PHANEROGAMS — PROFESSOR BAYLEY BALFOUR. 153 



A quite distinct species. Its nearest ally is S. diospyroides, Baker (in 

 Oliv. Flor. Trop. Afr. iii. 502), a Zanzibar form. But the floral characters, 

 especially of the corolla and the staminodes, sufficiently separate them. 



Order XLII. EBENACE.E.* 



An order of tropical and subtropical trees or shrubs, having their head- 

 quarters in the East Indies. 



EUCLEA. 



Euclea, Linn. Syst. Nat. ed. Murray ii. 747; Benbh. et Hook. Gen. PI. ii. 664. 



A small genus, restricted to south and tropical Africa. In Socotra we have 

 three species, two of them endemic ; the third is doubtfully an Abyssinian one. 

 There may be five species on the island, as fragmentary specimens of two other 

 plants appear to belong to this genus. 



1. E. laurina, Hiern in Proc. Eoy. Soc. Edin. xiii. (1883). 



Fruticosa ; foliis ellipticis v. obovatis suboppositis v. oppositis apice plus minusve rotundatis 

 basi cuneatis breviter petiolatis supra intense viridibus ; racemis axillaribus ; floribus 4- 

 rarissime 3-meris ; corolla anguste cylindrata breviter lobata. 



Frutex ramosus glaber, ramis alternis suboppositis v. oppositis cinereis, ramulis gracilibus lsevibus 

 apice squamulis glandulosis parvis rubellis inductis. Folia opposita v. subopposita ellipt- 

 ica v. obovata apice plus minusve rotundata basi cuneata attenuata integerrima coriacea v. 

 pergamena plus minusve uudulata supra intense viridia infra pallidiora 14—3 poll, longa 

 £-l| poll, lata margine anguste incrassato-revoluta, venis lateralibus inconspicuis ; 

 petiolus yV~5 P ^* l on g us basi articulatus. Racemi ($ ?) axillares £-£ poll, (floribus exclusis) 

 lougi ut videtur 3-7-flori, squamulis glandulosis parvis rubellis conspersis ; pedicelli alterni 

 v. oppositi -1*2-6 P°ll' l° n gi- Flores graciles semipollicares v. paulum breviores tetrameri, 

 rarissime trimeri. Calyx poculiformis ^ P°H- l ori g us v - paulum brevior glaber saepissime 

 4-fidus sub fructu non vel vix accrescens, lobis deltoideis appressis. Corolla anguste cylindr- 

 ata glabra apice breviter lobata, lobis obtusis in sestivatione sinistrorsum (ab axe deorsum 

 spectanti) convolutis, cylindro gracili firmiter carnoso maximam partem consolidato. 

 Stamina nulla. Ovarium parvum minute pilosum. Fructus solitarius ovoideo-globosus 

 \-\ poll, longus \-\ poll. diam. pilis brevibus appressis conspersus v. glabratus, stylo 

 brevi erecto basi piloso apice saepius 4-fido (vel stylis 2 contiguis apice bifidis) desinens. 

 Semen unicum subglobosum. 



Socotra. On Haghier and near Galonsir. B.C.S. nn. 166 %, 383. 



Distrib. Endemic. 



This species differs from all previously known species of Euclea by the long 

 narrow shape of its corolla, n. 166, perhaps, belongs to this species. It has 

 leaves sometimes alternate, and with a greater range of size. 



* I am indebted to Mr. W. P. Hiern for the identification and description of the Ebenaceee, and for 

 the subjoined notes. 



TRANS. ROY. SOC. EDIN. VOL. XXXI. U 



