132 XV. POLYGALE^ (oliver). {Polygola. 



outer sepals or flowers sessile ; bracts caducous. Wing-sepals obovate to 

 orbicular, very faintly 3-uerved, the nervures soon dying out. Lateral petals 

 obliquely ovate-lanceolate. Capsule nearly orbicular, scarcely notched, sub- 

 glabrous. - Seeds without a distinct strophiole, shortly hairy, the hairs loose, 

 with circinate-capitate tips in the Angola specimens, as noticed first by 

 Dr. Welwitsch. 



Upper Guinea. Senegarabia, Perrottet ! 



"Lto-wer Guinea. Angola, provs. Pungo Andongo (flowers cream-colonred) and Huilla 

 (flowers rose or purple), Dr. Welmtsch ! Also iu Cape Verde Islands, according to Webb. 



16. P. acicularis, Oliv. A glabrous shrub with stout rigid branches 

 bearing somewhat tufted, erect, leafy twigs terminating in short rigid ra- 

 cemes. Leaves acerose or very narrow-linear, numerous, scattered or in 

 fascicles of 3-4, rather pungent, midrib depressed above, prominent beneath 

 in the acicular form-, f-2 in. long. Racemes erect terminal or on tufted 

 lateral rigid ramuli. Pedicels much shorter than the outer sepals or flowers 

 subsessile ; bracts caducous. Anterior sepals connate, 2-dentate. Lateral 

 petals obovate or rotundate. Wing-sepals obovate-oblong, faintly nerved, 

 deciduous with the corolla. Capsule elliptical or obovate, narrowly notched 

 or emarginate, glabrous ; stigma circinate with a membranous wing. 



Nile Land. Near Madi, "White Nile, Speke and Grant ! 

 (? Quorra, Barter, a very imperfect specimen.) 



17. P. guineensis, Willd. ; DC. Prod. i. 332 {Fl. Nlgrit. 223). A 

 very slender, erect, forking, glabrous annual attaining 2-3 ft. with striate 

 stem and scattered filiform leaves -|-1 in. long. Flowers small, orange and 

 red, secund, in slender terminal racemes, sometimes distant; pedicels slender 

 below, subclavate, patent or deflexed, equalling the outer sepals, the two an- 

 terior of which are connate and 2-fid ; bracts caducous. Wing-sepals obo- 

 vate, ranch narrowed below, deciduous. Lateral petals rotundate. Capsule 

 obovate-oblong with a broad triangular notch very conspicuous in the half- 

 ripe fruit. 



Upper Guinea. Niger, Ansell! Barter! 



Willdeuow's description is much {oo brief to enable me to identify this plant certainly. 

 Schumacher and Thonning, who take up the same name in their Beskr. Guin. Planter, 

 describe their plant as with ' perianthium triphyllum,' and do not refer to the cohesion of 

 the anterior sepals. It is possible, therefore, that they had a different plant in view. 



18. P. rarifolia, DC. Prod. i. 332 {ex descr.); Fl. Nigrit. 222. 

 Shrubby, with slender, erect, glabrous branches strongly ridged when dry. 

 Leaves scattered, often remote, veiy narrows-linear or filiform, erect or ap- 

 pressed, :|-2 in. long, |-2 lines broad. Flow^ers glabrous or pilose, in ter- 

 minal, erect racemes ; pedicels spreading, equalling or shorter than the outer 

 sepals ; bracts minute, caducous. Anterior sepals connate, entire or biden- 

 tate. Wing-sepals pale, oblong- or rotun date-ovate, shortly narrowed at the 

 base with 3 principal looping (not coloured) nervures, persistent, i in. in 

 length. Lateral petals ample, rotundate-obovate, naiTOwed below. Carina 

 cristate. Capsule ovate- or quadrate-elliptical, retuse, exalate or the lobes 

 more or less produced at each side of the notch, glabrous, about as broad as 

 and at length nearly or quite equalling the wings. — P. tenuifolia, Link 



