Neuracanthua.'] xcvui. acanthace.e (clarke). 137 



35. NEURACANTHUS, Nees; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. 1093. 



Calyx in two pieces ; posticous lip 3-lid or nearly entire ; anticous lip 

 2-fid or nearly entire. Corolla J-| in. in total length, upper half funnel- 

 shaped with 5 short triangular lobes, plicate ; lobes 3-nerved connected 

 by nerveless membranous intermediate portions. Stamens 4 ; 2 anticous 

 with 2-celled anthers ; 2 posticous with 1 -celled anthers ; anther-cells 

 oblong, muticous ; connective, often puberulous ; filaments usually 

 sparsely hairy ; pollen somewhat tetrahedroid or nearly globose, smooth 

 or obscurely reticulate, without meridional depressions. Ovary glabrous ; 

 ovules 2-1 in each cell; style short, glabrous; stigma of one oblong 

 lobe. Capsule J in. long or less, ovoid, compressed, beaked, 4- (or 

 generally 2-) seeded. Seeds divscoid, covered with hairs in tufts, each 

 hair spirally marked within, unrolling on applying water. — Small 

 shrubs, varying much in general appearance, leaves, indumentum and 

 inflorescence ; very uniform in the structure of the flowers. Inflores- 

 cence of condensed unilateral spikes, or of few- flowered elongated 

 spikes, or reduced to a single flower, strobilate or scattered ; bi-act 

 ovate or linear, sometimes spinous; bracteoles 0. 



Species 12, in Tropical Africa and India. 



Bracts ovate or obovate, never reduced to linear spines. 

 Spikes 2 in. long, definitely strobilate. 



Spike \ in. broad, with small white hairs . . \. N. africanu.s. 



Spike f in. broad, with long tawny hairs . . 2. iV. decorus. 



Spike \ in. broad, grey-villous . . . . 3. iV. strohilimis. 



Spikes in ovoid heads. 

 Heads axillary, sessile. 



Stem and leaves minutely scabrous beneath . 4. N. seaher. 



Stem and leaves with many-celled hairs beneath . 5. N. tikamhensis. 

 Stem and leaves white-tomentose beneath . . Q. N. niveus. 



Heads on short lateral branches . . . . 7. N. Lindaui. 



Bracts spiuescent, if sterile reduced to linear spines. 

 (Young parts at least white-stellate-tomentose.) 



Fertile spikes l-flowered 8. iV^. polyacanthus. 



Fertile spikes strobilate, few-flowered . . .9. N. Bohecehii. 



1. N. africanus, S. Moore in Journ. Bot. 1880, 37. Branches 

 slender, woody, minutely pubescent. Leaves 4| by 2 in., narrowed 

 at both ends, entire, minutely pubescent on the nerves beneath, other- 

 wise glabrous, cystoliths conspicuous on both faces, base narrow, 

 cordate-truncate; petiole 0-J in. long. Spikes 2 by J in., axillary, 

 linear-cylindric, strobilate, apparently simple ; bract J in. long, obovate, 

 suddenly subspine-tipped. Calyx J in. long, in 2 pieces, slightly hairy ; 

 anticous piece shortly 2-toothed ; posticous shortly 3-toothed. Pollen 

 subglobose, without longitudinal depressions, obscurely reticulate. 

 Capsule J in. long, 2-seeded. — Lindau in Engl. & Prantl, Pflanzenfam. 

 iv. 3 B. 315. Barleria Sacani, Klotzsch ex Lindau in Engl. Pfl. Ost- 

 Afr. C. 3G8. 



XVIozaml). Blst. Portuguese East Africa : Lower Zambesi ; Lupata, Kirk ! 

 Tete, Peters ! 



