Tarn. 6709, 
CRINUM HILDEBRANDTII. 
Native of the Comoro Islands. 
Nat. Ord. AMARYLLIDEX.—Tribe AMARYLLEX. 
Genus Crinum, Linn.; (Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Pl. vol. iii. p. 726.) 
Crinum (Platyaster) Hildebrandtii; bulbo ovoideo collo elongato, foliis 8-10 
synanthiis lanceolatis glabris sesquipedalibus vel bipedalibus, scapo gracili 
ancipiti subpedali, umbellis 6-10-floris, pedicellis subnullis vel brevissimis, 
spathw valvis lanceolatis reflexis, perianthii albi tubo recto cylindrico 6-7- 
pollicari, limbi segmentis lanceolatis horizontaliter patulis tubo subtriplo 
brevioribus, filamentis purpureis perianthii segmentis brevioribus, stylo exserto. 
_C. Hildebrandtii, Vatke in Monats. Konigl. Acad. Wissen. Berl. 1876, p. 863 ; 
Baker in Gard. Chron. 1881, p. i8v. 
This is a well-marked new species of Crinum, allied to 
C. americanum and erubescens, but from a totally different 
part of the world. It was discovered about 1875 amongst 
the mountains of Johanna Island, at an elevation of 3000 
feet above sea-level, by the late Dr. Hildebrandt, who, after 
a series of courageous explorations in Somali-land and 
other little-known regions of Hast Tropical Africa, visited 
Madagascar, and after making in the island large and 
valuable collections, died a couple of years ago at Antana- 
narivo, worn out by his exertions. It was sent home by 
him about 1875 to the Botanic garden at Berlin. I am not 
aware that any of the original stock ever reached this 
country; but it was rediscovered by Sir John Kirk in 
1878, and it was from bulbs presented by him to Kew, 
which flowered in November, 1881, and again in the winter 
of 1882, that our drawing was made. 
Descr. Bulb ovoid, two or three inches in diameter, 
with a neck finally half a foot long. Leaves eight or ten, 
contemporary with the flowers, lanceolate, bright green, 
firm in texture, a foot and a half or two feet long, two or 
two and a half inches broad at the middle, narrowed 
gradually to the apex, quite glabrous on the margins. 
‘SEPTEMBER Ist, 1883. 
