200 Lxxxv. ASCLEPiADE.E (brown). [^Tocazzea. 



1). TACAZZEA, Decne. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. 745. 



Calyx 5-partite. Corolla 5-lobed almost to the base, rotate or 

 campanulate ; lobes overlapping and often slightly twisted to the left. 

 Corona of 5 lobes, arising from the corolla at the base of the stamens 

 and often shortly adnate to their filaments, alternating with the corolla- 

 lobes, filiform or linear, simple or divided above into 2 or i-> filiform 

 se^^ments. Stamens inserted at or near the base of the corolla ; fila- 

 ments free above, usually more or less combined at their base with 

 an inner series of 5 minute subquadrate emarginate or bifid alter- 

 nating lobules into a ring or very short tube ; anthers attached at 

 their base to the dilated part of the style, and connivent over it in 

 a cone, with cohering tips, glabrous. Pollen granular. Style shorter 

 than the anthers, conical at the apex. Follicles diverging. Seeds 

 crowned with a tuft of hairs. — Twining or erect shrubs with milky 

 juice. Leaves opposite or whorled. Stipules usually represented by a 

 transverse line connecting the petioles, i-arely toothed. Flowers small, 

 in axillary, paniculate or corymbose cymes, usually from both axils. — 

 Leptoixetia, Harvey, Gen. South Afr. PI. ed. 2, 231. jEchmolejns, 

 IJecne. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. 741. 



Species about 14, confined to Tropical and South Africa. 



Tlie fiowers of most of the species are very similar in appearance and structure, 

 and it is difficult to obtain distinctive characters from them. In most of the species 

 the veins of the leaves are densely reticulate, and the midrib often has a series of appa- 

 rently fleshy processes or fjlands scattered along the u])per side. Tacazzea is very closely 

 related to Feri))loca and RapJiionacme, anil technically can only be distinguished 

 f I oni the former by the gbsbrons anthers. The tleshy processes on the midrib, however, 

 do not occur in Periploca. In Ik'iitham & Hooker's Genera Plantarum, Tacazzea \s 

 said to differ fi-om Periploca by the iufiorescence arising Irom both axils of the opposite 

 leaves, whilst in Periploca it arises from c^ne axil only ; hut this character does not 

 liold good, as 3 out of the 10 or 11 species of Periploca have cymes arising from 

 both axils, whilst in Tacazzea they sometimes arise from one axil only of each pair 

 of leaves. Tlie liabit and taller and more woody stems of Tacazzea readily dis- 

 tinguish it from Papliionacme, besides which, the shoit united part of the corolla 

 does not form a distinct campaimlate tube as in Raphionacme • in the latter genus, 

 however, there are one or two species without a aistinctly campanulate tube to the 

 coi-olla, and then there is nothing but habit to distinguisli the two genera ; this is so 

 distinct, however, that once pi'operly recognised, it can never be mistaken. 

 Leaves linear or linear-lanceolate. 



Leaves less than 1 lin. broad; coronal-lobes divided 



into 3 long filaments . . . . . 1. T. africana. 



Leaves 3-4 lin. broad ; coronal-lobes subulate, un- 

 divided, short . . . . . . 4:. T. rosmarinifoUa. 



Leaves not linear nor linear-lanceolHte, varying from 

 ;|-4 in. broad. 

 Leaves of the exceedingly short lateral flowering 

 shoots fascicled, small, partly concealing the 

 small 1-4-flow'ered cymes . . . . 2. T. voluhilis. 



Leaves of the flowering shoots in distant pairs or 

 whorls, of moderate size or large ; cymes or 

 panicles 6- to many-flowered. 



