Pilea.] cxxiiii). URTiCACEyE (Reiidlc). 269 



generally in pairs in the leaf-axils, rather shortly stalked, spreading, 

 up to 2 in. long including the peduncle (up to § in.), the male larger 

 than the female which do not exceed the petiole of the larger leaf. 

 Male flowers in dense subglobular clusters on the branchlets, about 

 J in. in diam., subsessile (pedicel shorter than the flower), bud 

 globular, ^ lin. in diam., perianth 2-partite, segments broadly con- 

 cave with a short blunt apical mucro ; stamens 2. Female flowers 

 in smaller clusters than the male, barely exceeding 1 lin. in diam. ; 

 median segment oblong, shortly and somewhat acutely hooded, half 

 as long again as the ovate lateral segments, and not equalling the 

 smooth broadlv ovate achene which is about ^ lin. long. — Henri(]ues 

 in Bolet. Soc Brot. x. 163. 



Lower Guinea. Island of St. Thomas, Maim, 10(33 ! Mollcr d; QuiiUasl 



Pilea microphylki, Liebin. [P. iniiscosa, Lindl.), a conunoii tropical American 

 species, which has been introduced into several localities in India and China, has 

 been sent from Zanzibar by R. H. Lyne. 



2. P. ceratomera, Wedd. in DC. Prodr. xvi. i. 132. Dioecious or 

 sometimes mona'cious. Stem creeping and rooting below, then 

 erect, generally simple, or with erect branches from the lower nodes, 

 6 in. to 2 ft. high, 1-2 lin. thick, lower nodes becoming bare, glabrous. 

 Leaves of a pair nearly equal, broadly ovate, acuminate, base very 

 obtuse to almost truncate, sometimes rounded, margin crenate- 

 serrate above the base which is 3-nerved, the two side nerves running 

 to about the middle. 1-2 in. long, f-li in. wide, membranous when 

 dry, glabrous or with scattered appressed white hairs on the veins 

 beneath, with generally numerous inconspicuous fusiform cystoliths 

 on both faces ; petiole slender, ^-2^ in. long, generally shorter but 

 sometimes longer than the blade. Stipules ovate-elliptic, a})ex 

 rounded, i-Jin. long, brown and scarious when dry, sometimes lasting 

 as long as or rarely longer than the leaf. Inflorescences forming a 

 dense sessile head at the upper nodes, the })air at each node becoming 

 confluent, nmch shorter than the petioles, 1-sexual or the u])p('r 

 sometimes 2-sexual. Male flower about I lin. long, pedicel nearly 

 as long ; perianth 3-partite, segments elliptic-obovate with a horn- 

 like process beneath the short bluntly ligulate apex about J lin. long. 

 Female flower with 3 subequal broadly ovate-elliptic segments a 

 little shorter than the achene and bearing a subapical process as in 

 the male J lin. or less in length ; staminodes bluntly ovate, varving in 

 length. Achene compressed-ovate, with narrowly winged margin, 

 1 lin. long, bearing when ripe minute slender stiff trans})arcnt cuti- 

 cular processes, especially on the margin. — Engl. PH. Ost-Afr. C. 

 163. P. macrodonta, Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. xx. 260. 

 P. n. sp., Henriques, I.e. 



Upper Gxiinea. Fernando Po : Clarence Peak, 4tX)0 ft., Mann, G2() ! Canir- 

 roons : Cameroon Mountain, 7000-8000 ft., 3/anw, 2011 ! JohnMon, GG ! Mild 

 braed, 3437 ; Buea, Prcu8f<, 1)57 I 



