Tas. 6077. 
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM trunoatetiun. 
Native of South Africa. 
Nat. Ord. Ficoiem.—Tribe MesempryeR. 
Genus MrsempryantuEmum, Linn. ; (Benth. § Hook. f. Gen. Plant., vol. i. 
p- 853). 
MEsEMBRYANTHEMUM truncatellum ; obconicum, 1-8 poll. diametro, acaule, 
glaberimum, glaucum, crassum, pallide viride, foliis ad 4 decussatim oppo- 
sitis latissime cuneatis basi connatis appressis apicibus dilatatis, latissime 
truncatis, vertice lunatis convexis pallide bruneis depresso-tuberculatis 
colore saturatiore irroratis, basi vestigiis membranaceis fugaceis foliorum 
‘vetustorum vaginatis, floribus majusculis 14 poll. diametro solitariis 
sessilibus, ovario inter folia 2 summa compresso, calyce 5-6-fido seg- 
mentis obtusis, petalis 2-serialibus numerosissimis anguste linearibus 
stramineis, staminibus perplurimis segmentis calycinis equilongis, stylis 
ad 5 gracilibus, apicibus incurvis. 
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM truncatellum, Haworth Miscell. Nat., p. 22; Ait. Hort. 
Kew, Ed. 2, vol. iii. p. 213; Haw, Synops. Plant. Suce., 203; DC. Prodr., 
vol. iii. p. 417.; Harv. & Sond. Fl. Cap., vol. ii. p. 392. 
Though differmg in some respects from the published 
description, of Mes. truncatellum, I have little hesitation in 
referring the vegetable oddity here figured to that plant. 
Thus Harvey, on what authority is not stated, describes it as 
only half an inch in size, whereas Haworth (the author of 
the species) calls it the “ great dotted Dumplin,” which 
implies that it is the largest of its allies, of which the 
smallest, WM. minutum, is fully half an inch in size. Again, 
Haworth, in his original description (Misc. Nat.), describes 
the ovary as never extruded beyond the surface of the plant, 
as in our specimen; but in his Synopsis he describes it as 
exserted, and in this he is followed by De Candolle and 
Harvey. Lastly, the calyx is said to be 5-fid in the original 
description, and in De Candolle’s Prodromus, and Harvey's 
ora; but 4-fid in the Hortus Kewensis: in our plant it is 
= 
. 
JANUARY Isr, 1874, 
