albumen in the seeds of Landolphia, and the absence of albumen in 



those of Carpodinus, and by the cymes being terminal in Landolphia, 

 and axillary in Carpodinus. These definitions require correction. 

 The position of the stamens in the species generally admitted as belong- 

 ing to Landolphia varies from almost basal to apical, and the seeds of 

 both genera are albuminous in all the species examined ; the albumen 

 is horny, and the cotyledons very thin and broad, occupying a 

 plane central cavity. The third character, however, divides the species 

 under consideration into two fairly easily recognisable groups, one 

 having only terminal (or pseudo-axillary), and the other having mainly 

 axillary inflorescences. The species belonging to the first group repre- 

 sent what is generally recognised as the genus Landolphia, whilst the 

 others correspond to the genus Carpodinus. Nor is this division purely 

 artificial ; for the characters afforded by the position of the inflorescence 

 are always associated with certain conditions in the structure of the 

 flowers, although they are not so conspicuous or so well defined. In 

 Landolphia the style is generally rather short, in Carpodinus always 

 long. As the anthers surround the stigma in both genera, and the 

 filaments are short, this determines the relative position of the stamens 

 in the tube, so that in Landolphia the stamens are inserted near the 

 base of the tube, where the corolla tube is long, but more or less 

 towards the mouth of the tube, where the corolla tube is short ; whilst, on 

 the other hand, the insertion is always near the top in Carpodinus. A 

 further distinctive character is offered by the inflorescence, those of 

 Landolphia being, on the whole, profusely ramified and many-flow r ered, 

 as compared with the usually very reduced and few to 1 -flowered 

 cymes of Carpodinus. Similar relations seem to exist with respect to 

 the number of seeds, Landolphia producing more numerous seeds in 

 each fruit than Carpodinus ; but here the observations are still too few 

 to allow a definite conclusion. With the generic diagnoses of Landol- 

 phia and Carpodinus thus revised it seems to be preferable to transfer 

 C&rpodinus calabaricus, Stapf, to Landolphia, and, indeed, specimens 

 belonging to this species have since been described as L. ? bracteata by 

 Dewevre. The inflorescences are always terminal (or pseudo-axillary) 

 in this species ; the style, however, is rather long for Landolphia, and 

 the stamens are inserted at the middle of the slender tube. — O. Stapf. 



Fig. 1 a flower; 2, calyx-lobes from the inside to show absence of glands ; 3, 

 corolla laid open ; 4 stamens ; 5, pistil ; 6, cross section of ovary. All enlarged. 



