86 MR HIERN, ON EBENACE^E. 



Fish Kiver, and Crocodile River; Harvey! 544; Mac Owan, 1646; W. T. Gerrard! 129, 615, 

 1157, 1238, 1607, 1610, 1611, Natal; T. Cooper! 272, Queenstown; 418, Beaufort; 1238, 

 1157, Natal; Button! Howison's Port, Eastern Districts; J.Sanderson! 140, 318, 511, 527, 

 717, Natal; Dr Sutherland! Natal 30005000 feet alt; Sowker ! (103?) Albany; Wyley ! 

 103, Namaqualand ; Bolus! 128, Graaf Reinet (flowers in Oct., fruits in Nov.); Krauss! 

 423, Natal, 1721, Knysna; Cape. Nivenf 51, large shrub 6 or 8 feet high, dry elevated 

 plains near Goud river. Tropical Africa, Dr Kirk! Seshike (alt. 3000 feet); C. J. Meller! 

 Manganja Hills (tree : always found by streams). 



A form with leaves acute at both ends and turning black in drying and with globose 

 fruits thinly sprinkled with rigid hairs is B. hispidula, Harv. MSS. Burchell ! Cat. no. 3789 

 at the Kowi Station, 26 Sept. 1813 ; and no. 4501 at the Lead mine, 29 January, 1814. 



Benguela. Distr. Huilla. Dr Welwitsch ! no. 2533. A shrub 4 6 ft. high, rarely a small 

 tree of 8 ft. Leaves broad. Flowers white, rather fleshy. Fruit puberulous. Fruiting calyx 

 reflexed, not much increased. In woods and thickets between Lopollo and Monino. 



Do. Dr Welwitsch ! no. 2534. Leaves narrower. 



Do. Dr Welwitsch f no. 1255. A small shrub, a few inches high, much branched. Leaves 

 densely sericeous, with some species of dEcidium growing on them. A sickly specimen probably 

 belonging to R. pollens. 



8. ROYENA AMBIGUA, Vent. Jard. Malm. n. 17 (1803). 



B. foliis obovato-ellipticis, obtusis, basi angustatis, coriaceis, breviter petiolatis ; floribus 

 5 f-meris, dicecis; pedunculis unifloris, flore longioribus ; calyce partita; corolla urceolatd; 

 staminibus 10 14, sterilibus (?) ; stylo 5 7- (?) lobo. 



Alph. DC. Prodr. vm. p. 214. n. 14 (1844). 



Diospyros ambigua, Vent. Malm. t. 17 (1803). 



B. polyandra /3. ambigua, Pers. Synops. I. p. 486 (1805). 



Diplonema ambigua, G. Don, Gen. Syst. Gard. and Bot. rv. p. 42 (1837). 



Shrub with numerous erect-patent or ascending branches tomentose-pubescent (at least in 

 wild specimen) throughout, about 3 feet high when in cultivation. 



Leaves obovate-elliptical, somewhat narrowed at base and rounded or apiculate at apex, 

 dull green, sometimes minutely pellucid-punctate, coriaceous, shortly petiolate, 1 to 2 in. long 

 by J to f in. wide. Petioles -^ in. long. 



Peduncles ( 2 ) arching downwards, 1-flowered, bearing 2 (or 3) alternate linear bracts about 

 their middle, three times the length of the petiole in flower, J to f in. long in fruit. Flowers 

 not hermaphrodite (?), drooping, orange-yellow, slightly scented. 



Calyx with 5 (or 6 ?) lanceolate acute partitions. 



Corolla uroeolate, 5 7 Mobed : lobes rounded, shorter than the tube.> 



Stamens in ? flower 10 14 ? shorter than the tube of the corolla, barren. 



Style 5 7 ?-lobed. Ovary with 5 7 ? external longitudinal furrows, 10-celled. 



Fruit globular, bright pale brown, pubescent, nearly in. in diameter, sometimes dehiscing 

 by 5 valves, (in one case) 3-seeded. Fruit-calyx accrescent, reflexed, with 5 oblong-lanceolate 

 partitions in. long. Seeds oblong, J in. long, pendulous. 



