188 



Sansevieria, Thmib. 



Stemless plants with a creeping rootstoek or with a distinct 

 stem and bushilj branching at or near the base. The number of 

 leaves produced by each growth is limited, according to the 

 species. _ Leaves Heshj or fleshily coriaceous, flat, channelled, half- 

 cylmdric, cjlmdric or laterally compressed, rigid, firm or 

 tiexible, full of fibre. Flower-stem simple or branching, always 

 terminating the growth producing it, usually with leaves or a 



T\^^ v^ ^^^^' ^^^ sometimes with only a few scales or sheaths 

 at the base, the growth producing it being leafless. Flowers 

 solitary or two or more in a cluster, on pedicels that are jointed 

 near the middle or apex, the upper part falling oflt with the 

 tiower (deciduous part), always with membranous or thin scale- 

 like bracts at the base ; each flower with a distinct tube and six 

 narrow lobes that are usually rolled back or very spreading when 

 tuliy expanded, remaining open only one day or night ; often 

 Iragrant. Stamens six, much exserted from the tube of the flower, 

 with slender filiform filaments. Ovary free, 3-celled, with 1 ovule 

 in each cell; style slender, filiform, about as long as the stamens. 

 -b ruit a berry, containing 1-3 bony seeds. 



The key to the species has been prepared cliiefly from livinr 



plants cultivated at Kew, and will not be found to be alway 



r -----•" -r^. "" ^^^.», Biuu win uui DC louna to De always 

 applicable to dried specimens, for, although every endeavour 



to 



uving plants and dried specimens, after three attempts it has 

 been found impossible to do so; because, in the first place, col- 

 lectors rarely preserve more than a few loose leaves, or sometimes 

 only part of a leaf, quite unattached to the rootstoek; even then 

 It is oiten only the smaller or outer leaves of a growth that are 

 preserved, so that no knowledge can be obtained of the number of 



pWn!>f • ^ ^Tu'' -^^'^'.^^'^^S^^^^* ^•^r tl^« f^ll size and 

 characteristics of the mner leaves of adult flowering plants, all of 



siStfnn l^^P^y*^^ . .^h^y^^ters that have to be ttken into con- 

 uTtprW • -S' discrimination of the species. It is often 



itvWni^^ f .f to name a species from a single leaf, either 

 T X^ kt^f^ *^' ^^'"^^ P^^^* i« recinhed. In the second place, 

 Llh.^ .t T ^'' f ^' "P^"^"^ ^^^^^^ ^a^ easily T^e distin- 

 fet whl j"^ fT^ r^'^ T/^ ^^^^^ ^""^ g^^^i^g «^de by side, 

 ose thefrtn f ^""' Y^^^JioT often flowers cannot be obtained) 

 cannot tL^l important^ distinctive characters, and the species 

 a micrn,on^.V ^^^^P^f.^'^^^^d or only with difilculty, such as by 

 tio^s of Z 1 '^^"'''^ w? °^ *^' ejpidermis and of .4ry thin sec- 

 been ^Ll ' r+r'-fl ^^^''' '°??P^^^^ ^ov,e,ing specimens have 



even wherel. '^''' 't'''^"^ '^°'" '^^' 'P^^^^ difference, 



even wliere the leaves do not, when dried 



very remark'. Wr^.li''*''''*^?^ characteristics of this genus is the 

 eaves Smnnv nfl^^" ""^-''^ *'^f P^^^« ^^ the form of the 

 uvenile to tTJ / U '/P'"'U' *^" P^^^* advances from the 



iavinL Jlindl 1 * '*-^'n ^h"" '''^' «* «^7 of the specie. 



leaves also pass through Tlitr^ ^^i^^ ^^ J—- 



