370 CXXTII. BURMAXNIACE^T,. 



and terminal flowers, solitary or in s])ikes, racemes, cymes or 

 umbels. Chiefly tropical. 



1. BURMANNIA, Linn. 



Perianth terete or 8-winged, G-fid. Stamens 3, opposite 

 the inner lobes of perianth. Ovary 3-celled. Capsule 3- 

 celled, incompletely 3-valved. 



Leaves radical, numerous, grass-like. Scapes 1-2 ft., or bearing a 2-fid, 

 nianv-flowered spike. — 1 Gape species {B. CajJensis) on record ; said to have 

 li-Oowered scapes, and a 3-winged perianth. Unknown to me. 



Order CXXIV. DIOSCORIDE^. 



Flowers unisexual, mostly dioecious. Perianth G-lobed or 

 divided. Stamens 6 or 3, inserted on the perianth, shorter 

 than its lobes ; anthers 2-celled. Ovary inferior, 3-celled, 

 with 2 pendulous ovules in each cell ; styles short, united or 

 separate or ; stigmas 3, entire or 2-lid. Fruit a berry or a 

 3-angled or winged capsule. Seeds albuminous, with a minute 

 embryo. — Herbs, mostly with twining stems. Leaves simple 

 or compound, with digitate or parallel nerves and netted veins. 

 Flowers small, greenish, in axillary, simple or branched spikes 

 or racemes. 



1. DIOSCOIIEA, Linn. 



Capsule 3-angled or winged, opening loculicidally at the 

 angles. Seeds winged. — Fiidl. Gen. n. 12G1. 



A very large, chiefly tropical and subtropical genus, often having large, 

 fleshy rhizomes or tnbers ; sxicli species constitute the various kinds of 

 Yam, which are so important as esculents to mankind within the tropics. 

 The South African species are numerous, especially in Caffraria and at 

 Natal, and form two gi-oups ; the TestudinaricB (or. Tortoise-plants), which 

 have over-ground, perennial, tessellated, hardshelled rliizomes ; these occur 

 in the Eastern district and frontier; and the Yams, properly speaking, 

 which have large or small, mostly underground, tuberous rliizomes ; these 

 are chielly from Caffraria and Natal, though some grow within flie frontier. 



^Order CXXV. IRIDE^. 



Perianth tubular, 6-parted, in two rows, often irregular. 

 Stamens 3, distinct or monadelphous, opposite the outer seg- 

 ments of the perianth ; anthers 2-celled, opening outwards. 

 Ovary inferior, 3-celled ; ovules numerous ; style 1 ; stigmas 

 3, dilated, often petaloid, sometimes 2-fid. Capsule 3-celled, 

 3-valved, loculicidal. Seeds numerous ; embrvo cylindrical, in 



