898 CXIX. LORANTHACE/E (sPUACJUE). [VifiCUm. 



pollination. Petals slightly patulous, oblong-ovate, about § lin. long, 

 \ lin. broad. Stigma projecting ^ lin, above the insertion of the petals. 

 Berry ellipsoid or ovoid, 2 lin. long, smooth, crowned by the persistent 

 petals.— Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. 198 ; Engl. Jahrb. xx. 131; Pfl. 

 Ost-Afr. C. 167; Schweinf. in Bull. Herb. Boiss. ix. App. ii. 152; Van 

 Tiegh. in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xliii. 190. V. murchisonianum, 

 Schweinf. ex Baker in Journ. Bot. 1882, 245, in obs., name only. 



irile Ziand. Eritrea: various localities, 5000-6500 ft., on Olea chrysophylla, 

 T^am., and Loranthus AcacioB, Zucc, Schweinf urth, 976, 1286, 1485, 1601 ; Schivein- 

 furth Sf Riva, 1225 ! Rogos, Sfeudner, 187. Abyssinia : Semen ; Ahbena, Stetidner^ 

 181 ! Tie! Wolia, Steudner, 182 ; on mountain slopes towards tlie Worrliey, 5000 ft., 

 Schimper, 678! Sclialiagenni, Schimper, 211 ! Biitish East Africa, Elliott, 351 ! 



Mozamb. Distr. German East Africa : Muoa, Hoist, 3102 ! 



Also in Natal {Oerrard, 1651, Wood, 3864, 4145). 



Var. angitstifolium, Sprague. Leaves elliptic-lanceolate, lanceolate or oblan- 

 ceolate, narrowed to an a})icnlate acute or more rarely obtuse apt'x, cuneate into the 

 base, fj-lf in. long, 3-9 lin. broad. — V. minntiflorum, Engl. & Krause in Engl. 

 .Jahrb. xliii. 315. 



urile Ziand. Eritrea: near Keren, Beccari, 62 ! 



ILow^er Guinea. Island of St. Thomas, Mann! 



Soutb Central. Belgian Congo: Songolo, between Irumu and Mawambi, 

 Mildbraed, 3006 ! 



The above variety is founded on Beccari, 62, which Engler, Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. 

 Afr. 198, has quoted under F, nervosum. 



MiUlbraeil, 3006, the type of V. minutijlorum, does not seem to differ except in 

 the slightly smaller and narrower leaves ; and Mann's St. Tliomas specimen, which 

 at first sight appeared to represent an undescribed species, also seems referable to 

 var. anyustifolium. 



Var. nyanzense, Sprague. Leaves narrowly obovate-elliptic or rhomboid-elliptic, 

 ronnded or obtuse at the apex, cuneate into tlie base, 1-2^ in. long, 7-12 lin. broad. 

 Berry white. — 7'. nyanzense, Kindle in Journ. Linn. Soc. Bot. xxxvii. 208. 



irile ]Lan(l. Uganda, S'co^^- fi'^Zto^, 7180 ! Buvuma Island, in Lake Victoria, 

 Bagshawe, 654 I Johnston ! 



Mozamb. Distr. German East Africa : Usambara; Devtxnw, Scheffler, WW 



V. nervosum is closely allied to V. trijlorum, DC. Prodr. iv. 279, a native of 

 Mauritius and Reunion, which may be distinguished by iis glohose berry. The haves 

 of V. trijlorum have the main nerves raised, just as in F. nervosum. The Madagascar 

 plant included as V. triflorum in Engler's key to the African and Mascarene species 

 of Viscnm (Engl. Jahrb. xx. 131) is said to differ from V. nervosum in the nerves 

 not being raised, and is probably a distinct species represented in the Kew herbarium 

 by Baron, 3625 and 3880. 



5. V. decurrens, Baker d^ Sp-ague. Main stem terete, about 

 2 lin. in diam. 9-15 in. below the apex of the branchlets ; branches 

 two-angled, more or less compressed ; branchlets much compressed, 

 with linear internodes, tapering slightly from apex to base ; internodes 

 1-2^ in. long. Leaves subsessile, narrowly obovate or obovate-oblong 

 to oblanceolate, rounded at the apex, narrowly cuneate into the base, 

 J-2 in. long, 4-10 lin. broad, coriaceous, glabrous, distinctly 3- or 

 5-nerved, finely reticulate, slightly glossy ; petiole up to 1 lin. long. 



