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SI^ECIES OF MESEMBRYANTHEMUM 





§ RINGENTIA. 



M. ER^iiNiNUM, Ilaic. Plant very dwarf, forming tufts from the sliort 

 growths or hranches being crowded together, each 10-25 mm. high, in- 

 cluding the flower. Leaves G-8 to each flowering growth, crowded, 

 ascending-s[)reading, 9-13 mm. long, 5-8 mm. broad, and 1-G mm. thick 

 near the apex, where they are iibout twice as thick as at the base, oblong or 

 very slightly narrowed at the base, obtuse or obtusely pointed, flat above, 

 with 2-3 small conical acute teeth on each margin at the apical half, keeled 

 on the back at the upper part and rounded at the base, the entire surface 

 rough from being thicl^ly covered with minute conical tubercles, greyish- 

 green, not shining. Flower solitary, terminal, sessile, or with the pedicel 

 very much shorter than the leaves. Calyx 5-lobed j tube somewhat pear- 

 shaped, very shortly carnpanulate above the ovary, slightly compressed, 

 green, rather thinly sprinkled with more or less elongated and slightly 



prominent dark green dots; lobes revolute, G-7 mm. long, 3-4 mm, broad. 

 Corolhi about 3 cm. in diameter, expanding about G p.m., closed during the 

 day, somewhat half-globose, from the varying position of the petals, very 

 faintly scented ; petals very numerous, in 5-6 scries, somewhat lax, the 

 outermost series about 12 mm. long, very widely spreading or jnore or less 

 bent downwards^ the other series less and less spreading and the innermost 

 erect and about 8 mm, long, all about \ mm. broad and slightly incurved, 

 very narrowly linear, acute, of a briglit rich clear yellow on both sides, or 

 reddish at the tips on the back, slightly shining. Stamens numerous, about 

 5-G mm. long, erect and clustered, surrounded by tlie erect innermost petals 

 and shorter than them; filaments and anthers yeIlow\ Style about 1 mm. 

 long, rising from the conical top of the ovary ; stigmas 5, about 1^ mm. long, 

 stontj contiguous, collected into a head about 2 mm. in diameter, pale 

 green. — M. ermininum^ Haworth in Phih Mag. 182G, p. 127 : Salm-Dyck, 

 Mesemb. § 5^ fig. 6 (the rough surface of the leaves badly represented) : 

 Sender in Fl, Cap, vol, ii, p. 398 : Berger. Mesemb. p. 272. 



South Africa. Cradock, Mrs. Bottoiuley {Pole Evaru% 1427) ! Introduced 

 by Boicie about the year 1823. 



As this very distinct and interesting species is not well known, I here 



of it than exists in books. Its rouol 



give a more complete description 



1 



leaves are unlike those of any other species known to me and readily distin- 

 guish it from its allies. It is also somewhat remarkable as being one of the 

 few night-flowering species with bright yellow flowers. The pose of the 

 petals is described as I saw them between half-past eight and nine o'clock 

 (Greenwich time) in the evening of July 11, 1918, when, from the various 

 series of petals spreading at different angles^ the flower was half-globose in 

 form and exceedingly pretty, but whether it expands more fully at a later 

 hour I do not know, as I was unable to observe it further that night, and the 

 next morning I found it had been destroyed by some insect. As I was 



