1953] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NYAS ALAND 



251 



tinct from /. pilosa. Mr. R. W. J. Keay, who has seen both plants living in Nigeria, 

 tells me that he had considered them distinct. 



True /. pilosa Poir. (in Lam. Encyc. Suppl. 3: 151. 1813) was described as 

 having subsolitary flowers and the calyces bristly with white hairs, and has clearly 

 been correctly interpreted by Baker. /. guineensis Schumach. & Thonn., given by 

 Baker as a synonym, is described as being prostrate, with normally 3"flowered 

 racemes, and thus cannot be /. fulvopilosa. True /. pilosa occurs in the Came- 

 roons, Nigeria, Gold Coast (fide Schumacher & Thonning), Senegambia (fide Baker 

 f.), French Sudan (fide Baker f.), Eritrea (Pappi 355), and the Anglo-Egyptian 

 Sudan (Pfund 44, Broun 1353), with var. angolensis Bak. f., which is clearly re- 

 lated to /. pilosa rather than /. fulvopilosa, in Angola. I feel that the statement by 

 Bak. f. (Leg. Trop. Afr. 120. 1926) that true /. pilosa occurs in Uganda and Tan- 

 ganyika Territory requires confirmation. 



The two species have different geographical ranges, although meeting in west 

 Africa. 



Indigofera viscosa Lam. Encyc. 3: 247. 1789; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 123. 1926. 



Zomba District: Zomba, frequent in grass in Bracbystegia woodlands, herb 50 

 cm. high, subprostrate, flowers red, inflorescence and pods red-hairy, 1100 m., 

 May 26, 1946, 16032. North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, common on grassy 

 edges of montane forest, herb 50-70 cm. high, red-hairy, flowers red, 2350 m., 

 Aug. 17, 1946, 17280. Widespread in tropical Africa and Asia. 



This is a very variable plant, requiring further careful study. 



Indigofera hilaris Eckl. & Zeyh. Enum. Pi. Afr. Austr. 241. 1836; Bak. f. Leg. 

 Trop. Afr. 131. 1926. 



Indigofera hockii De Wild. & Bak. Repert. Sp. Nov. 12: 297. 1913; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. 

 Afr. 131. 1926. 



Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, in Bracbystegia woodland, perennial 

 herb 10-20 cm. high, flowers brownish-red, 1400 m., July 27, 1946, 16974. Kota- 

 kota, in old garden lands, herb, flowers purple, 460 m., Aug. 7, 1946, Shortridge 

 17391*. Tanganyika Territory, Belgian Congo, Portuguese East Africa, Nyasa- 

 land, N. and S. Rhodesia, and South Africa. 



I agree with Dr. A. Cronquist's opinion, expressed to me verbally, that Indigo- 

 fera hockii is not specifically distinct from /. bilaris. 



Indigofera atriceps Hook. f. Jour. Linn. Soc. Bot. 7: 190. 1864; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. 

 Afr. 148. 1926. 



Indigofera masukuensis Bak. Kew Bull. 1897: 256. 1897; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 148. 

 1926. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, common in moist grassy clearings, herb 1 m. 

 high, upright, freely branched, 1400 m., May 28, 1946, 16067. British Cameroons, 

 Belgian Congo, Tanganyika Territory, Nyasaland, and Portuguese East Africa. 



I consider the long patent flexuous hairs to vary both in quantity and distribu- 

 tion within this species. The type-gathering of Indigofera masukuensis shows 

 three pieces: on two of these the long hairs are absent from stem and pods; in the 

 third they are absent from the stem but present on the pods. Other specimens, e.g. 

 Brass 16067 , have them present and abundant both on pods and stem. 



I agree with Dr. A. Cronquist's opinion that Indigofera atriceps and /. masu- 

 kuensis are not separable. He considers that the plants with long setose hairs on 

 the stem should be specifically separated from /. atriceps as /. setosissima Harms 

 (Wiss. Ergebn. Deutsch. Zentr.-Afr.-Exp. 2: 252. 1911; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 

 152. 1926). This may well be correct, but in view of the occurrence of intermedi- 



