46 Proceedings. 



leathery, india-rubber-like texture, the leaves being but 

 slightly keeled, while the bracts are mostly quite without a 

 keel ; while in neglectum the texture of the leaves and bracts 

 is much more harsh, the keel being frequently distinct, even 

 to the apex of the latter. Not having had any means of 

 recognising the plants while in flower, I have not been able 

 to make any observations in that respect ; but locaUties have 

 been noted in which both plants occur alone, and I hope to 

 investigate the matter next summer. 



The only other character to which I need draw attention 

 is aiforded by the female perianth- scales ; in neglectiim these 

 are narrowly linear, with a much broadened, spathulate apex ; 

 whilst in ramosmn they are ligulate, thinner and more mem- 

 branous, scarcely or not at all enlarged at the apex. Those 

 of the female flower are excellently shown in the plate in 

 Curtis's ' Flora Lond.,' but, curiously enough, the male 

 perianth-scales of ramosum in the same plate almost exactly 

 resemble the female ones of neglectum. This I hope to verify 

 this year. The form of these scales is liable to some 

 variation ; but the broad ligulate female scale is decidedly 

 characteristic of ramosum, and the linear spathulate scale of 

 neglectxim. 



As S. neglectum has been repeatedly referred to 8, simplex, 

 that is, has been considered to have affinities with that spe- 

 cies rather than with ramosum, I will conclude this portion of 

 my paper with a comparison of the two plants. On looking 

 at a head of fruit of each of these, a very considerable out- 

 ward resemblance is found in the pointed apex to the fruit 

 and in its long beak, but here the resemblance ceases. The 

 colour of the ripe fruit (a character which is of considerable 

 value in this genus) is quite different, as also is the shape. 

 In 8, neglectum the broadest part is above the middle, and 

 from this broad part the fruit slopes off gradually by straight 

 or slightly convex lines to its base. In simplex it is about 

 equally broad at top and bottom (oblong-fusiform, as Syme 

 well calls it), with a slight constriction in the middle ; the 

 fruit is rounded below and then contracted, so that the basal 

 lines show a concavity. The endocarp of simplex is much 



