Tas. 6569. 
KNIPHOFIA COMOSA. 
Native of Abyssinia. 
° 
Nat. Ord. Lin1acem.—Tribe HEMEROCALLIDER, 
Genus KnipHoria, Moench. ; (Baker in Journ. Linn. Soe. vol. xi. p, 360.) 
KwipHoria comosa ; rhizomate brevi crasso, fibris radicalibus copiosis cylindricis, 
foliis linearibus subtriquetris viridibus acuminatis, floribus cernuis in racemum 
densum oblongum aggregatis, pedicellis brevissimis, bracteis lanceolatis pedicello 
3-4-plo superantibus, perianthii lutei infundibularis semipollicaris tubo supra 
ovarium constricto segmentis deltoideis, genitalibus perianthio subduplo 
longioribus, racemo fructifero elongato cylindrico pedicellis ascendentibus, 
fructu orbiculari. 
K. comosa, Hochst. in Flora, 1844, p. 31; Baker in Trimen Journ. 1874, p. 4. 
The genus Kniphofiais interesting geographically because 
like Gladiolus, Aloe, Philippia, Aristea, Geissorhiza, Morea, 
and many others, it has its head-quarters at the Cape, and 
is represented in Abyssinia and other mountainous regions 
of Tropical Africa by outlying representatives. Two of 
the Abyssinian species have lately been brought into culti- 
vation,—the present plant and K. Quartiniana, A. Rich., 
which was figured lately in Regel’s Gartenflora (Tab. 907). 
K. comosa is much dwarfer.in habit than the well-known K. 
Uvaria of the Cape, with narrower leaves and smaller 
flowers, with the stamens and style very much exserted 
from the perianth. Of the smaller Cape species it approaches 
closely K. pumila, Kunth, a figure of which, under the 
name Tritoma pumila, will be found at Tab. 764 of the 
BorantcaL Macaztne. Our drawing was made from a 
specimen sent by Mr. Elwes, with whom it flowered at 
Cirencester last September. 
Descr. Rootstock thick and short, sending out copious 
long fleshy root-fibres. Leaves in a dense rosette, linear, 
erect, bright green, weak in texture, very acuminate, almost 
triquetrous, half or three-quarters of an inch broad low 
JULY Ist, 1881. 
