Tas. 6664. 
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM Bouusitt. 
Native of South Africa. 
Nat. Ord. Ficoripem.—Tribe MEsEMBRYER. 
Genus MgsEemBryanTHEMUM, Linn.; (Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. vol. i. p. 853.) 
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM Bolusii; acaule, late obeonicum, 3—4 poll. diameter, gla- 
berrimum, glaucum, griseo-virescens, creberrime granulato-punctulatum, foliis 
(maturis) 2 oppositis crassissimis subhemisphericis v. obscure 3-gonis, facie 
planis, dorso obscure et obtuse carinatis marginibas obtusis, floribus 1-2 
sessilibus 2-3 poll. diam. 2-4-bracteatis, calycis tubo obconico limbo 6-lobo, 
lobis oblongis obtusis recurvis, petalis perplurimis liberis 2~3-serialibus angus- 
tissime linearibus infra medium flavis dein rubris, staminibus numerosissimis 
multiseriatis calycis lobis duplo longioribus, ovarii vertice late conico 10-sulcato, 
stylo brevi crasso, stigmatibus 10 crassiuscule filiformibus rugulosis. 
This is quite as singular a plant as its ally, M. truncatellum 
(Plate 6077 of this work), but is even more bizarre in form 
and colour, the almost filiform and most delicate petals 
contrasting strangely with the lumpy ungainly form of the 
leaves over which they spread. As a species it appears to 
be entirely new, nor is it easy to say to which of the sections 
of the genus under Sonder’s arrangement (in Harvey’s 
‘Flora Capensis,” vol. ii. p. 392) it should be referred, 
differing as it does from the Spheroidea in the leaves not 
being connate to near the apex, or the petals united at the 
base; from the Subquadrifolia in having only two leaves, 
and in the many stigmas; and from the Aloidea in the 
leaves being only two, and not attenuate to the apex. The 
discovery of this singular plant is due to Mr. H. Bolus, 
F.R.S., a very able South African botanist, who sent plants 
of it to Kew some years ago. These were exhibited in the 
Succulent House, from which they suddenly disappeared in 
1877. For the specimen here figured I am indebted to 
Mr. Peacock, of Sudbury House, Hammersmith, whose 
beautiful collection of Cacti and Aloes was so long deposited 
by him in the south octagon of the Temperate House for 
DECEMBER Ist, 1882. 
