278 XXX. MALPIGHIACE.E (oliver). [Acridocarpus. 



in. broad ; petiole |— i in. Flowers in terminal simple branclied or panicu- 

 late rusty-pubescent or -tonientose racemes often considerably overtopping 

 the leaves, frequently also in shorter axillary racemes. Pedicels slender, ■§•- 

 f in. ; bracts triangular, acute, tooth-like, 1 line or usually less. Calyx 

 variously thickened at the base, usually with 1 disciform gland alternating 

 with 2 of the lobes. Wing of samara oblong or obliquely oblanceolate, 

 more or less curved towards the obtuse extremity, 1^1 J in. long, |— f in. 

 broad, the base of the wing half-clasping the nut or slightly narrowed and 

 not broader than the nut. — Heteropterys ? Smeathmarini, DC. Prod. i. 592. 

 {ex Juss.) Anomalopteris spicata and A. longifolia, Don, Gen. Syst. i. 647. 

 Acridocarpus guineensis, A. Juss. Monog. Malpigh. 231. {J A. Cavanillesu, 

 A. .luss. 1. c.) A. longifolius. Hook. f. Fl. Nigrit. 244. (? Malpighia al- 

 tertiifolia, Schum. et Thonn. Guin. PI. 222.) 



Var. a. Wing of the fruit narrowed to the nut. 



Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone, Bon ! Niger, Barter ! Baikie ! (the latter without 

 precise locality.) 



Var. )8. Base of the wing half-clasping the nut. 



Upper Guinea. Niger, Brass, Fernando Po, T. Vogell Barter I Mann I In flower 

 only, Gaboon, Mann I 



The leaves vary considerably in texture in our specimens, but not more than is frequent 

 in climbers which have their lower branches in the shade and their upper exposed. The 

 differences in the outline of the samara may be more important than I have been led to con- 

 sider them, although they are but slight absolutely. Unsupported, however, by other 

 characters, I cannot regard them as of specific value. 



2. A. plagiopterus, Guill. et Ferr. FL Seneg. i. 123. t. 29. Very 

 nearly allied to A. Smeathmanni, but with the leaves obovate-elliptical or 

 broadly elliptical, rounded or retuse at the apex with a very short (1-2 lines) 

 or obsolete or subacute cusp, obtuse or narrowed to the base with lateral 

 petiolar glands, 3-5 in. long, 2-2|^ in. broad. Bracts ovate or ovate-lanceo- 

 late, concave, ^ in. Calyx-glands nearly obsolete on 1-3 of the lobes. 

 Pruit- wings about 1^ in., narrowed at the base, widely divergent accor<ling 

 to Guillemin and Perrottet. — Anomalopteris obovata, Don, Gen. Syst. i. 642. 

 {ex Fl. Nigrit. 244.) 



Upper Guinea. Senegambia ! Sierra Leone, Don 1 



3. A. corymbosus, Hook. /. M. Nigrit. 246. t. 24. Extremities 

 slender, glabrous or very early glabrescent. Leaves alternate, firmly mem- 

 branous, oblong-elliptical, subacute or cuspidate, rounded or slightly narrowed 

 at the base, entire or undulate-denticulate, glabrous, 2|-4 in. long, 1-2 in. 

 broad, with or without the basal glands. Flowers in very short corymbose 

 racemes, terminal or on short axillary shoots. Pedicels slender, spreading, 

 rusty-pubescent, ^-f in. Bracts subulate, rather rigid. Calyx with 1-4 

 sunken glands. Wings glabrous, either rather broader above or broadly ob- 

 long, 1 in. or less in length, diverging at 70°-80° in our specimens, still red 

 or purple when dry. 



Upper Guinea. Cape Coast, T. Vogell PKworra, Barter I 

 Lower Guinea. Congo, Smith ! Burton ! 



This may prove to be the Malpighia alternifolia of Schumacher and ThoQuing, cited 

 with doubt as a synonym of A. Smeathmanni. 



