NO. 5 NEW EAST AFRICAN PLANTS STANDLEY 9 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 630563, collected on 

 the Southern N'guaso Nyiro River, " Sotik Country," British East 

 Africa, altitude 1,800 to 2,100 meters, July i to 3, 1909, by E. A. 

 Mearns (no. 540). 



Although the specimens are only in flower, it is evident from 

 their g-eneral appearance that they belong to the section Plmnosac.'' 

 The proposed species seems to be related to Monsonia longipcs 

 Knuth, described from Makindu, British East Africa, but that is 

 a very different plant in stature and pubescence. 



VIOLA MEARNSII Standley, sp. nov. 



Herba perennis, decumbens vel prostrata, ■ caulibus gracilibus, 

 retrorse hirtellis ; stipulae ovatae usque lineari-lanceolate, laciniato- 

 lobatae punctatae ciliatae ; folia petiolata, laminis suborbicularibus 

 vel reniformi-orbicularibus, apice late rotundatis, basi subcordatis 

 vel truncatis, crenatis, ad venas minute hirtellis, subtus punctatis ; 

 sepala anguste lanceolato-oblonga ciliata ; petala caerulea. 



Decumbent or prostrate perennial, much branched, the branches 

 slender, brownish, finely retrorse-hirtellous with white hairs ; stipules 

 thin, green, ovate to narrowly oblong or linear-lanceolate, 4-6 mm. 

 long, acuminate to attenuate, ciliate, brown-punctate, laciniately 

 lobed ; petioles slender, 0.5-2 cm. long, retrorse-hirtellous ; leaf blades 

 suborbicular or reni form-orbicular, 7-18 mm. broad, broadly 

 rounded at the apex, subcordate or truncate at the base, finely 

 crenate, ciliate, minutely hirtellous on the upper surface along the 

 veins, paler beneath and brown-punctate, retrorse-hirtellous along 

 the veins; peduncles axillary, 1-6.5 cm. long, retrorse-hirtellous, 

 bracteate at about the middle, the bracts lance-linear ; sepals nar- 

 rowly lance-oblong, 5-6 mm. long, ciliate ; petals blue, 6-8 mm. 

 long, the spur 2-2.5 "in^- long and nearly as thick; capsules 5 mm. 

 long, brown-punctate; seeds oval, 1.8 mm. long, pale brown, smooth. 



Type in the U. S. National Herbarium, no. 631672, collected in 

 the bamboo zone, western slopes of Mount Kenia, along the trail 

 from West Kenia Forest Station to summit, British East Africa, 

 altitude about 3,000 meters, September 28 to October 7, 1909, by 

 E. A. Mearns (no. 1718). Mearns's no. 1754 from the same 

 locality is also this species; likewise his no. 1344, which was col- 

 lected in the giant heath zone at an altitude of about 3,630 meters. 



Very probably this plant is the one described by Engler as J^iola 

 abvssinica eminii, from Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Ruwenzori. 



* Knuth in Engl. Pflanzenreich 53: 293. 1912. 



