137- RHAMNACEAE — I38. VITACEAE 345 



14. Ovary 2-celled. Style 2-cleft. Fruit with a long wing-like appendage, 



dry, i-seeded, indehiscent. Climbing shrubs. Leaves alternate. — 

 Species 3. Madagascar and neighbouring islands, West Africa. They 

 yield fibres, tanning and dyeing materials, and medicaments. (Plate 88.) 



Ventilago Gaertn. 



Ovary 3-celled. Style 3-cleft or 3-parted. Fruit not winged, 3-seeded. 



Erect or almost erect, hairy shrubs or trees. Leaves opposite. Flowers 



in lateral inflorescences. — Species 6. Tropics. Lasiodiscus Hook. fil. 



15. (9.) Style simple, sometimes very short, with i — 3 stigmas. Fruit separat- 



ing into 3 dehiscing mericarps. Seed-coat hard. Hairy plants. Leaves 

 alternate, entire, nearly always exstipulate. Flowers solitary or in 

 spikes, racemes, or heads. — Species 80. South Africa, southern 

 Central Africa, Madagascar and the neighbouring islands. Some are 



used as ornamental plants Phylica L. 



Style 2— 4-cleft. Leaves stipulate. Flowers in cymes sometimes arranged 

 in false spikes or racemes, very rarely flowers solitary 16 



16. Receptacle top-shaped, not prolonged beyond the ovary. Fruit separating 



into 3 elastically dehiscent mericarps. Erect shrubs or low trees. 

 Leaves alternate, 3-nerved at the base, serrate. Flowers in axillary 

 cymes. • — Species i. East and South-east Africa, including the islands. 



Colubrina Brongn. 

 Receptacle prolonged beyond the ovary 17 



17. Stem tree-like. Leaves opposite, entire, penninerved, hairy beneath. 



Flowers in axillary cymes. Anthers dehiscing by longitudinal slits 

 which are confluent at the apex. Fruit separating into dehiscent 

 mericarps ; epicarp somewhat fleshy. — Species i. Island of St. 



Helena Nesiota Hook. fil. 



Stem shrubby, half-shrubby, or climbing. Leaves alternate. Flowers in 

 axillar}^ and terminal inflorescences 18 



18. Stem not climbing, without tendrils. Leaves few, lanceolate, entire. 



Flowers solitary or in few-flowered cymes. — Species i. South Africa 



(Betchuanaland) Marlothia Engl. 



Stem climbing, bearing tendrils. Leaves oval. Flowers in usually many- 

 flowered cymes, false spikes, or panicles. Mericarps 3, separating from 

 a central column 19 



19. Flowers in cymes. Disc entire. Fruit wingless ; mericarps dehiscing 



elastically. Leaves entire, penninerved. — Species 3. Tropical and 



South Africa Helinus E. Mey. 



Flowers in false spikes or racemes. Disc usually lobed. Fruit 3-winged ; 

 mericarps dehiscing b}^ a narrow slit or indehiscent. — Species 12. 

 Tropics. Some are used medicinally Gouania L. 



FAMILY 138. VITACEAE. 



Shrubs or trees, usually climbing, rarely {Cisstis) herbs or undershrubs. 

 Leaves alternate, stipulate. Flowers regular, in cymose inflorescences. Calyx 



