5. Htmenocallis.] 149. AMARYLLIDAGE^. 



floral bracts linear. Perianth sub-hypocrateriform with the long tube 

 little or not widened at the apex, tepals linear. Stamens inserted at 

 the top of the tube, filaments united at the base by a cup-like corona, 

 anthers linear dorsifixed, often curved. Ovary 3-celled, with 1-2 

 erect basal ovules in each cell or some of the loculi empty. Seed 

 often 1 only perfect, large, green with a hard spongy testa. 



An American genus described here on account of the wide-spread cultivation 

 of the following species (which I have never yet seen assigned to its proper genus 

 in Calcutta horticultiual collections), and on account of its interesting bulbils. 

 There is a closely allied species, H. littoralis, Salisb., which is very similar. 



1. H. tenuiflora, Herb. (App. 44, 1821.) The Spider-lily. 



A stout bulbous herb with ovoid bulb 2-2-5" diam. not much wider 

 than the stout neck which is covered Avith leaf -sheaths. Leaves 15-27" 

 by 1-5", 2-farious, lorate with acute or subacute apex and amplexicaul 

 base, obtusely keeled. Flowers with the leaves, 7-20, delicately- 

 scented, on flattened fleshy scapes longer than the leaves. Spathes 2, 

 broadly-lanceolate. Perianth-tube 5-6" slender, tepals spreading 

 linear cuspidate, 4-4-5" by -2- -3". Coronal cup 1-5-2" diam. white 

 membranous, 1-1-5" long, free part of filament 2", anthers linear 

 straight 1" long with deep orange pollen. 



In gardens and verandahs everywhere and grows freely near water in the Cal- 

 cutta gardens. It never set seed with me, but produces together with the ovaries 

 irregularly spindle-shaped or obovoid green bulbils 1-1 • 25" long. These have no 

 distinct skin, but at the time of germination is differentiated a central core occu- 

 pying the long axis and from which grows a hypocotyl-like structure emerging 

 near the original point of attachment of the bulbil, and acts generally like an 

 embryo, first forming roots and then an erect stem, while the other blunt end 

 remains in the bulbil, to which it is attached by a small-celled absorptive tissue. 



6. CURCULIGO, Gaertn. 



Herbs with a tuberous rootstock or corm and radical or shortly 

 cauline plicate and lanceolate or linear smooth leaves. Flowers 

 usually yellow and unisexual, spicate racemed or subcapitate on a 

 scape sometimes lateral to the leafy stem or tuft. Hypanthium 

 produced above the ovary as a solid stipes bearing the rotate perianth, 

 or perianth subsessile (in sec. jNIoliniera). Stamens at base of perianth, 

 short, anthers erect dorsifixed, sometimes cohering. Fruit indehis- 

 cent, usually more or less beaked. Seeds subglobose or ellipsoid with 

 crustaceous shining testa beaked at the hilum. 



Hypanthium markedly beaked. Flowers few small . . .1. orchioides. 



Hypanthium not or scarcely beaked. Fls. capitate, many . 2. recurvata. 



1. C. orchioides, Gaertn. Turam, K. ; Musor, Musal-khand, Kala- 

 musali, H. ; Tallura, Beng. ; Kua-kenda, Or. 

 A small herbaceous plant, first conspicuous after the jungle fires 

 by its small bright-yellow flowers -5-- 75" diam. which rise just a 

 little above the soil, accompanied by or shortly followed by the new 

 leafy shoot with plicate linear-lanceolate leaves 6" by 1" attaining 

 18" by 1 • 5" with age, tapering into an elongating petiole. The flower- 

 ing scape is sheathed with long lanceolate hairy bracts and is for the 

 most part beneath the surface of the soil, above which the flower-buds 



1112 



