216 BOTANY OF SOCOTEA. 



hoary and prickly plant of the Socotran plains, and is a rather unpleasant 

 scrub plant, for its close-set branches with soft leaves bear large numbers of 

 flower-spikes, the bracts of which all terminate in sharp prickles. The common 

 habit in the genus is a more or less glabrous, erect herb, with large leaves and 

 bracts hardly, if at all, prickly. Beyond habit, there are few divergences 

 from the generic character in our plant. One may note, however, that the 

 stamens are exserted, not included, the style is tumid at the base, and there 

 are never more than two ovules in each ovarian loculus. 



2. N. capitatus, Balf. fil. in Proc. Roy. Hoc. Edin. xii. (1883), 86. Tab. 

 LX1X, B. 



SufTruticosus incanus nanus ramis elongatis decurnbentibus ; foliis ellipticis v. obovatis sinuato- 

 undulatis ; spicis congestis in inflorescentias eapitatas aggregatis ; bracteis angustis apice 

 subulato-pungentibus. 



Suffrutex srepe congestus subca3spito:nis radice lougo recto lignoso incanus a collo ramosus ramis 

 late patentibus decurnbentibus ramulos laterales contractos multos gerentibus. Folia 

 elliptica v. ovata v. obovata obtusa crenata sinuato-uudulata, basi abrupte in petiolum 

 brevissimem contracta v. gradatim attenuata |-§ poll, longa \- $ poll, lata mollia 

 pubescente-tomentosa ad apices ramulorum contractorum srepe rosulata. Flores spicas 

 breves formantes plures ad extremitates ramulorum lateralinm capitatim congestas ; 

 bracteai angustre apice in aculeum subulatum products £ poll, longse. Calycis lobi post 

 antbesin elliptici dense lanati apice aculeati fimbriati. Cret. io;nofc. 



Socotra. On Kadhab plain. B.C.S. n. 360. 



DisTiiiu. Endemic. 



Another plant of the dry limestone regions. Unfortunately we have only 

 imperfect specimens. The flower spikes are all withered and partly rotted, and 

 I have not been able to find any flowers, nor get a perfect fruit. Yet the 

 plant undoubtedly belongs to the same genus as the foregoing, from which it 

 differs in having short spikes all clustered in dense globose heads at the end of 

 short lateral branches borne upon long spreading shoots with broader and 

 shorter leaves. This and the foregoing species stand quite alone in the genus, 

 but this second species approaches in the arrangement of its inflorescence, 

 though at a considerable distance, some of the tropical African forms. 



The heads of spikes are a marked feature in this species. As one finds the 

 plant on the plains, the trailing branches appear as if studded all over with 

 burrs ; for when dry the spikes in each cluster all close in over one another 

 after the manner of the branches of the rose of Jericho, and like them when 

 placed in water they expand. 



5. ASYSTASIA. 



Asystasia, Blume Bijdr. 796 ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. ii. 1094. 



A small genus of tropical and south African and Asiatic species, many 

 having a considerable area of distribution. 



