322 
the dry season no rain ever falls, but mists and heavy dews prevail 
at night-time. In the wet season the rivers rise about 20 ft. 
and fall some 2-3 ft. below their normal level in the dry season. 
The soil of the plateau is a deep and very sandy loam of finely 
divided, clean black earth four or more feet in depth. This soil 
retains moisture readily though it never cakes or runs together ; it 
is always very warm beneath the surface, giving the impression that 
fermentation is proceeding. It is possible to dig a hole wit 
stick to a depth of three or four feet as in sand. 
The plateau is covered with a very fine grass, growing to a 
height of not more than 2 ft., and. the Raphionacme plants are 
found growing plentifully among the grass. Off the concession 
(plateau) the growth of the grass is very rank and coarse, some 
to 7 ft. high, and is almost impossible to penetrate. 
The plants grow with the leaves closely pressed to the surface of 
the ground, forming a kind of rosette after the manner of plantains 
ona lawn. The tubers usually occur buried - just below the surface 
of the soil, and may be shaped either like a turnip or peg-top, or 
may be very broadly napiform to discoid. Th ey produce from one to 
three leafy shoots, each bearing four to six pairs of leaves, and as 
a rule only one of the shoots produces an inflorescence. The shoots 
are quite short, but in old plants the inflorescence may be borne on a 
longer stalk about 2 ins, in length. Unless burnt by bush fires it 
appears that the leaves remain green, and the tubers continue to 
by one of the discoid tubers proves this plant to be Raphionacme 
utilis, though in the general shape and colour of the leaves it 
differed somewhat from the plant already described (K.B., 1908, 
p- 215, and Bot. Mag. tab. 8221), Mr. May is inclined to believe 
Eg aig ue ge utilis pe already been described, but those of 
: . 
terminal vitor were of a deep claret colour and borne in a 
| rg : sages on flower on the plateau in November and early 
the end pee time of the year, and the seed is ripened at 
est i ; 
whic de a — part as the natives burn off the grass among 
plants are growing, just before the rainy season sets 1n, 
