MELASPH.ERULA. 189 



Tritoma Sehhnperi Aschers. — Corm ovoid, ^ in. diam. ; tunics 

 thickly reticulated. Stem a foot long, simple or branched, very 

 ancipitous, bearing 3-4 superposed thin luiear leaves, the lowest 

 6-9 in. long. Spikes very lax, few-flowered; spathe-valves lanceo- 

 late, green, ^ in. long. Perianth white, with a slender tube '2^-3 

 in. long, jL- in. diam. at the throat ; segments oblanceolate, ^ in. 

 long. Stamens not reaching the top of the segments. 

 Hab. Mountains of Abyssinia, Schimper 2304 ! 



51. Crocosma Planch. 



' Perianth with a cylindrical tube slightly dilated upwards and 6 

 subequal spreading oblong segments. Stainnis inserted at the 

 throat of the periauth-tube, unilateral, arcuate ; filaments long, 

 filiform ; anthers versatile. Ot-ary 3-celled ; ovules few in a cell, 

 superposed ; style filiform ; branches entire, slightly flattened at the 

 tip. Fruit an inflated globose 3-lobed capsule, dehiscing loculi- 

 cidally, the valves persistent and chartaceous. Seeds few, lai-ge, 

 globose. 



1. C. AUREA Planch, in Flore des Serres, t. 702. Tritonia aurea 

 Pappe ; Hook, in Bot. Mag. t. 4335 ; Bot. Mag. 1847, t. 61. 

 CrocantJuis vwssaiiibicensis Klotzsch in Peters Reise, t. 57. — Corm 

 globose ; tunics membranous. Basal leaves about 6, linear or ensi- 

 form, thin, 1-lf it. long. Stems terete, branched, 2-4 ft. long, 

 with a few small leaves. Spikes lax, few-flowered ; axis very 

 flexuose ; spathe-valves ovate or oblong, |— ^ in. long. Perianth 

 bright fulvous yellow, with a tube f-1 and segments 1-1^ in. long. 

 Stamens and style reaching to the tip of the segments. Capsule 

 ^ in. diam. 



Hab. Kaffraria, Natal and the Transvaal northward to Mozambique and 

 the Zambesi highlands. Var. maculata Baker has dark blotches above the base 

 of the three inner segments. 



52. Melasph^rula Ker. 



Perianth slit down nearly to the ovary ; segments oblong- 

 lanceolate, subequal, very acuminate. Stamens arcuate, inserted at 

 the base of the segments ; filaments short, filiform ; anthers ob- 

 long, versatile. Ovary short, 3-celled, 3-lobed ; ovules 2-3 in a 

 cell ; style short, filiform ; branches simple. Capsule membranous, 

 acutely 3-lobed. Seeds oblong. 



1. M. GRAMiNEA Kcr in Bot. Mag. t. 615. Gladiolus grauiineus 

 Linn. fil. ; Jacq. Ic. t. 236 ; Andr. Bot. Rep. t. 62. G. romusus 

 Linn. Diasia iridifolia and yraminifolia DC. ; Red. Lil. t. 54 and 

 163. M. intermedia, yrauiiiiea, iridifolia and pairijiora Sweet. — 

 Corm globose, ^ in. diam. ; tunics thin, brown. Leaves about 6 in 

 a distichous ba^al rosette, thin, linear, h-\ ft. long. Stem very 

 slender, a foot or more long. Spikes few-flowered, panicled ; 

 rachises slender, very flexuose; spathe-valves ovate, green, l-^ in. 

 long. Perianth yellowish green, veined with purplish black, \-i^ 



