Fandiaka.] CVI. AMARANTACEiE (baker and CLARKE). 67 



18. PANDIAKA, Hook. f. in Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 35. 



Flowers perfect, solitary, each (without sterile flowers or rudi- 

 mentary bracts) between two bracteoles, which are usually more than 

 half the length of the flower and acute or spinescent. Perianth- 

 segments oblong, acute or spinescent, J in. long or more, with straight 

 white hairs on the back or glabrate. Filaments 5, linear to the basal 

 tube, the interposed staminodes quadrate, truncate or fimbriate at the 

 top; anther-cells 2, oblong. Ovary ovoid, obtuse or truncate, glabrous; 

 style linear ; stigma small, capitate ; ovule 1, on a basal funicle. Utricle 

 oblong-obovoid ; seed ellipsoid, flattened ; embryo curled. — Leaves 

 opposite, sessile. iSpikes dense, ovoid or cylindric. Perianth in fruit 

 not reflexed rigidly against the rhachis. 



Species. — The 11 or 12 following confined to Tropical Africa. 



♦Perianth-segments with many straight w^hite hairs 

 on the back. 

 Heads short, ovoid. 



Floral leaves prominent; flowers | in. long , 1. P. involucrata. 

 Spikes not mixed with leaves. 



Flowers | in. long 2. P. ramulosa. 



Flowers fin. long 3. P. lanceolata. 



Heads cylindric, many twice as long as broad. 

 Bracteoles with very long points, exceeding 



the perianth (leaves oblong-elliptic) . 4. P. cylindrica. 



Bracteoles shorter than, or hardly equalling 

 the perianth. 

 Leaves linear or scarcely linear-oblong . 5. P. Heudelotii. 

 Leaves obovate. 



Staminodes notched ; plant erect, brown . 6. P. Welwitschii. 

 Staminodes shortly hairy ; plant decum- 

 bent, brown 7. P. dehilis. 



Staminodes long-fimbriate ; plant green- 

 yellow 8. P. Schweinfurthii. 



Leaves oblong, wider upwards, subauricled . 9. P. andongensis. 

 **Perianth-segments glabrous, or minutely pubes- 

 cent on the back. 

 Perianth-segments pale-brown, aristellate . . 10. P. ohlanceolata. 



Perianth-segments white, subacute, muticous . 11. P. Carsoni. 



1. P. involucrata, Hook. f. in Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PL iii. 36. 

 A hairy erect branched herb, 3 ft. high. Leaves opposite, subsessile, 

 1J-2J in. long, ovate to elliptic-oblong. Spikes J-| in. long and broad, 

 3 to G approximated or crowded at the ends of the branches, white 

 often apparently mixed with the green oblong floral leaves J in. long ; 

 bracteoles similar to the perianth-segments, and very nearly as long. 

 Perianth-segments | in. long, oblong-acute, with many long white hairs 

 on the back. (Staminodes quadrate, emarginate at the top. Ovary 

 truncate. — Achyranthes involucrata, Moquin in DC. Prodr. xiii. ii. 310; 

 Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. .192. 



