220 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN [Vol. 8, Mo. 3 



grasslands, shrub 2-3 m. high, sparsely branched, leaves few, pendent, flowers 

 purple, 1900 ra., Aug.' 20, 1946, 17354. 



This plant differs from the Angolan form of the species in having longer and 

 narrower leaves. Other Nyasaland and Tanganyika material at Kew, which agrees 

 well with Mr. Brass* gatherings, shows an annual rootstock, whilst P. gomesiana 

 Welw., sensu stricto, is a perennial. Exell and Mendonqa in Carrisso, Consp. Fl. 

 Angol. 1: 95 (1937) exclude Kirk's Lake Nyasa specimen cited by Oliver in the 

 Flora of Tropical Africa, thus indicating that they consider it to be a species 

 distinct from P. gomesiana. I prefer to await more and better material of P. gome- 

 siana before coming to a definite conclusion regarding this eastern plant. 



Polygala albida Schinz, Verh. Bot. Ver. Brand. 29: 53. 1888. 



Polygala living stoniana Chod. Mem. Soc. Phys. Geneve 31: 2. 1893. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, occasional on open moist ground about habi- 

 tations, herb, 10-15 cm. high, flowers pale greenish, 1500 m., June 4, 1946, 

 16212. Widely spread in tropical Africa. 



Polygala viminalis Gurke in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C: 234. 1895. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, one example in Bracbystegia woodland, herb 

 70 cm. high, flowers blue, the wings greenish but for the blue tip, 1500 m., June 

 4, 1946, 16216*. East and south Tropical Africa. 



Polygala petitiana A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 37. 1847. 



Polygala volkensii Gurke in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C: 234. 1895. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, frequent on moist shady bank, herb 10-30 

 cm. high, sepals purplish-brown, petals green, 1450 m., June 5, 1946, 16251. 

 Widely spread in the savannah regions of Africa. 



Polygala virgata Thunb. Prodr. PI. Cap. 120. 1800. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, occasional about grassy edges of rain-forest, 

 woody herb 2-2.5 m. high, apparently annual, branches forming an open crown on 

 upper part of the solitary tall stem, flowers rose-purple, wings paler than the 

 petals, 1820 m., May 31, 1946, 16125. Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Lu- 

 chenya Plateau, occasional about forest edges, shrub 2-3 m. high, stems solitary 

 with numerous short branches forming a crown at its apex, flowers pinkish-purple, 

 crest red, I860 m., June 26, 1946, 16442. North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, 

 frequent in shrubby edges of montane forest, shrub about 2 m. high, flowers deep 

 purple, 2300 m., Aug. 13, 1946, 17200. Mountains from southern Tanganyika to 

 Natal. 



Muraltia flanagani Bolus, Jour. Bot. 34: 17. 1896. 



Muraljia fernandi Chod. Mitt. Bot. Mus. Univ. Zurich 76: 612. 1916. 



Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain, on south-west ridge, rocky situations in 

 grass, shrub 10-20 cm. high, flowers pink, 2400 m., June 23, 1946, 16493; Lu- 

 chenya Plateau, gregarious on grassy edge of a stream, shrub, stems up to 1 m. 

 long, spreading and ascending, flower pale purple, 2180 m., July 3, 1946, 16641. 

 Southern Tanganyika, south to the Drakensburg Mts. in the Cape Province of 

 South Africa. 



I am indebted to Dr. M. R. Levyns for the determination of these two gatherings. 



. CARYOPHYLLACEAE 15 



Silene burchellii Otth ex DC. Prodr. 1: 374. 1824. 



Mlanje District: Likubula Gorge, on banks of stream in Bracbystegia woodland, 

 perennial herb 40-60 cm. high, flowers pink, 1200 ra., June 21, 1946, Vernay 



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



