762 CXXXII. LTLIACE.E. 



There is but 1 sheet in ITerb. Kew. without fruit. The plant does not appear to 

 have been found by any otlier collector, which, considering that the locility indicated 

 by Jaequeniont is on the Railway line, seems strange. — Distuib. India (W. Peninsula). 



3. Asparagus laevissimus, Steud. in Holien. PI. Nilg. Exsicc. 

 no. 130-i. A subscandent imdershrub ; main stems terete, polished ; 

 branches conspicuously striate ; branchlets ascending, angulnr. Leaves 

 with stout conical deflexed rigid spinous spm's, ^-| in. long at the base. 

 Cladodes 3-6-nate, spreading or ascending, 3-quetrous, 5-I by -^ in. 

 Flowers in dense racemes 1-2 in. long, solitary or twin ; pedicels -^,5— 

 i in. long, filiform, jointed at or below the middle ; bracts below the 

 pedicels -^j^—^ in. long, ovate, acute, concave. Perianth-segments y^-^ 

 by -^ in., linear-oblong, obtuse. Stamens as long as the perianth ; 

 anthers -g^g- in. in diam., subglobose. Style very short and stout; 

 stigmas 3, spreading. Berry ^ in. in diara. Fl. B. I. v. 6, p. 317; 

 Baker, in Journ. Linn. Soc. v. 14 (1874) p. 623 ; Woodr. in Journ. 

 Bomb. Nat. v. 12 (1899) p. 523. 



Eare. Konkan : Stocks I, Law ! ; Western Ghats, Woodrow. — Distrib. India (W. 

 Peninsula). 



4. Asparagus racemosus, Willd. Sp. PI. v. 2 (1799) p. 152. 

 Var. javanicaj Baker, in Joum. Linn. Soc. v. 14 (1874) p. 624. An exten- 

 sively scandent spinous much-branched undershrub ; rootstock tuberous ; 

 branches angular. Leaves ^-j in. long, linear-subulate, with a stout 

 conical spinous spur, straight or slightly curved, ^-g in. long, at the base. 

 Cladodes very slender, ^-1 in. long, spinous-pointed. Flowers white, 

 fragrant, in simple (rarely branched) racemes 2-6 in. long; rhachis 

 3-quetrous, with several cladodes along it, increasing in number towards 

 the apex, which is often crowned with a tuft of them ; pedicels i- 4- in. 

 long, fiUform, jointed above the middle, usually solitary, but sometimes 

 2-nate along the rhachis, with a small ovate acute bract -^^ in. long at 

 the base. Perianth-segments J^ by -^ in., linear-oblong, obtuse. 

 Anthers subglobose, -^ in. in diam. Style very short ; stigmas spread- 

 ing. Berry globose, ^ in. in diam., red when ripe. Fl. B. I. v. 0, p. 316 ; 

 "Wight, Icon. t. 2056 ; Baker, in Journ. Linn. Soc. v. 14(1874) p. 623; 

 Woodr. in Journ. Bomb. Nat. v. 12 (1899) p. 523 ; Prain, Beng. PI. 

 p. 1070; AVatt, Diet. Econ. Prod. v. 1, p. 345. Asparaijus sarmen- 

 tosus. Grab. Cat. p. 221 {not of Linn.). Asparagopsis javanica, Kunth, 

 Enum. (1850) v. 5, p. 100. Asparaijopsis sannentosn , Dalz. & Gil)s. Bo. 

 Fl. (1861) p. 246 {not of Kunth). — Flowers : June-Sept. Yern. 

 Satavari. 



Common on the Ghats. Konkan: Law], Stocks \, Graham. Deccan: Graham; 

 common on Deccan hills, Cooke !, Woodrow I ; Panchgani, Cooke ! ; Mahahleshwar, 

 Cooke I, H. M. Birdwood. S. M. Oountuy: Castlerock, Woudrow ; Badami, Woodrow [ 

 Gujarat: Bahdl tf- G'dmon. Kanaka: Kala naddi, Ritchie, T61\ — Distrib. India 

 (W. Peninsula) ; .Java. 



The oblong ileshy tubers are often candied for the table. 



5. Asparagus gonocladosy Baker., in Journ. Linn. Soc. v. 14 

 (1874) p. 627. A muc-h-branched subscandent armed undershrub ; main 

 stems smooth, terete ; branches firm, green, 3-quetrous. Leaves spin-red 

 at the base with hard spines ;|-^ in. long. Cladodes 2-6-nate, ^-1 by 

 -^V-J^, in., flat, usually falcate, ascending, firm, subcostate, narrowed to 

 both ends, finely s])inous-poiuted. Flowers while, in racemes 1-3 in. 



