Plate 71. 



DAUBENYA aueea, var. coccinea. 



Cape Province. 



Liliaceae. Tribe Allieae. 

 Daubenya, Lindl.; Benth. et HooJc.f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 807. 



Daubenya aurea, Lindl., var. coccinea, Marloth comb. nov. 

 Daubenya coccinea, Harv. Fl. Cap. vol. vi. p. 417. 



This rare and interesting plant was found by Dr. B. 

 Marloth in the Calvinia District. An examination of fresh 

 specimens has enabled us to reduce the three species described 

 in the "Flora Capensis " to a single species, and the genus 

 Daubenya therefore becomes one of South Africa's monotypic 

 genera. Our conclusions have been confirmed by independent 

 observations made by Dr. Marloth, and we give below the 

 notes he forwarded to the Division of Botany. 



" The colour of the flower is the most brilliant scarlet 

 known in the Flora of South Africa, and especially dazzling 

 when seen in full sunlight. This effect is due to the com- 

 bination of two pigments in the subepidermal tissues of the 

 flower, viz. a granular yellow pigment distributed through all 

 the cells, and a bright red solution present in most of the 

 cells of the subepidermal layer, but absent in others. This 

 peculiarity of structure also explains the occurrence of plants 

 with yellow flowers, for if through some cause or other (as a 

 sport), the red pigment is not produced, the flower is plain 

 yellow, just as in such a case the flower of the red Watsonia 

 (W. rosa) becomes pure white (Arderne's Watsonia). It so 

 happened that the yellow form was first introduced into 

 England and described by Lindley as Daubenya aurea (1835), 

 hence this name has to be retained for the species, although 

 the flower is generally scarlet, and the yellow form has only 

 arisen as a sport. There is, however, no structural difference 

 between D, aurea Lindl., D. coccinea Harv., and D.fulva Lindl." 



The length of the floral segments and of the peduncle, 

 given as distinguishing characters by Lindley, is very variable 

 in the specimens seen by us (over one hundred); some of 



H 



