Vernonia] Lxxi. composiTjE. 535 



over the exposed part of the back or at least outside the appendages, 

 lower part glabrous and glossy inside ; the outer ones linear or 

 spathulate, like the bracts, |- to J in. long ; the inner ones longer 

 and broader, with adpressed or revolute appendages ; the inner- 

 most ones linear-oblong ^ to f in. long ; the appendages mostly 

 erect or in flower reflexed, thin with narrowly scarious margins, 

 |- to f in. long, ovate or deltoid, terminal, acute or rounded or 

 shortly apiculate, more or less woolly at the back ; corollas bluish, 

 occasionally blue, exceeding the involucral scales, f to f in. long, 

 narrowly tubular, in the upper part narrowly funnel-shaped and 

 5-cleft, the lobes lanceolate ; anther- tube ^ part exserted ; anthers 

 with lanceolate appendages at each end ; style hispidulous in the 

 upper part, the branches exserted, puberulous, rather elongated, 

 spreading, incurved, tapering : achenes (young) ^ in. long, obovate- 

 oblong, somewhat compressed, fuscovis, obscurely 8- to 10-ribbed, 

 closely setulose with short upturned pallid hairs ; pappus rufous, 

 f in. long, pluriseriate ; setse unequal somewhat flattened, slightly 

 barbellate-ciliolate. 



PuNGO Andongo. — In rocky glades in the forest, between Calunda 

 and Mangue, sporadic ; fl. and young fr. March 1857. No. 3278- 



This variety differs from V. guineensis Benth. in Hook. Niger Fl. 

 p. 427 (1849), O. & H. in Oliv. Fl. Trop. Afr. iii. p. 285, the type- 

 specimens of which are in the British Museum herbarium, by the shape 

 and margin of the leaves, as well as by the inflorescence ; to the latter 

 species Hoffmann, I.e., unites V.firma 0. & H., I.e., p. 290, which is 

 founded on Schweinfurth's specimens, n. 3153, from Niamniam-land, 

 and which has broader leaves with an obsolete tomentum beneath ; the 

 specimens collected by Scott Elliot nn. 4737, 4842 and sent out from 

 the Kew herbarium, each with the name of V. firma attached, perhaps 

 belong to different species ; the latter has foliage and inflorescence 

 rather of V. guineensis Benth., and the former rather the foliage of 

 V. ulophylla var. Hoffmanniana. 



41. V. selerophylla 0. Hofim., I.e., xiii. p. 13. 



PuNGO Andokgo. — A perennial sufEruticose erect herb, 3 to 4 ft. 

 high ; leaves subcoriaceous, rather rigid ; involucral scales subscarious, 

 whitish, coriaceous at the base, imbricate, spreading ; flowers azure- 

 blue or bluish. In the more elevated secondary thickets of the 

 prsesidium, not uncommon, fl. end of Feb. 1867 ; also in bushy places 

 amongst tall grasses within the praesidium ; abundant, fl. and fr. 

 beginning of May 1867. No. 3277. 



42. V. rigidifolia Hiern, sp. n. 



An erect stiff herb, 2\ ft. high or more ; stem simple up to the 

 inflorescence, subterete below, sulcate- striate, puberulous, not 

 scabrid, uniformly leafy ; leaves alternate, oblanceolate or obovate, 

 subobtuse at the apex, wedge-shaped to the attenuate scarcely 

 petiolate base (or with a narrowly-winged petiole), very rigid, charta- 

 ceous, very scabrous otherwise glabrous above, obsoletely tomentose 

 beneath, dentate, 1|- to 6 in. long by \ to 1|^ in. broad ; lateral 

 veins widely spreading, about 10 on each side, slender, along the 

 bottom of depressions on the upper face, raised on the lower face ; 

 capitula sub-hemispherical, |^ to f in. in diameter, many-flowered, 



