DiOSCOREACE-ffi. (YAM FAMILY.) 777 



reflexed, marked with a green stripe along middle line ; teeth of crown 

 12, triangular, aciite, shorter than lobes — October — 8ands of coast. 



2. P. parviflorum, Dec. If .3 to .4. Leaves appearing a/ifer 

 flowers, linear, .01 broad, deep-green with a white land along middle, 

 recurved, about as long as scape. Spathe 3-valved, lanceolate, two- 

 thirds as long as flowers; flowers 4-10 in spathe, .05 long, pedicels 

 longer than ovary; tube of perigonium about as long as limb, slender; 

 lobes linear-lanceolate, spreading; teeth of crown 12, linear-lanceo- 

 late, half as long as lobes ; anthers exserted from throat — October to 

 December — Fissures of rocks and walls along coast. 



3. R. Sickciibcrgeri, Asch. et Schweinf. 2f 'Aissaldn. .3 to .4. 

 Leaves appearing after flowers, glaucous, linear, contorted, .005 to .008 

 broad, somewhat longer than scape. Spathe 2-valved, narrowly lan- 

 ceolate, a little longer than ovary; flowers 4-8 in spathe, .06 to .08 long; 

 pedicels somewhat shorter than ovary ; tube of perigonium slender, tzco- 

 thirds as long as limb ; lobes lanceolate, the outer acutish, the inner 

 retuse ; teeth of crown much shorter than lobes, short-ovate, bifid into 

 triangular, acute toothlets ; filaments longer than crown, shorter than 

 lobes — October — Sands of southern deserts, and around Dead Sea. 



5. IXIOLIRION, Fiscii. IxroLiKioN. 



Perigonium fuimel-shaped, divided nearly to ovary into 6-lobes. 

 Stamens 6, inserted at base of lobes, included ; filaments subulate ; an- 

 thers straight, perforated at base for reception of filament. Ovary 3- 

 celled, cells CO -ovuled ; style filiform ; stigmas 3, short-filiform, spread- 

 ing-revolute. Capsule oblong-club-shaped, tapering at base, loculici- 

 dally 3-valved. Seeds ovate-oblong — Perennial herbs with scarious- 

 coatecl Imlbs, and handsome, blue flowers, and leafy stems. 



1. iiioutaiium, Lab. If .3 to .(>; stem flexuous, ending in a 

 loose panicle. Peduncles axillary, stiff, 1-2-flowered; joedicels as long 

 as flowd'S or shorter, the terminal flowers often somewhat corymbose. 

 Leaves linear, .005 to .008 broad, the upper tapering, longer than 

 axillary flowers. Perigonium .05 long, blue, funnel-shaped from base, 

 divisions oblong-linear, tapering at base, 3-nerved, the outer long- 

 mucronate, the inner obtuse — Spring - Hillsides and fields ; coast to 

 Bubalpine regions and interior plains. 



OiiDER CIX. DI0!^€0RE:A€£^, R. Br. (Yam Family.) 



Plants with ttoininrj stems, from large ^ tuherous roots or 

 hnotted root-stocks^ and ribhed and netted-veined^ ^etioled 

 leaves^ small ^ dimeioiis, Qt-androus^ Tegidar floioers, loitJi the 

 \>d(ft^ calyx-like jperujonium adherent in tlie fertile plant to 

 the Z-celled ovary. Styles 3, distinct — Tube of staminate 

 corolla very short. Anthers Hxecl by the base of tlieir dorsal 

 aspect, introrsely dehiscent. Cells of ovary 2-1-oviiled. 

 Ovules anatropons, suspended at the inner angle. Fruit (in 

 ouj's) a 3-, or, by abortion, 1-celled berry, with globular seeds. 

 iMnbryo minute, situated in a cavity near the umbilicus. 



101 



