PLATE 570. 



Troohomebia Gaecini, Hook & Bth. (Fl. Cap. Vol. 2, p. 487, sub Zehneeia 



Garoini.) 

 Natural Order, Cuoijrbitaob^. 



A dioecious climbing plant, with green unisexual flowers. Stems several feet 

 long, young portions hispidulous, older glabrous, tendrils simple. Leaves petiolate, 

 palmately 3 to 6-lobed, the lobes again very irregularly toothed, serrate or almost 

 lobed, usually mucronate, 2 to 3 inches long and broad, scabrous on both sides 

 with minute rigid hairs, each springing from a multicellular swollen base ; petiole 

 I to 1 inch long. Flowers on slender peduncles equalling the petioles in length. 

 Inflorescence axillary. Male flowers on short peduncles, which are 1-3 flowered 

 and have a cordate or sub-cordate bract at base, which is \ to -J inch long and 

 broad, and ciliate with long bristles. Calyx tubular, very minutely 5-toothed at 

 apex. Corolla rotate, 5-lobed nearly to base, almost continuous with the calyx 

 tube, the lobes oblong, spreading, \ inch long, green. Stamens 3, inserted on tube 

 of calyx, filaments free; anthers linear-elongate, one 1-celled, the others 2-celled, 

 all flexuous Ovary rudimentary. Female flowers solitary, calyx and corolla as 

 in the male flower. Stamens 3, rudimentary. Ovary oblong, i -celled, with 3 

 placentas, ovules many. Style 3-lobed, stigmas club-shaped. Fruit globose, gla- 

 brous, \ inch diameter. Ripe seeds not seen. 



Habitat: Natal Near Verulam, 500 ft. alt July Wood 978; 'Ntunzini, 

 Zululand, 200 ft. alt., August, November Haygarth {Wood 11018) ; Camperdown, 

 2,000 ft. alt. October Miss Franks (Wood 11800). 



In the Flora Capensis, and also in the Thesaurus Capensis, this plant is de- 

 scribed as Zehneria Oarcini, Stoclcs, but the authors had at that tiae not seen the 

 female flowers or the fruit. It has also been known as (Bryonia Oarcini and .S'jcyos 

 Oarcini, but now that female flowers and fruit have been seen it has been placed in 

 the genus above named, the true Zehneria Oarcini being a native of India and Ceylon, 

 though its name also has been changed to Blastania Oarcini, Oogn. The genus Tro- 

 chomeria contains about 1 5 species, one being a native of Madagascar, the remainder 

 of tropical and South Africa, and of these three T. sagiltata, T. pectinata and 7'. 

 Oarcini have been found in Natal, though the last named appears in the " Revised 

 List of Natal Plants " and also in the " Handbook to the Flora of Natal " as T. 

 Hookeri, Harv., which is now a synonym. None of the species have any useful 

 properties so far as is known to us. 



Fig 1, portion of female plant; 2, bud; 3, flower; 4, style and stigmas; 5, 

 longitudinal section of ovary ; 6, cross section of same ; 7, portion of male plant ; 

 8, bud and bract ; 9, flower ; 1 0, calyx tube, showing stamens ; II , a stamen ; figs. 

 4, 5, 6, 10, 11, enlarged, remainder natural size. 



