256 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN [Vol. g, No. 3 



Desmodium dimorphum ^Velw. ex. Bak. in Oliv. Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 161. 1871; Bale. f. 

 Leg. Trop. Afr. 332. 1929. 

 Mlanje District: Likubula Gorge, rocky bed of river, shrub 80 cm. high, flowers 

 pink, 840 m., June 20, 1946, 16367. Widespread in tropical Africa. 



Droogmansia whytei Schindl. Repert. Sp. Nov. 22: 271. 1926; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. 

 Afr. 334. 1929. 



Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, common in Brachystegia woodland, shrub 



2- 2.5 m. high, erect and sparsely branched, flowers purple, standard streaked with 

 red, 1400 m., July 24, 1946, 16890. Tanganyika Territory, Nyasaland, and N. 

 Rhodesia. 



Vicia paucifolia Bak. in Oliv. Fl. Trop. Afr. 2: 173 (1871) var. malosana (Bak.) 

 Brenan, var. nov. 



Lathyrus malosanus Bak. Kew Bull. 1897: 261. 1897. 

 Vicia malosana (Bak.) Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 347. 1929. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, climbing on grass edging rain-forest, vine, 

 flowers blue, 1820 m., May 31, 1946, 16134. For distribution see below. 



Vicia paucifolia and V. malosana are separable, but by characters too poorly 

 defined and inconstant to justify keeping them as species. 



Vicia paucifolia Bak. var. paucifolia. 



Vicia paucifolia Bak. I.e., sensu stricto. 



Lathyrus schimperi Engl. Hochgebirgsfl. Trop. Afr. (Abh. Preuss. Akad. Wiss. Berl. 



1891: )265. 1892. 

 Vicia volkensii Taub. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C: 219. 1895. 



Petiolus subnullus vel usque ad 2-50-6) mm. longus. Foliola saepius 3-4, 

 quorum par infimum saepe alternum. Cirri saepe furcati. Calycis dentes 3-5 mm. 

 longi. 



Vicia paucifolia 3ak. var. malosana (Bak.) Brenan. 



Folia sessilia vel subsessilia, petiolo usque ad 2 mm. longo. ^oliola 2, raro 



3- 4, quorum par infimum oppositum. Cirri plerumque simplices. Calycis dentes 

 1.5-2(-3) mm. longi. 



The difference in width of pod alleged by Bak. f. (Leg. Trop. Afr.) to separate 

 V. malosana and V. paucifolia I am quite unable to confirm; I find no constant 

 difference. 



The var. paucifolia is found in Abyssinia, Kenya and the northern part of Tan- 

 ganyika Territory. Its area does not overlap that of var. malosana, which is con- 

 fined to the southwestern part of Tanganyika Territory (Stolz 265, F. Zimmer 16, 

 St. Clair-Tbompson 692) and Nyasaland (Buchanan 399, Whyte s.n., Brass 16134). 

 The three Nyasaland gatherings have all been made on Mount Zomba. All the 

 sheets cited are in the Kew Herbarium. 



Abrus precatorius L. Syst. Nat. ed. 12: 472. 1767; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 351. 

 1929. 



Chikwawa District: Lower Mwanza River, in dry brushy forest, vine 3 m. high, 

 180 m., Oct. 4, 1946, 17959*. Native name (Chinyanja), ntimbua. Widespread in 

 the tropics. 



Brass 17959 consists of a leafless stem bearing fruits, which is Abrus, and a 

 length of barren leafy stem, .which is most probably Lablab vulgaris Savi. There 

 are no specimens at Kew of Abrus from Nyasaland, but it is on record in Bum 

 Davy & Hoyle, Check-Lists For. Trees & Shrubs Brit. Emp. 2 (Nyasaland Protec- 

 torate): 58 (1936). 



