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 OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 281

Resedace.e. The licrbarium contains two species of [227 Ecseda. The specimens of one of these are too imperfect to be determined. The other is prol)a])ly undescril)ed, though very nearly rehated to 11. suftVuticulosa, and undata of Linnaeus. This supposed new species {Reseda projj'uiqna) was found near Tripoli l)y Mr. Ritchie, and between Tripoli and ]\Iourzulv by Dr. Oudney. It is remarkable in having the Tuigues of all the petals simple ; that is, neither dilated, thickened, nor having any process or appendage at the ])oint of union with the trifid lamina, into which they gra- dually pass. We have here, therefore, a species of Reseda with petals not different in any respect from those of many other families of plants ; and, although this is an exception to their usual structure in the genus, I shall endeavour to show that all the deviations existing, however complex in appearance, arc reducible to this more simple state of the organ.

RESEDACEiE, cousisting of Reseda, divisible into sec- tions or subgenera, and Ochradenifs, which may perhaps

obovata cum mucroniilo brevissimo, plana, semiunguicularia, utrinque pube tennissima brevissima simplici, ncrvo obsoleto, venis Icrc iiicoiispifuis. Petioli liiieam circiter longi. Slipulcc laterales, setacesc, petioli diniidio brcviores, ramulo appressffi, post lapsLim folii pcrsisteutes. Hamuli JJoriferi sirpius late- rales abbreviati, e foliis confertis floribusqiic coryniboso-tasciculatis (3 — G), quorum extcriores folio subtcnsi; quandoquc eorymbus ramum lerminat. Pedunculi terctes, teiiuissimepubesccntes, ebracteati cxcepto foliolo florali dum adsit ejusque stipulis vix coiispicuis. Calyx infundibuliformis, extus tenu- issime pubesccns : tubus subcylindraceus, 8-striatus striis elevatis ?cqualibus, intus lincis duabus prominulis subcarnosis, cum linibi laciniis altcniantibus, altera crassiore : Ibiibus tubo pauIo longior, l-purtitus laciniis requalibus, ovatis acutiusculis, obsoleto venosis, 5-ncrviis, nervis extimis niargini approximatis, e furcatione costarum quatuor tubi cum laciniis aitcrnautium ortis; restivatioue simplici seric valvata marginibus tamen paulo inflcxis. Corona fuucis mono- pliylla, laciniis limbi multoties brevior, lacero-multipartita lacinulis subulatis iiiffiqualibus. Slij^es genltalium liber, cylindraceus, glabcr, altitudine tubi. Slaniina : Filamenla indetcrminatim numcrosa, viginti circiter, fdil'ormia, glabra, icstivatione contortuplicata. Antherce incumbentcs, ovali-oblonga) obtusa^, basi semibifidjc, loculis parallclo-approximatis, intus longitudinaliter dehisceniibus, festivationc erectec. Ovarium c ccntro filamenlorum stipitalum, c.vlindraccum, glabrum, unilocularc placentis duabus parietalibus polyspermis. ^S/)/lus nuUus. Stigma dcpresso-capitat um.

OiiS. Species liccccc proximo acccdit Maeruee scnegalcnsi nob. quaj vix pubescens ct ibliis venosis distiucta ; in multis quoquc convcnit, fnlc dcscrip- tionis Forskalii, cum jSlairua nniflora VahL a Jiobis nou visa. Ma;rua ango- lensis, Be Cand. (in Museo Parisiensi visa), cui llores parilcr corymbosi et corona lacero-multipartita, satis diversa est foliis ovalibus.

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