A  Ja^ua^yPlh8t5^m•}    The  Apocynacece  in  Materia  Medica.  35 
THE  APOCYNACECE  IN  MATERIA  MEDICA. 
By  George  M.  Beringer. 
{Continued  from  Vol.  66,  page  550). 
STROPHANTHUS  KOMBE. 
Strophanthus  Komb'e  Oliv.,  confounded  from  the  first  with  5.  his- 
pidus.  The  species  was  created  by  Oliver  from  the  specimens  sent 
by  Dr.  Kirk  from  Zanzibar  and  those  collected  by  the  expedition  of 
Livingstone.  The  differences  which  separate  this  species  from  S. 
hispidus  are,  on  the  whole,  small  and  gradually  effaced  by  the  exist- 
ence of  a  series  of  stages  in  the  transit,  in  such  a  way  that  we 
may  admit  with  Blondel,  and  with  Oliver  likewise,  that  the  Komb'e  is 
only  an  oriental  form  of  the  hispidus,  possibly  a  variety.  The  form 
Komb'e  commences  to  appear  in  the  region  of  the  great  lakes,  then 
extends  as  far  as  the  eastern  coast.  Among  other  botanical  charac- 
ters are  the  form  and  the  less  length  of  the  calyx  lobes  in  comparison 
with  the  tube  of  the  corolla,  the  consistence  of  the  calyx  and  bracts, 
the  scarcity  of  inflorescence,  the  pubescence  more  abundant  on  the 
leaves,  the  size  of  the  fruit,  the  caducity  of  the  bracts,  the  consider- 
ably much  larger  seed,  the  abundance  and  length  of  hairs  on  its 
surface,  the  increased  length  of  the  awn  and  of  the  shaft,  the  color  of 
the  seed  more  or  less  green,  the  great  length  of  the  funiculus,  the 
elongated  form  and  the  number  of  the  lenticels  on  the  fruit,  etc.,  etc. 
All  these  characters  which  seem  clear  at  first  sight,  become  indefinite 
when  we  examine  a  sufficient  number  of  specimens,  permitting  the 
verification  of  the  intermediary  stages. 
The  S.  Komb'e  inhabits  the  basin  of  the  Zambesi  and  the  Shire 
where  it  serves  as  the  arrow  poison.  Indicated  as  about  the  Victo- 
ria Falls,  an  equal  distance  from  the  two  oceans,  it  extends  to  near 
the  eastern  coast  (Mozambique),  and  to  the  north  in  the  region  of 
the  great  lakes  of  the  centre. 
The  plant  is  analogous  with  the  5.  hispidus.  It  flowers  in  Oc- 
tober and  November.  The  various  parts,  wood,  bark,  etc.,  are 
strongly  bitter.  The  rough  pubescence  is  very  marked  upon  the 
leaves,  the  inflorescences  and  even  the  flowers.  A  specimen  of  the 
fruit  sent  by  Dr.  Kirk  measured  32  centimetres  in  length.  The 
upper  extremity  tapering  at  great  length,  but  broken.  It  is  said  to 
be  terminated  by  a  stigmatic  disk,  greatly  developed.  External 
surface  strongly  wrinkled  longitudinally,  color  a  dark  brown,  len- 
