386 . 



are | in. long, whitish becoming pale brown, usually gland-tij)peJ. 

 Leaves oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, cuneate to slightly auricled 

 at the base, 3 to 6 in. long, | to 1| in, wide, setose beneath, espe- 

 cially on the midrib; petiole ^ to f in. long, _ Flowers borne in 

 trusses 4 in. wide, corolla campanulate, 1^ in. in length and 

 width, ricb red in the typical form, but said by Wilson to vary 

 in colour from crimson to white. The stamens are ten, their 

 filaments glabrous. The calyx, peduncle and fruit are all bristly, 

 the last-named | to 1 in. long, cylindrical. 



R. strigillosum is evidently closely allied to E. pachytrichtim, 

 but its loaves are of different shape and more hairy beneath, and 



the glabrous filaments give a ready distinction. It was discovered 



by David and named as long ago as 1886, but was introduced 

 about ten years ago by "Wilson. Like R, imcliytrichum it is liable 

 to have its young shoots injured by late spring frosts. We shall 

 probably see it at its best in the Cornish gardens. 



LXXIL— ENCEPHALARTOS HILDEBRANDTII. 



O. Stapf- 



A proposal to publish illustrations of EncephaJartos Hilde- 

 hranatii in the Botanical Magazine lias necessitated a revision of 

 the existing material of that plant in the Gardens, Museums and 

 Herbarium at Kew as well as of the relative literature. In the 

 course of the work some new facts worthy of record have come to 

 light w4th regard to the history of the discovery of the plant, its 

 distribution m East Africa and certain j^oints of physiological 

 intere&t. To a great extent they are based on observations 

 recorded in the voluminous correspondence which Sir John Kirk 

 carried on with Sir Joseph Hooker, and with Sir W. T. Thistleton- 

 Dyer, whilst acting as Consul-General in Zanzibar. These obser- 

 vations constitute a valuable contribution to our knowledge of an 

 interesting plant; their publication may serve as one more acknow- 

 ledgment of Sir John Kirk's' work as a keen naturalist, active 

 observer and ever ready friend of Kew. 



Discovery and Distribution.— On Mnrch 20th, 1868, Kirk 



announced to Sir Josepb Hooker the discovery of a new 

 EncephaJartos at Dar es Salam of which he had secured 

 an entire plant. At the same time he sent home some 

 pinnae of a leaf and some seeds. A cone, wbich. was to have 

 been brought home by the Rev. Mr. Wakefield, never reached its 

 destination. The pinnae and the seeds' whicb are still preserved 

 in the Museum were, of course, insufficient for description. In 

 1870 a '* root ^' followed, but although its receipt is duly recorded, 

 it cannot any longer be traced and probably was fouud to be dead. 

 Another plant forwarded that year seems to have had the same 

 fate; but seeds received in September^ 1870, germinated, and at 

 least one of the plants thus raised is still alive. Long before the 

 plants at Kew were large enough to be described, the species was 

 rediscovered by the German traveller and collector, J. M. Hilde- 

 brandt, and was sent to Berlin and subsequently distributed in 

 numerous specimens to various European gardens. The speci- 



