216 of the pbsence of ? tubercle at the opening to the cells, the cap- 

 sule of Pleiosr-ilos elso differs from that of functillcrie by the 

 nuoh longer ptti to the exprnding-keels and the manner in v.-hich the 

 np-^-^rnpl ^vinPis extend alonp it, as is clearly shoYTi in my illustre- 

 t?. ons of the f^eneric c^iarrcters in Ttie Gardeners' Chronicle, 1926, 

 Vol. LXXX, T?. 88, f. 50, as compered v;ith those of tunctill&rici on 

 r-l 212, f. 104, o^ the same volume, "^ere is also the difference 

 jn -'^oljp^-. 



F. compc?cta, K. ?._^r. , in •'•he Ggrdeners' Chronicle, 1926, 

 Vol. IXC!:, r, 2Sn. In ^rytnaer's msnuscrir-t, notes at the British 

 I'useum, I find it recorded that i-esembryenthem.um compactum, -^-it. 

 flowered at I^vt in ITovember, 1781, th&t its flowers are jello^-, 

 and the tlesves as long and as thick as a finger," Dpyender's 

 IvSS, descrirition, translated, reeds es follov's: — "Steirless. Leaves 

 conne'^e, dotted, se-^iterete, tricuetrous end somev.'hat reflexed at 

 the arex, acute. 5"'l0T"7ers sessile; calyx subcylindric, six-lobed." 

 ill this ouite agrees v^ith the plant I have described es I", compacts 

 whjch is also cultivated as --. nobile. But Schv-antes, vathout giving 

 the slifrhtest reason for so doinr; or indicating hovr they differ or 

 can be identified, has given them se^^arate names. I'herefore to the 

 svnon^vmv of this nlmt m.ust be added J ^leiosnilos comnacta, Siahvjantes 

 and P. nobile, Sc^--antes, in -^eitschs. f. Sukk. 1927, p. 23. 



N. E« BroiTO 

 (To be continued.) 



MESEI-SRYAKTIiELrUM. 

 Card. Chron. III. 83: 251. 1928. 

 (Continued from page 216.) 



12a.~'DIFL030::a\, SCI-LUNTES. 



551 Small, siicculent rierennisls, stemless and deciduous, v.dthout 



evident rootstock, but v.-ith numerous short, fibrous roots from a 

 dense cluster of sessile grov.'ths. 3pch growth formed of two oppo- 

 site leaves, vhichare both sute-horizontally directed, rnd shortly and 

 very obliauely united at the bpse and along the basal part of one 

 margin, ^-ith the free parts diverging, soft and pulpy, withering com- 

 r>letely avrey annuellj'". ^lovers solitr-ry, terminal, sessile betveen 

 the bases of the leaves, brsctless. Oelyx unequally 5-7-lobed. 

 I'etals nunierous, in tvo series. Stamens numerous, erect, surrounded 

 by st-rr, inodes. Stigmas 7, erect, filiform. Ovary inferior, flat 

 at the ton. — Sch^A-an' es in Seitsclir f. ^ui^vvilent, Vol. II, ^. 170 

 (■^T>ril, 1926). 



Snecies tvro, native of South ^ifrica, the type of the genus 

 beiricT D. retroversum, Schvrantes. 



^e derivation of the name is not stated, but is doubtless from 

 the f^reek, diplos, double, and soma, a body, in allusion to the tvvo- 

 lobed body fonned by the partial union of -thebasal part of tv;o leaves. 



The author of this genus has founded it without giving any 

 generic characters or the slightest indie- tion of hbv/ it differs from 

 other f^enera, and e"\ridently he has never seen the ;.enera, and evident- 

 "•"' he haae never seen the plant he founds it upon. But as it is 

 clearly a good pcenus , I have done the best I can to formulate generic 

 chars ctprs for it from I.'rs. Bolus' dexription and figure of the type 

 snecies, and from a living rlf-nt of a second species of ^-.iiich I have 



