73 
HOAREA melanantha. 
Black-flowered Hoarea. 
H. melanantha, umbella composita, scapo folioso, foliis 
ovatis trifidis ternatisve integris pinnatifidis bipin- 
natifidisque hispidis; segmentis oblongis obtusis, 
petalis crispis ; superioribus ex apice sese decussan- 
tibus. 
Hoarea melanantha. Noh. in Colv. Catal. p. 21. col. 2. 
Pelargonium melananthon. Jacq.ic.3. t.6\A. Willden, 
sp. pL 3. p. 648. Hort. Kew. ed. 2. vol. 4. p. 164, 
Pers. syn. 2. p. 227, nm Andreivsii. 
Root tuberous, fusiform, scaly. Stem none. Leaves 
crowning the root in a radiate form, of a dark green 
colour, very variable, the lower ones simple, widely 
ovate, others trifid or ternate, pinnatifid or nearly 
bipinnatifid, all thickly covered with rigid hairs, as is 
every other part of the plant except the corolla ; ^e^- 
ments oblong, obtuse, generally entire but sometimes 
toothed or deeply divided, with fringed margins. 
Petioles stiff, widely flattened and furrowed on the up- 
per side and convex on the lower. Stipules subulately 
linear, membranaceous, joined to the base of the 
petiole. Scape springing from the crown of the root, 
leafy, and producing several umbels of flowers. Pe- 
duncles thick and rigid, cylindrical. Umbels many- 
flowered. Involucre of several linearly subulate bractes, 
which are entire or rarely toothed. Calt/x 5-cleft, seg- 
ments linearly lanceolate with membranaceous mar- 
gins ; the upper one erect, the others reflexed. Necta- 
riferous tube slightly curved and flattened on both 
sides. Petals 5, the 2 uppermost lanceolate, ob- 
VOL. I. u 
