8o Mr. J. Cosmo Melvill on 



Notes on the Distribution of Simethis Bicolor 

 (Kunth). By James Cosmo Melvill, M.A., F.L.S. 



(Received January 7th, 1896.) 



I was conducted by the Rev. Edward F. Linton 

 towards the end of June last summer (1895) to the 

 isolated spot, just within the boundaries of Dorsetshire, 

 where this local plant occurs. It is abundant for the 

 space of some 12 to 15 yards square, nestling in the. 

 soft, dry, peaty turf, at the foot of the pine trees (Pinns 

 Pinaster Aiton), with which the town of Bournemouth is 

 very extensively planted. Heather and Agrostis Setacea 

 Curtis, a grass almost confined, so far as England is 

 concerned, to the S.-W. counties, also occur in plenty. 

 Simethis belongs to the section Anthericece, of the order 

 hiliacex, and is the sole representative in this country 

 of a section which has several fine European representa- 

 tives, notably the St. Bruno's Lily, Paradisea Liliastrum, L. 

 so common on the Riviera; and the two Antherica, A. 

 ramosum L. and Liliago L. It is far more inconspicuous 

 than these, being weak-stemmed, the star-like perianth, 

 internally white, externally lilac tinged, almost reposing 

 on the moss and heather which surround them. The 

 leaves are all radical, gramineous or grass-like, and the 

 branches corymbose, diffuse, furnished with leaf-like 

 bracts on the lower branches of the panicle. The root 

 is fibrous, very deep-seated. The capsules are globular, 

 three-celled; seeds black and arillated; stamens six, with 

 the filaments woolly below. 



