Bridelia.] cxxii. euphorbiace^ (iiutchinson). 617 



9. B. cathartica, Bertol. f. lllustr. Mozambiq. 16, n. 13, t. 6. A 



shrub about 6 ft. high; branchlets slender, glabrous or slightly pubes- 

 cent; internodes very short. Leaves elliptic, oblong-elliptic or narrowly 

 obovate, rounded or very obtusely pointed, rounded or obtuse at the base, 

 1-3^ in. long, J-2 in. broad, papery, glabrous on both surfaces or puberu- 

 lous below, more or less glaucous beneath ; lateral nerves looped before 

 reaching the margin, 5-10 on each side ; tertiary nerves reticulate, faint ; 

 petiole 1-2 lin. long, wrinkled, glabrous or pubescent; stipules lanceo- 

 late or linear-lanceolate, acute, 1-lJ lin. long, sparingly pubescent. 

 Bracts pubescent. Male flowers : Sepals ovate, subacute, glabrous. 

 Petals suborbicuiar or obovate, entire or slightly toothed. Disk thin. 

 Rudimentary ovary deeply bifid. Female flowers : Sepals triangular, 

 subacute, glabrous. Petals large, suborbicuiar or obovate, shortly 

 clawed, entire. Disk enclosing the ovary, toothed, glabrous outside. 

 Ovary ovoid, glabrous; styles very short, bilobed. Fruits 2-celled, 

 ellipsoid, 4 J lin. long, 4 lin. broad, black when dry. — Miill. Arg. in 

 DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 502 ; Pax in Engl. Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 237 ; S. Moore in 

 Journ. Linn. Soc. xl. 191. B. melanthesoides, Klotzsch in Peters, Reise 

 Mozamb. Bot. 103. Pentameria melanthesoides, Klotzsch ex BaiJl. Etud. 

 Euph. 584. 



Mozamb. Dlstr. German East Africa : Rovnma Bay, Kirk ! Portuguese 

 East Africa : Beiia Beach, iS'?<'^»ner^o», 538. Mozambique, Pe^er* / Lower Zambesi ; 

 Shupanga, Kirk ! opposite Sena, Kirk ! IJoruma, Menyharth, 567 ! 876 ! 

 Inhambane, Fornasinio. British Central Africa: Rhodesia; near Victoria Falls, 

 Rogers, 5071 ! Kandahar Island, Qalpin, 7015! Livingstone, liogers, 7lSl ! 



Occurs also in the Transvaal. 



10. B, atroviridiSy Miill. Arg. in Journ. Bot. 1864, 327. A small 

 tree about 10 ft. high, with spreading slender pubescent branchlet-^. 

 Leaves oblong-elliptic, acuminate, slightly rounded or cuneate at the 

 base, 3-6^ in. long, 1^-2 J in. broad, membranous, glabrescent on both 

 surfaces ; midrib very prominent below ; lateral nerves ascending, 

 slightly oblique, 10-16 on each side, not continued to the margin; 

 tertiary nerves lax, slightly flexuous ; petiole 3—1: lin. long, stout, 

 wrinkled, shortly pubescent ; stipules linear-lanceolate, slightly pubes- 

 cent. Bracts ovate, very hairy. Male flowers shortly pedicellate: 

 Sepals obliquely ovate, acuminate, glabrous or slightly pubescent 

 outside towards the apex. Petals minute, obovate-cuneate. Di.»k 

 slightly rugose. Rudimentary ovary trifid. Female flowers subsessile : 

 Sepals lanceolate, acute, Ij lin. long, J lin. broad at the base, pubescent 

 outside in the lower half, glabrescent in fruit. Petals lanceolate, acute, 

 J lin. long. Disk bottle-shaped, enclosing the ovary, glabrous. Ovary 

 ovoid, glabrous; styles 2, connate, deeply bilobed. Fruit oblong- 

 ellipsoid, 1-celled. — Miill. Arg. in DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 41)4 ; Hiern in 

 Cat. Afr. PI. Welw. i. 953; S. Moore in Journ. Linn. Soc. xl. 1I>0. 

 B. Zevkeri, Pax in Engl. Jahrb. xxvi. 327 ; De Wild. Etudes Fl. Bas- et 

 Moyen-Congo, ii. 276; (Jehrm. in Engl. Jahrb. xli. Beibl. '.»."», ;'.:>; Th. 

 k Hel. Durand, Syll. Floi-. Congol. 480. 



