742 cxxii. EUPiioRBiACE.t: (iiutciiixson). [Microdesviis. 



Leaves oblong, oblong-elliptic or oblong-obovate, more or less caudate- 

 acuminate, acumen mucronate, cuneate and unequal-sided at the base, 

 li-C) in. long, ^1-2 in. broad, dentate or subentire, thinly but firmly 

 chartaceous, dotted with numerous pellucid glands, glabrous on botli 

 surfaces or slightly pubescent on the nerves beneath ; lateral nerves 4-G 

 on each side, prominent below, looped and freely branched well within 

 the margin ; tertiary nerves lax and reticulate, very distinct on tlie 

 lower surface ; petiole 2-4 lin. long, sparingly puberulous or nearly 

 glabrous ; stipules very small and deciduous. Male flowers fasciculate 

 in the leaf-axils of the young shoots; pedicel up to IJ lin. long, 

 puberulous or almost tomeatellous. Sepals 5, oblong-ovate, subacute, 

 J lin. long, densely puberulous outside, nearly glabrous within. Petals 5, 

 obovate oblanceolate, narrowed to the base, about | lin. long, rather 

 fleshy, puberulous on both sides. Stamens 5, inserted at the base of 

 the rudimentary ovary ; filaments short. Rudimentary ovary columnai-, 

 short, slightly swollen at the apex, puberulous. Female flowers few or 

 solitary in each leaf-axil; pedicel stout, up to IJ lin. long, puberulous. 

 Sepals r», broadly ovate, slightly mucronate, | lin. long and broad, 

 coriaceous, ciliate and adpressed -pubescent outside, glabrous within. 

 Ovary ovoid, rather fleshy, shortly setulose ; styles very short, laciniate. 

 Fruits globose, muricate, i> lin. in diam. — Ilook. f. Niger Flora, r)14, 

 t. 26; Bdill. Adansonia, i. (J5 ; Miill. Arg. in DC. Prodr. xv. ii. 1041 

 (excl. Mann's Gaboon and Welwitsch's Angolan specimens) ; Pax in 

 Engl. Pflanzenr. Euphorb.-Cluytiea?, I(»C, partly. J/, puberula, var. 

 Chevalier i, Beille in Bull. Soc. Bot. France, Iv. Mem. viii. 84. 



Upper Guinea. Seiiegamhia, Heudelot, 832 ! Sierra Looue : various 

 localities. Don ! Scott-Elliot, 3941 ! 4386 ! .5543 ! 4729 ! 4784 ! 4838 ! French 

 (hiinea: Ivory Coast; IJiiifferville, Chevalier, 1,5220 ! 15222 ! 15223! 15225! 

 15528! 16224! (iold Coast: Aiiuapim Hills, JoAw-soh, 589 ! Xhwrx, Johnson^ 

 479! 955! Brown, 321! Fundn, Smi/fhe, 206! Assiii-van-Kuinasi, Ctonminx, 

 161! Litgos: various localities, i?ojc/rtH(^' Mil I son ! Milieu, 6! 19 ! 25 ! 29 ! 

 Chevalier, 13982! 14191! 14112! Irving, 89! Foster, 114! Southern Nigeria; 

 various localities. Barter, 282! 1640! 1805! Unwin, 69! Holland, \m\ 

 Fernaudo Po, Vogel, 169! 175! Barter, 1725! Mann,^^\ 



Sir A. ^Moloney states that the leaves when boiled are used for feeding babies, 

 and they are said to cure them of spleen. 



In many of the specimens the inflorescence is paniculate, a condition which 

 appears to be abnormal and is probably caused by the presence of a gall. 



Several specimens which 1 have not seen, collected in the Congo State and 

 quoted by De Wildeinan as this species in most of the Belgian publications, are 

 probably M. Zenkeri, Pax. 



2. M. Zenkeri, Pax in Kngl. Jahrh. xxiii. 5ol. A shrub (i-lO ft. 

 high ; branchlets slender, slightly flexuous, pubescent. Leaves elliptic, 

 oblong -elliptic or narrowly oblong, rather abruptly acuminate, midrib 

 running out into a hardened point, mostly broadly cuneate and unequal- 

 sided at the base, 3-6 in. long, l-o in. broad, margin closely crenate, 

 dentate, undulate or quite entire, very thinly chartaceous or almost 

 membranous, glabrous on both surfaces except the puberulous midrib 

 and lateral nerves on the upper surface ; lateral nerves 6-H on each side 



