) snecies Is G. linguiforme , N, E. Bp . (syn. I>'-fesembryanthemum lingui- 

 forme , L. , and W, scalpratum, Hev;.) 



The name is derived from the Greek glottis, a tongue, and 

 T)hyllon, a leaf, in allusion to the long, tongue-shaped leaves of 

 several of the species. 



I believe that the species of this fine genus are not particu- 

 larly sought after by those who are interested in this group of 

 plant, because it so often happens t at those that are obtainable, 

 although provided v/ith many different names, are found to be so much 

 alike as to evoke but little interest from the cultivator, I think 

 there are three reasons for this, as followJ — (l) ■'■'hose who are 

 able to name these rlsnts from books, usually use ^alm ^yck's fine 

 figures for that purpose, but as I have repeatedly stated, the names 

 therein piven are <9ften very nntrustv/orthy, as It seems that the names 

 in that work are usually accerted as correct without the slightest 

 investigation of their authenticity, plants named by means of those 

 fine figures are very freouently vrrongly determined, and as the SamS 

 species is sometimes figured in the work 



under two or three names, it is easy to understand how different 

 persons naming the same plant from that book may impose different 

 names upon it. (s) Hev;orth, apparently unaware of the variability 

 of these plants, described mere forms of one plant as distinct speces. 

 (3) There are, in reality, a number of prfectly distinct species of 

 this genus in '^outh -tifrics, many of v/hich have been introduced into 

 cultivation and described and figured, Most of them increase slowly 

 b branch inp- end therefore are more seldom propagated by that mesns 

 than they are b seeds, an^ it is by means os seeds that many (per- 

 haps most) of the cultivated plats are distributed. Now, as m8.ny 

 of them plants reouire to be cross-fertilised to produce seeds, and 

 as it Tvould often happen that only one plant of a given species 

 (especially if it is uncommon) would be in any particular collection, 

 it is easy to understand tliat hybridisation v/ouid frequently occur. 

 So that it appears to me that what has happened is this^ the original 

 species died out of cultivation, but plants raised from seeds pro- 

 duced b-' it survived, but were really hybrids, and these again" and 

 again producing seeds by hybridisation to which the same name or 

 names have been given, have resulted in a lot of hybrids, similar in 

 appearance but bearing different names, being distributed among cul- 

 tivators at the present day. It is now quite difficult, if not im- 

 possible, to obtain several of the original species true to name 

 from cultivators in this country or on the continent, ^or example., 

 I find cultivated in -^ev; Gardens the follovdng species of Giottiphy- 

 llum that have been received from various collections in this 

 country and on the continent under the follov^ring names as species of 

 Mesembryanthemumi — G. longum has been received under the names 

 of 1"^ lucidum, I", bigibberatum and '^'^» ^almfi and G, letum has been 

 received under the names of M, bip"ibberatum, ^, angustum var. heter- 

 ophyllum, and I-, longum var, declive. 



Those which I believe to be hybrid forms appear to me to be 

 hardier th^an some of the true South African species, of which I 

 possess about fou teen distinct kinds, some of which are rather 

 delicate, renuiring careful treatment under cultivation. 



An accQunt of all the known sp=>cies v/as given by me in '-^'he 

 Gardeners' ^hronicle, 1921, ^ol . liXX, p. 327 end 336, and 1922, 

 Vol. IXXI, p. 9 and 22. Since that tfme, however, I have received 

 some nev; and old species from ^--rs. ^olus , "*rs. V^n der ^IJl, -'r. 

 ^-arloth and Dr. i-'uir, and with the aid of these -'■ have restudied 



