215 



They are all small herbs, from a few centimetres to one metre 

 high, and in many cases are known to possess a tuberous root stock 

 like that of the ' Ecanda ' plant. Five species are recorded from 

 Portuguese West Africa, whilst four occur in Nyasaland, and one 

 each in Bechuanaland (and Rhodesia), the Bahr-el-Ghazal, and in 



Sierra Leone. 



Description. 



Raphionacme utilis, Brown et Stapf; affinis R. Welwitschii, 

 Schlecht. et Rendle, sed planta nana foliis latioribus approximatis 

 rosulatis, corona subbiseriata, U6. $ lobis lateralibus contiguis per 

 paria in squamam bifidam connatis et lobum intermedium extus 

 leviter imbricantibus. 



A perennial herb with a turnip-shaped tuber, up to 4 in. high 

 and 2-5i in. in diameter, with a dark brown, scaly bark. Stems 

 solitary, erect, herbaceous, 1-4 in. long, fulvo-puberulous. Leaves 

 in 2-5 pairs, forming in the wild state, according to Geraldes, a 

 rosette close to the ground, spreading, broad-ovate or elliptic to 

 suborbicular, obtuse, apiculate, 1^-2 in. long, 1^-lf in. broad, 

 rounded to subcordate at the base, sparingly puberulous en both 

 sides, green above, bright purple below ; petiole ^-f in. long. 

 Flowers in terminal and axillary, sessile, crowded, fulvo-pubescent 



cymes ; pedicels up to £ in. long ; bracts linear, up to } in. long. 

 Sepals lanceolate, acute, 11 lin. long, puberulous, purplish with 

 green tips. Corolla bright purple, . about \ in. in diameter, very 

 deeply 5- fid, lobes very minutely puberulous on the back, glabrous 

 on the face ; lobes oblong, subacute with recurved margins. 

 Corona subbiseriate ; outer (epipetalous) corona of 5 bifid scales, 

 1 line long, white with bright purple-tipped teeth, inner 

 (episepalous) corona of 5 subulate, acute lobes, \ in. long, the sides 

 covered at the base by the outer scales, dark purple, much exceed- 

 ing the stamens. Follicles (Geraldes) broad spindle-shaped, 

 acuminate, up to 4 in. long. Seeds about 50 in each follicle, about 

 4 mm. long with a coma, 15 mm. long. 





Explanation op the Plate. 



1. A large tuber, 5 J inches in diameter, with leafy shoots, growing in the 



Royal Gardens, about half natural size. 



2. The ' Ecanda ' tuber as imported. Half natural size. 



3. An inflorescence produced in the Royal Gardens. Natural size, 



4 . A single flower. X 3. 



5 . The details of the corona of the flower, x 6. 



Figures 1 and 2 from photographs, 3-5 from photographs of drawings by 

 Miss M. Smith. All the photographs by Mr. C. P. Raffill. 



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