£icho7')iia.] cxli. POXTEDERiACEiE (brown). 5 



Syst. Veg. vii. pt. 2, 1 147; Kunth, Enum. iv. J 28. Mcynochoria naians, 

 Thomson in Speke, Nile, Append. 641). 



Upper Guinea. Senegal, Perrottet, Leprieur, and Heudelot, 258 (ex Solms). 

 Sierra Leone; in a pool on the w.iy to Danlilia and near Falaba, Scott -Elliot, 5290! 

 Niger Territory : Xupe, Barter ! Oware : banks of the River Pcnnosa, PalUot 

 de Beauvois (ex Solms). 



Wile I.and. British East Africa : Madi, Speke Sf Grant, 726 ! 727 ! Gazelle 

 WwQv, Schweinfurth, 1\QQ \ 1208! Jur : between Gir and KMaS, Schweinfurth, 

 2555! 



Also occurs in Madagascar according to Count Solms. 



The plant collected in Loanda, Angola, by Welwitsch (3014), and referred by 

 Eendle in Cat, Afr, PI. Welw. ii., 66 to Eichornia nataus, is certainly not that 

 species, but appears to be a seedling, without flowers or fruit, of some Dicotyledon. 

 The specimen is but a worthless scrap. 



'S. MONOCHOKIA, Presl; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. iii. 830. 



Perianth-segments 6, free to the base, subequal, oblong. Stamens 6, 

 aifixed to the base of the perianth-segments, equal or unequal, especially 

 as to the anthers, the largest stamen with an erect tooth on one side of 

 the filament ; anthers oblong, erect, basifixed, opening by longitudinal 

 slits. Ovary sessile, 3-celled, with axile placentas ; style filiform, very 

 shortly trifid or somewhat 6 -fid at the apex; ovules numerous in each 

 cell. — Aquatic herbs. Rhizome stout and creeping, or none. Leaves 

 all radical, or rarely spaced out on a short erect stem, alternate, with 

 long sheathing petioles, and sagittate, cordate-ovate or lanceolate blades. 

 Flowering stems radical, with one sheathing leaf or a tubular sheath at 

 its summit, enclosing the membranous spathe at the base of the peduncle. 

 Flowers racemose, of moderate size, blue, all alike. 



A genus of about 5 species, natives of the warmer parts of the Old World. The 

 following is the only African species. 



1. M. africana, .V. A'. Br. Plant U-2 ft. high, glabrous. 

 Rhizome none. Leaves and flower-stems all radical, with a dense tuft 

 of fibrous roots at their base. Leaves 3-4J in. long, 2-3 in. broad, ovate, 

 acuminate, slightly cordate at the base, with long petioles. Flower- 

 ing stems 11-14 in. long, stout, with a leaf or a tubular leaf -sheath 

 at their summit, enclosing a membranous spathe or bract 8-9 lin. 

 long, which is abruptly terminated by a filiform point 2-4 lin. long. 

 Peduncle 1^-2 J in. long, rather stout. Flower-spike 2i-4 in. long. 

 Flowers numerous, rather crowded, ebracteate, erect, violet. Pedicels 

 lJ-2 lin. long, erect. Perianth campanulate or somewhat funnel- 

 shaped, 5-6 lin. long; outer segments Ij lin. broad, oblong, obtU5^e, 

 with narrow membranous margins ; inner segments 3 lin. broad, elliptic, 

 obtvise, with broad membranous margins. Stamens (especially the 

 anthers) unequal ; filaments of the largest stamen with an erect tooth 

 on one side. Ovary ovoid, trigonous ; style filiform, divided at the apex 

 into 3 short bifid stigmatic lobes. — M. vaginalis, Presl, var. africana. 



