Talinuon] xvii. portulace^. 55 



Island of St. Thomas. — A herb in gardens, abundant ; fr. Dec. 

 1860. Apparently belonging to this species, or perhaps to T. crassi- 

 folhim Willd. Coll. Carp. 118. 



The following No., represented by a few poor specimens, perhaps 

 belongs to the last species or rather to T. crassifolmm Willd. : — 



Ambriz. — A herb almost suffruticose ; stem with quite patent 

 branches ; leaves fleshy, lanceolate, quickly falling off in the course 

 of drying. At the maritime rocks near Ambriz in the direction of 

 Mossul, not uncommon ; fl. Nov. 1853. Welwitsch had occasion to tra- 

 verse this region in rapid flight, under pursuit by the natives. No. 1096. 



XVIIT. TAMARISCINE.E. 



These plants afford excellent firewood. 



1. TAMARIX L. ; Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. PI. i. p. 160. 



1. T. gallica L. Sp. PI. ed. 1, p. 270 (1753); Oliv. Fl. Trop. 

 Afr. i. p. 151. 



T. senegalensis DC. Prodr. iii. p. 96 (1828). 



Cape de Verde Islands. — Frequent in sandy maritime places and 

 in gravelly places by the stream on Monte Verde of the island of St. 

 Vincent near Porto Grande, and near the village of Mindello forming 

 little woods, which are called Taraffaes ; fl. and fr. August 1853. Native 

 name " TarafEa," derived from the Arabic word " Tarfa." No. 1087. 



2. T. orientalis Forsk. Fl. ^gypt.-Arab. p. 206. n. 29 (1775). 

 T. articuiataY Villi (1791); Oliv., I.e. ; Ficalho, PI. Ut. p. 94 (1884). 

 Mossamedes. — A small tree, 10 to 18 ft. high, rarely higher up to 



25 ft., usually a shrub 4 to 7 ft. high and then branched from the 

 base ; stems ctespitose, purplish ; leaves glaucescent, sheathing, blade 

 more or less blunt or reduced to a subulate apiculus ; flowers whitish 

 or rosy ; inflorescence of two forms, spicate and occasionally on the 

 same plant solitary and axillary ; capsules all 3-valved ; very abundant, 

 in sandy places by the banks of the rivers Bero and Maiombo, pene- 

 trating far into the interior of the continent, usually covered with 

 Cossytha. fl. and fr. end of June 1859. Called by the colonists " Cedro." 

 Branches sometimes affected with galls, which cause strobiliform 

 excrescences. 15" 8' S. Lat. No. 1086. 



BuMBu. — A tree, 25 ft. high ; sporadic, in little woods by the gravelly 

 banks of streams, near Quitibe de Cima, at an elevation of about 

 1800 ft., in fl. without fr. at the beginning of June 1860. No. 1086&. 



It was found in the southern part of Portuguese Guinea, at the 

 mouth of the river Cunene, by Fernando da Costa Leal, and mentioned 

 by the name of " Cedros " in his Travels. It is called " ' N ' cedro " by 

 the negroes. 



XIX. ELATINE^. 

 1. BERGIA L. ; Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. PL i. p. 163. 

 1. B. polyantha Sond. in Linntea xxiii. p. 16 (1850). 

 Mossamedes. — An annual herb, with the appearance of an .i««^«//is 

 or rather of a Pohjcurpa ; stems subterete, c^spitose, purple, prostrate ; 

 branches opposite ; leaves opposite, glaucescent, rather fleshy, very deli- 

 cately and distantly denticulate towards the apex ; stipules 2, white. 



