101 



cylindrical, shortly acuminated, convolute, with margins 

 singularly waved, and crenate, and red, ventricose and trun- 

 cate at the base, contracted just above the base; its colour 

 pale yellow-green, striated. Spadix about half the length of 

 the spatha, cylindrical, dark-purple, and naked above, the very 

 base surrounded with germens : the middle part antheriferous : 

 above and below the anthers are filamentose glands. Anthers 

 sessile, 2 -celled, sharp-pointed, opening laterally. Germen 

 subglobose, below trigonous, 1-celled, with 3 ovules, of which 

 only 1 becomes a perfect seed. Stigma sessile, orbicular, 

 wavy round the edge. 



Found in shady places, or in wet sandy soil, flowering and 

 ripening its fruit during the rainy and wet seasons of the year. 



[In his MSS., Dr. Wight justly alludes to the similarity of 

 this plant to the Arum divaricatum, L. {Rheede, Mai. v. 11. 

 p. 20,) but that has a remarkably attenuated spadix, exceed- 

 ing the spatha in lengtli. The A. mucroiiatum, Lam., too, 

 agrees with it in many points, judging from the character 

 given of it by Sprengel; but that species is, according to the 

 references in Rumphius, {v. 5. p. 106,) caulescent, 8 or 10 

 feet high, and esculent. ' I think there can scarcely be doubt 

 of this being an hitherto undescribed plant. — H.~\ 



SuppL. Tab. III. Fig. 1, Spadix, with the lower part of the 

 spatha laid open. Fig. 2, Stamen. Fig. 3, Section of an 

 unripe berry : — magnijied. 



IV. 



MICROCARP.EA SPATHULATA. 



DiANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Nat. Ord. SCROPHULARIN^. 



Gen. Char. Cal. tubulosus, 5-gonus, 5-fidus (nunc 3-fidus.) 

 Cor. bilabiata. Stam. 2, antherifera, sterilia nulla. Caps. 

 bivalvis dissepimento contrario. Br. 



Microcarpaea spathulata ; repens, foliis lineari-spathulatis 



longitudine scapi. H. (Suppl. Tab. IV.) 

 Peplidium capense. Spreng. Syst. Veget. v. 1. /?. 43. Wight, MSS. 

 Limosella diandra. Lin7i. Mant. p. 252. Willd. Sp. PI. 



p. 342. 



