2i>0 BOTANY OF SOCOTRA. 



pedicellis flore 2-3-plo brevioribus ; bracteis lanceolatis ; perianthio flavo-viridulo vix 

 pollicari tubo oblongo, segmentis exterioribus oblongis falcatis tubo duplo-longioribus, 

 seguientis interioribus parvis ovatis patulis; antberis sessilibus; ovario oblongo sessili stylo 

 BBquilongo. 

 Balbus lj-lA poll. diam. Folia Isete viridia firma glabra acuta f— 1 poll. lata. Scapus viridis. 

 Racemus 6-9 poll, longus pedicellis adscendentibus |-£ poll, longis, bracteis infimis pedicellis 

 brevioribus supremis longioribus. Perianthii tubus £ poll. diam. segmentis interioribus 

 gamopbyllis sub apicibus patulis. Filamenta fauci segmentorum interiorum tubi affixa ; 

 antherse lineares lutese J poll longa?. Stylus tubo perianthii interni lecpuilongus. 



Socotra. B.C.S. 

 Distrib. Endemic. 

 In the Autumn of 1880 a bulb amongst the collection brought to this 

 country by us from Socotra flowered at Kew, and proved to be of a new species 

 of this genus, which Mr Baker has described. I have no record of its collection, 

 and can say therefore nothing regarding its distribution on the island. " The 

 affinity of the species is with the well-known D. serotinum, Medic. (Act. 

 Palat. vi. 431 ex eod in Usteri Ann. ii. 13 ; Bot. Mag. t. 859), of the Medi- 

 terranean region, but the stature and characters readily distinguish it. 



7. URGINEA. 

 Urginea, Steinb. in Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 2, i. 321, t, 14 ; Bentb. et Hook. Gen. PL iii. 810. 



A moderate genus spreading from the Atlantic Islands through the Medi- 

 terranean region, tropical and south Africa to north-west India. 



U. porphyrostachys, Baker in Proc. Roy. Soc. Edin. xii. (1883), 411. 



Bulbo ovoideo ; foliis hysterantbiis ignotis ; scapo tereti fragili ; racemo laxo elongato ; pedi- 

 cellis solitariis elongatis strictis erecto-patentibus ; bracteis minutis lanceolatis calcaratis ; 

 perianthii parvi segmentis lanceolatis uninervatis albidis dorso late purpureo-vittatis ; 

 staminibus inclusis filamentis glabris antheris parvis oblongis ; fructu acute angulato ; 

 seminibus in loculo 2-3 magnis nigris discoideis. 



Bulbus 1^-2 poll, longus tunicis multis crassis, fibris radicalibus carnosis cylindricis. Folia 

 haud vidi. Scapus subpedalis fragilis purpureo-tinctus. Racemus expansus 4-6 poll, 

 longus 1-1£ poll. diam. pedunculis inferioribus £-£• poll, longis ; bractese membranacea; 

 •j^ poll. longSB basi minute calcaratae. Perianthium £ poll, longum segmentis mem- 

 branaceis dorso late saturate purpureo-vittatis. Stamina periantbio distincte breviora 

 filamentis albis linearibus glabris ; antberpe parva; oblongae luteal. Capsula glabra £ poll, 

 longa £ poll. diam. loculis acutis conspicue lateraliter compressis. Semina oblonga 

 discoidea \ poll, longa. 



Socotra. Near Kischen at over 3000 feet altitude. Schweinf. n. 678. 

 Distrib. Endemic. 



This new species is in Schweinfurth's collection, we did not obtain it. 

 Its nearest ally is U. antkericoides, Steinh. (in Ann. Sc. Nat. se>. 2, i. 238 ; 

 Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. xiii. (1873), 220), a plant of Algeria which is beauti- 



