OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 281 



Resedace.e. The licrbarium contains two species of [227 

 Ecseda. The specimens of one of these are too imperfect 

 to be determined. The other is prol)a])ly undescril)ed, 

 though very nearly rehated to 11. suftVuticulosa, and undata 

 of Linnaeus. This supposed new species {Reseda projj'uiqna) 

 was found near Tripoli l)y Mr. Ritchie, and between Tripoli 

 and ]\Iourzulv by Dr. Oudney. It is remarkable in having 

 the Tuigues of all the petals simple ; that is, neither dilated, 

 thickened, nor having any process or appendage at the 

 ])oint of union with the trifid lamina, into which they gra- 

 dually pass. We have here, therefore, a species of Reseda 

 with petals not different in any respect from those of many 

 other families of plants ; and, although this is an exception 

 to their usual structure in the genus, I shall endeavour to 

 show that all the deviations existing, however complex in 

 appearance, arc reducible to this more simple state of the 

 organ. 



RESEDACEiE, cousisting of Reseda, divisible into sec- 

 tions or subgenera, and Ochradenifs, which may perhaps 



obovata cum mucroniilo brevissimo, plana, semiunguicularia, utrinque pube 

 tennissima brevissima simplici, ncrvo obsoleto, venis Icrc iiicoiispifuis. Petioli 

 liiieam circiter longi. Slipulcc laterales, setacesc, petioli diniidio brcviores, 

 ramulo appressffi, post lapsLim folii pcrsisteutes. Hamuli JJoriferi sirpius late- 

 rales abbreviati, e foliis confertis floribusqiic coryniboso-tasciculatis (3 — G), 

 quorum extcriores folio subtcnsi; quandoquc eorymbus ramum lerminat. 

 Pedunculi terctes, teiiuissimepubesccntes, ebracteati cxcepto foliolo florali dum 

 adsit ejusque stipulis vix coiispicuis. Calyx infundibuliformis, extus tenu- 

 issime pubesccns : tubus subcylindraceus, 8-striatus striis elevatis ?cqualibus, 

 intus lincis duabus prominulis subcarnosis, cum linibi laciniis altcniantibus, 

 altera crassiore : Ibiibus tubo pauIo longior, l-purtitus laciniis requalibus, ovatis 

 acutiusculis, obsoleto venosis, 5-ncrviis, nervis extimis niargini approximatis, 

 e furcatione costarum quatuor tubi cum laciniis aitcrnautium ortis; restivatioue 

 simplici seric valvata marginibus tamen paulo inflcxis. Corona fuucis mono- 

 pliylla, laciniis limbi multoties brevior, lacero-multipartita lacinulis subulatis 

 iiiffiqualibus. Slij^es genltalium liber, cylindraceus, glabcr, altitudine tubi. 

 Slaniina : Filamenla indetcrminatim numcrosa, viginti circiter, fdil'ormia, glabra, 

 icstivatione contortuplicata. Antherce incumbentcs, ovali-oblonga) obtusa^, basi 

 semibifidjc, loculis parallclo-approximatis, intus longitudinaliter dehisceniibus, 

 festivationc erectec. Ovarium c ccntro filamenlorum stipitalum, c.vlindraccum, 

 glabrum, unilocularc placentis duabus parietalibus polyspermis. ^S/)/lus nuUus. 

 Stigma dcpresso-capitat um. 



OiiS. Species liccccc proximo acccdit Maeruee scnegalcnsi nob. quaj vix 

 pubescens ct ibliis venosis distiucta ; in multis quoquc convcnit, fnlc dcscrip- 

 tionis Forskalii, cum jSlairua nniflora VahL a Jiobis nou visa. Ma;rua ango- 

 lensis, Be Cand. (in Museo Parisiensi visa), cui llores parilcr corymbosi et 

 corona lacero-multipartita, satis diversa est foliis ovalibus. 



