FLORA OF ADEN. 
241 
Fruits : March 1862 (Playfair). 
Locality i — Sham Shum Range (Schweinf., Marchesetti) ; rock near 
the flag-staff, hill between Maala and the Goldmore Valley, ravine on 
the northern side of the Shum Shum Range above Maala, south-eastern 
corner of the crater (Defl.) ; on rocks (Hook., Anders.) ; abundant on 
the hill crags, but now difficult to obtain (Balfour) ; without locality 
(Beevor, Birdw., Playfair). 
This plant is a great favourite in the little gardens of Steamer Point 
on account of its bizarre shape and beautiful rosy flowers. 
Distribution : — Yemen. 
Note : — According to Schumann (Symb. Phys. Pars bot. 1900, p. 5) 
another species of Adenium would occur at Aden, viz. : — 
Adenium obesum (Forskfi Roem. et Schult. Syst. Veg. IV., 411, of 
which he gives the following synonyms : 
Adenium Honghel A. DC. C. in Prodr. VIII, 412. 
Nerium obesum Forsk. FI. Aeg.-Arab. 205. 
Cameraria obesa Sprengel Syst. I, 641. 
Pachypodium obesum G. Don. Gen. Syst. IV, 80, 
Adenium arborescens Ehrenberg. 
In addition he wishes to be included : 
Adenium multiflorum Kl. and A. Boehmianum Schinz. 
I doubt whether there are two species of Adenium at Aden. The 
specimens I have been able to examine do certainly not belong to 
Adenium obesum Roem. et Schult., but to A. arabicum Balf. The 
genus requires careful revision, and as its representatives are very 
variable, there is no hope of deciding the numerous doubtful points 
^without detailed observations in loco. 
Cf. etiam Balfour in his Botany of Socotra and StapFs diagnoses. 
XXX. — ASCLEPI 4 DACE E. 
Herbs or shrubs, often with milky juice. Leaves opposite or whorled, 
rarely alternate, entire, exstipulate. 
Flowers regular, solitary or few or many together in umbels, 
umbellate cymes, fascicles or racemes. Calyx inferior, usually divided 
to the base or nearly so ; segments imbricate. Corolla various, gamopeta- 
lous, 5-lobed; tube usually short, often furnished with a ring of scales or 
processes (eorolline corona) ; lobes imbricate, contorted or valvate in 
aestivation. Stamens 5, alternating with the corolla-lobes; filaments 
usually connate into a fleshy tube (staminal column), with its apex often 
united to the dilated part of the style, usually with fleshy scales or pro- 
cesses on the back (staminal corona); anthers free or united to the dilated 
d 2 
