Page:Journal of botany, British and foreign, Volume 34 (1896).djvu/426

 390 DR. DONALDSON SMITH's ACANTHACEiE. 6 cm. long. The lower foliaceous bracts are 2 to 1-7 cm. long and 4-5 mm. broad ; they become gradually narrower and sharper as we ascend the spike, in the upper part of which they are 1*5 cm. long by 1-5 mm. broad. The two outer sepals are 12-13 mm. long by about 2 mm. broad, the two inner are 10 by 1-25 mm. The corolla-tube is 12 mm. long by 1 mm. broad in the middle, 2 mm. at the mouth ; the lobes are 8 by 3 to 4 mm. The filaments, which taper upwards from a broad ribbon-like base, becoming filiform above, are 13 mm. long ; the anthers are 2 mm. long. The pollen assumes a tetrahedral shape from the distribution of the spines in three areas. The filiform style is 17 mm. long. Near B. Prionitis L., but distinguished by the characteristic setulas on the bracts and sepals, and by its smaller flowers, and markedly cuneate leaf-bases. In its foliage it resembles the Abyssinian B. hypocrateriformis Hochst. (which is generally con- sidered as a synonym of B. Prionitis L.), but this is distinguished by its glabrous bracts and sepals, and the greater size of the latter. The flowers are also larger. Var. pumila, Suffrutex parva horrida, foliis dense hirsutulis. Hab. Okoto, Sept. 8th, 1894. 7 cm. high. Almost caespitose in habit. The small pungent oblanceolate leaves (15 by 4 mm. or less) are thickly covered with stiff adpressed white hairs. The thorns are 4-partite, 5-7 mm. above the base. Barleria (§ Peionitis) Smithii, sp. nov. Frutex ramis tereti- bus sparse et breviter pilosis, florentibus dichasia formantibus ; foliis petiolatis, coriaceis, obovatis, vel orbiculari-obovatis, inter- dum ovatis, vel ellipticis, saepius mucronatis, sparse pilosis ; spinis axillaribus quadripartitis ; floribus decussantibus in spicis termi- nalibus ordinatis ; bracteis foliaceis oblanceolatis apice pungenti- bus, bracteolis rigidis subulatis ; floribus sessilibus, sepalis acutis vel interdum obtusis, dorso pubescentibus exterioribus ovatis, in- terioribus minoribus lanceolatis ; corollae coeruleae tubo cylindrico, lobo antico oblanceolato obtuso, ceteris sub^qualibus basi connatis superne obovatis, basi cuneatis apice obtusis ; staminodiis 2 minutis antheras cassas gerentibus ; ovario pyriforme cum disco tenui alte circumdato. No locality. Size of plant unknown, the specimens consisting only of broken- off shoots 2'5 cm. long, branching to form dichasia. The main axis ends in a flower-spike, beneath which springs a pair of shoots having one or two leaf-bearing nodes, and then ending in a spike, beneath which again are borne two similar shoots. The greatest diameter of the shoot is 2-5 mm. The majority of the leaves are more or less broadly ovate, and pass somewhat abruptly into the slender petiole, which is 5 mm. long or less. The blade is generally between 3 to 4 cm. long and 1.5 to 2-5 cm. broad. The axillary spines are entire for 3 mm. above their insertion, and then divide into two decussating pairs of needles 1*5 to 2 cm. long. The flower-spikes are 6-8 cm. long. The bracts reach 2 cm. in length by 8 ram. in breadth, the spine-like bracteoles 11 mm. The outer