liwcreu.cia.] lxxxv. asclepiade^ (buown). 40') 



45. RIOCBEUXIA, Decne. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. 780. 



Calyx 5-partite. Corolla tubular, more or less inflated at the base, 

 straight, 5-lobed ; lobes linear, erect, connate at their tips, very slightly 

 overlapping to the left in bud, not strictly valvate. Corona double, 

 arising from the staminal-coiumn ; outer corona of 5 small spreading 

 bifid lobes, alternating with the anthers or united into a spreading 

 10-toothed frill-like ring; inner corona of 5 linear or shortly oblong 

 lobes, erect and closely applied to the backs of the anthers, sometimes 

 longer than the anthers and connivent over them. Staminal-coiumn 

 arising from or near the bottom of the corolla-tube, very short and 

 together with the corona included in the inflated part of the corolla; 

 anthers erect, oblong, terminated by a small, somewhat fleshy appen- 

 dage. Pollen-masses erect, pellucid at the apex, solitary in each anther- 

 cell, attached slightly below their middle in pairs to the pollen-carriers 

 by exceedingly short caudicles. Style not exceeding the anthers, trun- 

 cate at the apex. Follicles linear-fusiform, acuminate, usually more or 

 less beaded, from being constricted between the seeds, smooth. Seeds 

 crowned with a tuft of hairs. — Tuberous rooted perennials with annual 

 twining stems several feet in length. Leaves opposite, cordate. Inflor- 

 escence lateral at the nodes, consisting either of a cymose panicle with the 

 flowers in few- or many-flowered sessile umbels racemosely arranged 

 along the branches, or of 2 or more sessile umbels racemosely arranged 

 along a single peduncle, and often with a sessile umbel at the node itself. 

 Flowers usually numerous, of moderate size. 

 Species few, chiefly natives of South Africa. 



This genus is closely allied to Ceroper/ia, and only differs in the character of i t 

 inflorescence. 



Stem pubescent along one line alternating at the 



nodes; inner coronal-lobes longer than the anthers. 1. R. profusa. 



Stem villous ; inner coronal-lobes shorter than the 



anthers . . . . . . . . 2. i2. splendida. 



1. R. profusa, i\^. £. Br. in Kew Bulletin, 1895, 2(10. 

 Stem twining, |-1J lin. thick, pubescent along one line alterna- 

 ting at the nodes, otherwise glabrous. Leaves spreading ; petiole 1-2 A 

 in. long, pubescent; blade 2|--5i in. long, l|-4 in. broad, cordate-ovate 

 or elliptic-ovate, shortly cuspidate, acute or acuminate, deeply cordate 

 at the base, with a broad subtruncate sinus between the semiorbicular 

 incurved or overlapping basal-lobes, palmately 7-nerved, denuded along 

 the basal nerves at the sinus, thinly and rather minutely pubescent on 

 both sides or nearly glabrous above. Cymes large, glabrous, divided at 

 their origin into 2-3 branches from J-7 in. long, which are dichoto- 

 mously or trichotomously branched and bearseveral umbel-like cymulos of 

 3-4 flowers; bracts subulate ^-1 lin. long,; pedicels ^-U in. long, 

 slender, glabrous. Sepals 1| lin. long, lanceolate, acuminate, glabrous. 

 Corolla 7-8J lin. long, glabrous outside and within ; tube \-h\ lin. long, 

 subcylindric or slightly inflated at the base ; lobes o-ol lin. long, linear- 

 lanceolate, attenuate-acute, erect, connate at the tips, apparently orange- 



