Plate 2359. 



XEEOTIA ARABICA, Oliv. 



Caryophyllace^. Tribe PARONYciiiEiE. 



Xerotia, Oliv, {gen. nov.y Flores hermaplirocliti parvi, breviter pedi- 



cellati V. subsessiles. Calyx persistens, 5-fidus, segnientis carnosulis, 



2 exterioribus cseteris paullo brevioribus ovato-oblongis obtusis con- 



cavis anguste marginatis, 3 interioribus oblongis obtusis late mem- 



branaceo-marginatis. Petala 5 (an interdum pauciora ?) perigyna 



membranacea oblonga calyci fere sequilonga, segnientis calycinis altenia. 



Stamina 5, perigyna inclusa sepalis opposita ; filamenta subulata coni- 



planata ; antherse ovato- v. lanceolato-oblongre versatiles biloculares 



longitudinaliter dehiscentes, filamento sequilongse. Ovarium liberum 



ovoideum 1-loculare ; stigma subsessile obscure 3-lobuIatum ; ovula 



6-7 basilaria. Capsicla breviter exserta oblongo-ovoidea 3~6-speruia 



3-valvis, valvis coriaceis. Semina oblique pyriformia v. semi-ellipsoidea ; 



embryo dorsalis, incurvus ; albumen farinaceum.— Fruticulus ephe- 



droideus 1 ^~2-pedalis, ramis fere aph.yllis adscendentibus teretibiis 



crassitie pennce corvince Icevibus caiio-pubevulis max glabratis. Folia 



pauca opposita oblonga carnosa phis minus comphinata ohtusiitscula 



cano-jnibernlaj 1-4 lin. longa, Flores in cymidis pauci- v. phiri-floris 



unilateralihus qiiasi-axillaribus sessilibus v. peduncidatis disjwsiti ; 



hractece minutcB deltoideo-ovatae scariosce. 



X. arabica, Oliver (sj:), xinica), 



Hab. Arabia ; Hadramaut, sandy plains between Gabfyt and 

 Sibeh, Lunt (No. 82). 



Although nearly allied both to genera of Polycarpece and Illecebracr.a: 

 as left in the * Genera Plantarum' of Bentham and Hooker, I am 

 unable to refer this plant to any described genus, and so, not without 

 hesitation,* publish it under a new generic name, following Endlicher 

 and Fenzl, as also Eideler, Baillon, and Pax, who have discussed the 

 affinities of allied Curvembryonece since the publication of ^Genera 

 Plantarum/ in regarding Paronyckiere sind Illecebrece as tribes of Caryo- 

 phyllacece. In *kew Bulletin,' 1894, 340, through some inadvert- 

 ence, the name of this genus in the enumeration of Mr. Lunt's 

 collection, made during Mr, Bent's expedition, is given as Xeractis,— 

 D. Oliver. 



Fig. 1. Detached frHgment of inflorescence. 2. Vertical section of floorer, the ovary 

 removed. 3. Capsule. 4. Same laid open. 5. Seed. 6. Embryo. All enlarged. 



Remembering the pitfalls which beset workers on this group, into one of which I 

 if^H C Icones Plantjirum,' 1499), doscribing Dr. Anderson's Sphterocoma under a new 

 g"^neric name Psyllothamnus, having regarded the Caljx 'of Amleryon) as luvoJuoral. 



