710 cxiv. NYCTAGiNE^. (J. D. Hooker.) [Boerhaavia. 



obscurely ribbed. — This closely resembles the American B. scandens, but the flower 

 is much larger and the stamens are far exserted. 



4. B. verticillata, Pair. Diet. v. 56 ; brandies long pale, leaves 

 broadly ovate or rounded rarely oblong obtuse sinuate, umbels long- 

 peduncled axillary and panioled few-fld. often superposed, pedicels long 

 slender, fruit ^ in. clavate witb large semi-globose glands round tbe crown. 

 Ohois. in DC. Prodr. xiii. 1, 454 ; Wall. Cat. 6772 ; Boiss. Fl. Orient, iv. 

 1044. B. stellata, Wiglt Ic. t. 875 ; Chois. I. c. ; Dalz. Sf Gibs. Bomb. M. 

 213. B. scandens, Gibs. Cat. Bomb. PI. 167 ; Wall. Cat. 6773. 



Westben Panjab ; Salt range, Mt. Tilla, AitcUson. The CoKCAir, Katttwab 

 and SciNDE, Dalzell, Stocks, &c. Goojebat, Gibson. Mxboee, at Hyderabad, 

 Met/ne. Teavancobe and the Caenatio, Wight. — Disxeib. Affghanistan, Belu- 

 chistan, and westward to Syria and Tropical Africa. 



Habit, foliage and inflorescence much as in S. repanda, but leaves usually obtuse ; 

 flowers smaller, white or pink, and fruit very difierent. 



5. B. fruticosa, Dalz. in Dalz. Sf Gibs. Bomb. Fl. 213; "erect, 

 shrubby, viscidly tomentose, leaves ovate or triangular acuminate much 

 wrinkled beneath, base truncate, peduncles axillary, pedicels slender, 

 flowers umbelled small pink, fruit linear-oblong sulcate pubescent, ribs 

 tubercled." 



The CONOAU ; Ghats east of Bombay and Sewnere forts, Dalzell, 

 Stem 2 in. diam. ; branches very stout. Leaves 1-2 in. ; petiole short, stout. 

 Fedancles as long as the leaves, stout ; umbels sometimes superposed ; pedicels stout, 

 i-g- in. Ferianth. ^ in. diam. Fruit not seen. — Probably an African species. It 

 resembles £. grand^ora, A. Rich, a good deal. 



*** Flowers in di-tri-chotomous cymes ; pedicels very long, capillary, 



6. B. eleg'ans, Chois.in DC.Prodr.-n\\.2,4&Z; shrubby below, branches 

 erect, leaves sessile linear oblong or oblong-lanceolate obtuse or apiculate 

 fleshy pruinose, flowers in a very large excessively di-tri-chotomously branched 

 panicle with very long capillary peduncles and pedicels, fruit -{^ in. long 

 narrowly ellipsoid or clavate strongly ribbed perfectly smooth. Boiss. Fl. 

 Orient, iv. 1045. 



The Panjab; at Sandal bar, Edgemorth. Scinde, Stocks. — Disteib. Belu- 

 chistan, S. Arabia. 



Stock woody, much divided ; branches erect, 1-2 ft. , glaucous below. Leaves 

 few, 1-lJ in., curiously mottled with white when dry. ,Feduncles or branches of 

 panicle divaricate j pedicels 1-2 in. ; bracts (if present) setaceous. Flowers minute. 

 Fruit narrowed at both ends, minutely hairy between the ribs. — Schimper's No. 744 

 from Arabia, which Steudel has named B. rubicunda, and which is referred here by 

 Choisy and Boissier, is perhaps a different species, having broader petioled leaves (of 

 the same texture however) and fruit twice as large ; it is No. 159 of Fischer's, and 

 No. 98 of Schwenfurth's Arabian collections. — Seeds eaten, Fdgew, 



3. PXSOMXA, Linn. 



Trees or shrubs, sometimes spinous. Leaves opposite or alternate. 

 Flowers in corymbose cymes, not involucrate. Flowers usually dioecious, 

 2-3-bracteolate. Pericmth 5-10-toothed, of male flower funnel-shaped, of 

 female tubular. Stamens 6-10, exserted. Ovary sessile, oblique ; stigma 

 capitate or feathery. Fruit large or small. Cotyledons crumpled, enclosing 

 a scanty soft albumen. — Species 60, all tropical, one only African. 



