580 lxv. begoniace^ (hooker). [Begonia. 



Anthers linear, obtuse ; filaments very short. Female flower and fruit 

 unknown. 



Upper Guinea. Sierra del Crystal, Gaboon river, Mann 1 Fl. July. 



25. B. epiphytica, Hook. f. Stem slender, 1|- ft. long, creeping 

 and rooting at the nodes, flexuous, angular, ascending at the tip, ana 

 as well as the petioles, nerves beneath, and peduncles, sparsely clothed 

 with a substellate rusty pubescence. Leaves alternate, petioled, rather 

 membranous, 4-5 in. by 2-2J in., elliptic-oblong, acuminate, scarcely 

 oblique, base rounded or slightly cordate, obscurely toothed at the tips 

 of the few alternate nerves ; petiole f-1 J in., rather slender; stipules 

 f in., subulate-lanceolate, ferruginous. Pedicels axillary, very short, 

 3-5-flowered at the top, very unequal, \-l \ in., slender. Male fl. : Sepals 

 2, rose-red, oblong, obtuse, ^ in., hairy on the back. Petals linear. 

 Anthers subunilateral, broadly oblong, obtusely apiculate; filaments 

 connate into a short column. Female flower and fruit unknown. 



Upper Guinea. Fernando Po, alt. 1000-2000 ft., on trees, Mann! Fl. Dec. 



26. B. loranthoides, Hook. f. Glabrous except the young leaves 

 beneath petioles and peduncles, which are covered with minute, mem- 

 branous, fimbriate scales. Branches very stout, woody, nodose ; bark 

 smooth, spongy, covered with large raised circular scars. Leaves 

 alternate, 3-4 in. by f — 1 J in., shortly petioled, very thick and fleshy, 

 obliquely elliptic-lanceolate, acute at both ends, quite entire, wrinkled 

 and when dry nerves very faint, alternate, petiole J-J in. ; stipule ter- 

 minating the branchlet, convolute, f in., ovate with a subulate recurved 

 point. Peduncle short, axillary, slender compared with the branch, 

 several-flowered; pedicels capillary, J in. Male fl. : Sepals 4, 2 outer 

 | in. long, elliptic-oblong, obtuse, 2 inner shorter, narrow linear. An- 

 thers 3, very small, linear-oblong, obtuse ; filaments very short. Female 

 flower and fruit unknown. 



Upper Guinea. On trees, Prince's Island, Barter ! 



A most curious species : the scales are precisely like those of B. squamulosa and 

 elozagnifolia. 



Order LXVI. CACTACEJE. (By Prof. Oliver.) 



(Tribe Opuntie^:.) 



Flowers hermaphrodite, regular. Calyx-tube adnate to the ovary, 

 scarcely produced above it; lobes few many or reduced to minute 

 teeth. Petals numerous (6-oo ). Stamens indefinite, free or adnate 

 to base of petals. Ovary inferior, 1 -celled, style terminal simple, 

 stigma radiately lobed ; ovules indefinite parietal. Fruit bacc te, many- 

 seeded. (Seeds exalbuminous in Rhipsalis). — Herbs or shrubs of ano- 

 malous habit from succulence and varied dilatation of the stem (either 

 columnar, globular or lobed), and usual suppression of the leaves. 

 Flowers usually very handsome ; minute in Rhi/psalis. ' 



A considerable Natural Order, with the following exception, exclusively American, 

 although a few species of Opuntiem are now naturalized in the Old World. 



