A REVISION OF BERSAMA 13 



the quadrilocular ovary attenuate above into a glabrous style ; and 

 the obtuse, subtetragonous stigma. Planchon (Trans. Linn. Soc. 

 xx. 408) retains Natalia as distinct from Bersama ; but recent 

 authors, I think correctly, consider these genera should be united. 

 In the case of B. paidlinioides Baker, of which Vogel's type in the 

 Kew Herbarium from Sierra Leone and the figure in Hooker's 

 Niger Flora leaves no ambiguity, I have found several plants 

 referred here from various localities which it seems advisable to 

 separate. Thus I have ventured to distinguish plants from Angola, 

 the Cameroons, and Uganda which have been placed here. I have 

 not included in the following notes Hoist, no. 2481, from Bipinde, 

 Cameroons, which was distributed as a new species of Bersama 



tf 



Afi 



>f Tropical 

 Xatalia the plants with four 



stamens, and in Eubersama those with five stamens, and Dr. Giirke 

 (Pflanzenfamilien, v. 381 (1895^) groups the plants in a similar 

 manner. But this character is by no means absolute, as in certain 

 species — for instauce B. Gossweileri and B. nyassa — flowers occur 

 with either four or five stamens, in the case of the former in the 

 same raceme, and the capsule may be either four- or five-valved. 



It seems advisable to leave as undetermined certain specimens 

 where the material is not very complete ; and in this connection I 

 may mention a plant from Niamniamland, collected by Dr. Schwein- 

 furth, no. 3884 in Herb. Kew., which is only in fruit; also Gerrard, 

 no. 1428, from Natal, and certain plants collected by Welwitsch in 

 Anirola. The genus is placed in Sapindacea by Bentham & Hooker, 

 but by Planchon, Giirke, Dalla Torre, and Harms, it is placed in 

 Melianthacea. 



For the purposes of the following revision I have studied the 

 authentic material in the National and Kew Herbaria. 



Beksama. 



Fres. in Mus. Senckenberg. ii. 279, t. 17 (1837); Bentham & 

 Hooker fil. Gen. Plant, i. 412 ; Baker in Oliver, Flora of Tropical 

 Africa, i. 433-435 ; Giirke in Engler et Prantl, Pflanzenfam. iii. 

 5, 381 ; et in Pflanzenwelt, Ost-Afr. c. 252. 



■Natalia Hochst. in Flora, xxiv. (1841), 663. 



Rhaganus E. Meyer in Drege, Zwei Pfl. Docum. 216 (1813), 

 nouien. ; 



A. Stamens generally 4, rarely 5.* 



a. Leaf rachis unwinged. 



* Leaves imparipinnate, generally 2-3-jugate. Leaflets obovate, 



entire, shining, 80-5-0-8-5 cm. long. 



1. B. lucens Szyszyl. in Polypet. Relnnann ii. 50 (1888) ; Wood 

 & Evans, Natal Plants, i. 71, t. 88 (1899). 



Natalia lucens Hochst. in Flora, xxiv. 663 (1841). 

 Rhaganus lucidus E. Meyer, I.e. (nomen). 





Flowers with 4 stamens or with 5 stamens occur in B. Gossweileri and 

 B. nyassie. 



