18 



MEMOIRS OF THE NEW YORK BOTANICAL GARDEN [Vol. 9, No. 1 



Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Chambe Plateau, herb; leaves silvery-grey, 

 common locally on dry exposed rocks on open grasslands, 2100 m., July 9, 1946, 

 16760*. 



I have previously pointed out (Kew Bull. 1939: 71. 1939) that this species is 

 endemic in Nyasaland, and that the S. African specimen associated with it by 

 C. B. Clarke must be excluded. 



S. hirtinervis has hitherto been known only in the flowering condition; from 

 Brass' gathering it is possible to add the following information: — M fruit about 

 3.5 cm. long and 2 mm. in diameter." 



BIGNONIACEAE 



Tecomaria nyassae (Oliv.) Baill. ex. K. Schum. in Engl. & Prantl. Nat. Pflanzenf. 

 4 3B : 230. 1894; K. Schum. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C: 363. 1895; 

 Sprague in Thiselton-Dyer, Fl. Trop. Afr. 4 2 : 514. 1906. 

 Tecoma nyassae Oliv. Hook. Ic. PI. pi. 1351. 1881. 

 Tecoma sbirensis Bak. Kew Bull. 1894: 30. 1894. 



Tecomaria shirensis ("schirensis") (Bak.) K. Schum. in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. 



C: 363. 1895; Sprague in Thiselton-Dyer, Fl. Trop. Afr. 4 2 : 515. 1906. 

 Tecomaria rupium Bullock, Kew Bull. 1931: 274. 1931. . 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, locally common on roadsides in rain-forest 

 gullies, tree or shrub 3-5 m. high, escaped from cultivation?, flowers orange-red, 

 showy, 1450 m., June 5, 1946, 16256. Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain, common 

 on rocky slopes, shrub 2 m. high, flowers orange-red, about 1830 m., July 10, 

 1946, Vernay 16112. Kota-kota District: Nchisi Mountain, rocky situations in 

 Bracbystegia woodland, shrub 3-4 m. high, flowers orange-yellow, attractive, 

 1400 m., July 24, 1946, 16886. North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, common in 

 montane forest second-growths, shrub 3-4 m. high, flowers orange, showy, only 

 one mature fruit, 2100 m., Aug. 20, 1946, 11343, Tanganyika Territory (particu- 

 larly in the Southern Highlands Province), Nyasaland, and N. Rhodesia. 



I cannot see that any useful purpose is served by keeping three distinct spe- 

 cies for these plants. Every intermediate between the acuminate leaflets of 

 typical T. shirensis and the obtuse leaflets of T. nyassae may be found, some- 

 times on one plant. T. rupium is simply a more pubescent form of T. nyassae, 

 and here too there are far too many intermediates for much importance to be 

 given it. 



Stereospermum kunthianum Cham. Linnaea 7: 721. 1832; Sprague in Thiselton- 

 Dyer, Fl. Trop. Afr. 4 2 : 518. 1906. 



Kota-kota District: Kota-kota, edges of village, tree 10 m. high, flowers rose- 

 pink, 460 m., Aug. 7, 1946, Shortridge 11394*. Chia area, one example on stream- 

 bank in dry woodland of lake-plain, tree 20 m. high and 35 cm. in diameter, de- 

 ciduous, a few leaves remaining on sterile branchlets, bark smooth, greenish, 

 flowers pink, opening before the new leaves appear, the "pink jacaranda" of 

 European residents, 480 m., Sept. 3, 1946, 11520. ? District: Roadside between 

 Blantyre and Chikwawa, frequent in Bracbystegia woodland, tree 6-10 m. high, 

 flowers pale purple, showy, 600 m., Oct. 1, 1946, 11883. Chikwawa District: 

 Chikwawa, frequent in dry woodlands, tree 5-8 m. high, flowers purple-pink, 

 300 m., Oct. 5, 1946, 11982. Widespread in tropical Africa. 



A very variable plant in size and shape of leaflets, in indumentum, and other 

 characters. 



Kigelia pinnata (Jacq.) DC. Prodr. 9: 247 (1845) 46 var. tomentella Sprague in 

 Thiselton-Dyer, Fl. Trop. Afr. 4 2 : 537. 1906. 



46 Sprague in Thiselton-Dyer, Fl. Trop. Afr. 4 2 : 5 3 7. 1906. Crescentia pinnata Jacq. 

 Collect. 3: 203. pi. 18. 1789. 



