54- URTICACEAE i6q 



8. Stigma more or less capitate. Perianth surrounding trie Iniit flosh v. bhrubs 



or trees, rarely undershrubs. — Species 20. Tropical and South-East 



Africa ' Urera Gaudich. 



Stigma linear or oblong 9 



9, Perianth of the female flowers reduced to a single, sometimes 2-parted, large 



segment, more rarely consisting of 2 unequal segments. Herbs with 

 punctiform cystoliths. — Species 3. Tropics. Girardinia Gaudich. 

 Perianth of the female flowers with 4 segments, of which i — 2 are some- 

 times rudimentary 10 



10. Cystoliths linear. Annual herbs. Fruit gibbous, as long as or longer than 



the perianth. — Species 7. South and Central Africa. They yield 



fibre and fish-poison. (Plate 32.) Fleurya Gaudich. 



Cystoliths punctiform. Perennial herbs or woody plants 11 



11. Fruit as long as or longer than the perianth, smooth. — Species 3. Central 



Africa. {I'riicastKum Heist.) Laportea Gaudich. 



Fruit much shorter than the membranous perianth. Shrubs. ■ — ■ Species 

 6. Madagascar, Mascarenes, East Africa .... Obetia Gaudich. 



12. (6.) Stigma penicillate. Perianth of the female flowers 3-partite, rarely 



4 — 5-partite or rudimentary, free from the ovary. Embryo with 

 orbicular or ovate cotyledons. Cystoliths linear. Herbs or under- 

 shrubs, rarely shrubs ; in this case leaves penninerved. Stipules 



connate. [Tribe PROCRIDEAE] 13 



Stigma filiform, rarely capitate and somewhat hairy, but then shrubs with 

 3-nerved leaves and perianth shortly toothed and adnate to the ovary. 

 Perianth of the female flowers 2- — 4-toothed, entire, or wanting. Embryo 

 with elliptical or oblong cotyledons. Cystoliths usually punctiform. 

 Mostly woody plants. [Tribe BOEHMERIEAE.] 16 



13. Leaves opposite, but sometimes the pairs consisting of unequal leaves. 



Herbs. 14 



Leaves alternate or subopposite, i.e., one leaf of each pair very small, 

 stipule-like 15 



14. Flowers on a disc- or bell-shaped receptacle. — Species i. Abyssinia. 



Lecanthus Wedd. 



Flowers in glomerules arranged ir panicles. — Species 35. Tropics. Some 



are used as vegetables or textile plants. {Adicea Rafin.) Pilea Lindl. 



15. Flowers on an expanded receptacle.. Perianth-segments of the female 



flowers linear or lanceolate. Herbs. Leaves unequal-sided. — Species 



15. Tropics Elatostema Forst. 



Flowers in glomerules or heads without an involucre. Perianth-segments 

 ovate. Shrubs or undershrubs. — Species 3. Tropics. Prociis Juss. 



16. Female flowers without a perianth. Stigma filiform. Shrubs. Leaves 



alternate. Flowers in axillary glomerules. ■ — Species i. Xaturahzed 



on the Island of Mauritius Phenax Wedd. 



Female flowers with a perianth 17 



