FUis.] XLIII. AMPELIDE^ (BAKER). 3*J5 



Petioles 2-3 in. long, firm, glabrous, piilverulL*nt like the branches. Leave? 

 rotundate-eordate, 4-6 in. across each way, the basal lobes 1 in. or more 

 deep, the point cuspidate, the edge faintly 'ciliato-denticulate, texttire firinlv 

 membranous ; upper surface, when mature, glabrous, lower densely coaled all 

 over with short greyish-brown tomentum. Flowers in copiously compound 

 cymes on firm woody peduncles, 2-3 in. long. Clusters 6-8-howered, the 

 pedicels firm, 3-4 lines long, slightly downy when young. Calyx J line 

 broad, not lobed, brown, scarious, downy. Buds ovoid, downy,' under 1 

 line long. Petals and stamens 4, the former cohering. Sl\lr suljulatc. Im- 

 mature fruit ovoid, naked. 



Ijo^er Guinea. Golungo Alto and Cazengo, Angola, Lr. if fiwHscn .' 



19. V, grisea. Bake?-. Stems wide-climbing, woody, striated, densely 

 clothed with short grey pubescence. Petioles ^-1 in. long, firm, villose. 

 Leaves rotundate-eordate, 4-6 in. across each way, the basal lobes rounded, 

 ■f-f in. deep, the broadest part of the leaf two-thirds of the distance from the 

 point to the base, the point acute, the edge conspicuously ciliato-denticulate 

 with spreading teeth, texture flaccid, membranous ; upper surface dull green, 

 naked, lower covered all over, especially on the veins, with short, stiff, spread- 

 ing hairs. Tendrils none in our specimens. Flowers in slightly com- 

 pound lateral cymes. Peduncles 1 in. or more long, firm, villose. Pedicels 

 |-f in. long, villose. Calyx cyathiform, not lobed, 1 line broad. Fruit fleshy, 

 obovoid, |- in. deep by rather less broad, densely shaggy, with thick soft hairs, 

 containing only one large bony seed. 



Mozamb. Distr, Banks of the Shire, Zarabesi-land, Dr. Kirk ! 



20. V. Schimperiana, Hochst. ; Rich. Fl. Abyss, i. 112. Stem strong, 

 w^oody, terete, sarmentose, matted with cottony tomentum when young. Pe- 

 tioles 2-6 in. long, matted and sometimes furnished with purple, gland-tipped 

 hairs. Leaves rotundate-eordate, attaining a breadth of 12 or 15 in., the 

 basal lobes broadly rounded, sometimes 2 in. deep, the upper part with 3 

 shallow deltoid lobes, the edge all round with irregular, shallow, deltoid teeth ; 

 texture membranous, the upper surface slightly downy when young, glabrous 

 when mature, the lower thinly matted with greyish or slightly salmon- 

 coloured, cottony tomentum. Flowers in short-stalked, dense, cymose or 

 thyrsoid clusters. Pedicels very short. Calyx a line broad, scarious, gla- 

 brous, distinctly 5-lobed. Buds roundish, naked. Petals 5, bright red. Sta- 

 mens 5. Stigma peltate, sessile. Fruit oblong, watery, edible, \-\ in. long. 



Upper Guinea. Niger country, Loin and Yoraba, Barter I 

 Nile Land. Gallabat, Schweinfurth ! Abyssinia, Schimper ! 

 liOwer Guinea. Angola, Dr. Welwitsch ! 



Closely aUied to the E. Indian V. rugosa, Wallich. " Fruit like that of the Front ign*c 

 grape," Barter. It has the largest leaves of any of the tropical African species. 



21. V. ipomoeifolia, Webb, Frag. Fl. jEthiop. 57 {Cissus). Stem 

 robust, sarmentose, striated, floccose-tonientose. Leaves long-stalked, large, 

 cordate, acute, the edge sinuated with short, thick, acute teeth, upper sur- 

 face soTt, lower villose-araneose. Tendrils none in the specimens. Flowers 

 in leaf-opposed, stalked, white, woolly cymes. Flowers crowded, ovate, sub- 

 acute, very shortly stalked. Calyx short, thin, scarious, villose, with 4 crenu- 



