FORMS AND DISTRIBUTION OF BATRACHIUM. 43 



1-1^-unciali, segmentis exterioribus obovato-spatliulatis, iiiteriorlbus 

 angustioribus paulo brevioribus erectis, filainentis deorsum cum stylo cou- 

 natis, stigmatibus cum cristis segmentis intenoribus cequilongis. — -Iris 

 Slsyrinchiiim, L. Sp. Plant, vol. i. p. 59 ; Sibth. and Sm. Fl. Graec. vol. i. 

 p. 30. t. 43; Cav. Ic. t. 193; Redoute', Lil. t. 29 et 458; Bert. Ital. 

 vol. i. p. 244, et multorum aliorum. Gynandirls Sisyj-inchium, Pari. 

 Nuov. Gen. p. 49 ; Godr. Fl. Franc, vol. iii. p. 246 ; Klatt, Linngea, 

 vol. xxiv. p. 577; Willk. Bot. Zeit. 1860, p. 132. Morcea Sisyrinchinm, 

 Gawl. Bot. Mag. t. 1407. Iris ceyyptia, Delile, Frag. Fl. Arab. p. 6. 

 I.fugax, Tenore, Neap. vol. i. p. 15. t. 4. Morcea fugax, Tenore, Syll. 

 p. 26. M. Tenoreana, Sweet, Brit. Flow. Gard. t. 110. 



Bulb globose, edible, 6-12 lines thick, coated with coarse brown fibres, 

 the new one superposed on the old one, the rootlets fibrous. Stem Hrm, 

 flexuose, varying from 2-3 inches to more than a foot high, producing 

 usually a leaf on each side some distance from the base. Leaves linear- 

 subulate, falcate, sometimes a foot long, glaucescent, deeply channelled on 

 the face, semiterete on the back, not more than 2-3 lines broad. Flowers 

 1 to 5 to a stem, when numerous usually close to one another, opening in 

 succession, very fugacious. Spathes 1|— 2 inches deep, very ventricose, 

 reaching up to the base of the limb. Ovary sessile in the spathe, linear, 

 6-8 lines long. Tube slender, about an inch deep. Limb violet-purple, 

 12-18 lines deep; the outer divisions obovate-spathulate, the blade 

 about as long as the claw, 5-6 lines broad, yellow and glabrous or 

 slightly pubescent (/. cegyptia, Delile) down the centre on the inside ; 

 inner divisions erect, oblanceolate, 2-8 lines broad, a little shorter than 

 the outer ones. Fdaments agglutinate in the lower part to the stigmas. 

 Stigmas as long as the inner divisions, with a crest as" long as the blade. 



Hab. Portugal, Welwitsch ! Spain, Bourgeau, 465 ! 1676! Boissier ! 

 Corsica, Soleirol ! Kralik ! Minorca and Majorca, Cambessedes ! Sicily, 

 Dr. Alexander Prior ! Huet du Pavilion ! Algeria, Bove ! Jamin ! Italy, 

 E.Thomas! Tenore! Sardinia, Jan ! E. Thomas ! Crete, Sieber ! Corfu, 

 Sir W. C. Trevelyan! Egypt, Schimper ! Aucher-Eloy, 2134! Asia 

 Minor, Heldreich! E. Forbes ! Fleischer! Syria and Palestine, Gaillardot! 

 Roth! Euphrates, Chesney ! Central Arabia, Pelly ! Beloochistan, 

 Stochs! Aftghanistaii, Griffith, 55)10 ! Flowers in England in May. 



Var. minor, Cambess. Enum. Balear. 142. Boiss. Voy. Esp. vol. ii. 

 p. 602. Iris mouophyUa, Boiss. et Heldr, Exsicc. Gynandiris monophylla, 

 Klatt, Linnaea, vol. xxiv. p. 578. 



Whole plant not more than 3-4 inches high ; stem with a single leaf 

 only, limb of perianth an inch deep, the outer divisions 3-4 lines broad. 



Majorca, Cambessedes ! Greece, Von Heldreich ! Egypt, Martins ! 



Reported by Klatt from the Cape of Good Hope, but surely this must 

 be a mistake. 



{To be continued.) ' 



ON THE FORMS AND DISTRIBUTION OVER THE WORLD 

 OF THE BATRACHIUM SECTION OF RANUNCULUS. 



By VV. p. HiERN, M.A. 



About seventy-five different specific names have been published for the 

 plants coming under this section. According to the views held by various 



