308 



compressis," and its forma typica as " f oliis latissimis . . . nervis 

 debilis et parum prominentibus," is probably quite distinct from 

 Jacquin's plant. 



The two other species, which have been suggested for the 

 Australian plant, are B. rosea, Eckl., and B. Bulbocodium, Seb. et 

 Maur., the former being widely spread in South Africa, and the 

 latter in the Mediterranean region. The leaf-sections of these two 

 species and of the Australian plant are identical, and show the leaf 

 to be twice as broad as thick, while the outline of the leaf is 

 linear and quite unlike that of R. cruciata, Eckl. Hitherto 

 B. rosea and B. Bulbocodium have been regarded as distinct 

 species, chiefly on account of their widely-separated habitats; 

 the only structural difference suggested being that the styles of the 

 latter overtop the anthers to a greater degree than those of the 

 former. In the Australian plant the styles are said to be shorter 

 than the anthers. This cannot be regarded as a valid specific 

 difference, for Battandier (Bull. Soc. Bot. France, xxx., 238) has 

 shown that heterostyly exists in B. Bulbocodium, while Schonsboe 

 (Gewachs. Marok. 13) in 1801 described three varieties from 

 Aiarocco differing in size and colour of the flowers. B. rosea, 

 Eckl., was founded upon Ixia rosea, Linn. Syst. ed. 12, 75, which 

 in turn was described from Bulbocodium pedunculis nudis 

 umflons in Millers Icones, 160, t. 240, in which the styles and 

 stamens are similar to those of the Mediterranean plant. Ker- 

 bawler in a note to Bot. Mag. t. 1225, after mentioning that a 

 doubt has arisen whether " Ixia Bulbocodium " of Bot. Mag. 

 t. ^bo was drawn from South African or European material, 

 states :— " It is, however, difficult, if not impossible, to give any 

 sumciently precise definition of the marks that distinguish the 

 two species [i.e. rosea and Bulbocodium]. It seems, then, reason- 

 able to unite these two under the name of B. Bulbocodium, 



Ton V^i ? n^ an ' 17 (1818 )> and to re S ard B ' r0Sm ' EckL 



kZ'o i • J* lb4i h as a synonym. Trichonema cruciatum, 

 jZ'.T • *? B r L Mag * *■ 575 > is a to tally different plant from 

 Baker " q '' and has been called ^omulea longifolia, 



Ai^tr^! W n h ®i i f ? U ^ wing Aust ralian specimens exist : -Western 

 td rIi 1 ° rd 'r r Perth > 0. Andrews, 948; South Aus- 

 VcAh.inf \ ii™ Koch > m i Vi ctoria : around Melbourne, 

 around 35 W **£*%?*> Tove ^' Mr - He ^s also records it from 

 can n]p S ,vi ^ ^ S ^ -', where the children eat the conns and seed- 

 Fron it ' in « & l Cal1 " 5'ams " and « puddings " respectively, 



called ZaSnSSJE* at £ acted attention at Guildford it has been 

 called Guildford Grass » ; it is a l so known as « Onion Weed." 



laite^ninnf ?° W , n that the folia S e is n ot nutritious. The very 

 tou°4 and TJ ^"chyma in the leaves makes them very 



source S \% ulTbre Vh^l * *** ™° ^ WOuld **°" ? 

 cattle e\-epnt in r * e leaves are not touched by horses and 



parts collec L T/ SCardty of other f °° d - The indigestible 

 Cwnt e clus e^death 8 %£*. ani - a ^tomachs, and have been 

 nutritious ftnrl L I £ he corms > on the contrary, are highly 



in the Z' subinl 6 been f0Und t0 contain 75 "3 P er c ^t- of 8tarch 

 in tne drj substance- a greater percentage than in the potato. 



