Tab. 6935. 



DISPORUM Leschenaultianum. 



Native of South India and Cexjlon. 



Nat, Ord. LuiACEiE. — Tribe Uvulaeiej.. 

 Genus DisroRUJr, Salisb.; {Benth. et Hook.f. Gen. PL vol. iii. p. 831.) 



Dispoeum Leschenaultianum; glaberrimum, caulibus dichotome ramosis acute 

 angulatis, foliis breviter petiolatia ellipticis utrinque acutis v. acuminatis 

 plicato-G-9-nerviis, floribus in axillis superioribus 2-5-nis cernuis crassiuscule 

 pedicellatis albis, perianthii segmentis oblongis obtusia basi vix saccatis costa 

 crassiuscula subcarinatis, staminibus brevibus, antheris oblongis, ovario obo- 

 voideo, stylo erecto, stigmatibus revolutis, bacca depresso-globosa ccerulea 

 oligosperma, seminibus globosis. 



T>. Leschenaultianum, D. Don in Trans. Linn. Soe. vol. xviii. p. 528 ; Kunth 

 Enum. Plant, vol. W. p. 207 ; Wight Ic. PI. Lid. Or. t. 2048 ; Baker in 

 Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xiv. p. 590; Thwaitcs Enum. PI. Ceylan. p. 338. 



Uvularia Leschenaultiana, Wall. Cat. No. 5089 ; Royle III. Plant. Himal. 

 t. 96, f. 2. 



D. cejlanicum and D. mysorense, Wight Ic. t. 10-19. 



The genus D-isporum offers a singular case of geographical 

 distribution. It contains only five described species, or 

 eight including Prosartes, which is doubtfully distinct, and 

 confined to Western North America. Of the five typical 

 species, one, D. smilacinum, A. Gray, is Japanese and 

 Eastern Siberian ; a second, D. sessile, Don, is confined to 

 Japan ; a third, D. calcaratum, Don, is Eastern Himalayan ; 

 and the fourth, D. pullum, Salisb. (Uvularia chinensis, 

 Bot. Mag. t. 916), extends from Japan and China to the 

 Central and Eastern Himalaya, Bengal, Sumatra, and 

 Java ; whilst the fifth, the subject of the present plate, is 

 confined to the southern mountains of the Western Penin- 

 sula of India and of Ceylon. D. Leschenaultianum is a 

 native of the Nilghiri Hills, and probably of other 

 mountain ranges at the southern extremity of the Peninsula 

 of India, for it reappears in Ceylon, where it reaches an 

 elevation of 4000 to 7000 feet. 



The plant here figured was raised from seed sent to Kew 

 a good many years ago by the late G. H. K. Thwaites, 



may 1st, 1887. 



