

35C 





[ 



bach (Fl. Brit. West hid. p. 588). A 



was treated as D. Cliffrotiana, Lamk, but accepted as prooaoiy 



a form of I), villosa, Linn., the authority cited being Ehret's 



figure (Hart. Cliff 



The Ceylon plant (Flor. Zeyl. u. 358; which is D. sativa, Linn. 

 [2], has not been alluded to by Grisebach. The Malabar plant, 

 which is D. sativa, Lien, [8], is accepted as the basis of the 

 Linnean species. 



The West Indian plant taken up from Plunder, which is D. 

 sativa, Linn. [4], and which was said by Kunth to be D. altissima y 

 Lanik, is identified by Grisebach with D. viultiflora, PresI, a 

 species described in 1844. Though the identification in this 

 instance is accurate it is not adequate, there being an older name 

 for the species which was published by Sprengel in 1822, and there 

 being another D. multi flora, Mart., published by Grisebach him- 

 self in 1842. The other West Indian plant, taken up from Sloane, 

 which is D. sativa, Linn. [5], has been identified by Grisebach 

 with D. altissima, Lanik. This identification cannot be accepted; 

 Sloane's plant, the Vohibilis nigra, radice tuberosa, compressa 

 maxima digitata farinacea esculenta is the well-known ' Negro 

 Yam ' of the West Indies, whereas ]\ altissima, Lamk, is 



* 



/ 



with Dioscorea implies, an elongated and nodose rhizome, not a 

 digitate tuber. The figure of D. altissima [Burm. PL Amer. 

 Plum. t. 117. fig. 2) shows moreover that its leaves have stipulary 

 prickles; there are no such prickles in the ' Negro Yam ' though 

 the stem low down may be armed.* But Grisehach's treatment 

 of D. altissima is not wholly consistent; on the previous page 

 (I.e. p. 587) he referred it tentatively to D. alata, Linn., which is 

 the true • Yam f as opposed to the ' Negro Yam ' of the West 

 Indies. 



In dealing with D. sativa, Linn. [6], which he terms " the 

 contested plant quoted from Humph/' Grisebach has neither 



* We take this opportunity to publish in full Plumper's description of the 

 plant which in 1789 became the basis of B. altissima, Lamk (Enct/c. Meth. 

 vol. hi. p. 231) :— 



Polygonatum scandens altissimura foliis tamni. Plumier MSS. torn. iii. 

 Radix hujus plantae arundinaeea est nodosa scilicet geniculata et 

 fibris duris tota compacta, caulicvilum unicum ut plurimum eroittens 

 altissime scandentem, lignosum, teretem, virentem et nodosum unde 

 plurimae longissimae viticulae tenues diffunduntur etiam nodosae et 

 ad singulos nodos binis foliis oppositis instructae cordatis mem- 

 branaceis desuper e viridi lucentibus inferius vero paulo dilutioribus 

 nervulisque instructis m in plantagine vulgari a p#diculo ad apicem 

 percurrentibus inter quos venulae aliae jacent exiguae undulatae ac 

 veluti parallelae. Singula folia palmam manus circiter sunt ampla 

 pediculoque innituiitur lonsiusculo et ad initium duobua apiculis 

 mollibus instructo ex pediculorum autem alis longus prupendit 

 funiculus per totam longitudinem flonbus instructus exiguis ipsi 

 funiculo adpositis monopetalis campaniformibus tubulatis calycis 

 expertibus se.xque acuminibu* dissectis deforis viridantibus et 

 tomentosis, intus vero lutescentibus punctulia rubentibus signatis, 

 tribusque apicibus subrotundis et virentibus stipatis. 

 Fructus matures non vidi ; plantain reperi junio apud insnlam martini- 

 censem. 



* 



