290 TRANSACTIONS OF THE [Sess. lxxxii 



Certainly in the cases of which I am speaking the anthers 

 swing readily on the tips of the filaments after soaking in 

 water, and the somewhat open corolla may allow of this 

 in nature. 



Style. — There is nothing distinctive in the style of 

 Nomocharis. As in the series of Oxypetala and in those 

 undescribed plants from West Cliina of which I have spoken, 

 it is clavate, usually about the same length longer or 

 shorter than the ovary, and the apex is trumpet-shaped 

 with the stigmatic margin more or less 3-lobed. The style 

 of all of them is very different from the tritid style of 

 so many of the species placed in Fritillaria. 



It is clear, in the light of our increased knowledge, that 

 the position of Nomocharis is not so isolated as the 

 characters given b}^ Franchet, drawn from the material at 

 his disposal, indicate. The only character which is peculiar 

 to all the species of Nomocharis hitherto described is that 

 of the rounded summit to the swollen lower part of the 

 staminal filament whence an apiculate subulate continua- 

 tion proceeds. All the other characters appear, or gi-ade 

 into those found, in other plants described or undescribed, as 

 I have endeavoured to show. The question we have to ask 

 and to answer is — Can Nomocharis be maintained as a 

 distinct genus ? In my opinion it should be maintained 

 but with an extended horizon, and I shall best make clear 

 the grounds of this opinion if I bring together here, in what 

 appears to me to be their natural systematic grouping, 

 the various species, to which I have referred in preceding 

 pages, showing relationship to Nomocharis. The species 

 that come into consideration are: — Fritillaria jiavida, 

 lophophora, oxypetala, Stracheyi ; undescribed, Ward sp. 

 No. 758, Ward sp. Nos. 741, 818; Nomoc/iaris leucantha, 

 Mairei, meleagrina, pardanthiiia ; undescribed, Forrest 

 sp. No. 498, Forrest sp. No. 10,()20, Ward sp. No. 801. 



They all agree in these characters : — 



Scaly bulb with elongated ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate 

 fleshy scale-leaves. Perianth-segments always obscurely 

 fringed at tlie tip. Petalinc segnunits only possessing basal 

 gland divided into two by prominent midrib. Anthers 

 dorsi fixed. Style clavate shoi-t about equal to ovary, 

 trumjjet-shaped at end with thr-ee-lobed stigma. 



