JSvphorhia.] eupiiorbiace.e (Erowii). 359 



cyme pressed down ou the top of the stem as iu F. melofomus. I have failed to 

 discover the locality in which it grows. The involuci'e and gland.s uf the female 

 plant are smaller than those of the male. I have at the present time E. infaa^fa 

 and F. meloformis in cultivation, growing side by side, and there am be uu 

 question as to their distinctness wLun thus seen. 



158. E. pyriformis (N. E. Br.); succulent, spineless, dirpcious ; 

 body of the plant or branches pear-shaped, l|-2 in, long or high, 

 H-1-2 in- in diam. at the top, tapering downwards, depressed at the 

 top, 8-angIed, glabrous, somewhat greyish-green, very indistinctly 

 niarked with oblique transverse darker green bands ; angles spiral 

 or perhaps sometinoes vertical, somewhat obtuse^ from their sides 

 being rounded, faintly crenulate, about \ in. prominent, with acute 

 grooves between them : leaves very rudimentary, deltoid, acute, soon 

 deciduous ; cymes (only male plant seen) arising fz'om the depressed 

 centre, ^-1 in. lung, not depressed upon the plant, dividing 1-2 lin. 

 above the base, usually into two (or sometimes only one) simple or 

 once-forked branches, puberulous, green, deciduous, each bearing one 

 involucre and 1 or 2 pairs of oblong obtuse apiculate bracts about 

 1 an. long; invokicre 1| lin. in diam., cup-shaped, puberulous, green, 

 with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate tootlied lobes; glands subcon- 

 tiguous, |-1 lin. ill their greater diara., transverse, oblong, entire 

 l^gbt green, minutely punctate ; ovary and capsule not seen. 



SoT'TH Africa : without locality, cultivated specimen ! 



^ Described from a living plant, long cultivated by Mr. Justus Corderoy of 

 Blewburj^, Didcot, and now at Kew. The plant is an old one, divided close to 

 the ground into 5 radiating and 3 erect i3ear-.shaped branches, but the suiaU body 

 from which these originate may have been a seedling plant that had Ijecome 

 injured at its ape?c and so branched instead of forming a simple stem. 



It is closely allied to E, meloformis, and its male flowers are not distinguishable 

 from those of that species, female flowers have not been seen. But in its much 

 smaller size^ not due to age, for the plant is an old one, pear-shaped branches, 

 much attenuated downwards, smaller and more obtuse stem-angles, and deciduous 

 (not persistent) cymes, it is clearly distinct. 



159. E. obesa (Hook. f. in Bot. Mag. t. 7888); plant dioecious, 

 only female specimens seen, very similar to E. meloformis, subglobose 

 or ellipsoid, 8-angled, glabrous, grey-green, marked Avith numerous 

 transverse dull purple bands formed of fine lines ; angles stout, 

 subacute, finely crenate, with sunken eye-like scars ■ of ^ fallen 

 peduncles between the crenations about 1 lin. apart and their sides 

 niarked with faint grooves very obliquely crossing the transverse 

 purple bands ; leaves not seen, evidently rudimentary and soon 

 deciduous ; peduncles few, at the apex of the plant, about 1 lin. 

 long, bearing 1 involucre and a few imbricating ovate-oblong ciliate 

 bracts, puberulous, deciduous ; involucre 2 lin. in diam., cup-shaped, 

 Eainutely puberulous outside, with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate 

 subentire lobes ; glands distinct, about J lin. in their greater diam., 

 subquadrate or transversely rectangular, slightly concave (not 

 channelled); ovary subsessile, glabrous; styles stout, united for 



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