5. "Vegetative cones 2-3 inches long and en inch or more 



thick, all basal and practically stemless, being perma- 

 nently clustered close to the ground; flov/ering stems 

 arising from vegetative growths and 6-16 inches high, 

 with internodes/i-3 inches long, dying after fruiting; 

 free leaves 1-lS inch broad at the base; petals v;hite, 



1. grande. 



Vegetative cones 9-16 lines thick at the base, not basal, 

 mostly solitrry et the ends of branches and migled v/ith 

 the flowering growths on various parts of the shrublet; 

 free leaves 6-12 lines broad at the base. 6 



6. Cones li-2-| inches long; internodes of the flowering 



branches 3-12 lines long and the lower one not resem- 

 bling a long peduncle; nedicels about 6 lines long; 

 petals white at the base, pale pink at the upper part. 



3, mitratum. 



Cones 2-3i inches long; lower internode of the flowering 

 branches 4-5 inches long, about half as thick as the 

 internode belov/ it and resembling a peduncle; pedicels 

 an inch or more long; petals pure v/hite. 2. fillansii, 



7. Stem and branches more or less distinctly constricted at 



the nodes; flov/ers and fruit unknown. 7. clivorum. 



Stem and branches more or less thickened (never con- 

 stricted) at the nodes; flov/ers and fruit unknown, 



6. cognatum. 



These nlants are not exactly easy to cultivate, "^ey re- 

 quire a good sandy soil and are best v.-atered from belov;, by stan- 

 ding their pots in saucers of water occasionally, and when the 

 vegetative season commences their roots should not be allowed to 

 comr^letely dry up, at the same time they must not be overwatered, 

 for in the region they inhabit they only receive three or four in- 

 ches of rain per annum, and subsist for the greater part of their 

 life unon dev; or moisture condensed about their roots. Cuttings of 

 some species do not root very readily, but in my experience the best 

 time to take cuttings is in t^uly, 



1. M. grande, K. E. Br, (Fig. II2).-- Plant with basal vege- 

 tative growths all vdthout internodes and seated on the ground and 

 persisting, each e-rov/th finally producing a branching stem with e- 

 ionated in^"ernodes, which dies after flowering and fruiting, ^n 

 the axils of the leaves at the base of the flowering stem are a 

 pair of sessile leaf-cones that carry on the vegetative grov/th, 

 .?hen at rest, the vegetative, cones are 2-3 inches long, an inch or 

 more thick at the base, -- nd somewhat resemble the pseudo-bulbs of 

 an Orchid in a^-peerance; the free leaves are 3-4 inches long and 

 I-I4 inch broad at the base, thence tapering to an obtuse point, 

 flat on the face, rounded at the back, glabrous, light gre^n in 

 colour, ^lowering stem 6-16 inches high, with internodes "*-4 inches 

 long and 1^-4 lines thick, somev;hat compressed and 2-edged, branch- 

 ing in a forked manner, with the branches erect and bearing re- 

 duced leaves at the nodes, and a flower in each fork or at the a- 

 pex. Pedicils 2-6 lines long on nat've plants, about l4 line thick, 



