1954] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NYASALAND 



55 



North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, common on edges of juniper forest, shrub 

 3-8 m. tall, freely branched, branches erect, flowers orange-red, 2250 m., Aug. 

 11, 1946, 17152. Belgian Congo ? (fide Briquet and Baker) and N. Rhodesia to 

 South Africa; new to Nyasaland (Whyte 320 cited in Fl. Trop. Afr. is not L. 

 leonurus). 



Brass 17152 is, e descr., var. vestita Briq. Bot. Jahrb. 19: 194 (1894), based 

 on a specimen from the Congo (Pogge 360) which I have not seen. Briquet's de- 

 scription runs: "Caule densissime piloso, foliis subtus dense pubescentibus, 

 cinereis, ± tomentellis." 



Leonotis mollissima Gurke, Bot. Jahrb. 22: 141. 1895; Bak. in Thiselton-Dyer, 

 Fl. Trop. Afr. 5: 493. 1900. 



Leonotis melleri Bak. in Thiselton-Dyer, Fl. Trop. Afr. 5: 491. 1900. 



Zomba District: Zomba Plateau, 'occasional on open roadsides, herb up to 

 2 m. high, branches few, erect, leaves grey beneath, flowers brownish-orange, 

 1450 m., June 5, 1946, 16259. Kota-kota District: Nchisi, occasional in gullies 

 in Brachystegia woodlands, herb L5-2 m. high, stems erect, simple or sparsely 

 branched, flowers pale brownish-yellow, 1350 m., Aug. 1, 1946, 17084; ibid., oc- 

 casional in gullies in Brachystegia woodland, herb 1.5-2 m. high, stems erect, 

 simple or sparingly branched, flowers orange-brown, 1350 m., Aug. 1, 1946, 

 17085. Tanganyika Territory, southwards to Angola. 



I cannot distinguish L. melleri from L. mollissima. In the key to the species 

 of Leonurus by Baker in Fl. Trop. Afr. 5: 490 (1900) L. melleri is separated from 

 its relatives by having white flowers, but on the label of Meller's type-specimen 

 the flowers are described as light yellow! In fact the colour of the flowers of L. 

 mollissima is quite remarkably variable, from reddish-orange, orange, yellow, 

 yellow-buff, and mixed shades of yellow and brown to pink and white. Gurke (Bot. 

 Jahrb. 22: 142. 1895) restricts typical L. mollissima to plants with brick-red flow- 

 ers, and makes two varieties, var. carnea Gurke, with flesh-coloured flowers, and 

 var. fulva Gurke, with fulvous flowers. Brass 16259 no doubt would come under 

 var. fulva. If one accepts Gurke's varieties then, logically, a number of other 

 shades must also be appropriately christened. But until we know more about why 

 and how these colour-forms occur I doubt if further varietal names will make 

 things clearer. 



Leonotis decadonta Gurke, Bot. Jahrb. 22: 144. 1895; Bak. in Thiselton-Dyer, 

 Fl. Trop. Afr. 5: 493. 1900. 

 Cholo District: Cholo Mountain, common locally in rain-forest regrowths, shrub 

 2-4 m. high, robust, a showy species, flowers orange-red, 1200 m., Sept. 22, 

 1946, 17749. Confined to Nyasaland. 



ILLECEBRACEAE 



Corrigiola drymarioides Bak. f. Jour. Linn. Soc. Bot. 40: 181. 1911. 



Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain; Luchenya Plateau, occasional in forest re- 

 growths, herb, branches spreading and sprawling on ground, flowers white, 1850 

 m., July 1, 1946, 16573. 



A very interesting find of a plant previously known only from Swynnerton's 

 type-collection made in the Chimanimani Mountains in S. Rhodesia. 



AMARANTHACEAE 50 



Celosia trigyna L. Mant. PI. Alt. 212. 1771. 



Kota-kota District: Benga, west shore of Lake Nyasa, on sandy beaches, herb 

 30-50 cm. high, flowers pink, 470 m., Sept. 2, 1946, 17500. Chikwawa District: 



