ASCLEPIADE^E 225 



fleshy character of the hypocotyl in its early stages. The 

 seeds of Stapelia bufonia germinated in the remarkably short 

 space of three or four days. The cotyledons are small, ovate, 

 plano-convex, and after germination assume an ascending 

 direction, placed obliquely to the axis or slightly twisted 

 with the faces of the two turned in different directions. 

 Those of Stapelia mutabilis and S. variegata (fig. 522) are 

 similar and behave in the same way. The primary leaves 

 of S. mutabilis are very small, conical, acute, opposite, 

 decussate, very numerous on the short stem, and decurrent 

 at the base, forming angles on the stem. The hypocotyl of 

 S. variegata is remarkably large, clavate, fleshy, and com- 

 pressed in a different plane from that of the cotyledons. The 

 leaves are more shortly conical even than those of S. muta- 

 bilis, but are otherwise similar. The internodes of the young 

 stem are slightly more elongated. Seedlings raised from 

 seeds sent from Bangalore under the name of Hoya viridiflora 

 (fig. 520) had broadly oval cotyledons with an incurved vena- 

 tion, and rather more numerous veins than in the first five 

 pairs of leaves which are elliptic. Eoundly oblong and emargi- 

 nate cotyledons are met with in Stephanotis longiflora. The 

 two first pairs of leaves are small and elliptic, followed by three 

 pairs that differ only in being much larger. The cotyledons 

 of a species of Ceropegia (fig. 521) from South Africa are 

 roundly triangular and truncate at the base. The first four 

 pairs of leaves vary from oblong to elliptic and are wavy at 

 the margin. 



Gymnolsema viride, Benth. 



Hypocotyl erect, terete, glabrous, 1-1 '7 cm. long, light green. 



Cotyledons oblong, obtuse, entire, shortly petiolate, glabrous, dull 

 green, pinnatinerved like the leaves ; the nerves are raised on the 

 upper side, giving them a wrinkled appearance. 



Stem erect, terete, herbaceous, green, glabrous ; 1st internode 

 8-13 mm. long ; 2nd and 3rd 1*2-1-8 cm. 



First leaves simple, entire, cauline, opposite, decussate, shortly 

 petiolate, linear-lanceolate, acute, glabrous, light green, pinnati- 

 nerved, clothed with short silky hairs when young. 



Periploca Isevigata, Ait. 



Seed triangular or plano-convex, obovate, considerably laterally 



n. Q 



