FLORULA ADEXENSIS. 9 



8-10, truncatis, muticis, tomentosis, trispermis. — Sida denticulata 



Fresen. Mus. Sencken. i. p. 82. 

 Hab. Aden {Hook.fil. et T. !). 

 Distr. In Arabia Petraea ! Scinde ! iEgypto superiore ! Senaar ! 



Ordo VII. STERCULLACE^E. 



1. Sterctjlia, Linn. 



1. S. Arabica (T. Anders.). Glabra, cortice cinereo; foliis petiolatis, 

 rotundatis, late ovatis obtusis, vel subrhomboideis acutis, basi inter- 

 dum subcordatis, integris vel crenatis, utrinque glaberrimis, stipulis 

 subulatis ; racemis in ultimis ramis vel axillaribus, simplicibus, pauci- 

 floris, folio multo brevioribus ,• pedunculis glabris ; pedicellis apice 

 pilosulis; bracteis minutis, subulatis; calyce ad medium 5-fido, 

 utrinque piloso, laciniis patentibus ; floribus masculinis tubo stamineo 

 exserto, 10-lobato, glabro ; folliculis 4, anguste ovatis, acutis, pubes- 

 centibus. — S. Abyssinica, R. Br. partim in Append. Salt. Abyss, et in 

 PI. Javan. Rar. p. 227. 

 Hab. Aden (Hook.fil. et T. !). 



Arbuscula 8-10-pedalis, glaberrima, foliata; ramuli abbreviati, paulo 

 incrassati ; ramuli flor if eri in nodis foliosis abbreviatis aut in longitu- 

 dine petiolum sequantibus, stipulis deciduis obtecti. Folia 3-5-nervia, 

 1-1 1 unc. longa, 1-2^ unc. lata; nervi viridescentes ; petiolus teres, 

 glaber, £-§ unc. longus. Racemi ^-1 unc. longi, graciles. Flores 

 parvi. Folliculi teretes, subrostrati, fulvo-pubescentes, | unc. longi, ^ 

 unc. lati. 

 Tab. II. A. St erculia Arabica (T. Anders.) : fig. 1, male flower; 2, same 

 laid open; 3, anthers ; 4, fruit, natural size. (Figures 1, 2, and 3 are 

 magnified.) B. Leaf and fruit of S. Abyssinica, R. Br., natural size. 

 I have examined, on two distinct occasions, the original specimens of S. 

 Abyssinica, R. Br., in Salt's Abyssinian plants in the British Museum, and 

 at the same time compared them with ten or twelve specimens of the Aden 

 species S. Arabica. I find that among Salt's specimens of S. Abyssinica 

 there is a fragment of S. Arabica, consisting of a portion of a branch with 

 three leaves, and a fruit of four follicles on a very short axillary peduncle ; 

 and from this the description in the ' Plantae Javanicse Rariores,' of the fruit 

 and partly of the leaves, of S. Abyssinica was deduced. Though Salt's speci- 

 mens of these two species of Sterculia are said to be from Abyssinia, they 

 are possibly from quite distinct localities; for that traveller, after touching 

 at several points on the east coast of Africa, visited Aden and Arabia Felix. 

 Whenever a favourable opportunity occurred, he seems to have collected 

 plants, but (judging from his herbarium in the British Museum) without 

 appending any notes or records of stations to his specimens. It is probable 

 that the specimens of S. Abyssinica were obtained at Mozambique, where 



