1953] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NY ASALAND 



219 



16202. Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya Plateau, common locally in 

 forest, tree up to about 12 ra. high, leaves grey-brown below, fruit dehiscent, 

 seeds orange, 1890 m., July 6, 1946, 16702. North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, 

 frequent on edges of montane forest, tree 5-8 m. tall, leaves greyish-green below, 

 fruit grey-green, seeds orange, 2250 m., Aug. 16, 1946, 17238. Highlands of east- 

 ern Africa from Mt. Kilimanjaro to Cape Province of South Africa. 



Gerrardina eylesiana Milne-Redhead, Hook. Ic. PI. pi. 3390. 1939. 



Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya Plateau, in rain-forest regrowths, 

 tree 4 m. high, young leaves red, flowers white, I860 m., June 26, 1946, 16441. 

 Portuguese East Africa, S. Rhodesia, and now new to Nyasaland. 



PITTOSPORACEAE" 



Pittosporum viridiflorum Sims, Bot. Mag. pi. 1684. 1814. 

 Pittosporum malosanum Bak. Kew Bull. 1897: 244. 1897. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, occasional in riverine rain-forest, tree 5—7 

 m. high, fruits green, seeds orange-red, 1500 m., June 7, 1946, 16303. Blantyre 

 District: Blantyre, tree in riparian rain-forest, 10 m. high, leaves pale dull green, 

 paler below, fruits yellowish-green, seeds orange, 840 m., June 20, 1946, 16365. 

 Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya Plateau, common tree 5-8 m. high in 

 forest edges and regrowths, fruits yellow, seeds orange, 1890 m., June 30, 1946, 

 16544. Abyssinia to South Africa and Angola. 



The generally accepted characters which have been used to separate P. abys- 

 sinicum A. Rich, from P. viridiflorum Sims are most unsatisfactory. The leaf- 

 shape is very variable, many specimens showing both acute and obtuse leaves on 

 the same shoot. I admit that there is a greater tendency towards acute leaves to- 

 wards the south of the range, but I do not consider this alone is sufficient justi- 

 fication for separating off a distinct species. The degree of fusion of the sepals 

 is also, in my opinion, a variable and unreliable character. The distribution is 

 now known to be continuous. The relationship of P. malosanum Bak. to the other 

 two "species" has always been obscure. 



Dr. G. Cufodontis has revised the Kew material of Pittosporum since the above 

 note was written. He keeps P. abyssinicum as a species distinct from P. viridi- 

 florum, whilst he agrees with me that P. viridiflorum reaches to Abyssinia at the 

 northern end of its range. He reduces P. malosanum to the synonymy of P. viridi- 

 florum. The publication of Dr. Cufodontis* revision is awaited. 



POLYGALACEAE 14 



Securidaca longipedunculata Fresen. Mus. Senckenb. 2: 275. 1837. 



Kasungu District: Kasungu, sporadic in Brachystegia woodlands, tree 5-7 m. 

 high, fruit 1-3-winged, native name (Chinyanja) ngaigaie, 1000 m., Aug. 25, 1946, 

 17419. Widely spread in the savannah regions of Africa. 



Polygala capillaris E. Mey. ex Harv. in Harv. & Sond. Fl. Cap. 1: 93. 1859. 



Kota-kota District: Chia area, occasional on moist edges of marshes, herb 

 10-25 cm. high, flowers purple, 480 m., Sept. 1, 1946, 17472. Uganda to Angola 

 and Natal. New to Nyasaland. 



Polygala gomesiana Welw. ex. Oliv. Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 126. 1868. 



Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, frequent in moist gullies in Brachystegia 

 woodland, 1.5-2 m. high, flowers showy, purple, 1400 m., July 25, 1946, 16939. 

 North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau; Nchena-chena Spur, plentiful on shrubby 



"By E. Milne -Red he ad, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 

 l4 By E. Milne-Redhead, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 



L 



