatis ; petalis unguiculatis apice 

 fimbriato-laceratis ; staminibus calyce duplo longioribus antheris 

 subglobosis; s^?//o tereti stigmate dilatato; ovario triloculari ovulis 

 in loculis 2 axi collateraliter affixis. 



Sine numero. 



Leaves ovate, acuminate, the actual apex being obtuse, 5'6cm. 

 long, 16-27 mm. broad, petiole 1-2 mm. long. Calyx + 5 mm. 

 long. Petals fimbriate-lacerate, + 9 mm. long. Stamens nearly 

 twice as long as the calyx. Disc cupuliform. Ovary trilocular, 

 hairy. 



* See also Sitzungsbericht Bot. Verein. Prov. Brand, xxii. 66. 



B 2 



