Spkcprocodon.] lxxxv. asclepiade^e (brown). 413 



quite glabrous on both sides, blackish-violet or bluckish-purple ; united 

 part (which scarcely forms a tube) | lin. long; lobes U, lin. long, 

 1 lin. broad, ascending, ovate-oblong, obtuse. Coronal-lo*bes arising 

 from the middle of the filamental part of the staminal-column, 

 ^ lin. long, compressed, incurved-erect, acute, somewhat resembling 

 the curved prickles of a rose. Staminal-column h lin. long, of which 

 :[ lin. belongs to the blackish-purple filament-part ; anthers erec-t^ 

 oblong, obtuse, with very narrow membranous sides to the upper part, 

 but no terminal appendage. Style not exceeding the anthers, 

 truncate or slightly depressed in the centre at the apex. 



liOwer Guinea. Angola: Amboella ; by the River t^iiito, below tlu' Hivor 

 Longii, 3700 ft,, Baum, 526 ! 



37. GYMNEMA, R. Br. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. 7 



C,'.). 



Calyx 5-partite. Corolla 5-lobed to the middle or beyond ; tube 

 campanulate ; lobes ascending or spreading, overlapping to the left in 

 bud. Corona arising from and adnate to the corolla-tube, either of ") 

 fleshy lobes adnate up to the mouth of the corolla- tube, with more or 

 less incurved tips, or of 5 pairs of fleshy ridges on the lower part of the 

 tube, alternating with the corolla-lobes, densely ciliate (always ?) 

 Staminal-column arising from the base of the corolla. Anthers short, 

 erect, w^ith short membranous appendages. Pollen-masses erect, 

 solitary in each anther-cell. Style often produced beyond the antheis. 

 Follicles smooth. Seeds crowned with a tuft of hairs. — Twining 

 shrubs, with opposite leaves. Umbels sublateral, often opposite. 

 Flowers small. 



Species several, distributed through the tropical and subtropic;il regions of the 

 Old World ; only one species that certainly belongs to this genus is known from 

 Tropical AtVica. Of the three others recorded, one \s Marsdenia Schitnperi, Decne.; 

 another is probably a Secamone • and the third does not belong lo the order. 



1. G. sylvestre, JR. Br. in Mem. Wern. Soc. i. 33. Stem 

 climbing, woody, 1-1 1^ lin. thick, shortly tomentose, as are also the 

 petioles, peduncles, bracts, pedicels and calyx. Leaves spreading; 

 petiole 3-10 lin. long; blade |-3 in. long, J-1 } in. broad, ovate, 

 elliptic, elliptic-ovate, or lanceolate-ovate, acute or shortly and rather 

 abruptly acuminate, varying from shortly and broadly cuneate to 

 rounded or cordate at the base, glabrous or pubescent (usually sparsely 

 so) above, undersurface varying through all stages from glabrous to 

 softly and densely pubescent. Umbels opposite, suhaxillary, peduncu- 

 late or sessile, ratlier densely many-flowered ; peduncles l-T) lin. long, 

 sometimes producing successive umbels or whorls of flowers ; pedicels 

 1-3 lin. long. Sepals 1 lin. long, elliptic-oblong, very obtut-e. ciliate. 

 Corolla 2 hn. in diam., glabrous; tube campanulate, J-1 lin. long; 

 lobes spreading-recurved, about as long as the tube, oblong-ovnte, 

 obtuse, fleshy, minutely ciliate, yellowish-white. Coronal-lobes fleshy, 

 channelled down the face, inserted on and adnate to the coiolla-tube. 



