Laportea.] cxxiii». urticace^ (Rendle). 253 



blade, 3-iieivod at the base, with a few (up to 6) rather weak alternate 

 ascending lateral nerves above, 3-7 in. long, 2-3 in. wide, with 

 numerous dot-like cystoliths (especially above) and short appressed 

 hairs on both faces and larger hairs similar to those on the stem on 

 the veins beneath ; petiole slender, IJ— If in. long, rarely shorter, 

 hairy like the stem. United stipules membranous, broadly lanceo- 

 late, 2-fid, -} in. long, caducous. Male inflorescence not or scarcely 

 equalling the petioles ; peduncle short, J-IJ in. long, branches few, 

 spreading, bearing distinct or approximated sessile clusters of flowers ; 

 flower-buds 1 lin. in diam. ; flowers stalked and soon falling ; pedi- 

 cels up to 1-J lin. long ; perianth 4-partite, hispidulous. Female 

 inflorescence equal to or exceeding the leaves ; peduncle 2-4 in. 

 long, stout and densely beset with stinging hairs, dichotomously 

 paniculate, branches and branchlets short, spreading, pedicels ulti- 

 mately broadening to form wing-like lamelhe which are connate 

 below ; flower placed obliquely on the top of the pedicel. Inner 

 segments of perianth ovate, J lin. long, covering the ovary, but not 

 increasing in fruit, outer segments unequal, the upper concave about 

 half the length of the inner segments, the lower minute. Stigma 

 linear with an apical tuft, J lin. long. Achene flattened, obliquely 

 suborbicular, on a short reflexed stalk, brown with a narrow red- 

 brown margin, IJ lin. in diam., sides obscurely gramilato, bearing at 

 the apex the persistent deflected stigma. — Wedd. in DC. Prodr. xvi. 

 i. 79 ; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 193. 



Upper Guinea. Caraeioons : Cameroon Mountain, 7000 ft.. Maim, J97.'{ I 

 Nile Land. Uganda : Ruwenzori ; Kivata, Scott Elliot, 7739 ! sccoml day's 



march from Eldaraa Ravine, Whijte ! 



Mozamb. Distr. German East Africa: Kilimanjaro; Marangu, 6700 ft., 



Volkcns, 1495! 



Near the Himalayan species L. evitata, Wedd, 



The plant described by Engler [Jahrh. xxxiii. 123) as Girardinia t/Kin/inula 

 from the Cameroons (west of Buea, Preuss, 618) may be referable to the above. 

 I'he description agrees with this except for a slight difference in the leaves 

 which are ''oblong becoming narrowed above with a subacute ba.se.'' The 

 two obliquely obovate sepals of the female flower suggest Laportta but are 

 inconsistent with Qirardinia. 



5. URERA, Gaud. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 383. 



Flowers dia'cious in laxly panicled cymose clusters. Male-flowers : 

 Perianth deeply divided into 4 or 5 ovate concave lobes, which are 

 slightly imbricate in })ud, which is generalh' somewhat depressed. 

 (Stamens 4 or 5 ; rudimentary oxnvy present, generally in the form 

 of a shallow open cup on a short stalk. Female Howeis : Perianth 

 of 4 unequal segments, two larger lateral and two minute outer, or 

 bluntly 4-toothed or -lobed or sac-like, more or less completely en- 

 veloping the young ovary, Ovaiy ovoid, bearing a dense short sessile 

 penicillate stigma ; ovule erect from the base. Achene generally 

 slightly oblique, somewhat compressed, enveloped in the succulent 



