1954\ 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NYASALAND 



411 



Vigoa nuda N. E. Br. Kew Bull. 1901: 121. 1901; Bale f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 415. 

 1929; Milne-Redhead, Hook. Ic. Pi. 33: pi ?213 f 1933. 

 Dedza District: Dedza, sporadic in Bracbystegia woodland, training vine, 

 young shoots flowering after burning of the grass, rootstock woody, flowers pur- 

 ple, showy, 1500 ra., Sept. 13, 1946, 17629. Belgian Congo, N. and S. Rhodesia, 

 and now new to Nyasaland. 



Vigna esculenta (De Wild.) De Wild, ex Dur. Syll. Fl. Congo. 151. 1909; Bak. f. 

 Leg. Trop. Afr. 415. 1929. 



Liebrechtsia esculenta De Wild. Ann. Mus. Congo Bot. IV. 74. pi. 25, /.I- 10. 1902. 



Kasungu District: Kasungu, one example in Bracbystegia woodland, vine climb- 

 ing to 3 m., deciduous, leafless, twining, flowers purple, 1000 m., Aug. 27, 1946, 

 17438. Belgian Congo, N. and S. Rhodesia, and now new to Nyasaland. 



Psophocarpus palustris Desv. Ann. Sci. Nat. 9: 420. 1826; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 

 426. 1929. 



Chikwawa District: Lower Mwanza River, occasional on sandy beaches, trail- 

 ing vine, flowers blue, 180 m., Oct. 6, 1946, 18005. Widespread in tropical Africa, 

 also in Madagascar, the Mascarenes, and tropical Asia; it occurs in Brazil but is 

 probably not native. 



Dolichos L. Blue- or purple-flowered species. 



Dolichos formosus Hochst. ex A. Rich. Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 223. 1847; Bak. f. 

 Leg. Trop. Afr. 448. 1929. 

 Dolichos shuterioides Bak. Kew Bull. 1897: 262. 1897; Bak. f. Leg. Trop. Afr. 449. 

 1929. 



Rhynchosia spbaerocephala Bak. Kew Bull. 1897: 264. 1897. 



Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, common in shrubberies bordering lower 

 montane forest, vine 2 m. high, flowers purple, later blue, 1600 m., July 26, 1946, 

 16956. Cholo District: Cholo Mountain, plentiful in rain-forest regrowths, shrub 

 2-3 m. high, flowers violet, 1200 m., Sept. 25, 1946, 17809. Eritrea and Abys- 

 sinia, southwards to Nyasaland and S. Rhodesia; also in the Belgian Congo. 



Dolichos L, Climbing or trailing species with creamy, yellow, or greenish flowers. 



A few of Mr. Brass* gatherings belong to this group. The name D. biflorus L. 

 has been freely used by botanists for various plants with creamy, yellow, or 

 greenish flowers, and so indiscriminately that I found it impossible to name Mr. 

 Brass' plants satisfactorily until I had tried to reclassify the whole group. As a 

 result I am putting forward the following very tentative scheme. 



The t.ods are of the greatest importance, and must be seen in order to gain a 

 clear idea of the species. Realising, however, that many herbarium specimens 

 lack pods, I have tried to construct an alternative key to cope with this. 



To give a complete enumeration of all the specimens that I have seen for ev- 

 ery species would consume too much space here, so I have usually contented my- 

 self with merely a selection, all unless it is otherwise stated to be found in the 

 Kew Herbarium. I am greatly indebted to Prof. Dr. R. E. G. Pichi-Sermolli, Isti- 

 tuto Botanico, Florence, for sending me various specimens on loan from the Her- 

 barium Universitatis Florentinae, including the type of D. benadirianus Chiov. 



Key to Plants bearing both Pods and Flowers 



Pods 3-5.5 mm. wide: 



Pods long and very narrow, 4-8 cm. long, 2-3.5 m. wide; slender climb- 

 ing herb, annual or sometimes perennial; leaflets ovate-oblong to nar- 

 rowly oblong or lanceolate; flowers yellow, 6-11 mm. long; calyx- 

 teeth subulate-lanceolate, lower 5-7 mm. long. 10. D. stenop by litis. 



