PHANEROGAMS — PROFESSOR BAYLEY BALFOUR. 41 



Order XVI. LINE.E. 



A small order spread over the whole world. One, almost cosmopolitan, 

 genus is represented in Socotra. 



LINUM. 



Linum, Linn. Gen. n. 389 ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. i. 242. 



A considerable genus of temperate and warmer regions of the world, with a 

 few tropical species in America. The majority of them belong to the 

 Mediterranean region. 



L. gallicum, Linn. Sp. 401 ; DC. Prod. i. 423 ; Boiss. Flor. Orient, i. 851 ; 

 Sibth. Flor. Grsec. t. 303. 



Socotra. A common plant on the hill slopes at an elevation of over 1000 

 feet. B.C.S. n. 609. 



Distrib. Mediterranean region, extending eastward to Persia. 



Order XVII. MALPIGHIACE.E. 



A large tropical American order, with some extra-tropical forms, and a few 

 representatives in Asia and Africa. The Socotran genus is exclusively old 

 world. 



ACRIDOCARPUS. 



Acridocarpus, Guill. et Perr. Fl. Seneg. i. 123, t. 29 ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. i. 256. 



A small genus of species, limited in distribution to tropical and south Africa, 

 Madagascar, and Arabia. 



A. orientalis, Ad. Juss. Mon. Malpigh. 234. 

 A . ? sp. nova. Oliv. Flor. Trop. Afr. i. 279. 



Socotra. Abundant on the Haghier hills. B.C.S. n. 272. Schweinf. n. 

 454. Nimmo. 



Distrib. Arabia. 



A very handsome and showy small tree, with glossy foliage and long 

 racemes of yellow flowers. Hitherto this plant has only been found by Aucher 

 Eloy in the vicinity of Muscat, and from his specimens Jussieu described the 

 species. Nimmo's plant in Kew Herbarium, which is as usual labelled " Red 

 Sea," and is so referred to by Oliver, is fragmentary and much insect eaten. 

 Oliver doubted its being this species, and conjectured it might be a variety 

 of A. natalitus, Juss., or a new species. Our specimens show that it is really 

 A. orientalis, the foliage characters, as well as the length of raceme, which 

 are the main points of difference between Nimmo's specimens and the type, 

 being variable. 



TRANS. ROY. S0C.EDIN. VOL. XXXI. F 



