219 



growth, sometimes erectly diverging, but more often variably re- 

 curving or spreading, from a slight but somewhat abrupt recurva- 

 ture near the base, |-1 in. thick from front to back and ^-| in. 

 thick from side to side immediately above the 1^-3 in. long 

 sheathing portion; rather shortly or somew^hat abruptly pointed. 

 Tube of the flower 5^-9 lin. long; lobes 7-9 lin. long. Other- 

 wise as in the type. 



Angola. Cultivated specimens ! 



Described from living plants cultivated at Kcw. 



Although Bojer, when publishing the name in 183T, stated 

 that this species was a native of Zanzibar, there appears to be no 

 evidence that it has ever been found wild'there. Its history is as- 

 follows: — Bojer states that it was only cultivated Tnot wild) in 

 Mauritius. According to Geiome and Labroy in Bull. Mus. Ilist. 

 Nat., 1903, p. 1G9, it was introduced into the Jardin des Plantes, 

 Paris, from the Isle of Bourbon, by Eichard, in 1845. In 18G1 

 Carriere published two excellent figures of it in the Revue 

 Horticole, made from a living plant which had been sent from 

 Mauritius to the Paris Exhibition in 1855, and Sir William 

 Jackson Hooker {Botanical Magazine, t. 5093), w^ritiug at the end 

 of 1858, also states that living roots had then been recently 

 received from that island. So that up to that period S. cylijidrica 

 was only known from the islands mentioned. But in 1855 a 

 plant was received at Kew from Angola under the name of //e, 

 which was found to be the same as one of w^hich fibre was 

 exhibited at the Paris Exhibition of 1855 under the mss. name 

 of Sansevieri-a angolensis, Welw. This plant flowered and was 

 figured for the Botanical Magazine. AYhen, however, the plant 

 of S. cylindrical Boj., nbove alluded to, was received in 1858 from 

 Mauritius, it was discovered to be identical with that from Angola. 

 It is therefore probable that it was introduced by the Portuguese 

 from Angola into Zanzibar or Mauritius, as the identity of the 

 Angola and Mauritius plants seems to be beyond dispute, for on 



Botanical 



the back of the original drawing of plate 5093 of the Bo 

 Magazine the artist, Mr. W. Fitch, has written ''Sam 



sevieria 



angolensis. Hort. Kew, Aug./58." From which it is certain 

 that the drawinpr was made from the Angola plant, a descendant 

 of which is still thriving at Kew, and this drawing and the 

 living plant exactly agree with the figure made from the 

 Mauritius plant published in the Eevue Horticole by Carriere, 

 whilst none of the allied species at all coincide with the latter 

 figure, especially as to the stiffly erect leaves. The variety pntula 

 is also in cultivation under the names of S. cylindrica and S, 

 angolensis, but may at once be distinguished from the typical 

 form by the leaves beinp: distinctly spreading from a curA'ature 

 near the base, not straight and stiffly erect. 



21. S. Stuckyi, Godefroy'Lehruf^ Les wSansevierias Gigantes- 

 qiies de TAfr. Orient, pp. 13, 17 & 33 with fig., also fig. of habit 

 as frontispiece and on the outside cover (Fig. 10). Stemless, with 

 a stout creeping rootstock up to 2 in, thick. Seedling plants 

 with a rosette of 4-6 leaves, spreading and recurved, thick and 

 rigid, 4 6 in. long, |-1^ in. broad, |-i in. thick, somewhat strap- 



C 2 



