56 NEW AFRICAN PLANTS. 



iii. 202.) Periautliium inferum duplici serie 3-merum ; series ex- 

 terna calycina, interna petalina. Sepala libera, membranacea, 

 inibricata ; peLala majora, distiucta cecjualia vel sub^equalia sub- 

 ovalia, tenera, venulosa, marcescentia. Stamina 6, bypogyna ; 

 seriei exterute fertilia ajqualia, internje parva et ad staminodia 

 reducta. Antlier^e fertiles oblongje, dorsifixa^, intrordum debis- 

 centes ; lilamenta glabra ; pollen rotundum breviter ecbinulatum. 

 Ovarium superum, serfsile, columnare, trilobum, triloculare ; stylus 

 columnaris, stigmate capitato vix latiore. Ovula in loculis nuraerosa 

 uniseriata auatropa. libizoma breve crassiusculum, cum fibris radi- 

 calibus. Folia radicalia, scapum vaginantia, late-lanceolata multi- 

 uervia. Flores umbellattB, pedicellatse. 



Species 1. Africae tropicalis orientalis incola. 



G-. SEPALosA species unica. Aneilema sepalosum C. B. Clarke, /. c. 



Hab. El Modu, 70 miles west of Ganana, Somaliland, Dr. 

 Donaldso7i Smith, March 13th, 1895. Also Kitui, in Ukamba, 

 Hildehrandt 2640 ; east of Lake Nyassa, Bishop Steere ; Limba 

 Valley, S.E. Tropical Africa, Lieut. Smith: in Herb. Kew. 



The whole plant is 4 in. high, borne on a short irregular woody 

 rhizome ; the few lowermost leaves form tubular membranous 

 brown sheaths, surrounding the green foliage leaves, which have a 

 blunt longitudinally veined (with 10-12 more prominent nerves) 

 blade folded at the midrib from a short tubular amplexicaul sheath. 

 The largest is 3^ in. long by nearly 1 in. broad. Tlie uppermost forms 

 a narrow-lanceolate acuminate bract (2 in. long by 4 lines broad) 

 sheathing the flattened scape, which terminates in an umbel of 

 about seven flowers. The pedicels elongate and reach 1^ in. when 

 the flowers open, being sheathed below by the acuminate bracteole 

 (1 in. long by 2 lines broad). The flower-buds are acuminate. 

 The sepals are obviously not at the same level ; the longitudinal 

 nerves do not pass into the delicate hyaline margin, which 

 becomes much broader below the apex ; the green colour is 

 tinged with red ; they are 7 lines long by nearly 3 lines broad. 

 The delicate finely nerved petals have become withered and 

 twisted up in the centre of the flower, and it was impossible 

 to restore them completely to their original size and shape ; 

 they were evidently more or less oval, with a rounded end, and 

 nearly f in. long by ^ in. broad. The flat ribbon-like filament is 

 2 lines long; the oblong anthers become slightly narrower towards 

 the top, and are 2^ hues long. The stammodes vary slightly in 

 length (about 1 line) ; the cordate head is about ^ line. The 

 slender ovary and style are each about 2;^ lines long. The three 

 carpels are equal. The appearance of a transverse section of the 

 ovary indicates that dehiscence of the fruit will be loculicidal. 

 The ovules are small and much disorganized ; only in one or two 

 cases was it possible to make out their arrangement. 



1 have ventured to separate this plant from Aneilema, as it differs 

 in its general appearance, umbellate inflorescence, acuminate flower- 

 buds, large sepals, large and equal fertile anthers, and apparently 

 also in its round echinulate pollen; the pollen in every species 



