Page:Miscellaneousbot01brow.djvu/190

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172 BOTANY OF CONGO.

Pterocarpus lunatus, L. I have compared the plant from Congo with an authentic specimen from the Linnean her- barium, the examination of which proves that the appearance of ferruginous pubescence in the panicle, noticed in Linne's description, is the consequence of his specimen having been immersed in spirits.

Several of the plants included in the fourth list, I am inclined to consider varieties only of the species to which they are referred ; but I have placed them among the more doubtful plants of this list, as their differences seem to be permanent, and are such as admit of being expressed. One of these is

Cardiospermum grandiflorum, Sw. of which the specimens from Congo differ somewhat in inflorescence from the West India plant.

Faullinia pinnata, L. is distinguished rather remarkably from the American plant by the figure of the leaflets, which approach to cuneiform, or widen upwards, but I can per- ceive no other difference.

Pteroca/pus Ecastojiliylluni, L. differs merely in the want of the very short acumen or narrow apex of the leaf, which I have constantly found in all the West India specimens I have examined.

GiseJcia jjJiarnaceoideSy L. from Congo, has nearly linear leaves ; but I have seen specimens from Koenig with leaves of an intermediate form.

I shall conclude this essay, already extended considerably beyond my original plan, with a general statement of the proportion of new genera and species contained in Professor Smith's herbarium.

485] The whole number of species in the collection is about 620 ; but as specimens of about thirty of these are so imperfect as not to be referable to their proper genera, and some of them not even to natural orders, its amount may be stated at 590 species.

Of these about 250 are absolutely new: nearly an equal number exist also in different parts of the west coast of equinoctial Africa and not in other countries ; of which,

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