PHANEROGAMS — PROFESSOR BAYLEY BALFOUR. 187 



The fruit is that of Lithospermece, and in that tribe the affinities of the genus 

 are with JEchium and Onosma. But the former has a corolla of a different 

 type, and the filaments are filiform, whilst the latter has a tubular corolla with 

 obtuse anthers. 



The form of the corolla and the general floral aspect bring it more satis- 

 factorily into Anchusece, where its nearest ally seems to be Borago. With this 

 genus I have not been able to unite it as there are no faucial corolline scales, 

 and although the solid dorsal mucro of the filaments in Borago maybe regarded 

 as representing the dorsal vesicle of our genus, yet the anthers want the long 

 appendages which are so prominent in our plant. There are in addition ovarian 

 and fruit characters which distinguish the genera. 



Etym. kwtis, a bladder, and ^t^wv. 



C. socotranus, Balf. fil. he. cit. Tab. LVI. 



l-2-peclalis canescens plus minnsve liispidus setulis basi tuberculatis interque eos strigulosus 

 a collo ramosus, caulibus angulatis, ramis in racemos cymarum scorpioidearurn excurrenti- 

 bus, cortice rumpente. Folia oblanceolata v. lanceolata acuta integra subtus pallidiora 

 inferiora petiolata 4 poll, longa f poll, lata basi gradatim attetiuata, superiora minora 

 sessilia basi cordata. Cymce 2-1 poll, longse villoso-hispidre ; pedicelli \ poll, longi. 

 Cahjx in segnienta £ poll, longa obtusa partita. Corolla ^ poll, longa ad medium 5-fida, 

 lobis venulosis margine obscure crenulatis extus puberulis. Staminum filamenta y 1 ^ poll, 

 longa glabra ; antherse ^ poll, longa? minute tuberculata? extus subtiliter puberula? 

 medio dorso affixte, aristis ^ poll, longis nervo medio conspicuo margineque subin- 

 crassato-denticulatis puberulis. Discus inconspicuus. Numlce dorsaliter convexpe ven- 

 tialiter medio jugo prominulo apice deltoidere £ poll, longse glabra?. 



Socotra. On the limestone cliffs at an elevation of over 1500 feet. Not 

 uncommon. B.C.S. n. 309. Schweinf. n. 593. 



The only species. A Borage-like plant with lovely azure blue flowers. 



Order XLIX. CONVOLVULACE^E. 



A large order of plants of very various habit occurring in every part of the 

 world, but most abundant in the tropics. Of the eight Socotran genera all 

 have a wide distribution over the globe, save two ; and of these, one is essen- 

 tially American, but has a few cosmopolitan species, and the other is South 

 Asiatic, reaching to Madagascar and Australia. 



1. IPOMCEA. 



Ipomoea, Linn. Gen. n. 216 ; Bentb. et Hook. Gen. PI. ii. 870. 



A very large genus of, commonly twining, plants, found all over the world. 

 Of the five Socotran species, two are widely spread over the globe, two are 

 southern Asiatic and tropical African, and the fifth, belonging to the restricted 

 section Quamorlit, is endemic. 



