370 
DIOSCOREACEJ5. 
* DIOSCOREA, Linn. 
Male flower campanulate Three inner stamens sometimes imper- 
fect. Fruit a loculicidal 3-winged capsule. Disteib. Of the order. 
Species 120-130. • 
Glabrous, with oblong capsule * D. sativa. 
Pubescent, with obovate-cuneate capsule * D. spinosa. 
* D. sativa, Linn. Hort. Cliff. 459, t. 28 ; Benth. FI. Austral, vi. 461, 
(D.bulbifera, Wight , Icon . t. 878 ; Helmia bulbifera, Kunth, Enum.xAZS), 
the most commonly cultivated of the Yams, a native of Tropical Asia, is 
cultivated and subspontaneous in Mauritius, Seychelles, and Rodriguez. 
It has large tuberous rootstocks, slender terete unarmed wide-climbing 
stems, long-petioled cordate-ovate membranous 7-9-nerved simple leaves 
often bearing bulbillse in their axils, simple female spikes fascicled in 
the axils of the leaves, male spikes simple or panic! ed, and an oblong 
3- winged smooth shining capsule about an inch long and half as 
broad. Camhare marron. 
In Dr. Balfour’s Rodriguez collection there is a plant not in flower 
differing from this by its acutely tetragonous stems, which may be 
D. alata , Linn. 
Mr. Horne has once gathered in a subspontaneous state in the 
Seychelles D. spinosa , Roxb. ; Wall, Cat. No. 5103. a native of 
Tropical Asia, marked by its prickly stems, large round-cordate 11- 
nerved acute leaves tomentose beneath when young, simple lax female 
spikes, panicled male spikes, densely pilose ovaries and capsule twice as 
broad as long. 
Order XCVI*. TACCACE.®. 
* Tacca pinnatifida , Forst. ; Kunth, Enum. v. 459, a native of 
Tropical Asia and Polynesia, is commonly cultivated and casually 
subspontaneous in Mauritius and the Seychelles. It is a tall acaules- 
cent perennial with a tuberous rhizome, long-petioled large 3-partite 
leaves with forked divisions pinnatifid down to a narrow wing with 
irregular ovate acute segments, flowers in a dense umbel subtended by 
several ovate spathulate leafy bracts and numerous long filiform 
barren pedicels, perianth superior funnel-shaped with six subequal 
segments, six stamens placed at the throat of the perianth, with 
hooded petaloid filaments, a mushroom-like stigma, a 1-celled ovary 
with three parietal placentas bearing numerous ovules and a globose 
baccate fruit as large as a plum. Tavoul. 
Order XCVI* MUSACEiE. 
Flowers hermaphrodite. Perianth superior, corolline, irregular, with 
6 divisions free or variously combined above the ovary. Stamens 6 or 
some abortive ; anthers 2-celled, basifixed. Ovary 3-eelled ; placenta- 
