204 BOTANY OF SOCOTRA. 



Socotran plant, but it is not conspccific. D. schizantha, may be readily distin- 

 guished by its downy panicles. 



It is a feature of considerable interest, from the point of view of geogra- 

 phical distribution, to find four species of a type such as this restricted to the 

 centres in which they now flourish. This point has been referred to in the 

 Introductory Chapter, and need not be further dwelt on here. 



Regarding the red resin produced by the Socotran tree known in commerce 

 as Dragon's Blood resin, its kinds, and the mode of its collection, I published some 

 account when I described the species (Trans. Eoy. Soc. Edin. xxx. 619), and 

 shall not here repeat what is there written, except to mention that the Socotran 

 Dragon's Blood being undoubtedly that spoken of by Dioscorides and the 

 author of the Periplus of the Erythrean Sea as " Kiwafiapi" I have taken that 

 as the specific name of our plant. For the characters of the Socotran resin 

 and of other resins in commerce known as Dragon's Blood, the valuable paper 

 by Dr Dobbie and Mr J. G. Henderson (Trans. Roy. Soc. Edin. xxx. (1883), 

 624) may be consulted, and also their subsequent paper in the Pharmaceutical 

 Journal for 10th November 1883. 



In the Appendix will be found some account of the anatomy of our 

 Dragon's Blood tree. 



Wellsted (in Journ. Roy. Geog. Soc. v. (1835), 198) gives a long description 

 of the tree (calling it Pterocarpus Draco), but there is nothing in it calling for 

 special citation, except that he states that the Arabs call Dragon's Blood 

 " Dum khoheil." 



4. ASPHODELUS. 



Asphodelus, Linn. Gen. n. 421 ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PI. iii. 782. 



A small genus of five species chiefly spread in the Mediterranean region, but 

 extending to the Atlantic and Indian Ocean islands, Arabia, and to northern 

 India itself. 



A. fistulosus, Linn. Sp. 444 ; Kunth Enum. iv. 557 ; Baker in Journ. Linn. 

 Soc. xv. (1877), 271 ; Bot. Mag. t. 984. 



var. tenuifolius, Baker loc. cit. 



A. tenuifolius, Cav. in Anal, de Ciencias Nat. iii. (1801), 46, t. 27, f. 2. 

 A. parviflorus, Wight Ic. t. 2062. 



Socotra. On the hill slopes near Galonsir. B.C.S. n. 319. 

 Distkib. From the Atlantic Islands to the Indian Peninsula. 



5. ANTHERICUM. 



Anthericum, Linn. Gen. n. 422 (pro parte) ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. PL iii. 788. 



A considerable genus with a European, African, and American distribution, 

 but excluded from Asia. 



