59 



original S. Martiana the sepals are straw-coloured, and much 

 more dotted with purple. Messrs. Rollisson have lately 

 flowered it, and believe they obtained it from Mexico. It is 

 as fine a thing as S. tigrina would be if its flowers were white, 

 and is very sweet-scented. 



82. DION edule. 



The addition of a new genus to the Cycadaceous order is 

 indeed a fine thing ; and that which is now about to be de- 

 scribed is quite as different from the others of the order as 

 Cycas is from Zamia. For our knowledge of it we are in- 

 debted to Mrs. Lavater, a lady long resident in Mexico, who 

 brought home a cone and a live plant, both of which she pre- 

 sented to the Horticultural Society. The cone was filled with 

 seeds, about the size of a Spanish chesnut, but after some 

 time fell to pieces, the seeds proving to be all destitute of 

 embryo. The plant, which is growing, has a simple stem, 

 like that of a Zamia, but buried in wool. The leaves are 

 deep and light green, about two feet long, pinnated, with 

 about sixty pairs of leaflets, which are shaped like the blade 

 of a straight sword, very sharp pointed, attached to the pe- 

 tiole by their whole base, with parallel simple veins, which 

 pass distinctly into the petiole ; they are about two inches 

 and a half long. 



Although the male and female flowers of this plant are 

 unknown, the fruit affords abundant marks of distinction. 

 It consists of woolly rigid scales, tapering to the point, and 

 collected into a cone the size of a child's head, which scales 

 are heart-shaped at the base, and bear on each lobe a single nut, 

 about as large as a Chesnut. So that we have in this plant the 

 cones and geminate seeds of Zamia and Eucephalartos, with 

 the flat woolly scales of a Cycas ; but without the marginal 

 seeds and lax inflorescence of that genus. We propose to 

 characterize the genus thus : — 



Dion (819 et <oov). Flores masculi et fceminei ignoti. Stro- 

 bilus ovatus, dense lanatus, (capitis infantis magnitudine) ; 

 e squamis constans imbricatis, densissime lanatis, petio- 

 latis, alte cordatis, acuminatis, intus laevibus, basi utrin- 

 que semen solitarium (Castaneae magnitudine) gerentibus. 



Arbuscula humilis Mexicana, foliis pinnatis ; foliolis 



basi lata petiolo adnatis. 



