28 111. AN ONAGER (OLIVER). \_^rtabol7'ys, 



lated above the cells. Torus plano-convex. Carpels indefinite; stigma 

 various, usually ovate or linear-oblong ; ovules geminate, erect. Fruit-car- 

 pels usually ellipsoidal oblong or obovate, 1- or 2-seeded. 



Climbing or scrambling shrubs, with glabrous or glabresceut leaves. Flowers solitary 

 fascicled or crowded upon woody, often stout, and almost invariably more or less sharply- 

 hooked peduncles, which are often leaf-opposed or opposite to lateral branches. 



A genus nearly confined to the tropics of Asia and Africa, generally easily recognized by 

 its characteristic hooked peduncles. None of the African species have been identified with 

 Asiatic ones. 



Leaves large. Peduncle stout, many-flowered. Pedicels about 2 

 lines. Sepals broadly ovate, shortly acuminate. Petals oblong- 

 lanceolate, about twice as long as the sepals \. A. macrophylla. 



Peduncles with crowded, drooping, narrow flowers on pedicels ^-f in. 

 long. Sepals minute. Petals linear or tapering, many times ex- 

 ceeding the sepals, inner trigonous, concave at the base. Fruit- 

 carpels shortly pointed 2. A. Thomsoni. 



Peduncles 1-, 2-, several-flowered. Pedicels ^-1 in. Sepals broadly 

 oval or oblanceolate-elliptical. Petals nearly equalling the sepals, 

 more or less broadly ovate, rather obtuse or shortly pointed. Fruit- 

 carpels obtuse 3. A. hrachypetala. 



1. A. macrophylla, Hook.f. Tl. Nig. 207. A small, glabrous tree, 

 with large, broadly-elliptical leaves, rounded at the base, and shortly acu- 

 minate, 7-10 in. long, 5-6 in. broad. Petiole 3-4 lines. Peduncle recurved, 

 branched, about 2 in. Pedicels thick, with small, deciduous, ovate bracteoles. 

 Flowers small. Sepals pilose-pubescent externally. Petals 6, subequal. 



Upper Guinea. Fernando Po, T. Vogel ! 



I have seen only imperfect flowering specimens of this plant, and no fruit. 



2. A. Thomsoni, Oliv. A large climber. Glabrous, or the young 

 shoots with few, scattered hairs. Leaves coriaceous, oblong-elliptical, very 

 shortly or scarcely obtusely acuminate, rounded or obtuse at the base, with 

 prominent midrib and lateral nerves beneath, glabrescent or glabrous, except 

 the sometimes rusty-pubescent midrib, rather shining above, glabrous below, 

 4-8 in. long, 2-3 in. broad. Petiole 1-3 lines. Peduncles woody, re- 

 curved, extra-axillary. Pedicels bearing a small bracteole about or below the 

 middfe. Flowers reddish-brown, |— | in. long. Calyx very small, about 2 

 lines across. Sepals broadly ovate, acute. Petals free, linear, narrow, 3 

 outer rather longer, dilated and concave at the base, rusty-pilose, with ap- 

 pressed hairs outside, 3 inner trigonous, with a concave recess around the 

 genitalia. Stamens minute, closely crowded ; anthers sessile or subsessile, 

 the cells lateral, parallel, or slightly converging below, the connective dilated 

 into an ovate or roundish, incurved, shovel-like appendage, as large or larger 

 than the rest of the anther. Ovary slightly pilose above, with a pair of 

 erect ovules ; stigma various, ovate oblong or laterally dilated below. Fruit- 

 carpels numerous, ellipsoidal, nearly glabrous, 1-seeded, 6-8 lines long, on 

 stipes of about the same length or longer. 



Upper Guinea. Old Calabar river, Thomson ! 



3. A. brachjrpetala, Benth. in Linn. Trans, xxiii. 467. Climbing shrub, 

 the young shoots pubescent. Leaves coriaceous, elliptical or obovate-ellip- 



