266 
utrinsecus 6-9; petioli 1-1-5 cm. longi. Flores in racemos 
spiciformes multifloros valde densifloros dispositi, pedicellis 
tenuibus; racemi in apice ramorum vel in foliorum axillis 
collecti; bracteae ovatae, mox deciduae, 1-2 mm. longae ; 
bracteolae minutissimae, dense pilosae ; rachis minutissime pilosa. 
Sepala rotundata, ciliolata, 2 mm. longa. Petala (matura non 
visa) apice parce pilosa, squamis minutis basi petalorum ad setas 
fere reductis. Stamina 5. Ovarium apice in stylum brevem 
crassum in ramos 3 divisum. 
TropicaL Arrica. Ivory Coast; Vallée de l Agineby, 
Kapiécrou, Chevalier 16182, 16182 bis. 
Camptostylus Gilg. As suggested by Gilg (Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 
40: 451) Mann’s specimen No. 1196 from the Cameroons 
described by Oliver (Flor. Trop. Afr. 1: 118) as Oncoba ovalis 
must be referred to this genus and becomes Camptostylus ovalis 
Chipp, comb. nov. C. caudatus Gilg. from the same locality must 
be regarded as a synonym. 
Caloncoba Gilg. 
C. ficifolia Chipp, comb. nov. Oncoba ficifolia Gilg. 
Flacourtia Commers. 
In view of the considerable difficulty experienced in defining 
the species described, it appears better to regard the Upper 
Guinea material generally as belonging to F. flavescens Wild., 
and a second species F. Vogelii Hook. f. comprising the Nigerian 
material with markedly fine parallel veins in the leaves. 
#. Ramontchi L’Herit., was based on a Madagascar plant. 
_— 
XXIV.—PITA AND SILK GRASS. 
C. H. Wricur. 
A considerable amount of public attention has recently been 
directed to the fibre-yielding plants of Central and South America, 
and from enquiries received it has been evident that a good deal. 
of misunderstanding prevails in respect of the vernacular name 
“Pita,” and its compounds Pita de Colombia, Pita del Opon 
and Pita floja. The term Pita, which is found in early botanical 
works dealing with that part of the world, is a Spanish word 
applied generally to fibre-yielding plants of the nature of the 
Agave, and even to the prepared fibre itself. Its local application 
has been extremely wide, and has embraced Ananas sativus 
Schult, (+)(3) and many fibre-yielding members of the family 
Bromeliaceae, and also many species of Agave.(?)(#)(4) In some 
(1) Mart. Fl. Bras III. iii. 290 (1892). 
(?) Corres, Flora de Colombia, p. 256 (1897). 
(*) Kew Bulletin, Add. Ser. XI., General Index. 
(*) J. R. Drummond and D. Prain. The Agricultural Ledger, Calcutta, 
