73 Rhynsdorp I^ivisions near "^an ^hynsdorp, ^"^rs, 2, Rood. 



The above description is compiled partly from a living plant 

 and partly from Mrs. Bolus' description, for ^ have not seen flowers 

 of it. Mrs. Bolus states "About April growth is resumed and by 

 June the leaves are full-grown and have split the encasing sheaths 

 of the previous year's leaves apart." 



This species is described by I»-rs. ^olus as "glaberrimum" 

 very glabrous, I do not find it so, however, but covered with a 

 minute pubescence of stiff, soft points, hot distinct hairs. 



I nlace this riant underthe genus "-'heiridopsis with very con- 

 siderable doubt as to whether it should really be placed here, for 

 although the vegetative characters are like those of '^heiridopsis 

 the capsule is harder, with only 4-6 telves and cells, has very 

 much deeper ridges on the top of it, and has quite a different ap- . 

 T5earance from that of any other species of ^heiridopsis I have 

 seen, ^-hen its flowers can be properly compared with those of 

 various species of Cheiridopsis possibly other differences may be 

 found and a fresh genus made for its reception. 



N. E. Brown 

 (To be continued.) 



MESM'IBRYANTHEMDM , 



Gard. Ghron. HI. 80 : 89. 1926) 



(Continued from page 73.) 



9. PLEISOPILOS, N. E. Bp. 



89 Very dwarf, stemless, succulent perennials; leaves opposite, 

 normally 2 (or when making a new pair 4) to each plant or growth, 

 eoual, ovate, very stout and thick, as broad as long, or less 

 than twice as long as broad; firm, gre^'^-green or brownish, conspic- 

 uously dotted. Fiov;ers solitary 2-4 to a grov.'th, terminal between 

 the leaves, sessile, bracteate. C^iyx 5-^-lobed nearly or quite 

 dovm to its union with the ovary. Petals numerous, free, linear, 

 arising around the margins of the top of the ovary. Stamens numer- 

 ous, erect. Stigma 9-14, filiform; no style, ^vary inferior, 

 9-14-celled; ulacentas dov.-n the centre of the outer well of the 

 cells and extending a short distance up the central axis. Capsule 

 subhemispheric, with 9-14 valves and cells; valves reflexed when 

 wetted, each with a rair of parallel, expending keels adnate up 

 to the middle of the valve, then free, and the free part bearing 

 a triangular, membranous wing, these wings unite with the wings of 

 adjacent valves in pairs or become free and stand erect betv/een 

 the valves; cells acutely roofed by the rather rigid cell-wings 

 or senarated elements of the cell partitions, turned back at the 

 opening and somewhat resembling the mouth of a trumpet, so that 

 the whole series of roofs are raised into a sort of crown-like 

 st-^ucture above the level of the expending-keels, vrithout tubercles 

 at the mouths of the cells. Seeds compressed-ovoid with a nipple 

 at one end, microscopically tuberculated, dark brown. 



Species 2, natives of the eastern ^aroo Region of South Africa. 

 The t:/pe of the genus is P. Bolusii, N. E, bj,^ 



The name is derived from the Greek, pleios, full, and spilos, 

 a dot or spot, in allusion to the conspicuously dotted leaves, '-'wing 

 to a shaky hand from old age, my diagram of the structure of this 

 genus (as well as of other genera) is not very good, but is suffic- 

 iently correct in detail to show — in conjunction with that of the 



