NOTES 405 
to whom we are indebted for this species and for many 
other rare plants. It belongs to the section Ringentia, compris- 
ing low-growing species with thick leaves, which have been com- 
pared with the throats of animals, and hence have been named: 
M. tigrinum, M. lupinum, M. felinum, M. caninum, M. murinum, 
&e. Most species of this ‘“ zoological’ group have fine large 
flowers. MM. edule grows in abundance near our seashore, and is 
subspontaneous in many similar places of the globe. M. geni- 
culiflorum was brought from Palermo in January, 1901. WM. 
granulicaule was grown in 1910 from seeds taken from a dried 
specimen collected by Dr. Otto Kuntz, at Tow River Station, as 
far back as February, 1894. Of M. linguiforme we grow a great 
many varieties. Its soft leaves suffer much from slugs. M.canwm 
and M. pubescens, which had been lost for nearly a hundred years, 
were re-discovered by Dr. Marloth, of Cape Town. WM. ochraceum, 
M. Rehneltianwm, and M. vespertinwm are three old inhabitants of 
gardens, which had long remained undetermined. 
M. pygmewm was received from Kew and from Mr. W. 
Skinner, of Thornton Heath, about ten to twelve years ago. It 
has never flowered. WM. vittatwm was recognised by Mr. N. E. 
Brown as identical with the plant which he described under 
this name. It was probably received from Mr. Cooper. JM. 
Wettsteinii, an introduction of Prof. MacOwan, is, together with 
M. pseudotruncatellum, one of the plants which were erroneously 
believed to be Haworth’s WM. truncatellum. 
In addition to the species enumerated in the Catalogue, we 
grow many new, and as yet undetermined, South African species 
lately received from Dr. J. Brunnthaler and from Mr. Kurt 
Dinter. 
Among the Mesembrianthema collected by Dr. Brunnthaler, 
M. cigarettiferum* is perhaps the quaintest. The sheaths formed 
by the older leaves when dried-up are of a paper or parchment- 
like appearance, and assume a cylindrical shape, resembling the 
paper-mouthpieces of cigarettes. These sheaths are about 1 cm. 
long, evenly cut at the top, and a little compressed at the side. 
With two little prominences, which are rudimentary leaves, they 
enclose the following pair of leaves, which are quite different and 
triquetrous. 
The capsules of Mesembrianthema remain for a long time on 
the ‘plants, and only open during rain. Some have a beautiful 
mechanism, by which they throw the seeds to a considerable 
distance.t The seeds germinate very irregularly, and retain their 
germinating power for a long time. 
METROSIDEROS. : 
M. tomentosa, a small tree with bright red flowers, is very 
* See Alwin Berger, ‘ Hinige nate peace Sukkulenten,” in Engler’s 
Botanische Jahrbiicher, xlv. (1910), p. 2 
t See figure and deseription of ae fruit of M. linguiforme in my handbook, 
pp. 9-11. 
