52 Dr. SvrxVLTZ^ ^Botanical Hif.ory 



and bulbofa areneareft related; they have both their exterior corol- 

 line glumes much wrinkled, but the latter is very diftinft^ becaufe 

 of its arijla:. The defcription is a copy of Monf. Richard's, made 

 from a living fpecimen out of a garden in France. He attributes 

 to it only three ftamina, which I will not difpute, but fhould wifh 

 for a further inquiry when the plant comes under future confider- 

 ation. The figure given by the author, though not good, gives an 

 idea of the real fpecific difference. 



HAVING thus endeavoured to illuftrate all the known Ehrharta, 

 it may not be improper to add concife defcriptions of the remaining 

 two Cape Melicce mentioned by Profeflbr Thunberg in his Prodromus, 

 in order to fhow that they are true fpecies of Melicd^ and not to be 

 referred to the above genus, left it fhould be fuppofed there were no 

 real Melicc^e in that part of the world. 



M EL I C A decumbens. 



M. corollis hirfutis, floribus racemofis nutantibus, culmo decum- 

 bente. Thu?ib. prodr. 21. S p. plant, ed. Wild. p. 382-4. 



Descr. Culmtis decumbens, teres, fubliliformis, glaber. Genicula 



glabra. 



Folia conferta, bafi fubimbricantia, ereda, lanceolato-li- 



nearia, apice involuto-fubulata, glabra. Fagina ftriata:. 



Flares racemoC, fecundi, pedicellati, femipollicares, nutantes 



in raccmo terminali, erefto, bipoUicari, indivilb. 

 Calyx bivalvis. 



Valvuhe ovatse acuminata; carinatae, ftriatae, nervofas, gla- 

 brae, membranaceae, flavefcentes, bafi purpurafcentes ; 

 •exterior triple minor. 



4 Glutncc 



