26J- XXVII. TiLiACKiE (masters). \_Corchorus. 



Nile Iiand. Abyssinia, Nubia, Kordofan, Sennar, Kotschy ! lat. 16° N., Speke and 

 Grant ! 



Iiower Guinea. Aneola, Dr. Welwitsck ! 



A very characteristic plant of the dry arid soils in which it grows. Specimens exist in 

 the herbarium from Scinde, Aden, Arabia, Muscat, Northern Africa, the Cape Verde Is- 

 lands, etc. Its pods at first sight might readily be mistaken for those of an Epilobiurri. 



8. C. acutangulus Lam.; DC. Prod. i. 505. Annual or peren- 

 nial with an erect or prostrate, branching, pilose stem. Leafstalks pilose, 

 .al)0ut an inch in length. Stipules subulate, setaceous. Leaves 1-3. in. long, 

 ■|-1|- in. wide, ovate acute or oblong-lanceolate, rounded at the base, serrate, 



2 basal serratures sometimes prolonged into long setaceous lobes, 3-nerved ; 

 nerves often pilose. Pedicels opposite the leaves or axillary, 2-3-fiowered, 

 very short. Flowers frequently apetalous. Capsules erect, 1-1^ in. long, 

 prismatic, straight, glabrous, provided with 3 membranous wings and ter- 

 minating in 3-5 horizontal entire or 2-fid points. Inner surface of valves 

 scarcely pitted. Seeds numerous. — C. polygonus, Schum. et Thonn. PI. Guin. 

 245. C. procumhens, Boj. ex Walp. Rep. v. 117. 0. alatus, Don, Gen. 

 Syst. i. 542. C. muricatus, Schum. et Thonn. PL Guin. 246. 



Widely distpibuted throughout the whole of tropical Africa and found also in the East 

 and West Indies and Australia. It is variable in habit, foliage, etc. Some of Dr. Wel- 

 witsch's specimens are remarkable for the variable number of petals, in some cases even the 

 petals are entirely absent. Dr. Welwitsch states that he has found on the same specimen 

 variations of this nature. 



9. C. tridens, Linn.; DC. Prod. i. 505. An annual with an erect or 

 prostrate, pilose or smooth, branching ^tem. Leafstalks |-1 in. long, 

 pilose. Stipules setaceous. Leaves 1-3 in. long, 1 in. wide, oblong-acuini- 

 nate or linear, serrate, with or without basal appendages. Peduncles 1-3- 

 flowered. Pods erect, slender, straight or curved, cylindrical, smooth or 

 striated, 1-2 in. long, 2-3-valved ; valves scarcely pitted on the inner sur- 

 face and terminating in a horizontal point, so that the fruit is terminated by 



3 short spreading horns. Seeds numerous. — C. angustifulius, Schum. et 

 Thonn. PL Guin. 244. 



Upper Guinea. Senegambia, Perrottet ! Niger, Barter ! 

 Nile Iiand. Abyssinia, Schimper ! 

 laower Guinea. Angola, Dr. Welwitsck ! 



Mozamb. Distr. Tette, Dr. Kirk ! ATozambique and Zambesi, Peters ! 

 Found also in India and Australia. 



Variable in habit and foliage. The young tops, according to Dr. Welwitsch, are cooked 

 with Palm-oil and used as Spinach by the natives. 



10. C. hirsutus, 'Linn. ; DC. Prod. i. 505. An erect branching under- 

 shrub, 2-3 ft. high, covered with soft stelliform pubescence. Leaves on 

 short stalks, subcordate oval oblong or lanceolate, frequently obtuse, rather 

 thick, plicate when young, rugose, scabrous above, tomentose below, 2-3 in. 

 long, -^-1 in. wide. Peduncles by the side of the leafstalks and nearly of 

 the same length, bearing 2-6 or more very short clustered, pedicels. Flower- 

 buds oblong, apiculate. Calyx tomentose, villose, 2-3 lines long. Sepals 

 setaceous. Petals narrow, yellow. Stamens co, on a short torus. Ovary 

 4-celled. Capsule slender, f-1 in. long, tuberculate; tubercles covered with 



