1953] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NYASAL AND 



221 



16395; Mlanje Mountain, scattered on paths in grassland, perennial herb 30-50 

 cm. high, flowers purplish-green, 1950 m., July 9, 1946, 16758. Highlands of 

 South and East Africa. 



Stellaria mannii Hook. f. Jour. Linn. Soc. Bot. 7: 183- 1864. 



Cholo District: Cholo Mountain, under a rock in rain-forest, herb about 30 

 cm. high, with creeping habit, inflorescence viscid-hairy, flowers white, 1400 m., 

 Sept. 20, 1946, 17662. Cameroon Mt., and scattered above 1400 m. from Chyulu 

 Hills in Kenya to Umtali, S. Rhodesia. New to Nyasaland. 



Cerastium africanum (Hook, f.) Oliv. Fl. Trop. Afr. 1: 141. 1868. 

 Arenaria ajricana Hook. f. Jour. Linn. Soc. Bot. 7: 184. 1864. 



Cerastium africanum (Hook, f.) Oliv. var. ruwenzoriensis Williams, Jour. Bot. 36: 

 342. 1898. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, locally common in rain-forest regrowths, 

 herb, stems weak, up to about 80 cm. long, flowers white, calyx viscid, 1500 m., 

 June 7, 1946, 16292. Cameroon Mt. and highlands from Abyssinia to S. Rhodesia. 



The above determination was confirmed by Dr. W. Moschl in 1949. In his pub- 

 lished account of "Die C eras Hum- Arten Afrikas sudlich der Sahara" (Mem. Soc. 

 Brot. 7: 53 et seq. 1951), however, Moschl extends the specific limits of C. in- 

 dicum Wight & Arn. to include C. africanum (Hook, f.) Oliv. He there treats ma- 

 terial from the African mainland, including the above-cited specimen, as C. in- 

 dicum Wight & Arn. var. ruwenzoriense (Williams) Moschl, based on the variety 

 cited above. 



Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. Syst. Veg. 5: 406. 1819. 

 Holosteum cordatum L. Sp. PI. 1: 88. 1753. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, occasional in rain-forest regrowths, herb 

 scrambling to about 60 cm., flowers greenish, calyx viscid, 1500 m., June 7, 1946, 

 16293. Widely spread throughout tropical and South Africa, Madagascar; also in 

 tropical Asia and America. 



Polycarpaea eriantha Hochst. ex A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 303. 1847. 



Kasungu District: Kasungu, on sandy soil in Brachystegia woodland^ herb 

 8-12 cm. high, 1000 m., Aug. 26, 1946, 17424. Widely spread throughout tropical 

 Africa. 



PORTULACACEAE 



Portulaca oleracea L. Sp. PI. 445 (1753) subsp. sylvestris (DC.) Thell. Fl. Ad- 

 vent. Montpellier 222. 1912; v. Poellnitz, Repert. Sp. Nov. 37: 258. 1934. 

 Portulaca oleracea L. var. sylvestris DC. Prodr. 3: 353. 1828. 



Chikwawa District: Lower Mwanza River, occasional on sandy beaches, herb, 

 flowers yellow, native name (Chinyanja) chingongo, 180 m., Oct. 4, 1946, 17953. 

 A very widespread weed throughout the warmer parts of the earth. 



HYP ERICACEAE 16 



Hypericum lanceolatum Lam. Encyc. 4: 145. 1797. 



Hypericum leucoptychodes Steud. ex A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 96. 1847. 

 Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, frequent on open banks of streams and in 

 moist grassy clearings, tree or shrub 2-4 m. high, a very striking species when in 

 flower, flowers 5.5-6.5 cm. in diameter, petals and stamens yellow, styles red, 

 1400 m., May 28, 1946, 16068. Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya 



l *By E. Milne-Redhead, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 



