MONIZIA. 
365 
13. Montzia Lowe. 
1. M. edulis Lowe. Cenoula da Roclia. 
The only known sp. — Hook. Journ. Bot. viii. 295. — Herb, 
frutesc. per. GD. reg. 1, rrr. SeaclifF on the E. side of the Great 
Deserta about 1000 ft. above the sea, in clefts or hollows and 
on ledges. March-June. — More than rivalling Melanoselimim 
decipiens in the delicacy and beauty of its large shining varnished 
Fern-like foliage, this fine pi. is scarcely less remarkable in size 
and habit. It is truly per. flowering annually many years in 
succession with a thick woody subarboreous but very* short 
obese mostly simple or only once or twice branched st. or rather 
more or less elevated stem-like caudex or rootstock. Root as 
thick at the crown as the wrist or arm, strong and more woody 
than fleshy, dividing downwards sparingly and irregularly at 
remote intervals into a few long simple round tapering naked 
branches like thin carrots or cow’s horns except in colour, co- 
vered with a thin very smooth membranous black skin or outer 
pellicle, beneath brownish, and internally, when broken, of a 
delicate pure w. and farinaceous dryish substance like a Pignut 
or tuber of Bunium Jlexuosum With., -which it resembles in 
taste also when raw. It is much more woody hard and fibrous 
than a carrot, and when boiled rather resembles a bad stringy 
parsnip. St. or subaerial root or caudex often a foot or more 
high above the ground and as thick as the wrist or arm, strong 
and woody, black, covered upwards with the remains of old 1., 
simple erect straight subobese or more or less swollen in the 
middle, Fl.-st. ann. terminal single erect 1-3 ft. high stout 
stiff copiously branched into a wide-spreading panicle of fl. from 
its base at the top or crown of the subaerial root or rootstock. 
L. chiefly radical broadly triangular in outline, about a foot long 
and as wide at the base as long, of a peculiar bright y.-gr. with 
a shining varnish-like polish, slightly rigid and in feel and tex- 
ture recalling those of Balantium Culcita (Sw.) ; the lower 
finely, regularly and equably decompound 3-4-pinnatisect, the 
ultimate segments very distinct or subremote equal narrow- 
oblong or linear subobtuse sharply and regularly inciso-serrate 
rigid shining and very smooth their rachises throughout being 
on the contrary all finely puberulous ; upper st.- and floral 1. 
2-3-pinnatisect with broad short subovate incised leafy Parsley- 
like segments, but otherwise like the lower 1. Petioles and 
sheaths large thick highly developed and both closely but very 
shortly and finely pubescent like the petioles alone of Melano- 
selinum decipiens. Fl.-st., branches of panicle and ped. round 
strongly striated finely and shortly pubescent especially up- 
wards. Umbels compact globosely rounded confluent 20-25- 
rayed, rays subequal crowded about 1 in. long stout ribbed 
minutely pubescent; partial rays about as many and other- 
