MR. J. G. BAKER 03T HYPOXTDACEiE. 



97 



and have been described as monadelphous ; but this does not con- 

 tinue when the flower is fully expanded. 



Fruit. — In Pauridia, Molineria, and Curculigo the fruit is 

 always indehiscent. In Hypoxis it is a capsule which slits off by 

 circumscissile dehiscence below the operculum, and then some- 

 times, but not always, breaks up into three loculicidal valves. 

 The peculiar character of the seed, its thick crustaceous coat of 

 two layers, its two prominences, its soft albumen, and the small 

 straight central embryo hold good throughout the whole tribe, so 

 far as I have had an opportunity of observing. 



Geographical Distribution. — As in Liliacese, Iridaceas, and Ama- 

 ryllidacese, Hypoxidacese has its head quarters in the Cape flora, 

 which contains 37 out of 64 known species. The tribe belongs 

 to the warm temperate zone in the southern hemisphere ; but the 

 genus Molineria is tropical, and also the section of Curculigo 

 with perennial root-stocks and consolidated stigmas. Altogether 

 there are 15 species in Tropical Africa, two of which are the same 

 as occur at the Cape, including 4 in Abyssinia and Nubia, 4 in 

 the Mascarene Isles, and 7 in Angola. Sixty species belong to 

 the Old World, whilst America has four only. No known species 

 extends its range from one continent to another ; and Hypoxida- 

 cese are entirely absent from Europe, Polynesia, Northern and 

 Central Asia, and extra-tropical South America. 



of 



Genera. 



1. Hypoocis. . 



2. Molineria 



3. Curculigo 



4. Pauridia 



Cape. 



34 



2 



1 



3/ 



Tropical 

 Africa. 



Asia. 



11 



1 



3 



1 



4 

 2 



- 1 



•• 



15 



7 J 



Aus- 

 tralia. 



5 

 1 



1 



7 



America. 



3 



1 



• • 



4 



Total 



number 



of Species. 



51 

 5 



7 

 1 



64 



General Character of Hypoxidacece. 



Perianihii superi tubus supra ovarium nullus vel breviter pro- 

 ductus infundibularis vel longe productus filiformis, limbi seg- 

 ments regularibus flore expanso patulis subaequalibus oblongis 

 vel lanceolatis, exterioribus stepe paulo angustioribus acutioribus 



