496 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN 



[Vol. 8, No. 5 



flowers pale pink, 2340 m., Aug„ 19, 1946, 17338. Tanganyika Territory and Nya- 

 saland; a variety on Mount Elgon in Uganda 



Blaeria patula (Engl,) EngL var. minima Brenan, var. nov, 



Habitu minimo valde insignis. Planta herbacea, florifera, ut videtur annua, 

 erecta Caulis simplex, 1.7-3 cm. aitus, tenuis. Flores ex axillis in parte media 

 et superiori caulis singulatim sed crebre exorientes. Pedicelli ebracteolati. 



North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, between grass clumps in open grass- 

 land, 2-3 cm. high, corolla pink, fruit red, 2200 m., Aug. 17, 1946, 2729] (TYPUS 

 varietatis in Herb. Kew.). 



This is a plant of outstanding interest. The genus Blaeria hitherto has been 

 considered only to include shrubs or shrubiets, normally profusely branched and 

 rather resembling Calluna in habit. Even the smallest of these previously known, 

 B. filago Aim & Fries and a new species from Mount Kenya, although sometimes 

 as little as 3-4 cm. high, are distinctly woody and have branches towards the 

 base. B. patula var. minima is, however, quite simple, even smaller, and with 

 slender stems, and at first sight looks most un-ericaceous; indeed in habit it re- 

 sembles Centunculus! 



Careful dissection shows that in spite of the oddity of its appearance, there 

 is nothing significant to separate it from B. patula (Engl.) Engl. Interesting con- 

 firmation of this view is given by the sheet at Kew of Stolz 1247 from southwest- 

 ern Tanganyika; here are two plants, caespitosely branched at or towards their 

 base, on one of which the central stems have normal Blaeria inflorescences, but 

 two basal simple side shoots 3.5-4.5 cm long bear one or two flowers arising 

 singly from the axils after the fashion of var, minima. A similar arrangement is 

 to be seen here and there on side branches of Dummer 3503 at Kew, the type- 

 number of B. patula (Engl.) Engl. var. tenuis (Aim & Fries) Aim & Fries. 



What the real status is of var. minima is still doubtful — whether it is juvenile 

 precocity inducing seedlings of the normal plant to flower in their first season's 

 growth, or whether it is a race of genuine dwarfs. For the present I am making it 

 a variety, though with an open mind about its ultimate destiny. Unfortunately 

 such diminutive plants, surrounded by more spectacular growths to distract the 

 glance, are likely to escape all but the keenest-eyed collectors. But now that 

 attention has been drawn to it, I hope that botanists in Nyasaland will make a 

 special effort to observe var. minima and find out what its real nature is. It is 

 significant that Mr. Brass also collected typical B. patula on the Nyika Plateau. 



Whatever its nature, var minima suggests new and unexpected evolutionary 

 possibilities for the Ericaceae, 



Blaeria sp. 



North" Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, occasional on grassland paths, shrub 

 10-20 cm. high, flowers pink, 2300 m., Aug. 14, 1946, 17231. 



Vegetatively very close indeed to B. kiwu'ensis Engl., especially to Brass 

 17340 cited under that species, but with larger corollas. More material is wanted. 



VACCINIACEAE 



Vaccinium exul Bolus, Hook. Ic. Pi. pi. 1941 (1890) var. africanum (Britten) 

 Brenan, comb. nov. 



Vaccinium africanum Britten, .Trans. Linn. Soc. II. Bot. 4: 23. 1894." 



Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain, southwest ridge, in elfin woods amongst 

 rocks on summit, tree 3-4 m. high, fruits red, fleshy, 2400 m., June 28, 1946, 

 16526; Luchenya Plateau, common on forest edges and in second-growth forest, 

 shrub 2-3 m. high, generally sterile at this season, leaves more or less glaucous 



