165 M. tuberosum is called "Donkie ^ygie" because the tuberous root- 

 stock is pav;ed out of the ground end eaten by i^onkeys , who are fond 

 of it. 



"^er. macrorhizum, N.E.Bp, — Plant 1^-2 feet high, with a 

 large subglobose tuberous rootstock. Branches erect nearly straight. 

 Flowers white. Otherwise as in the type. 



Mesembrypnthemum macrorhiziim, Haw., in Phil. Ivlag., 1826, p. 

 331; Salm %ck, Mesemb., 49, f. 3; N.E.Br, in J"ourn. Lin. Soc, 

 V. XLV, p. 121. M. megarhizum, ^on, Gen. ^yst., v. Ill, p. 145 

 (1834); Sonr^r in Fl. Cap,, v. II, p. 441; Berger, Mesemb., p. 101. 



South Africa without locality, Bo\'7ie, who sent tubers of it to 

 Kew in 1820, v/hen he was collecting in the eastern part of Cape 

 Colony, so it may have come from Uitenhage, Albany or Somerset 

 Division. 



I have not seen any wild specimen corre^^ponding with Haworth's 

 descrir>tion and the dravdng of his type of M, macrorhizum, which is 

 preserved pt Kew. But in 1876 there was a plant at Kew cultivated 

 under that name, o^ which I dried a specimen for Kew Herbarixujl, in- 

 dicating on the label that it was certainly the same as the plant 

 figured by 5alm Dyck as M. mecrorhiziim, so that it probably had 

 white ^'lowers , although I have not stated the colour on the label; 

 I well remember it had a very large tuberous rootstock, and its 

 branches are very erect and straight. In 1884 I dried another speci- 

 men of a plant identical with that of 1876 in every character, ex- 

 cept that" I have marked upon the label that the flowers were 

 "coppery-red." This plant was sent to Kew by Mac Owan, and in spite 

 of its erect, straight branches, I strongly suspect is the same as 

 Msc Owan 2095, from Bruintjes, H^ogte, which I have compared v/ith 

 the tvpe of the Dillenian fierure from which L^nne described the 

 plant and figure from which tinne described the plant and considered 

 it to be identical ^'ith the latter, ^t whether the 1876 and 1884 

 specimens were from the same individual pl^nt, I r-annot now (l933^ 

 remember; if so, it indicates thet colour of the flower mayvary 

 on the same plant; and if they iwere not it indicates that the straight- 

 ness of the branches and th^ir erect pose under cultivation is of 

 no specific importance, '^o, as I have seen no ^outh -^^fricen speci- 

 men th^t agrees with the type figure of M. mac orhizum, I assume it 

 to be only a white-flowered variety of M. tuberosum. 



2. M, copiosum, N.E.Br. — Probably a small shrub or shrublet, 

 the branches seen being 6-8 inches long, l|--2 lines thick below, 

 v;ith internodes 206 lines long, minutely papuia)se and whitish when 

 young, becoming first pale rey and finally smooth and brown ^v/ith 

 age. Leaves ascending-spreading, 5-8 lines long and about i-1 line 

 thcik, trigonous, obtuse, not or scarcely apiculate, apparently 

 slightly channelled dov:n the face, very obtusely keeled on the back, 

 microscopically papulose. Cymes 1^-3;! Inches in diameter, four or 

 five times forked and rather densely many (l5-50) -flowered. Bracts 

 1-2 lines long, stout and very obture at the slightly recurved apex. 

 Pedicels 1-lf line long. Caljoc v/ith the ovary-part li-lg line in 

 diameter, very shallowly obconic; lobes about l-l^- line long, del- 

 toid. Corolla apparently about 4 lines in diameter; petals about 

 li line long and i-l/3 line broad, obtuse or acute. Stamens about 

 f line long. Stigmas 5-7, about l/3-i line long, stout, acuminate. 

 Ovpry convex on the top. Capsule 1* line in diameter, obconic,. 

 Otherv/ise as for the genus. 



Herbert Division^ Mazelsfontein, Anderson 720, 



