1954] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NYAS ALAND 



415 



Kew., Ruspoli & Riva 1350, Aristocle Vatova 1064, Pietro Benedetto 271, 572, Herb. 

 Florent.), Somaliland (Paoli 1234, 1295, Herb. Florent.), Uganda (Chandler 1023), Kenya 

 (Major & Mrs. Lugard 501, H. M. Gardner 3734, Mrs. Tweedie 402), Tanganyika Territory 

 (Miss E. M. Bruce 21), Zanzibar (K. E. Toms 206, Greenway 1147), Pemba (/. H. Vaugban 

 524), Portuguese East Africa (Gomese Sousa 782, Mrs. H. G. Faulkner No. (Pretoria) 84), 

 S. Rhodesia (A. Hislop 44), N. Rhodesia (Fwambo, Carson s.n. ?), Transvaal (F. A. Rogers 

 18171), Natal (Drege s.n., Medley Wood 906, Rudatis 946). 



Outside continental Africa, var. glaber is found in Madagascar (Hildebrandt 3132, Scott 

 Elliot 2466, Greve 292), Mauritius (Bouton s.n., Telfair s.n.) and Ceylon (Ferguson s.n., 

 Tbwaites 1475). 



In Africa certain plants occur having the indumentum sparse as in var. glaber 

 but spreading. Their aspect is intermediate between var. glaber and var. axillaris, 

 and they are one of the reasons why I feel that varietal rank in here correct. 

 These intermediates occur in Nigeria (Lely P. 97), Kenya (Miss E. R. Napier 

 2434), and Tanganyika Territory (Scblieben 904, G. B. Wallace 695, Greenway 

 4155).] 



[2a. Dolichos uniflorus Lam. Encyc. 2: 299 (1786) var. uniflorus; DC. Prodr. 2: 

 398. 1825. 



Dolichos biflorus sensu Murr. Syst. Nat. ed. 13. 548. 1774, pro parte, quoad synony- 

 mum Plukenetianum tantrum; et auctorum recentiorum plurimorum praesertim asi- 

 aticorum, saepe pro parte; non L. Sp. PI. 727. 1753. 



The name Dolichos biflorus L. must unfortunately be rejected altogether, and 

 the plant bearing this name, so commonly cultivated in India, must assume its 

 other well-known name Dolichos uniflorus Lam. I must now give the evidence for 

 these statements. 



Linnaeus (Sp. PI. 727. 1753) diagnosed D. biflorus in the following words: 

 "12. Dolichos caule perenni laevi, pedunculis bifloris, leguminibus erectis. Roy. 

 lugdb. '368. Habitat in India." He placed D. biflorus in the group of species 

 * Erecti. 



Linnaeus' original account remained neither added to nor altered until Syst. 

 Nat. ed. 12. 2: 484 (1767). 



Linnaeus' reference "Roy. lugdb. 368" is to Adrian van Royen, Fl. Leydensis 

 Prodromus, 368. 1740. Royen there gave the identical descriptive phrases re- 

 peated later by Linnaeus, adding %% Crescit in India Orientali." 



In the Linnaean herbarium there is no specimen of Dolichos biflorus, accord- 

 ing to Savage (Cat. Linn. Herb. 127. 1945). 



Dolichos biflorus L. is thus based entirely and exclusively on the reference 

 to van Royen's earlier work. 



The next step in the investigation was to find whether van Royen's own her- 

 barium could help. In answer to a request for early specimens of Dolichos bi- 

 florus, the authorities of the Rijksherbarium at Leiden kindly sent on loan three 

 specimens: 



1) From van Royen's herbarium, bearing a label in David van Royen's hand 

 saying "Dolichos biflorus L. Sp. 2. 1023" (The reference is to the second edition 



229 



(1763) of the Species Plantarum); also two copies of an old label saying 



Phaseolus indicus siliqua prorsum vigente, flore extus albo intus pallide violaceo, 

 semine candido." I cannot find the origin of this last descriptive sentence. It 

 is not mentioned either in the Fl. Leydensis Prodromus itself, or in the first edi- 

 tion of the Species plantarum, or in Plukenet's Almagestum botanicum or his other 

 works. 



2) From Meerburgh's herbarium, bearing one label saying "Dolichos biflorus," 

 and another saying "Dolichos 5 prod [D.]— biflorus L inn Sp: (2) pag 1023 num 

 25." 



