THE flOBA HONGKONGENSIS. 25 



23. Ipomoea tuberetilata, Roem. and Schult.; Choisy in DC. Prod. 

 ix. 386. 



Now spread more or less over the island, flowering during the 

 whole year. Scattered throughout aU the warmer regions of the 

 globe. Seeds with a close cinereous pubescence, and besides with 

 long brownish-white wool, forming a beard along the two lateral 

 angles. I am very doubtful whether this is really indigenous ; for I 

 know of no plant which grows so rapidly and spreads over such 

 an enormous space. When once it has obtaiaed a footing in a 

 garden it is almost impossible to eradicate it ; and its embraces 

 are fatal to many trees and shrubs. The old stems are wonder- 

 fully tenacious, and would mate admirable ropes for packing 

 cotton and other merchandise. Mr. Bentham (Fl. Austr. iv. 415) 

 refers this to I. palmata, Forsk. ; but I do not adopt the name, be- 

 cause there is a good deal of obscurity about this and allied spe- 

 cies. Moreover Mr. Bentham includes under this name J. ^mZ- 

 chella, Eoth, which, to judge from Kotschy's Kordofan specimens 

 (Iter Nub. n. 177), is surely, as remarked by Grrisebach (Fl. Br. 

 W.^ Ind. 470), quite distinct. 



24. Ipomcea obscuxa, Ker ; Choisy in DC. Prod. ix. 370. 



On grassy hill-sides near the sea in the neighbourhood of 

 Aberdeen ; first gathered by me in May 1858. Occurs through- 

 out Tropical Asia, continental and insular, in Abyssinia, and in 

 Queensland. 



*Ipomoea angustifolia, Jacq.; Benth. in Fl. Austr. iv. 425. (=1. fili- 

 cauWa, Blume ; Benth. Fl. Hongk. 238.) 



Dr. Thwaites (Enum. PI. Zeyl. 211) refers this to I. tridentata, 

 Eoth. 

 ^. Ipomoea simiata, Ortega; Choisy in DC. Prod. ix. 362. 



Amongst grass and in hedges. Extends from the Southern 

 United States, throughout the whole of Tropical South America, 

 and the West-India Islands — and is also found in various parts 

 of the Old World, though perhaps not really wild there. 



26. Ipomcea involucrata, Bea«». ; Miq.Fl. Ind.Bat.\\.6Q9. ( = 1. 

 leata, Bxixb. Fl. Ind. i. 504.) 

 On the grassy hill-side about halfway up to Victoria Peak ; 

 found only once, by Mr. C. Alabaster in October 1856. Common 

 on the west coast of Africa, and occurs also in Madagascar, Java, 

 and India ; but Eoxburgh says it was introduced into Calcutta 

 from Chiua. 



