Blepharis.] xcviii. ACANTHACEiE (clarke). 103 



23. B. Noli-me-tangere, S. Moore in Journ. hot. 1880, 231. 

 Small shrub, very prickly, nearly glabrous except calyx and corolla. 

 Leaves in fours, up to 1^ by J in., oblong, spinous-margined. One- 

 flowered branches (reduced spikes) mowstly solitary, sometimes 2-3 

 together; lowest floral-leaves (and leaves on axillary sterile shoots) 

 reduced to simple or compound spines \-'l in. long ; bract 1 in. long, 

 obovate, acuminate, spinous, puberulous or glabrescent ; bracteoles 

 -|-1 in. long, linear. Posticous calyx-segment J in. long; -1 inmost 

 calyx-segments \ in. long. Corolla 1 in. long. Capsule nearly \f in. 

 long, 2-seeded. — Lindau in Engl, k Prantl, Pflanzenfam. iv. 3 B. 318. 

 B. iwuinosa^ Engl, in Engl. Jahrb. x. 20O. 



ZiO\(rer Guinea. Angola : Mossaraedes, WelvoilHch, 5045 ! German South-west 

 Africa : Hereroland, Usakos, 3000 It., Marloth, 1444 ! Omapiu, Schinz, 17 ! 



24. B. paudurifonuis, Lindau in Engl. Jahrh. xx. 30. Shrubby, 

 S-12 in. high, hairy, afterwards glabrate except the inflorescence. 

 Leaves up to 2^ by \-\ in., linear or lanceolate, spinous-margined. 

 Inflorescence of one-flowered branches (reduced spikes) crowded in a 

 scorpioid manner, not strobilate ; floral-leaves 1-1 J by \-\ in., spinous- 

 margined, pubescent ; flower-bract scarcely J in. long, oblong-elliptic, 

 acute, spinous ; bracteoles J in. long, linear. Posticous calyx-segment 

 J-1 in. long, ovate-oblong, somewhat widened again below the apex and 

 then truncate, finely veined in the type example, more hairy (venation 

 less prominent) in other specimens; 2 inmost calyx-segments ^-5 in. 

 long. Corolla |-1 in. long. — Lindau in Engl, tt; Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 

 iv. 3 B. 318, and in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 369. 



UTile Iiand. British East Africa : Mombasa, JFakefield ! 



Mozamb. Blst. German East Africa : Karagwe ; on dry hills, 4000-5000 ft., 

 Scott- JElliot, 8190 ! Masai country, Fischer, 486 ! Uniamwezi ; Urambo, Hannington ! 

 Irangi, Stuhlmann, 4226 ! 



25. B. acanthodioides, Klotzsch in Peters, Reise Afossamb. 212. 

 Branches erect, frequently dividing, scabrous pubescent, ultimately 

 glabrous. Leaves up to 3 by J in., lanceolate, sparingly spinous- 

 margined, glabrate when mature. Inflorescence of many axillary 

 clusters, each cluster of 2-() one-flowered branches (reduced spikes); 

 outer floral-leaves 1-1 J by J in., rigid, lanceolate, with many marginal 

 spines, nearly glabrous ; sterile bracts lanceolate, spinous, with many 

 prominent white hairs at the top, almost obscuring the strong terminal 

 spine ; flower-bract hardly | in. long, lanceolate, similar to the sterile 

 bracts; bracteoles § in. long, linear. Calyx segments and bracteoles 

 ended by a strong spinule, which is nearly concealed by tufts of long 

 white hairs on the tips. Posticous segment (and anticous connate 

 segments) | in. long, elliptic-lanceolate, acute; 2 inmost segments h in, 

 long, linear. Corolla 1 in. long, or rather more, densely shaggy with- 

 out by long white hairs. — Lindau in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 36!) 

 (aca7ithoides). 



IVIozaml). DIst. Portuguese East Africa : Rios de Sena, Peters ! Hritish Central 

 Africa : Nyasaland, Buchanan^ 18 ! 



