Lxxiii. coMPOSiTiE (OLIYER AND hiern). [Melanth&ra. 



bracts 2-3-seriate, outer more or less herbaceous, inner dry, sheathing 

 the achenes. Corolla of ray ligulate conspicuous yellow. Anther-base 

 obtuse or minutely sagittate. Achenes thick, 3— 4-angled, apex trun- 

 cate or depressed; pappus of 2 or more distinct caducous setse, or 

 wanting in the ray-achenes. — More or less scabrid herbs with opposite 

 petiolate leaves and axillary and terminal solitary or loosely cymose at 

 length subglobose heads. 



A small genus of Tropical Africa and America. 

 Leaves on long petioles. Setae of pappus 6-8, caducous . . 1. M. Brownei. 

 Leaves subsessile. Setae of disk-pappus 2. Involucral bracts 



not setaceous-pointed 2. M. abyssinica. 



Leaves shortly petiolate. Setae of disk-pappus 2. Involucral 



bracts setaceous-pointed . Z. M, pungens. 



1. M. Brownei, Schultz Bip. in Flora, 1844, p. 673. Scabrid 

 herb, sometimes scandent, 2-10 ft. high. Branches obtusely quadran- 

 gular, sulcate, asperous, strigulose. Leaves deltoid-ovate, sometimes 

 3-lobed below, acuminate, subtruncate at the base, dentate, very scab- 

 rous above, strigose beneath, 2-6 by 1-3 in. ; petioles J-l^ in. Capitula 

 •|-| in. diameter, in lax nearly leafless terminal cymes; peduncles 

 1^6 in. simple or branched. Florets all yellow ; those of the ray 

 female. Achenes turbinate, trigonous or compressedly quadrangular, 

 Y77 in. long. Pappus of 8-10 short rigid unequal deciduous bristles. — 

 Buphthalmum scandens, Schum. et Thonn. PL Guin. 392 ; Lipotriche 

 Brownei, DC. Prodr. v. 544. 



Upper Guinea. liiigeT, Barter / Vogel! Fernando Po, Vogel! Mann! Abbeo- 

 kuta, Irving ! Guinea, Thonning ; Sierra Leone, Afzelius! 

 lower Guinea. Congo, Chr. Smith! Loango, Sogaux! 

 Mozamb. Bistr. Zambesi-land, Kirk ! 

 Occurs also in Natal, etc. 



2. Xa. abyssinica, Benth. et Hook. /. Oen. PI. ii. p. 377. An 

 erect scabrid branched herb 2 ft. high. Leaves ovate-lanceolate, 

 attenuate-acute, serrate, asperous on both sides, subsessile, amplexicaul, 

 1^-4 by ^1^^ in. Capitula f — J in. diameter, in corymbose cymes ; 

 pedicels ranging up to 3 in. Outer involucral scales 5-6, oval-oblong, 

 pubescent ; innermost coloured, narrower. Ray-florets neuter, ligule 

 obtuse obsoletely trifid. Achenes turbinate-oblong, compresso-sub- 

 quadrangular glabrous, those of the disk with 2 barbellate setae. — 

 Wurschmittm abyssinica, Schultz Bip. in Hb. Schimp. Abyss, i. n. 334, 

 iii. n. 1533 ; A. Rich. Fl. Abyss, i. p. 413. 



Srile l«and. Abyssinia, Schimper ! Petit! Grallabat, Schweinfurth ! 



3. 99. pun^ens, 0. ^ H. An erect rigid scabrid herb, 4 ft. high 

 or more. Stem and branches obtusely quadrangular, sulcate. Leaves 

 ovate or the upper ones lanceolate, acuminate, shallowly dentate, broad 

 near the somewhat narrowed not truncate base, shortly petiolate, 

 ranging up to 6 by 3^ in. Capitula hemispherical,' |-J in. diameter, 

 in a rather lax corymbose cyme, pedicellate. Involucral scales linear- 

 lanceolate, strigulose, subequal, rather filing short of the disk-florets, 

 taper-pointed, especially the inner terminating in barbellate setaceous 



