PHANEROGAMS— PROFESSOR BAYLEY BALFOUR. 71 



This plant, as Bentham and Hooker (Gen. PI. I. 485) point out, is L. Garcini, 

 DC, and they suppress the sub-genus Lotopsis, preferring to retain the plant in 

 the genus Lotus. 



It is a fact of considerable interest to find in Socotra two species aberrant 

 from the generic type of Lotus on the same lines as L. Garcini. 



It is a question then how far such variation is permissible in Lotus, and 

 whether the peculiarities exhibited by these three species are not to be considered 

 generic. We are certainly, I think, justified in establishing a distinct sub-genus 

 in Lotus for their reception, and this I name and characterise thus : — 



Sub-genus — Ononidium, Balf. fil. 



Folia trifoliolata ; flores solitarii axillares ; staminum filamenta alterna sursum dilatata, 

 antheree alternae versatiles alternse paullo longiores et basifixse. 



This sub-genus includes at present the three species L. Garcini, DC, L. 

 ononopsis, Balf. fil. and L. mollis, Balf. fil. A fourth species, L. Stocksii, Boiss. 

 (Flor. Orient, ii. 174), will also belong to this sub-genus if it is distinct from L. 

 Garcini, DC, which I much doubt. 



1. L. arabicus, Linn., var. trigonelloides, Webb et Berth. Phytog. 

 Canar. ii. 86. 



L. trigonelloides, Webb et Berth. Phytog. Canar. t. 65. 



Socotra. On sandy plains. B.C.S. n. 669. 



Distrib. From the Canary Islands through north Africa to Arabia and Persia. 



The Socotran plant is very small and dwarfed. 



2. L. (Ononidium) ononopsis, Balf. fil. in Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin. xi. (1882), 

 509. Tab. XVI. 



Diffusus fere omnino glaber suberassus ; foliis subsessilibus ; foliolis lanceolatis et ad formas 

 suborbiculares variantibus ; floribus pedicellatis ; calycis lobis subaequalibus ; corolla 

 exserta ; stigmate capitato ; legurnine lineari glabro 8-12-spermo. 



Perennis subsucculentus glaber pedicellis floribus partibusque juvenilibus subtiliter pilis 

 adpressis vestitis exceptio, caule hypogeeo lignoso cortice erythro. Rami elongati 

 diffusi decumbentes ^-2-pedales angulati complanati v. subalati striati. Folia trifolio- 

 lata sessilia v. subsessilia ; foliola a forma lanceolata ad ellipticam v. obovatam v. orbi- 

 cularem variantia acuta v. obtusa ^-^ poll, longa £-^ poll. lata. Stipulm nullae. 

 Flores solitarii in axillis foliorum pedicellati racemosque laxos paucifloros ita formantes ; 

 pedicelli -^-f poll, longi inferne recti et sparsim strigulosi, superne sub flore articulati et 

 arcuati denseque strigulosi. Calyx \ poll, longus extus strigulosus, lobis subaequalibus 

 acuminatis tubo sequilongis. Corolla aurea cum carina? rostro purpureo ; vexillum orbicu- 

 lare unguiculatum ^ poll, longum ; alae obovatee v. subpanduriformes. Stamina 

 diadelphia vagina extus scabrida, filamentis alternis sursum dilatatis ; antherse alternatim 

 versatiles alternatim paullo longiores et basifixae. Stylus £ poll, longus ovario aequilongus, 

 stigmate capitato. Legumen 1\ poll, longum ^ poll, latum lineare glabrum subtorulosum 

 intus septulatum 8-12-spermum. Semina levia. 



