Plate 2473. 



CARDIOGYNE AFRICAKA, Bureau 



Urticacke. Tribe More^E- 



C. africana, Bureau in DC, Prodr, xvii. 233 ; Bailh Hist, KnL PI, 

 Madag. t, 294 ; frutex v. arbuscula snepe alte scandens, spinosus, foliis 

 petiolatis ellipticis obtusis iutegris v. apice minute eniarginatis subtus 

 canovelutinis parce pubescentibus v. glabratis, capitulis axillaribxis 

 solitariis v. geminatis rarius ternis, breviter pedunculatis, ^ perianthii 

 segmeutis obovatis, filamentis demum exsertis, ? perianthio clauso 

 turbinato apice velutino, ovario late elliptico corapresso, stylo recto, 

 periantliio fructifero obovoideo-turbinato glabro sed ore lobulato velu- 

 tino, pericarpio incluso obovoideo crustaceo la*vi nitente testa sepa- 

 rabili papyracea, embryone exalbuniinosocotyledonibus reflexis contorto- 

 plicatis radiculam superara vagiiiantibus. 



Hab. East Tropical Africa : Zanzibar, Rovuma, Zambesi, and 

 Shird Valleys, various localities, Boivin^ Sir J. Kirk^ and later 

 collectors. 



Hami laterales spepius spinescentibus, spinis rectis v. brevioribus 

 axillaribus aphyllis interdum plus minus recurvis. Folia in ramis 

 floriferis 1^-2^ poll, longa, 10-15 lin. lata; petioli 3-9 lin. longi. 

 Pedunculi 2-3 lin. longl. Capitula Jiorlfera globosa, \ poll. diam. ; 

 bracteoltO obovatee, v, late oblong^e, apice obtusa? leviter incrassatse, 

 albido-tomeiitellre. Capitula fructif era lignosaj 8-9 lin. diam. 



The stamens being inflexed in aestivation removes this interesting plant 

 from the tribe Artocarpepe, under which, in the genus Cudrania^ it 

 was first referred in this herbarium, and upon this character, asso- 

 ciated with free, not consolidated, pistillate flowers (in which latter 

 character it differs from Plecospermiiin) M, Bureau founded the 

 genus Cardioyyne^ of which this plant is the only described species. 

 Sir John Kirk first called attention to it thirty years ago in the 

 Journal of the Linnean Society^ ix. 229, as affording a yellow dye- 

 wood. The ripe heads of fruit are edible ; in dried specimens they are 

 indurated and woody. The fruit and seed, unknown to M. Bureau, 

 are here figured from Zambesi specimens, which we owe to Sir John 

 Kirk, The figure cited above, although a very artistic one, contains 

 exceedingly little botanical detail. — D, Oliver. 



Fig. 1. Bud, with bracteoles. 2, M^ile flower. 3. Perianth-lobe and ataman, 

 4, Portion of female flower — the inflated protuberances are reservoirs of colouring 

 matter. 5. Vertical section of female flower. 6. Seed. 7. Two views of embryo. 

 All €xcej>t 6 enlarged. 



