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SPECIES OF MESEMBRYANTHEMTTM, 



109 



A dwarf herbj branching at the Uist^ into 3-5 erect stems 7-lrj cm. liigli 

 and 2-3 mm, thick, siibtorote, sliglitly flattened on the sides opposite the 

 leaves, with internodes 5-20 mm. lono-^ perliaps shorter on native grown 

 j^hmts, rather hnify, with very short branches in tlie axils of the leaves, the 

 terminal p;»rt forking and by degrees develo[)ing into a h^afy cyme with 2-3 

 alternate branches, minutely jiapillose, dull reddish or pale reddisli-grey. 

 Leaves ascending-spreading, sometimes recurving at the tips^ 2-4 cm long, 

 2^-4 mm, broad and 2^-3 mm. thick, half-cylindric, acute, shallowly chan- 

 nelled down the face, rounded on the back, slightly united at the base, soft 

 and flexible, glabrous, minutely papillose, 

 shining. Flowers developing one at a time in the forkings of the cymosely 

 branchetl terniinal part of the stem, odourless. Pedicels 2-G mm. long, 

 green. Calyx 4-5-lobed, minutely papillose, green ; tube obconic ; lobes 

 unequal, 3-7 mm. long, resembling very j'tuluced leaves, acute or subacule. 

 Corolhi on the first day of opening 8--10 mm. in diameter and usually 



o;reen, not at all o-laucous nor 



tl 



entirely white, afterwards enlarging to 12-18 nun. in diameter^ with me 

 tips of the petals tinted with pale mauve-puvple, expanding fully only in 

 direct sunlight : tube none ; petals about 30. in one series, widely spreading, 

 5-8 min. long, ^ mm. broad, narrowly linear, acute. Stamens numerous^ 

 2-3 mm. long, the outer without anthei's and resembling short ] etals, at tirst 

 bundled together, finally more or less spreading : filaments white, anthers 

 li 



ght 



yellow. Stigmas 5, erect, 21 mm. long, stoutly subulate, very acute, 

 pale yellowish-green, surrounded at the base by 5 green tubercles on tlie top 

 of the ovary, besides a series of green glands around the margin of the flat 

 top of the ovary. 



Transvaal. Near Johannesbui'g, Whitinrf ! 



Described from living plants raised from seeds collected near Johannes- 

 burg^ and sent to me by Mr. G. E. Whitings who states that it grows in a 

 red sandy soil plentifully mixed with stones. Itisnearlv allied to AL Afahoni, 

 jS,E. lir., which is quite wrongly placed in the CrassuUna group by Berger. 

 Both are dwarf plants and both develop their cymes in the same manner. 

 Perhaps both should be placed near ^1/. sulcatum^ Haw. 



M. NOTHUM, N. E. Br. This name I propose should be substituted for the 

 plant masquerading in modern monographs under the name of AL acumin- 

 atum^ which is not at all the same as M, acuminatum^ Haw. As it is well 

 figured and described by Salm-Dyck, it is unnecessary to give a fresh 

 description of it here. Its synonymy will be as follows: — d/. nothum^ 

 N.E. Br. i/, acuminatum, Salm-Dyck, Mesemb. § 44. fig, 4: Sender in FL 



Cap. vol. ii. p. 433 : Berger, Mesemb. p. 12 i, not of Haworth. 



South Afkica. Locality and collector nnknowm. 



The remarks of Salm-Dyck as to the origin of this plant apply only to the 

 true M, acuminatum {^ii^^^ p. 107) and not to M.nothum. This species appears 



