Myrmnfhus.] cxxiii^'. morace.15 (Rendle] 



231 



1. M. (irhotrus. 



M. gracilis. 

 M. rU^avs. 



branches of tlie last few grades which they generally cover with a 

 continuous mass ; bracteoles associated with the flowers somewhat 

 similar to but narrower than tlie perianth-segments. Female : 

 Peduncle short, bearing a spherical head of crowded flowers, among 

 which are narrower shorter bracteoles ; peduncle incrensing in length 

 and thickness in fruit. 



S|)epics JO in Tropical Africa, chiclly western. 



Perianth of the female flower becoming thicker above. 



Receptacle much enlarged in fruit (Sect. Eumy- 



rianthus). 



Male flowers moiv or leas completely covering the 



short branchlets of the ultimate grad(\s of the 



inflorescence. Leaves witli 5-7 leaflets. 



fjcaflcts sessile or subsessile ; a tre(> 



licaflets distinctly stalked ; a shrub or small tree. 

 fxjaf- margin sharply serrate -dentate* ... 



Leaf-margin entire 



Median leaflet shortly stalked, the others sessile. . . 



Male flowers in subglobose clusters which do not 

 coalesce to form a continuous covering of the 

 branchlets of the inflorescence ... 



Perianth of the female flower ovoid, ta^x^ring above. 

 Receptacle only slightly enlarged in fruit (Sect. 

 Dicranostachys). 

 Leaves entire or .*i-lobcd (sometimes divided into 

 sessile or subsessile leaflets in M. HoUtii). 

 Branchlets of male inflorescence of highest grades 

 covered with a continuous mass of flowers. 

 Female flowers 7-15. Western sj^ecies. 

 A tree ; leaf-base acute to obtuse 



\ shrub or small tree ; leaf wedge-sha))ed 

 below, with truncate base 

 Female flowers 20 or more. Eastern spt^cies ... 



Male flowers in oblong or roundish clusters on 

 the ultimat<? branchlets 



Leaves with 5-8 distinctly stalked leaflets 



'J'he species numbered 2 to 5 are ba.sed on material from male plants only ; I 

 have seen no specimens and have followed the authors of the sjx^cies in including 

 them in the section Evtnf/rianthvs. 



4. M. Lavrrvtli. 



5. I\f. P)rv^;ili 



1. M. arboreus, P. Beauv. Fh Oivar. i. 17, /. 11. A small or large 

 tree 6|-65 or 80 ft. high,—" 20-25 ft. high, with the trunk 1 J-2 ft. 

 in diam. at the base, branching shortly above the base, with spread- 

 ing branches " (Welwitsch) ; branchlets and petioles bearing soft 

 short hairs with longer hairs intermixed, branchlets cylindrical, inter- 

 nodes lJ-2 in. long, ^— 1 J in. thick, when young containing a soft pith 

 in which as in the primary cortex are solitary large mucilage cells, 

 ultimately hollow and inhabited by ants which penetrate by means 

 of small openings. Leaves generally with 5-7 leaflets ; leaflets 

 subcoriaceous, sessile, subsessile or shortly stalked, lanceolate 



