Ritchiea
(named in honour of Joseph Ritchie, a Yorkshireman, who was killed, in 1819, when exploring Central Africa). ORD. Capparideae. A genus comprising only two or three species of erect or sarmentose, climbing, stove shrubs, natives of tropical Africa. Flowers greenish, large, sweet-smelling, corymbose, long-pedicellate; sepals four, ample, valvate; petals four or many, long-clawed, undulated, oblong, the blade imbricated; torus hemispherical, fleshy. Leaves simple, or three to five-foliolate; stipules obsolete. Only one species calls for mention here; it requires treatment similar to that recommended for Euadenia (which see).
R. fragrans (fragrant). fl. 4in. across; sepals ovate-oblong, deep green; petals about fourteen, pale straw-colour, strap-shaped, acuminate, crumpled above the middle; stamens very numerous, spreading, June. l. alternate; leaflets three to five, as long as, or longer than, the petioles, oblong or obovate-lanceolate, shortly petiolulate; petioles slender, 3in. to 5in. long. h. 3ft. 1859. An erect shrub. SYN. R. polypetala (B. M. 5344). R. polypetala (many-petaled). A synonym of R. fragrans.