2029. Kjempferia rotunda (Willd.), leaves oblong,
coloured: spike radical, appearing before the
leaves; lateral lobes of the corolla obovato-lanceolate,
acute: lip deeply 2-cleft, lobes obovate, very obtuse,
crest of the anther linear, forked, with a small tooth
between.
Malabar.
The two figures in the accompanying plate may
be distinct species, a point I cannot determine with
my present materials, but I think it more probable
they are but variations of the same. The lip in the
nameless one, of which 1 have a coloured drawing, is
a beautiful lilac, tending to plum colour.
2030. Monolophus scaposus (Dalzell, Hedy-
chium scaposum, Nun mo in Graham’s Catalogue),
stemless, root fibrous with small oblong tubers: leaves
lanceolate, glabrous, long acuminate; petiol and limb
of equal length; scape erect, round, about 2 feet long,
sparingly leafy: spike terminal, compact, imbricated,
many-flowered: flowers 2-3 to each common bract,
each furnished with a smaller partial bract, opening
in succession: common bracts lanceolate, shorter than
the flowers; flowers long tubular: posterior lobe of
the exterior perianth larger than the lateral ones:
lip broad ovato-cordate, 2-cleft: anther terminating
in a short obtuse crest: ovary 3-celled, placentas
axile, capsule 3-celled, seed obovate embraced by a
loose lobed aril, embryo axile, curved.
Malabar Coast; Karlee, Nimmo; Malwan, Dalzell.
I am indebted to Dr. Stocks, for my specimen of
this plant accompanied by flowers and fruit preserved
in spirits for the analysis.' I t differs in some particulars
from Wallich’s Monolophus, but not sufficiently,
it appears to me, to justify its forming the type of a
genus. I extract the following very accurate description
of the flower, by Mr. Dalzell, from Hooker’s
Kew Garden Miscellany, vol. 2, page 143.
Calyx tubular, 3-toothed, cleft; teeth obtuse, about
equal. Corolla: tube cylindrical, curved, 4-5 times
longer than the limb: two anterior exterior petals
linear oblong, 5-7-nerved, fla t; the posterior one
sub-cucullate, mucronate, all reflexed during expansion:
interior petals much larger, lip, the largest,
broad obtuse, bifid at the apex. Filament very-short,
about a line long and broad, extended beyond the
anther into a short rounded reflexed strap. Stigma
funnel-shaped, tubercled on the back.
2031-32. L imum N eilgherrense (R. W.), erect,
leaves sessile, scattered, broad ovato-lanceolate, abruptly
acuminate, sub-cuspidate, glabrous: flower
hypocrateriform, ascending; tube long, throat cam-
panulate, naked; limb spreading: capsule obtusely
3-angled, 3-sided.—In this species the leaves are about
3 inches long by 1 | broad, sub-cordate at the base.
Neilgherries, flowering July and August.
2033-34. L imum tubiflorum (R. W.), leaves scattered,
short petioled, narrow lanceolate, tapering to a
point, glabrous : flowers ascending, hypocrateriform;
tube long, prominently ribbed along the sutures:
throat campanulate, limb spreading, lobes somewhat
revolute at the apex.—Leaves 4-6 inches long; 6-8
lines broad.
Neilgherries.
2035. L imum W almchianum (Raam. and Schult.),
stem slender, leafy, few- or one-flowered at the ap e x :
leaves scattered, numerous, approximated, linear,
acuminate, sessile : flowers hypocrateriform, drooping ;
tube long ; throat campanulate, naked, limb spreading.—
Leaves 2-3 inches long, scarcely £ inch broad,
lanceolate acute.
Neilgherries. All these species show a predilection
for rocky ground especially if kept humid by
neighbouring- springs. They are very handsome
plants and seem to merit more attention, as ornamental
objects, than they receive.
Distinct as these three forms appear, I can scarcely
expect they will prove, under cultivation, distinct
species, but at the same time, with my present information,
I do not feel justified in uniting them. In
this state of uncertainty, I beg leave to solicit the
attention of Mr. Mclvor, and any Botanists who may
visit the Hills, to the subject. Mr. Mclvor may
perhaps be able to set the question at rest in a
single, or at most two seasons, by raising plants from
seed and ascertaining whether those taken from any
of the forms run indiscriminately into all, or are constant
to their parental form. The same experiments
ought to be tried on plants obtained by dividing the
roots, and grown under different circumstances.
Anthericum. B ulbine. P halangium.
In determining the genus to which I should refer
the following plants, which, I presume, all belong to
one genus, I felt much at a loss how to decide. Authorities
are conflicting : and on endeavouring to trace
the names back to their origin, I found the obscurity
increase in place of diminish. Linnaeus, in the first
edition of his Genera Plantarum, had two genera—
Bulbine and Anthericum, the former having bearded,
the other beardless filaments. These he afterwards
united, retaining Anthericum as the name of the enlarged
genus. Jussieu in his Genera divided the
genus into two, retaining Anthericum for the species
with bearded filaments (the original Linnean Bulbine),
and restoring Tournefourt’s Phalangium for
the reception of those with beardless filaments. Since
that time, these three genera have been taken up
and laid down, apparently at the will of each successive
writer, and now there is no end of confusion
in the synonyme. The characters, with the exception
of the filaments, are so nearly the same in all,
that the only question for determination seems to be
whether the filaments being beardless or bearded
affords a sufficient generic distinction, for if so, then
by going back to originals we get at a definite nomenclature.
I t is now to be regretted that Jussieu, in restoring
the original Linnean genera, did not adopt his
original names, which would have saved much trouble
to his followers, a course the more desirable as at
the time he restored the generic name Phalangium
to Botany, it was already established as a generic
name in Zoology, a circumstance I overlooked when,
following Kunth, I adopted the Jussieuan name in
preference to the complex Linnean one. But for this
oversight I should undoubtedly have fallen back on
the nomenclature of the 1st edition of Linnæus’
Geneva Plantarum, adopting Bulbine for those species
with bearded filaments, and Anthericum for the following
ones which have them beardless ; for I consider
these characters which are very constant, as of sufficient
value to divide the group of species, associated
under the latest Linnean Anthericum, into two good
genera. Linnæus’ generic character of Anthericum,
in the later editions of his Genera and Species Plan