250 



ii, p. 94; Schultes, Syst. Yeg. vol. vii, p. 359; Kunth, Enum. 

 PI, vol. V, p, 20, S. latifolia, Bojer, Hort. Maurit. p. 348. 

 §'. hyacinthoides, Steud. Nom. Bot. ed. 2, vol. ii, p. 511. S. 

 rufocinctay Baker, in Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xiv, p, 548, imder 

 S. thyrsiflora. Sanseverinia thyrsiflora, Petagna, Institutiones 

 Botanica, vol. iii, p. G43. Salmia spicata, Cavanilles Icon. vol. 

 iii, p. 24, t. 246: Aloe giiineensis radice geniculata ^'c, Coni- 

 melin, Eort. Med. Amstel. Ear. vol. ii, p. 39, fig. 20, and 

 Praelud. Bot. p. 84, fig. 33. Aloe hyacinthoides, var. guineensis, 

 Linn. Sp. PL ed. 1, p. 32L Aletris hyacinthoides, var. 

 gtmieensis, Linn, Sp. PL ed. 2, p. 456; Aiton, Hort. Kew, 



ed. 1, vol. i, p. 464. 



SorTH Africa. Uitenliage Div. : in woods by tlie Zwartkops 

 River, Zeyher, 612! near Enon, Drcge, 8613! Baur, 1099! 

 Albany Div. : without precise locality, Cooper, 3269 ! and culti- 

 vated specimens ! Very common along tbe coast region of East 

 London and Albany Divisions and extending into Queenstown 

 Div., where it grows on tlie summits of hills at 4000 ft. above sea 

 level, according to Galpin. 



Described from living plants cultivated at Kew. Mr. Galpin 

 informs me that a factory was established in Grahamstown many 

 years ago to manufacture fibre from the leaves of this plant, but 

 it did not ]^io\e successful. Pappe states that the fleshy root- 

 stock ** when boiled, is made use of internally in piles, and is 

 called fKay by the natives." 



This plant appears to have been introduced into Dutch gardens 

 before 1701 and was supposed to have come from Guinea. In 

 consequence of this statement the identity of the plant figured by 

 Commelin with a South African species appears not to have been 

 suspected and hence much confusion has arisen. For although 

 Willdenow quoted >S. tJiyrsiflora as a synonym, no attention has 

 been paid by later authors to this, and the specific name has been 

 applied to more than one Tropical African species, although bear- 

 little resemblance to Commelin 's figure. One plant that has 



to 



livacintlioides. Mill 



S, trif 



Anotlier, which 



IS very widely cultivaterl under the name of S. guineensis, |8 

 S. metallica, Ger. & Labr., which see. The name Sanseverinia 

 thyrsiflora, Petagna, was founded in 1787 upon Commelin' s 

 figure, upon which S. guineensis, "Willd. was also founded at a 

 later date. 



49. S_. grandis, HooJc. /. in Bot. Mag. t. 7877. Stemless, with 

 a creeping rootstock sometimes as much as 2 ft. long without 

 producing leaves, 1-11 in. thick, whitish or green. Leaves 4-5 

 to a growth, ascending or ascending-sprending, very slightly 

 mugh, 1-2 ft. long, 3i-6 in. broad, Vr-i in- tl^Jck at tlie middle, 

 stiffly coriaceous, elliptic, oblong or broadly lanceolate, acute, 

 with a soft white point ^-i in. lonff, narrowed and all convolute 

 at the base, but scarcely petiolate, flat, with slightly wavy recurv- 

 ing borders having reddish-brown hardened margins I lin. brood, 



with narrow membranous white edges when young, but soon cli^- 



appearing, dull glaucous-green or somewhat bluish-green, with 



