332 THE BURMANNIACEZ OF THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
among dead leaves. Like all true saprophytes they have no 
green leaves, but the whole plant is white or yellowish, with 
the leaves reduced to scales. Thismta and Gymunosiphon are 
also saprophytic. The plants of the former genus are pecu- 
liarly soft and succulent and very curiously shaped. Two 
species occur in Singapore. 3 
Gymnosiphon is an exceedingly delicate and fragile plant 
with a slender wiry stem about three inches tall and little violet 
flowers. . 
The relations of these little plants with other orders is still 
most obscure. Hitherto they have been associated with orchids, 
owing to a misconception as tothe structure of the seed. It 
is probable that they are most nearly related to the Li/zacez, 
and especially the curious Zaccacee of which the so-called 
black Chendrian Lily (Atacca cristata) is a common plant in 
our jungles. 
BURMANNIA.—Five species are known from the Pentn- 
sula, viz., B. longifolia (Becc.), B. disttcha (Linn) and B. 
celestis (Don.), non-saprophytes; and B&B. tuberosa, (Becc.), 
and B. gracilis, Ridl. saprophytes. The first two of these are 
alpine plants growing on the high mountains of Perak and 
Mount Ophir, and both are apparently perennials. LB. ca@/estis 
(Don.), is a small annual, very common in grassy spots. 
B. LONGIFOLIB (Becc.), Malesia, 1, 244, °t. 43) (ieee 
Flora of British Ind/a, vol. vi, p. 664. 
A perennial plant with a tall, leafy stem creeping at the 
base, the leaves are narrow and grass-like, acute, recurved. 
The flower-spike erect, with two short branches at the top 
covered with ncdding whitish yellow flowers half-an-inch 
long. The wings of the flower, so large in ZB. c@lestis, are 
very small and obscure. 
Perak and also Borneo and Java. 
B. DisTICHA (Linn., Sp., Pl. 287) has a distinct creeping 
stem like that of the preceding, but shorter and the leaves are 
tufted at the base. They are about three inches long, grassy 
and pointed, about 4 inch across. The whole plant is a foot 
and-a-half tall, and the stem terminates in an erect forked cyme 
with branches about 14 inch long and almost sessile flowers. 
The flowers are large and blue, erect, twenty on a branch, 
