26 BOTANY OF SOCOTRA. 



1. H. (Androssemum) mysorense, Heyne in Wall. Cat. 4808 ; Dyer in 

 Hook. Flor. Brit. Ind. i. 253. 



Norisca mysorensis, Arn ; Wight Ic. t. 56. 



Socotra. Rocky places at an elevation of over 1500 feet. B.C.S. nn. 557, 

 600. Schweinf. nn. 569, 755. Nimmo. 



Distrib. Indian Peninsula, Ceylon. 



A species with long sub-pendulous or trailing branches and large showy 

 yellow flowers. As it grows on Socotra it is found only at considerable eleva- 

 tions. Schweinfurth has it from Kischen. 



Like the nearly allied African species H. lanceolatum, Lamk., presently to be 

 referred to, it assumes several forms, varying both as regards foliage, leaves, 

 calyx, and styles. On Socotra there are two distinct states. One with narrow 

 lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate leaves, li^-lf inches long and £ to T \ inch 

 broad, in which the styles are free almost to their base. The other has longish 

 ovate or ovate-acuminate leaves, 1| inches long by 7-8 lines broad, and the 

 styles are united almost to the apex, showing only a slight cleaving into five 

 segments. Between these extremes there are many intermediate states. The 

 calyx-segments vary in the species from oblong to ovate, and are from I inch 

 to over \ inch in length. 



Indian and Ceylon specimens show, as a rule, a large calyx and free styles. 

 The 3-5 pellucid veins are extremely characteristic of the foliage of this species, 

 and they are well marked in the Socotran plants, as well as in Heyne's type 

 specimen ; but in the other Indian specimens in Kew Herbarium they are 

 somewhat obscure. By this character of the venation the plant may be readily 

 separated from H. lanceolatum, as well as by its larger flowers and leaves. 



Dyer (loc. cit.) gives the distribution of the species as limited to the Indian 

 Peninsula and Ceylon. I find, however, a plant in Kew Herbarium labelled by 

 Sir William Hooker " Shores of the Red Sea." This belongs to a set of 

 specimens which, through the assistance of Sir Joseph Hooker by consulting 

 Sir William Hooker's correspondence, I find were sent home by Dr Nimmo 

 from Bombay. Many of the specimens in this collection were, he states, 

 obtained from Socotra during the period of its occupation by Indian troops 

 (1834-1839), and there can be little doubt that this Hypericum came 

 from Socotra. In Kew Herbarium I have found several specimens belonging 

 to this collection of Nimmo's and with the label " Shores of the Red Sea," 

 and some of them have been described and recorded as from that locality. 

 In many cases the plants are identical with Socotran forms known from 

 no other locality, and in such instances I have, therefore, had no hesitation 

 in considering that Nimmo's plants were really brought from Socotra. I shall, 

 under the several species, take notice of this iact. 



