151 exanined durln'^ the lest tv.'o veers, belonrinp: to severs! sections 

 of the genus, it is evident thp^ the structure of the carsule when 

 s°en in an ex^^nded condition ofte'" ?ffords excellent chrrecters 

 for specific distinction. Therefore, the follov^ing brief recount 

 m8v he o'' some interest end brinp- to the notice of South African 

 students vihct a field for research they hgive in this extra ordinary 

 genus, ^'-hich for several decides past seeias to have been practically 

 tabooed, perhaps because they are "succulent plcnts." 



The cpnsules of ell the snecies of i--esembr3''8ntheraura open by 

 valves, v/hich vary from four to twenty or raore, eccordinp to the 

 species, and are well knwn to be very hygronetric, so that the 

 vnlves .■?uto':>!P ticri ly onen durlnp' wet weether snd shut up tightly 

 durin?? dry weather, ''/hen fully exrrnded the cer>sule has a ver^r 

 nretty star-like or •'^lower-like anpeerance, and it is often differ- 

 ently' coloured -t different r^^rts, end i--- then nuite attrrctive. 

 ^his r^ronerty o"^ onening when v-etted ?nd closing as they dry, and 

 their nrettiness, has ceused them to be occasionally sold in 

 London as the "Rose of ^ericho," b name thrt belongs of right to 

 one o-f* the Compositee from the Orient, but is also^shrred by e 

 ■Cruciferous riant, pIso from the Orient, and by a Selrginellr- from 

 J'^exico. "^ig. 61 renresents the capsules of eight different species 

 when closed in drj v;e' ther, exrctly as they v/ould be v,'hen viewed 

 from above unon the plent. They are always stiffly'' erect or in 

 ■t->ose th^t lie unon the groiind the valves p,re directed upv-prds, 

 so t^^pt when closed in this manner no emount of sh- hing by the wind 

 or other disturbance cpn possibly cruse the seed to be liberated 

 from the csrsule. 



S'ig. 61.-- 'C^irsuies of '•-esembryanthemum* i^) ^-. -^^ecthii; 

 (3) IT. T^iiosulum; (G) LI. Shendii; (^) !■'. longum (?); (3) 

 I', pomeridianum; (F) y^. sp . ; (G) A new srecies of the sphperoid 

 grou-n; (fl) I!. sT-ecJes pllied to ^'. hecthii. An naturel size. 



Fip. 52. — The SPT-ie capsules es in 5'ig. 61 when expanded by 

 wetting; Natural size. 



Fie. 62 represents (efter rernovinr the six-velved capsule from 

 a) the same eight capsules f. s they a ppeer when, fully expanded efter 

 beinp- wetted, end as -they v;ould appear upon the plent after rain 

 hes -fallen u^on them. ^■- fevi hours sfter the rjrin has ceesed they 

 drv un end the valves close ur tightly age in until the next fell 

 of rain comes. This onenin^ and closing may be repeated several 

 times, PS the ca^-'sules remein on the rlent of T>erenniel species for 

 months or :^or two or more yeers. It is during the time thet the 

 censule Is expended thet the seeds escene from it or ere dispersed, 

 vet ho'" t^is is effec+ed in some c^ses ^ em uneble to state, for 

 PS fpr as knovn to me 1+ is at nresent an unsolved -^roblem. In 

 other cases, however, the method is simple, es will e'^pear v>rhen 

 th'^ structure is understood. -'ertsin it is, however, thet the 

 seeds reouire to be dispersed during vet werther in order to give 

 them a chance to germinate end grov;, vt/hich they could not do during 

 dry weather. 



If e censi.i.le o" the very comr^liceted tjn^e represented by -U in 

 '^if. 62 be exemln-^d when expended, it will be noted that upon the 

 inner su^^fpce of eech v^lve or lobe there pre tv-o keels ending in 

 free membranous ^-ings (marked a). In this specimen the wings had 



