90 



.and equally paler liclow. Thev are curdate-orbieiilar. ami shortly 

 aeiimiiiate, quite ulahrous, as is the whole plant. The hhide lies 

 much more nearly in the plane of the petiole than does thi' l)lade 

 in the White Guinea yam. Towards the upper parts of the branehes 

 flowers are })r()duced. If male there are 1—4 spikes in the axil of 

 each leaf. Tliese s^iikes attain 6 em, in length, and carry about 

 40 flowers spaced about their own diameter apart set on at an 

 angle of about ?<>°. so that the angle which they take to the axis 

 .is a little larger t'.ian in the White Yam. They are sessile and 

 though the base is broad, it is not so broad as to cause the bract 

 .to be refiexed. The buds are more stout than those of the White 

 •Ouinea Yam, from base to apex more pear-shaped but laterally dis- 

 tinctly three lobed from the strong curvatures of the sepals. The 

 sepals are white and they just part in flowering to one third of 

 their length. The petals are brownish and .shaped like the sepals, 

 but smaller. Within are six introrse anthers on short filaments. 



It appears exceeding probable that the White and the Yellow 

 Yams have been confused in books, which should not l)e, as they 

 .are abundantly distinct. 



Leaves of the Yellow (Guinea Ya,m, one quarter natural size. That on the 

 left is the common form; that on the right the form confined to the bases of 

 ■the stems. 



3. A. Hainan Yam apparently Dioscorea 



BELOPHYLLOIDES. 



The lower block of Plate vii shows the tubers and leaves of a 

 species of Dioscorea which was introduced into Singapore from the 

 Chinese province of Hai-nan by a servant of Mr. G. P. Owen ; and 

 Mr. Owen presented tubers to the Gardens, The return that they 

 give is small; and they are uneven so that if peeled for cooking a 

 large part of them is lost; but they are excellent cooked. 



This yam lias not as yet flowered in Singapore, and there is 

 some doubt as to its name; but it appears to be Dioscorea belo- 

 pliylloides, Praiu and Burkill. 



4. Dioscorea dumetorum. 



The top block of plate viii illustrates Dioscorea clumeiorum, 

 Pax, an African ally of the Tndo-Malayan D. liirsuta (D, triphylla, 



