1S6 edged, at first green, then purplish or violaceous, finally vdth a 

 greyish berk. Leaves ascending, scarcely united at the base, 9-18 

 lines loniP, 1-2 lines t^ ick, trigonous, acute, flat on the face, 

 v/ith sharp edges acutely keeled and the keel serrate on the back, 

 glaucous-green, pellucid-dotted. Pedicel l-lp- inch long, thickened 

 upvrards. Calyx obconic end ti o-edged belov:, uneoually 5- lobed, 

 the larger lobes serrulate on the back, pellucid-dotted, the smaller 

 with membrpnous margins dotted v;ith red. Corolla about 2 inches in 

 diameter, opening in bright sunshine, slightly scented; petals in 

 about 3 series, the outer apprently 7-8 lines long and 4-1 line 

 broad, cuneetelj'- line'-r, obtuse or slightly toothed, flat, the inner 

 smaller concave and slightly upturned, all bright yellow. Stamens 

 exceedingly short, in a ring, fully exposing the whole top of the 

 ovary in viev:; saffron-coloured; other characters as fro the genus. 



Mesembryanthemum serr^tum, Linn, '^p. 1^1., ed. 1, p. 485 Tfoun- 

 ded upon M. serratum flore acetabuliformi luteo, JDi]_]_en, Hort, 

 Elth., p. 849, t. 192), Hav;. ^bs . , p. 381, i-isc. Nat., p. 68, %- 

 nop,, p. 293, and ^ev. , 131. figured also in •'^etDver, '^azo phyla cium, 

 Dec. 6, p. 8, t. 78, Fig, 2. 



South Africa I Locality and collector unknovm. It was first 

 figured by F'etiver in 1709 and aften'/ards by ^illenius in 1732, v/ho 

 states that it v;as sent by his friend »'". H, de Sprekelsen, but does 

 not se3'" from what locality. 



This very distinct plant is only knov/n to me from the type spe- 

 cimen and the ^illenian description, from which it is evident that in 

 floral structure it is entirely di-^ferent from all other knovm 

 members of the group, and doubtless, when it is rediscovered, its 

 fruit v;ill be f ound^ to differ also. 



OCTQFOF-A K. E. bj., 



Ver:/" dwarf, bushily branched, perennial succulents. Branches 

 succulent v.'hen young, becoming v;oody with age, with distinct, short 

 interno'^es. Leaves opposite, united at the base and often continu- 

 ous V7ith the stems, short, -lowers terminal 1-3 to a branch, sub- 

 sessile or on very short pedicels. Cgly^c unequally 4-5-lobed down 

 to the ovary. Petals numerous, in 2-3 series, free, cuneately 

 linear. Stpmens erect, collected into a compact column or cone and 

 sometimes becoming lax, often surrounded by a few strminodes, not 

 longer than themselves; filaments sometimes bearded. Glands isn a 

 crenul-^te ring. Stigrras 7-10, subulate. Ov?ry inferior, convex 

 at the top, with 7-10 cells; placentas on the outer walls of the 

 dJells, Capsule shortly obconic, convex at the top, with slightly 

 raised sutures; valves and cells 7-8; expanding-keels contiguous at 

 the basal half, diverging above and awned or av.Tiless at tht tips, 

 without wings; cells roofed with membranous cell-v'ings and with a 

 placentpl tubercle, 



Species 3, natives of Soiit'n -^^-frica. ^he type of the genus is 

 0, octo.juge, N. S, Br, 



The nene is derived from the C^reek, okto, eight, and poma, a 

 lid or cover, in allusion to valves of the capsule, - hich are fre- 

 ouently eight in number, 



This genus is allied to LgiTooldtia , L, BqI., from which it 

 differs bv its leaves being completely united at the base and more 

 or less confluent vn'th the stem, and by the expanding-keels of the 

 fruit being contiguous at the basal half and vdngless, in Leipoldtia 

 they are divergent nearly from the bese and are v/inged at their api- 



