Herbarium catalogue

HERB. HORT. EDINB. 3697 = h Andrachne schweinfurthii (Balf. f.) A. R. Smith Hooker's Icones Plantarum. TABULA 3697. ANDRACHNE SCHWEINFURTHII (Bal. f.) A. R. Smith. EvurHorBIaAcEAE. Tribus PHYLLANTHEAE. Andrachne schweinfurthii (Balf. f.) A. R. Smith, comb. nov., cum descr. amplif., certe ad sectionem Fruticulosarum Pax & K. Hoffm. pertinet, sed a ceteris speciebus hujus sectionis habitu humiliore foliis carnosis crassiusculis minute papillosis manifeste differt. Securinega schweinfurthii Balf. f. in Proc. Roy. Soc. Edinb. 12: 411 (1884) and in Trans. Roy. Soc. Edinb. 81: 271 (1887). Suffrutec monoicus, humilis, ramosissimus, ramis unisexualibus arcuatis prostratis, cortice primum brunneo exfoliante demum cano suberoso, foliis ramulorum juvenilium sparsis ramulorum veterum brevium fasciculatis. Folia oblanceolata vel obovata, subsessilia, usque 11 mm. longa, 2 mm. lata, obtusa, basi attenuata, margine integro, carnosa, crassiuscula, minute papillosa, griseo-viridia. Stépulae sub- orbiculatae, squamiformes, fimbriatae, 0-75 mm. latae, brunneae. Flores masculi solitarii, axillares, pedicellati, pedicellis 2-3 mm. longis glabris. Calycis lobi 5, oblongi, 1-5 mm. longi, obtusi, lateribus paral- lelis, glabri, flavo-virides. Petala 5, spathulata, 1-5 mm. longa, sub- erecta, acuta, minute dentata, flavo-viridia. Discus e nectariis 5 compositus, nectariis petalis oppositis obcordatis 0-5 mm. latis emar- ginatis pallide viridibus. Stamina 5, sepalis opposita, usque ad medium connata, superne divaricata, antheris horizontaliter dehiscentibus. Pistillodium 5-lobatum, in apicem columnae staminalis superpositum. Flores foeminei etiam solitarii, axillares, pedicellati, pedicellis 5-6 mm. longis glabris. Calycis lobi 5, elliptici, 2-5-3 mm. longi, obtusi, glabri, virides. Petala 5, minuta, 0-3-0-5 mm. longa, acuta, translucentia. Discus vix evolutus. Ovarium 38-loculare, glabrum. Styli bifidi. Capsula 3-locularis, 3-5 mm. longa, 4-5 mm. lata, laevis, glabra. Semina triquetra, dorso convexa, 2 mm. longa, 1-5 mm. lata, fusca, minute pustulata. Socorra. Am Westabfall des Bagal oberhalb Wadi Digal (W. Hajhir), 500 m. alt., fl. 20 April 1881, Schweinfurth 562 (K, holotype) ; West Hajhir: amongst tumbled granite boulders on the north-facing slope of Khlohat above the pass of Muqadrihon, 12°36’ N., 54°01’ E., 460 m. alt., ffl. 9 fl. and fr. 24 May 1967, Smith & Lavranos 776 (EAH, FI, K, PRE): prostrate shrub, leaves somewhat fleshy, papillose, flowers and fruits greenish. Balfour based his description of this species on Schweinfurth 562, which possesses only a few male flowers. On the 1967 expedition, New or noteworthy species from Socotra 37,4 (1971). 2 material was obtained bearing male and female flowers and fruits, showing that this is clearly a monoecious plant (however, the individual branches are unisexual) ; furthermore, the male flowers are seen to be petaliferous, thus excluding the species from the genus Securinega. This feature may have been overlooked by Balfour, but it is more likely that it was not in evidence, owing to the rather poor condition of Schwein- furth’s material. This species is undoubtedly referable to Pax and Hoffmann’s section Fruticulosae, on account of the bilobed disc-glands in the male flowers and the partially connate filaments, but the prostrate habit and the thick, fleshy leaves serve to set it well apart from the other species of this section, This plant has been successfully grown at Kew, where it has flowered three years running. The species was only encountercd at one locality in 1967, in the West Hajhir, and is evidently by no means common on the island—A. R. SMITH. Fia. 1, male flowering branch, natural size; 2, female ditto, natural size; 3, node with young leaf and stipule, x 6; 4, male flower from above, x 14; 5, v.s. male flower, x 14; 6, pistillode + 2 anthers, x 26; 7, female flower from above. x 14; 8, v.s. female flower, x 14; 9, ovary from above, x 26; 10, t.s. ovary, x 26 : 11, stylar arm and stigma, x 40; 12, seed, x 8. All from Smith & Lavranos 176.” ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN TD 00239501