Liberia - 



leaves, up to almost I ft. by 2 in. ; flower-stems with slender 

 peduncles (16 in. long) and few-flowered spikes, berries bottle- 

 shaped, 2\ in. long, not grooved ; gregarious, forming extensive 

 reeds ; Cape Palmas, Crummel. 



*Renealmia longifolia, K. ScJium. : a very tall perennial herb, with 

 petioled linear-lanceolate long-acuminate leaves, i 2 ft. by 

 i. 1 , jJ, in., and terminal narrow erect or nodding panicles 

 of bracteate flowers (corolla unknown) and small ellipsoid 

 red or ultimately black capsules ; Kakatown, WJiyte ! ; in humid 

 forest by the Cestos River near Grand Basil, Dinklage, 



1945 ! 



*R. maculata, Stapf (sp. nov.) : a perennial herb with distinct leaf- 

 and flower-stems ; leaf-stems, including the blades, about i ft. 

 high, with about 4 elliptic or lanceolate-elliptic shortly acuminate 

 purple-blotched petioled leaves, 79 in. by 2 to almost 4 in., 

 flower-stems rather slender, 3 5 in. high, representing a shortly 

 peduncled panicle with short few-flowered branches, supported 

 by more or less persistent and adpressed bracts with spreading 

 pedicels, in the mature state | f in. long, and oblong-ellipsoid 

 capsules, \ f in. by J in , containing numerous seeds witli 

 yellow arils ; Kakatown, Whyte \ This is similar to R. africana, 

 Benth., but smaller, with more and permanently adpressed 

 bracts and more oblong fruits. 



Costus afer, Ker. : a perennial herb with slender stems, 6 9 ft. 

 high, lanceolate caudate-acuminate glabrous or (below) more 

 or less adpressly hairy leaves, 4 7 in. by f ij in., and dense 

 terminal bracteate heads of white flowers (with a yellow centre) 

 supported by an involucre of large foliaceous bracts, the 

 flowers paired in the axils of the bracts ; Monrovia and 

 Kakatown, W/iytel] in humid places in primary forest by the 

 River Cestos, Dinklage, 1640. The juice of the very closely 

 allied C. lueanusianus> }. Braun and K. Schum., is used by the 

 natives of the Cameroons in the preparation of Funtumia 

 rubber. 



C. littoralis, K. Sc/niiti. : similar to the preceding species, but less 

 tall, with larger leaves and solitary flowers in the axils of the 

 bracts; in bush in the littoral near Fishtown, l)hikliigc. t 1701. 

 Scarcely distinct from C. afer. 



656 



