Parietaria.'] cxxiiid. URTiCACEiE (Rendle). 297 



into the long-acuminate tip, base rounded, sometimes emarginate, 

 margin entire, varying very much in size from 1-3 in. long, \-\\ in. 

 wide, 3-nerved, the lateral nerves ascending and running to about 

 the middle of the leaf and parallel with the upper lateral nerves 

 (one on each side), thinly membranous when dry, dark green above, 

 paler beneath, a few appressed stiff white hairs above and dott<'d 

 with numerous cystoliths, sparsely hairy beneath mainly on the 

 slender scarcely prominent nerves ; petiole very slender, channelled, 

 shorter than the blade, from less than J to \% in. long, minutely 

 hairy along the channel. Cymules androgynous, in pairs in the 

 leaf-axils, densely to laxly many-flowered ; bracts linear-oblong to 

 oblong, subacute, not exceeding the mature male flowers, hairy on 

 back and margin. Flowers sessile or subsessile. Male perianth 

 4- (rarely 3-) partite for about two-thirds of its length, 1 lin. in diam. 

 in opening bud ; segments ovate, white with greenish acute recurved 

 tip, puberulous on back ; ovary-rudiment small. Female perianth 

 ovoid, puberulous, about J lin. long ; style short, filiform ; stigma 

 protruding between the tips of the perianth-segments. Achene 

 ovate-apiculate, barely 1 lin. long, polished brown, included in the 

 ovoid brown perianth which separates into 4 lanceolate acute seg- 

 ments each with a conspicuous midvein. — Under P. mauninnicu, 

 Durieu, var. a erecta, Wedd. in DC. Prodr. xvi. i. 235^^ Hook. f. in 

 Journ. Linn. Soc. vii. 215 ; Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 194. 



Upper Guinea. Fernando Po : Clarence Peak, at 8000 ft., Mann, 013! 

 Cameroons : Cameroon Mountain, 7000-8000 ft.. Mann, 1230 ! 2013 ! JohnMon, 

 (K) ! Mildbraed, 3434 ; Mfonga, Mati slope, 5500-G200 ft., Ledermann, 5895. 



Nile Land. Ruwenzori : Kivata Forest, 7000-8000 ft., Scott Elliot, IISO ! 



Differs from the Mediterranean species P. mauritanica, Durieu, with which it 

 has been hitherto associated, in the climbing habit and in the jx^rsistent female 

 perianth which retains its original ovoid form and does not become elongated 

 and tubular as in P. mauritanica. 1 have not seen an authentic s}>ecimen of 

 Engler's P. laxiflora, which is described from the Cameroons, the specimens are 

 small but I think conspecific with those I have seen from the collectors cited. 



2. P. ruwenzoriensis, Cortesi in Arm. di Bot. Roma, vi. 535. 

 An annual or perennial branching herb ; stems sometimes woody 

 below, ultimately climbing to about 3 ft. high ; branches slender, 

 elongated, with ascending branchlets, younger portions pubescent, 

 glabrous below ; internodes |-1 J in. long on the branches, 3-5 lin. long 

 on the branchlets. Leaves ovate, shortly acuminate, extreme apex 

 obtuse, base rounded, sometimes emarginate, margin entire, J-H in. 

 long, J-1 in. wide, much smaller on the branchlets. sparsely hairy 

 above and dotted with numerous minute cystoliths, pubescent 

 beneath and hairy on the prominent nerves ; petiole slender, 

 varying in length, generally about half as long as the blade and 

 never exceeding it, to IJ in. long, hairy. Cymules short, dense, 

 3-7-flowered ; bracts linear or linear-lanceolate, acute, shorter 

 than or almost equal to the male perianth. Male or ? flowers 



