Tab. 5371. 

 ENCEPHALARTUS horridus; var. trispinosa. 



Three-toothed Encephalartus. 



Nat. Ord. Cycade.e. — Dicecia Polyandria. 



Gen. Char. Flores masculi : Antherce apertae, in strobilum terminalem pe- 

 dunculatum collectse, undique rachi cornmuni insertse, singulo oblongo-ciineatfe, 

 apice mcrassato-obtusae vel acuminata) acumine sursum flexo, connectivo plus 

 minus distincto. Flores fceminei : Carpidia plurima monophvlla, aperta, in 

 strobdos terminates pedunculatos collecta, rachi communi undique inserts, sin- 

 gula basi in stipitem attenuata apice in peltara rhomboideam dilatata, pelta 

 subtus utrinque ovulo unico inverso, fceta. Fructus syncarpium, e carpidiu 

 laxiuscule coalitis. Semina ovoidea, testa ossea, raepius carpidii processu fungoso 

 cupulatim excepta. Embryo inversus, in axi albuminis camosi, radicula respectu 

 racheos communis centripeta.— Arbores inierdum gigantece in Africa austral* 

 subiropica (regime Caffrorum) et in Nova Hollandia extratropica obvice, frondibus 

 pmnatis, pinnis lata basi sessilibus muliinerviis, apice satpe spinoso-denticidalis 

 Endl. 



Encephalartus horridus; caudice glabro vel lanuginoso, rachi stipiteque obtuse 

 tetragonis glabris, foliolis oppositis alternisve pruinoso-glaucis viridibusve 

 lanceolatis, forma polymorphs, infimis (rarissime fere omnibus) integerrimis 

 vel margine inferiore uni-tridentatis aut uni-bidentatis apice bifida, rarius 

 margine superiore breviter unidentato, dentibus omnibus epinoso-pangen- 

 tibus, plerumque grandioribus divaricatis, conis solitariis glabris, maribus 

 elongato-cylindraceis, fceminis ovoideis. Miq. 



Encephalartus horridus. Lehm. in Pugill. v. 6. p. 14. Miq. Monogr. Cycad. 



p. 37, and in Linneea, v. 17. p. 726. 

 Zamia horrida. Jacq. Fragm. p. 27. t. 28. 



Var. trispinosa; foliolis apice spinosis, margine inferiore laciniis duabus elon- 

 gatis spinoso-pungeutibus. (Tab. Nostr. 5371.) 



Perhaps there are few families of plants which require a more 

 complete and careful revision than that of Cycadea. Lehman n, 

 Miquel, and De Vriese have done much towards their illustra- 

 tion, but their characters have been too frequently taken from 

 imperfect and often garden specimens, and they are too often 

 incorrectly named. The present plant has long been cultivated 

 at Kew as a Cape species of Encephalartus, under an impression 



APRIL 1st, 1863. 



