iJO CXLIII. COMMELINACE^ (CLARKE). [PuHsota. 



leaves on the stem seen 1 4 by 5^ in., elliptic, shortly acuminate at either 

 end, more or less glabrate, but densely hairy on the margin. Inflor- 

 escence 4-7 by 1-1 J in., exceedingly dense, cylindric, with several 

 hundred flowers; sometimes 2 or 3 peduncles together; bracts on the 

 main rhachis small, concealed by the flowers ; pedicels hardly i in. long, 

 persistent. Ovary glabrous. Fruits i in. in diam., succulent, scarlet, 

 5-seeded. Seeds subpyramidal, nearly smooth.^ — Durand & Schinz, 

 Consp. Fl. Afr. v. 422 ; Durand & Wild, in Bull Soc. Bot. Belg. xxxvii. 

 128 ; Hua in Bull. Mus. Hist. Nat. Par. i. 118, and in Bull. Soc. Bot. 

 France, xli. p. Iv. ; Rendle in Cat. Afr. PL Welw. ii. 74, excluding 

 the St. Thomas' island plant. 



UTortb Central. French Congo : Keino, Byhowslcy I 



irile Xiand. British East Africa : Niamniam ; • Boddo River, Schweinfurth, 

 3054 ! Nabambisso River, Schweinfurth, 3697 ! Uganda ; Kalungi, in woods, 

 Scott-miiot, 7364 !- 



Jtovrer Guinea. Gaboon, Buettner. 163 ! Lower Congo : Bingila, Dupvis ! 

 Mouth of the Congo, Smith ! Angola : Golungo Alto ; Quilombo-Quiacatubia, 1000— 

 2400 ft., Welwitsch, 6599 ! 6603b ! Pungo Andongo ; in shady valleys between the 

 higher locks, 2400-3800 ft., Welwitsch, 6603 ! 



Sontli Central. Congo Free State : Monbuttu ; Yuru River, Schweinfurth, 

 3279 1 3281 ! Mbula River, north of the Kibali River, Schweinfurth, 3721 ! Kassai 

 River, Lulua River, and Sankuru River, Laurent ! 



5. P. preussiana, K. Schum. (MS. ?), in Preuss, Exsicc. 996. Young 

 parts shaggy with greyish hair. Stem 8 ft. long, \ in. in diam., with 

 long internodes and distant falsely-opposite leaves. Leaves 10 by 3 in., 

 oblong, acuminate at either end, very glabrate except at the densely 

 fulvous hairy margins ; uppermost pair close to the inflorescence hardly 

 smaller than the basal leaves. Inflorescence 3J by 1 in., cylindric, very 

 dense with 200-300 flowers ; bracts concealed by the flowers ; pedicels 

 hardly \ in. long, persistent. Ovary glabrous. Fruit not seen. 

 Upper Guinea. Cameroons : Buea, Preuss, 996 ! 



6. P. laxiflora, C. B. Clarke. Young parts shaggy with fulvous 

 or greyish hair. Stems up to 4-6 ft. high {Welwitsch), with fully 

 developed leaves, pseudo-opposite or ternate at distant nodes. Leaves 

 12-18 by 8|- in., narrowly lanceolate-obovate, acuminate at both 

 ends, when mature nearly glabrate except at the densely fulvous-hairy 

 margins. Inflorescence in fruit 4 by 8 in., loose, 200-flowered ; bracts 

 on the main axis few, J— J in. long, lanceolate ; pedicels persistent, of 

 the fruits \-^ in. long. Flowers white {Welwitsch). Ovary glabrous. 

 Fruits succulent, \ in. in diam., scarlet {Welwitsch), subglobose, 5-seeded. 

 Seeds trapezoid, somewhat flattened, nearly smooth. — P. SchweinfUrthii, 

 C. B. Clarke in DC. Monogr. Phan. iii. 132 partly; Rendle in Cat. Afr. 

 PI. Welw. ii. 74 partly. 



Xiower Guinea. Isle of St. Thomas, 3000-4300 ft., Moller, 11 1 in the woods 

 of Fazenda de Monte Caff^, 2000 ft., Welwitach, 6602 ! 



