Vellozie had already been described by Commerson, under the 
name of Xerophyta, and figured in Lamarck’s Encyclopedia, 
t. cexxv. Commerson’s plant agrees with V. elegans in the 
principal character by which [ find /. elegans to differ from 
its Brazilian congeners (the cylindric stigma), whilst it differs 
from V. elegans in another character which is common to the 
Brazilian species—viz., the length of the filaments. As, how- 
ever, Xerophyta is reduced by Endlicher to Vellozia, it appears 
clear that Zulsotia should go with it, and that Professor 
Oliver’s original name of V. e/egans should be retained for this 
plant. Another character by which /. elegans differs from the 
Brazilian species, is the terete not angled seeds; but as the 
structure of the seed, testa, raphe, and funicle are otherwise 
identical with those of the only Brazilian species which I have 
examined, this character is unavailable. 
The specimen here figured was communicated from the 
Botanical Gardens of Edinburgh, and flowered in those of 
Kew in May of the present year. 
Descr. Glabrous. Svem rigid, flexuous, six inches high, 
simple, leafy above, below densely covered with the fibrous 
remains of the leaves. Leaves tristichous, recurved, four 
to eight inches long, linear-lanceolate, sharply keeled, acu- 
minate, serrated towards the apex, base sheathing; nerves 
close-set. Peduncle terminal, sheathed at the base, divided 
into three to five slender pedicels two to six inches long. 
Flower pale lilac in bud, then pure white, one and a quarter 
inches diameter, ebracteate. Perianth segments spreading, 
ovate, subacute, three outer rather smaller; all enlarging 
and turning green after flowering. Stamens six, erect ; anther 
subsessile, linear, obtuse. Ovary obovoid, triquetrous three- 
celled; ovules many, on two thick placentas in each cell; 
style as long as the stamens; stigma cylindric, thickened, 
obtuse, six-furrowed. Capsule obovoid, sharply three-angled, 
half an inch: long, many-seeded ; septa and walls breaking 
away from the three persistent angles. Seeds narrow, terete, 
curved; funicle thickened, and raphe conspicuous.—/. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Flower with the perianth removed; fig. 2, stamen ; fig. 3, stigma; 
fig. 4, transverse section of ovary :—all magnified. 
