ellie ie aeemaeall 
Tas. 5216, 
: METHONICA GRANDIFLORA. 
Large yellow-lowered African Methonica. 
"Nat. Ord. Uvunartex.—HeExanpria MonoeGynia. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, Tas. 4938.) 
Metuonica grandiflora ; scandens, floribus diametro 8-pollicaribus, petalis an- 
guste lanceolatis vix undulatis primum reflexis rectiusculis demum horizon- 
taliter patentibus, styli ramis elongatis unciam longis. 
At our Tab. 4938 we gave a figure of an African species of 
Methonica, Herm. (Gloriosa, Linn. and some authors), M. vires- 
cens, Lindl., which we cannot but regard as distinct from the 
well known Gloriosa superba, derived from extratropical Africa, 
which, after long cultivation, and in the same stove as the J/e- 
thonica superba of India, retains all its characters, and these are 
mainly to be sought in the shape and direction of the petals, as 
explained in the description of the plate just referred to. 
We have now the pleasure of representing a second (but tro- 
pical) African species, of which specimens and living roots were 
sent to us in the spring of this year (1860) from the island of 
Fernando Po, by our energetic plant-collector there, M. Gustav 
Mann. The growth from these tuberous roots has been ve 
rapid, and the rafters of the stove were soon clothed with the 
leafy branches and the copious flowers, such as are here repre-_ 
sented, from the month of July till the end of September. These 
flowers are as distinct from J/. virescens as that is from M7. su- 
perba. Indeed, this very western species agrees in the general 
structure of the flower better with the latter than with the for- 
mer; but in our cultivated plant it is nearly twice the size of 
either of the other species, and the petals (totally different in co- 
Jour) altogether want the remarkably crisped character of those 
of MW. gloriosa. Here, too, the branches of the style are singu- 
larly elongated. Future researches may teach us whether the 
NOVEMBER Ist, 1860. 
