646 cxxii. EUPHORBiACEiE (hutchinson). [Antidesma. 



side, not or scarcely looped near the margin, scarcely raised on the 

 upper surface, prominent below ; veins lax, faint; petiole 2-5 lin.long, 

 densely pubescent, becoming glabrous ; stipules entire, subulate- 

 lanceolate, acute, 2-3 lin. long, pubescent. Male inflorescence 2-5 in. 

 long ; axis pubescent ; bracts small, ovate, acute, long-ciliate. Calyx 

 3-4-lobed ; lobes ciliate. Disk fleshy, glabrous. Stamens 3-4. Rudi- 

 mentary ovary fleshy, very sparingly and minutely pubescent or 

 glabrous. Female racemes 6-7 in. long ; axis minutely puberulous, 

 slightly sulcate ; pedicels in the fruiting stage for the most part reflexed, 

 stout, 1-li lin. long, almost glabrous. Calyx pilose. Fruits elliptic, 

 slightly compressed, subacute at both ends, 3-4 lin. long, 2J lin. broad, 

 glabrous, tipped by the persistent styles. — Miill. Arg. in DC. Prodr. 

 XV. ii. 261, excl. var. molle ; Pax in De Wild. & Durand, Contr. Fl. 

 Congo, i. 49, and Reliq. Dewevr. 206 ; De Wild. Etudes Fl. Bas- et 

 Moyen-Congo, ii. 270. 



Upper Guinea. Sierra Leone, Smeathman. Northern Nigeria : Nupe, 

 Barter, 1557 ! Southern Nigeria : Adiabo, Old Civlahar, Holland, 89 ! Cameroons : 

 \\\\m\i\e, Zenker, 955! 1175! 1326! 1649! 1977! 2413! 2606! 2872! 3075! 

 3075a! 3254! 3272! 3643! 3917! 3849 1 Yaunde, Zenker, 1423! Abonando, 

 Rudatis^ 43 ! and u ithont precise locality, Pretiss, 1321 ! 



Xiower Guinea. Gaboon: Sibaugre Farm, ^oyawx, 89 ! 252! Lower Congo : 

 Deuibo, J^afideri/st ; between Kisantu and tbe Ilivt-r Kwango, Biittner. 



Soutli Central. Belgian Congo: LukoUla, Detcevre ; Eala, Fynaert, 

 Laurent; Madibi, iSapin ; Mobeka, Pynaert ; Gouibari, Seret. 



I cannot quite agree with Mueller in his treatment of this species and of 

 A, venosum, Tul. In Linnaen (I.e.) he desv-rihed A, membranactum under two 

 varietal names, var. a molle from a specimen collected by Smeathman in Sierra 

 Leone, and from several of Welwitsch's numbers from Angola; and vnr. 

 /3 glabrescetis from Barter, 1557. Later, in Decaiidolle's Prodromus, ho added 

 a third variety, var. tenuifolium, founded on Smeathmun's plant. I cannot dis- 

 tin<;uish var. molle as defined in the Prodromus fi*om many of the specimens 

 which he quotes under A. venosum, Tul., and it is, in consequence, here reduced 

 to that species. His variety glahrescens should therefore be regarded as typical 

 A. membranaceum. 



7. A. venosum, Tul. in Ann. Set. Nat. Smeser. xv. 232. A shrub 

 or tree about 30 ft. high, usually found in sandy places near rivers. 

 Leaves usually more or less elliptic or oblanceolate, somewhat rounded 

 or subacute at the base and apex, sometimes slightly emarginate, up to 

 G in. long and 2 J in. broad, thinly coriaceous or almost membranous, 

 glabrous or pubescent above, varying from thinly pubescent to tomentose 

 below ; lateral nerves usually about 7 on each side, more or less dis- 

 tinctly looped, slightly impressed above, prominent below ; petiole up 

 to 8 lin. long, pubescent ; stipules lanceolate, entire, acute, mostly more 

 or less tomentose. Male spikes up to 6 in. long, tomentose or pubes- 

 cent ; bracts very small. Calyx 3-5-partite, more or less pubescent or 

 tomentose. Disk subglabrous. Stamens 3-5. Rudimentary ovary 

 pilose or subglabrous. Female racemes 2-5 in. long ; bracts as in the 

 male. Fruits pedicellate, ellipsoid, slightly flattened, glabrous, about 

 4 lin. lonj; and 2J lin. broad. — Miill. Arg. in DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 260 ; 

 Pax in Engl, Pfl. Ost-Afr. C. 237, and in Baum, Kunene-Samb. Exped. 



