DR THOMAS R. FRASER ON STROPHANTHUS HISPIDUS. 975 



2. Botanical Description. 



Decandolle, in 1802, first described the genus Strophanthus, and gave it this 

 name because of the twisted thong-like prolongations of the lobes of the corolla 

 (<TTp6(t>o$, a twisted band or cord or thong, avOog, a flower). # It is a genus in the 

 family of the Apocynacese, nearly related to Nerium and Echites, and even more so to 

 Roupellia, which differs from it almost alone in being devoid of the prolongations of the 

 corolla-lobes. 



The genus is thus described by Bentham and Hooker :t — " Calyx 5-partitus, basi 

 intus 5-oo -glandulosus (rarius eglandulosus ?). Corolla infundibularis, tubo brevi, fauce 

 ample campanulata, squamis ligulisve 10 liberis v. basi perparia connatis instructa; lobi 5, 

 contorti, dextrorsum obtegentes in acumen (seu caudam) nunc longissime lineare nunc 

 rarius abbreviatum producti. Stamina summo tubo affixa, fauce inclusa, filanientis brevi- 

 bus ; antherse sagittatse, plus minus acuminatae, circa stigma conniventes et ei medio 

 leviter adhserentes, loculis basi in appendicem vacuam productis. Discus 0. Ovarii 

 carpella 2, distincta ; stylus filiformis ; stigma crassum basi in membranam reflexam 

 ssepius 5-lobam dilatatum, apicem versus saepius lobis 5-glanduliferis cinctum, apiculo 

 conico integro v. 5-fido ; ovula in quoque carpello numerosa, oo -seriata. Folliculi oblongi 

 v. elongati, duri, divergentes v. divaricati. Semina compresso-fusiformia, apice in aristam 

 longe plumosam producta, inferne coma decidua appendiculata (rarius ecomosa ?). — Arbus- 

 culse v. frutices ssepe scandentes, glabri pubescentes v. villosi. Folia opposita, pennivenia. 

 Cymse terminales, nunc dense pauciflorse, nunc corymbosse multiflorseque. Flores speciosi 

 rarius parvi, albi flavicantes aurantiaci rubri v. purpurei." 



About twenty species are at present known, of which eight are found in Africa. 

 Decandolle has himself described four species — S. sarmentosus, of Sierra Leone ; S. lauri- 

 folius, of Africa ; S. dichotomies, of India, China, and Java ; and S. hispidus, of Sierra 

 Leone. Of the others, the best known are S. Bullenianus, S. capensis, S. Ledienii, S. 

 Petersiana, and S. pendulus, all of Africa ; S. brevicaudatus, of Burmah ; S. divergens, 

 of China ; S. Griffithii and S. longicaudatus, of Malacca ; and S. Wightianus, of 

 India. 



Strophanthus Kombe, described by Oliver,}: and formerly regarded as a distinct 

 species, has not been placed in the list, as I understand that Oliver, after an examina- 

 tion of further and more complete specimens of the flowers and leaves, now regards it as 

 " a variety, a geographical race of S. hispidus." His opinion is "that S. Kombe, of 

 East Tropical Africa, is but a mere variety of S. hispidus, and that the differences between 

 them are not more considerable than it is reasonable to allow to a species of wide distri- 

 bution." Having submitted to this botanist some of the flowers sent to me by Mr 



* Annates du Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 1802, p. 408; Bulletin des Sciences, par la Societe Philo- 

 mathique, Paris, 1802, p. 122. 



t Genera Plantarum, vol. ii. part 2, 1876, p. 714. 



X Hooker's Icones Plantarum, 3rd series, vol. i. part 4, 1871, p. 79, and plate 1098. 



