DE. M. T. MASTERS ON SOtTTII-AFBrCAN RESTrACBJE. 209 



'^ Stolons creeping, jointed ; tufts of filiform roots descend from 

 each joint, and from 4 to 12 leaves ascend ; thej are, like those 

 of Vallisneria spiraloides^ very delicate, 2-3 feet long, a quarter 

 of an inch broad, and slightly serrated near the apex. From the 

 alae of the leaves arise several diaphanous cordate capsules, stand- 

 ing on short peduncles ; they consist of one cell formed of two 

 valves, opening from the apex ; the seeds are numerous, connected 

 to a conical receptaculum in the centre. I have not seen the 

 male flowers."] 



Synopsis of the South-African Besfiaceir, 

 By Maxwell T. Mast^is, M.D., T.L.S. 



(With two Plates.) 

 [Read November 21, 1867.] 



In a paper which the Society did me the honour to publish in the 

 eighth volume of its Journal, p. 211, 1 entered at some length into 

 the general conformation and minute structure of the Bestiacew^ or 

 rather of the species peculiar to the Cape, and I added a con- 

 densed monograph of the South- African species of the genus 

 Mestio^ numerically the most important group of the order. I now 

 beg leave to lay before the Society the results of my examination 

 of the other South- African genera and species of this family. 

 The materials at my disposal have been derived from the same 

 sources as those upon which my former communication was based, 

 with this important addition — that I have had the opportunity of 

 examining the very numerous specimens of this order collected by 

 Burchell, and now deposited in the herbarium at Kew. The 

 delay that has taken place^ then, in the completion of this account 

 of the South-African Bestiacece is amply compensated for by the 

 greatly increased opportunities for examination and comparison 

 which BurcheH's excellent and well-selected specimens have en- 

 abled me to make. 



Under the head of each genus I propose to make a few observa- 

 tions on the morphology and structure of the flow^ers ; but here 

 some general remarks may not be out of place. 



A considerable number of genera have been proposed — some by 

 the earlier investigators of this group, snch as Thunberg, Eott- 

 boll, R. Brown, and others by Palisot de Beauvois, Kunth, and 

 especially by Nees von Esenbeck. Unfortunately, in many cases, 

 these proposed genera have been established upon very imperfect 



I^TXK. PROC. BOTANY, VOL. X. P 



