42 XIV, POLYGALACEiE. \Pohjijala 



circumference, climbing on trees to the height of 60 to 80 ft. In 

 the highland region the species are much more numerous, some 

 being of remarkable elegance. (Welwitsch, Apont. p. 562.) The 

 Order is entirely absent from the coast region of Mossamedes, and 

 towards the interior it first appears in Benguella near Bumbo ; 

 all the species from that district up to the high plateau are small 

 plants with insignificant flowers ; but when the plateau of Hum- 

 pata is reached two species are met with, which produce an 

 important effect on the physiognomy of the landscape ; one of 

 them, Securklaca longepeduncidata Fresen., is a tree so large that 

 Welwitsch took breakfast under its shade, and the other, Polygala 

 Gomesiana Welw., is an herbaceous plant, 3 to 5 ft, high, with 

 magnificent flowers, fit to become one of the finest ornaments 

 of European gardens. Many of the species are perennial ; and 

 several annual species, which occur between Pungo Andongo and 

 Talla-mungongo, appear to be wanting in Huilla. 



1. POLYGALA L. ; Benth, & Hook. f. Gen. PI. i, p, 136, 

 1. P, africana Chodat, Mon. Polygal, i. p, 99 (1891), ii, p, 168, 

 •t. xxi, fig, 20, 21 (1893), 



P. micrantha Oliv. Fl, Trop, Afr, i. p. 1^1, part., non alior. 

 Pungo Andongo. — A tender elegant annual herb, with an erect 

 tree- like habit, branched in the upper part in a broom-like manner. 

 Bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, very deciduous ; lateral bracteoles 

 very small, subscarious, linear, rather obtuse, shorter than the bract 

 and persisting longer, but at length deciduous. Flowers rose-colour 

 or occasionally rose-purple ; keel not crested on the back, but usually 

 the apex of the keel fringed with 3 to 5 very small linear obtuse ligules 

 of unequal length. Seed pilose with curved hairs. Abundant but in 

 few localities, in rather moist shortly grassy pastures near the rivulet 

 of Catete, within the fortress ; in company with KijUhujia tricejjs 

 Rottb., Cyperm nncindtus Poir., and C, capilUpes C. B. Clarke ; fl, 

 beginning of Feb., fl. and fr. April 1857. No. 1009. Flowers whitish- 

 rose. In shortly grassy meadows near Quisonde, on the right bank of 

 the river Cuanza; gregarious, but only in one place; fl. March 1857, 

 No. 1009 &. A graceful erect branched rather fleshy and bitter herb ; 

 stem acutely angular ; leaves scattered, narrowly linear-lanceolate, her- 

 baceous-green ; racemes spike-like, pedunculate ; flowers always milk- 

 white and rather fleshy, wholly glabrescent ; outer sepals lanceolate, 

 subequal, one-third as long as the obovate-circular obtuse shortly 

 clawed wings ; petals free a little above the base, rather broad, keel 

 sparingly crested, rather shorter than the wings ; crest sometimes very 

 small, in other cases more developed, and consisting of 3 or 4 or even 

 8 obtuse usually apical dorsal fimbriae ; capsule much shorter than the 

 wings, circular, very shortly stipitate, a little or scarcely emarginate 

 at the apex, deeply sulcate, quite smooth, the older ones becoming 

 turgid on both sides ; seeds obvoid-elliptical, with a very small or 

 obsolete caruncle, wholly beset with scattered rather thick whitish 

 rather rigid hairs inflexo-capitate in a circinate manner at the apex ; 

 stamens constantly 8, with yellow proportionately large anthers. On 

 the damp shortly grassy slopes of the mountains of Serra de Pedras 

 de Guinga (the Scorpion Mountains), at an elevation of 3500 ft. ; fl. 

 and fr, March 1857, No. 1010. 



