MB. J. O. BAKER ON COLCHICACEiE AND LILIACEJ3 405 



A Synopsis of Colchicaceae and t^Aberrant Tribes of Liliaceae. 



By J. G. Bak^ F.E.S., F.L.S. 



[Eead February 16, 1879.] 



Introduction. — The present paper is the sixth of a series in which 

 I have attempted to monograph the genera and species of the 

 great natural order Liliacese. As has been explained in a previous 

 paper, it is most naturally separated into three main divisions 

 or suborders : — 1st. Liliacece vera, marked by a loculicidal cap- 

 sule, an undivided style, and introrse anthers ; 2nd. Colchicacece, 

 marked by a septicidal capsule, a tripartite style, and extrorse 

 anthers ; and 3rd. Asparagacece, characterized by its baccate fruit. 

 Outside these stand three aberrant tribes, Conanthereae, Liriopeae, 

 and G-illiesieae, which those who are inclined to multiply the num- 

 ber of natural orders might plausibly regard as distinct orders. 

 In the rotation in which my papers have succeeded one another, 

 I have followed working convenience, and not strict botanical 

 sequence founded upon affinity. The present paper includes the 

 whole of Colchicaceae and the genera and species of the three ab- 

 errant tribes just named, and, in addition, three small tribes of 

 Liliaceae verae which are almost peculiar to Australia, and which 

 I treat now so as to leave only two well-marked groups to be 

 dealt with on a future occasion: — first, the suffruticose Liliaceae 

 {Yucca and Dasylirion with the Aloineae); and, secondly, the 

 tribe Allien, which only includes Gagea and Nothoscordum in ad- 

 dition to its large type genus. 



The suborder Colchicaceae includes 39 genera and 153 species. 

 Of the three suborders of Liliaceae, it includes by far the greater 

 number of genera which deviate from the subordinal characteris 

 tics. In a large number of the genera the dehiscence of the 

 anther is by no means definitely extrorse. In Uvularieae, the tribe 

 of Colchicaceae which includes the largest number of genera, the 

 styles are more or less combined. In Anguillarieae, Helonieae, 

 Tofieldieae, and some of the genera of Uvularieae the dehiscence of 

 the capsule is loculicidal. Altogether 24 out of 39 genera deviate 

 more or less from the ideal Colchicaceous type in the direction of 

 Liliaceae verae ; so that it seems utterly hopeless to attempt to 

 keep up Colchicaceae or Melanthiaceae as a distinct natural 

 order, as has often been proposed. Out of the seven tribes here 

 adopted, Colchiceae, Merendereae, and Veratreaeare the only three 



J/IXN. JOURX. BOTANT, VOL. XVII. 2 O 



