good many species of the genus, all natives of the Old World; 

 and about six are South African. These latter include the deli- 

 riously sweet-scented A. distachtjon (Tab. 1293), which is not 

 nearly so much cultivated as it should be, being equally 

 available for a glass bowl on the drawing-room table, or a 

 tank in the garden. A. angustifoliiim (Tab. 1268) is another 

 Cape species, which has, however, long disappeared from culti- 

 vation. A. spathaceum is found in shallow lakes in Somerset 

 East, in the Transvaal, British Kaffraria, and Natal ; the var. 

 junceum is scribed by the Eev. R. Baur, who sends specimens 

 from the Upper Transkei territory, as growing in wet places 

 amongst grass. The specimens here figured flowered in the 

 open air in a tank at Kew in autumn of the present year ; 

 its tubers were communicated by Commandant Bowker, F.G.S., 

 from Basuta Land. 



Descr. Tuber hemispheric, with the rounded end down- 

 wards, about the size of a hazel nut. Leaves erect, flexuous, 

 six to ten inches long, elongate-subulate, subacute, obtusely 

 3-gonous or half terete with rounded angles. Scapes usually 

 shorter than the leaves, cylindric, caducous. Spadix forked, 

 the arms each one to two inches long. Flowers crowded on 

 the spadix, those of some plants all female, of others herma- 

 phrodite, rarely all male from their ovaries being, though 

 present, imperfect. Floral bracts two, imbricating, ovate or 

 oblong, obtuse, obscurely 3-nerved. Stamens usually ^ six to 

 eight. Carpels from three to eight ; ovules about four in each 

 carpel. Fruit trigonous, tumid. — J. D. IT. 



Fig. 1, Transverse section of leaf; 2, hermaphrodite flower ; 8, female flower ; 

 4, carpel cut open ; 5, ripe carpel ; (>, enihryo : — all enlarged. 



