390 DR. DONALDSON SMITh's ACANTHACE.E, 



5 cm. long. The lower foliaceous bracts are 2 to 1-7 cm. long and 

 4'5 mm. broad ; they become gradually narrower and sharper as 

 we ascend the spike, in the upper part of which they are 1*5 cm. 

 long by 1-5 mm. broad. The two outer sepals are 12-13 mm. long 

 by about 2 mm. broad, the two inner are 10 by 1-25 mm. The 

 corolla-tube is 12 mm. long by 1 mm. broad in the middle, 2 mm. 

 at the mouth ; the lobes are 8 by 3 to 4 mm. The filaments, which 

 taper upwards from a broad ribbon -like base, becoming filiform 

 above, are 13 mm. long ; the anthers are 2 mm. long. The pollen 

 assumes a tetrahedral shape from the distribution of the spines in 

 three areas. The filiform style is 17 mm. long. 



Near B. Prionitis L., but distinguished by the characteristic 

 setulffi on the bracts and sepals, and by its smaller flowers, and 

 markedly cuneate leaf-bases. In its foliage it resembles the 

 Abyssinian B. hypocraterifonnis Hochst. (which is generally con- 

 sidered as a synonym of B. Prionitis L.), but this is distinguished 

 by its glabrous bracts and sepals, and the greater size of the latter. 

 The flowers are also larger. 



Var. pumila. Suffrutex parva horrida, foliis dense hirsutulis. 



Hab. Okoto, Sept. 8th, 1894. 



7 cm. high. Almost cfespitose in habit. The small pungent 

 oblanceolate leaves (15 by 4 mm. or less) are thickly covered with 

 stiff adpressed white hairs. The thorns are 4-partite, 5-7 mm. 

 above the base. 



Barleria (§ Prionitis) Smithii, sp. nov. Frutex ramis tereti- 

 bus sparse et breviter pilosis, florentibus dichasia formantibus ; 

 foliis petiolatis, coriaceis, obovatis, vel orbiculari-obovatis, inter- 

 dum ovatis, vel ellipticis, saepius mucronatis, sparse pilosis ; spinis 

 axillaribus quadripartitis ; floribus decussantibus in spicis termi- 

 nalibus ordinatis ; bracteis foliaceis oblanceolatis apice pungenti- 

 bus, bracteolis rigidis subulatis ; floribus sessilibus, sepalis acutis 

 vel interdum obtusis, dorso pubescentibus exterioribus ovatis, in- 

 terioribus minoribus lauceolatis ; corollse coerulere tubo cylindrico, 

 lobo antico oblanceolato obtuso, ceteris subfequalibus basi connatis 

 superne obovatis, basi cuneatis apice obtusis ; staminodiis 2 minutis 

 antheras cassas gerentibus ; ovario pyriforme cum disco tenui alte 

 circumdato. 



No locality. 



Size of plant unknown, the specimens consisting only of broken- 

 off shoots 2'5 cm. long, branching to form dichasia. The main axis 

 ends in a flower-spike, beneath which springs a pair of shoots 

 having one or two leaf-bearing nodes, and then ending in a spike, 

 beneath which again are borne two similar shoots. The greatest 

 diameter of the shoot is 2-5 mm. The majority of the leaves are 

 more or less broadly ovate, and pass somewhat abruptly into the 

 slender petiole, which is 5 mm. long or less. The blade is generally 

 between 3 to 4 cm. long and 1.5 to 2-5 cm. broad. The axillary 

 spines are entire for 3 mm. above their insertion, and then divide 

 into two decussating pairs of needles 1*5 to 2 cm. long. The 

 flower-spikes are 6-8 cm. long. The bracts reach 2 cm. in length 

 by 8 mm. in breadth, the spine-like bracteoles 11 ram. The outer 



