xviii THE CRATERS OF THE RIFT VALLEY 24I 



perhaps fifteen or twenty years. Once a iolx^lin lias 

 reached the stage of protlucing a liower-spike and liurst- 

 ing into blossom, it has reached the end of its life. It may 

 take twelve months for the spike to finish blossoming; 

 then the whole plant withers and dries np, and probalily 

 stands for several years before it falls and is swallowed 

 npl)y the moss. In L. Stnldraaiini the leaves as they 

 die fall off', leaving the stem bare except for green leaves. 



I'he tliAver-coluiiiii of >i Treu-liibelia, 



L . Teleh'-i, Kenia ; real size. 



The l)lossoiiis are .shown open and closed. The 



sepals are bright green ; the petals, violet. 



In L. DecJcenii none of the leaves fall off' and the stem 

 is entirely concealed l)y them, from the ground up to 

 the spike, which has a much greater circumference than 

 in other lolxdia. This species without its ffower-stalk 

 often appears as a rosette of leaves squat on the 

 grouniL 



In L. WoUastoni some leaves fall off' and others 

 remain hanging, so it usually has a portion of the stem 

 exposed. These diff'erences in the relation of the dead 



E 



