Urera.] cxxiiid. frticace.^ (Rcndle). 265 



branches. Leaves in clusters at the ends of the branches, with 

 fairly long petioles, grossly toothed, up to G in. long, surface rough 

 with brittle transparent stinging hairs. 



Lower Guinea. Damaraland : Wat<'rlK'rg, Dinter. 



Possibly not congeneric. 



6. GIRARDINIA, Gaud. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 384. 



Flowers dioecious or monoecious, densely spicate. Male flowers : 

 Perianth 4-5-partite, lobes ovate, concave, valvate in bud ; bud 

 depressed. Stamens 4-5. Ovary rudimentary. Female flowers : 

 Perianth consisting of a broad very concave posterior portion denti- 

 culate at the apex which surrounds the ovary, and a small slender 

 hair-like transitory anterior portion. Ovary straight ; stigma long, 

 subulate to filiform, partialh' persistent ; ovule erect from the base. 

 Achene rounded, much compressed, furnished at the base with the 

 slightly enlarged and thickened persistent perianth ; pericarp with a 

 thin dark membranous outer coat, and a white horny inner coat. 

 Seed-coat thin, membranous, brown ; albumen very scanty ; coty- 

 ledons rounded, emarginate.— -Tall erect herbs, armed with strong 

 stinging hairs. Leaves large, alternate, petioled, grossly serrate or 

 lobed, 3-nerved. Stipules connate into a single broad entire or 2-fid 

 structure, caducous. Liflorescences axillary, generally solitary in 

 the leaf-axils ; male flowers crowded in clusters on a simple or forked 

 or paniculately branched axis ; female flowers densely crowded in 

 unilateral cymes on the short branchlets, becoming stout and very 

 densely crowded in fruit and copiously armed with stinging hairs. 



Species 5 or 6 ; in Asia, Tropical Africa and Madagascar. 



I^eaves bullate, with margin cut into numerous short 



triangular grossly serrate lobes ... ... ... 1. G. Jnillosn. 



Leaves ovate to 3 -lobed, margin serrate to grossly 



serrate ... 2. G. condenmia. 



1. G. bullosa, Wedd. in Ann. Sci. Nat. ime ser. i. 181. A large 

 herb, monoecious or dioecious ; branches stout, hollow, hispiduloua 

 and densely beset with strong whitish spreading or recurved stinging 

 hairs. Leaves large, rotund-ovate, apex shortly acuminate, base 

 cordate or truncate, margin cut into numerous short triangular 

 grossly serrate lobes, 3-nerved at the base, with 4-5 somewhat ascend- 

 ing conspicuous nerves above on each side, spaces between the nerves 

 occupied by an elaborate conspicuous network of veias, ^-li ft. 

 long and about as wide ; upper face dark green when dry, bullate, 

 with scattered large stinging hairs and smaller appressed whitish 

 stiff hairs ; under face with strong stinging hairs on the nerves, and 

 tomentose from the soft hairs on the veins ; petiole 2-8 in. long, 

 stout, hairy like the leaf-nerves. United stipules broadly elliptic, 



