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[Crown Copyright Reserved. 
‘ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW. 
BULLETIN 
"MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 
No. 6] [1916 
XXVII.—AFRICAN ANONACEAE. 
T. A. Spracgur and J. Hvutrcutnson. 
The great increase in our knowledge of the Tropical African 
flora since the publication of the first volume of the Flora of 
Tropical Africa is well illustrated by the family Anonaceae. In 
1868 only 13 genera and 59 species of Anonaceae were known 
from Tropical Africa, whereas in 1901 ihere were 23 genera 
ta 170 species recorded. At the present date 27 genera are 
Ww 
own. 
An illustrated monograph of African Anonaceae by Engler 
and Diels was published in 1901,* and supplementary papers 
by Diels appeared in 1907, 1908 and 1915.f Two new Tie 
were described by E. G. Baker in 1913,¢ and one by De Wilde- 
man in 1914. ; 
Whilst identifying the Anonaceae of a large collection re- 
ceived from Mr. N Thomas, Government Anthropologist, 
Sierra Leone, the writers experienced considerable difficulty in 
determining the more critical genera owing to the lack of a 
workable key. Engler and Diels have given a conspectus of the 
genera of Anonaceae arranged in sub-families, tribes and sub- 
tribes, but there is so little contrast in the characters of the 
stoups, that it is difficult to determine the genera in many cases. 
The key to the African genera given by Thonner|| has the same 
drawback, though to a less extent. An artificial key to the 
os Supplemented by a list of the less common characters and the 
genera in which they occur. 
. Engler, Monogr. Afr. Pfl. vol. vi. (1901) 
pp ‘ Engl. Jahrb. vol. xxxix. pp. 469-486 ; 
"Le. xli. pp. 328-829; Le. liii. 
t Catalogue of Talbot’s Nigerian Plants, pp. 2, 5 (1918). 
5 edde, Repert. vol. xiii. p. 383 : 
|| Die Bliitenpflanzen Afrikas, p. 218 (1908). 
(4474.) Wt. 71-798. 1,125, 7/16, J.T.&S., Ltd. @.14. 
