Plate 56. 

 polyxena haemanthoides. 



Cape Province. 



Liliacbab. Tribe Scilleae. 

 Polyxena, Kunth ; Benth. et Hook. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 807. 



Polyxena haemanthoides, Baker in Hook. Ic. t. 1727 ; Fl. Cap. vol. vi, 



p. 420. 



This rare species was recently collected by Dr. Marloth in 

 the Calvinia Division, and to our knowledge has not been 

 collected since the late Dr. Bolus discovered it on the Nieuw- 

 veld Mountains near Fraserburg over thirty years ago. 

 Polyxena is a small endemic genus of about a dozen species, 

 the majority of which are very little known, as most of them 

 have not been collected since they were first found by the early 

 Cape botanical collectors. Baker, who described and figured 

 this species in Hooker's Icones, remarks, " The affinity of this 

 interesting novelty is evidently close with Massonia rugulosa 

 of Lichtenstein and M. marginata of Willdenow, of neither of 

 which we possess specimens in the Kew Herbarium." Both of 

 them fall under the genus Polyxena, as defined in the Genera 

 Plantarum. Specimens preserved in the National Herbarium, 

 Pretoria (Herb. No. 1448). 



Description : — Bulb about 3—4 cm. in diameter, ovoid. 

 Leaves two, lying flat on the ground, 7 cm. long, 2-5—3 cm. 

 broad, lanceolate or ovate-lanceolate, acute, narrowing at the 

 base, glabrous, about 10-nerved, with scabrous margins. 

 Inflorescence a contracted raceme, about 12-flowered. Bracts 

 white, 5 mm. long, ovate, acuminate. Flowers sessile ; 

 perianth-tube 1*3 cm. long, 3*5 mm. in diameter, slightly 

 compressed ; lobes in 2 rows, 9 mm. long, 3 mm. broad, 

 lanceolate-oblong, obtuse, glandular at the apex. Stamens 

 in a single row ; filaments united into a tube at the base, 

 1*5 cm. long; anthers 3 mm. long, linear, versatile. Ovary 

 6 mm. long, oblong in outline ; style 1*5 cm. long, terete ; 

 stigma simple. 



Plate 56. — Fig. 1, leaf; Fig. 2, inflorescence showing coma; Fig. 3, 

 flower ; Fig. 4, flower in longitudinal section ; Fig. 5, upper portion of 

 perianth showing stamens and style ; Fig. 6, apex of perianth lobe. 



F.P.S.A., 1922. 



