Page:The Botany of the Antarctic Voyage.djvu/389

Falklands, etc.] A species which has been erroneously included by Sprengel in the terete stemmed group, and even considered by Lindley and Dietrich to be synonymous with S. iridifolium, Kunlh, (Marica iridifolia, Bot. Eeg. t. 646). Such may be the case, but I have seen no specimens decidedly connecting these two species, and therefore hesitate before adopting a conclusion which would give this plant a geographical range from the equator to the Strait of Magalhaens. Still, the var. major is so decidedly scabendous, so much larger, and so much more resembling the S. iridifolium than the var. minor, that there is nothing improbable in the supposition that both are varieties of one tropical species. S. laxum is also a native of Valparaiso.

3. SlSYIiZNCHIUM (?) sp.

Hab. Strait of Magalhaens ; Copt. King.

A curious plant, unfortunately too imperfect for description, but with very much the habit, foliage, and fruit of a Sisyrincliium. Root consisting of elongated fleshy fibres, 3-4 inches long. Khizoma very short, fibrous, giving off at its apex a terete scape and short leafy stem. Leaves about three, with scariose sheaths at the base, filiform, terete, six or seven inches long. Scape shorter than the leaves, furnished at the middle with two leaf-like opposite bractese sheathing at the base. Peduncle solitary, one-flowered, shorter than the bracteas, erect. Fruit immature, globose, trigonous (?), the size of a small pea, three-locular (?), each cell containing several seeds on parietal (?) placenta?.

The above diagnosis may serve to distinguish this curious plant, which differs chiefly from Sisyrincliium in the scape not springing from between the uppermost leaves, but from the base of the outer one, and in there being no spatha to any of the specimens ; though the scape in one instance bears the scar of a fallen leaf, half-way between the insertion of the bracteae and the rhizoma.

2. SYMPHYOSTEMON, Miers.

1. Symphyostbmon narcissoides, Miers, in Linn. Soc. Trans, v. xix. p. 97. Sisyrincliium narcissoides, Cav., Diss. vol. vi. p. 347. t. 191. f. 3. S. odoratissimum, Lindl. Bot. Reg. t. 1283. Galaxia narcissoides, Willd. Sp. PI. vol. iii. p. 5S3. Gladiolus biflorus, ThunJjerg, Diss. Glad. n. 5.

Hab. Strait of Magalhaens, Commerson ; Port Famine, Capt. King ; Elizabeth Island, C. Darwin, Esq.

I quite agree with Mr. Miers in removing this plant from Sisyrincliium. Thunberg's habitat of the Strait of Magalhaens, from whence he originally described this plant as Gladiolus biftorus, has been replaced by that of the Cape in most succeeding authors, except Yahl (En. Plant, vol. ii. p. 97), and Willdenow (Sp. PL vol. i. p. 209).

3. TAPEINIA, 7km.

Perigonium corollinum, superum, hexaphyllo-partitum ; laciniis basi connatis, subcarnosis, patentibus, apiculatis, 3 exterioribus majoribus, SlaminaS, imo perigonii inserta; filamentis in tubum trigonuni connatis, supra medium liberis ; antlteris extrorsis, lineari-ovatis, basi profunde emarginatis. Ovarium lineari-obovatum, 3-loculare. Ovula plurinia, basi anguli centralis loculi affixa. Stylus validus, supra medium in stigmata 3 erecta subulata apice dilatata papulosa fissus. Caps/da coriacea, globosa, triloba, trilocularis, apice loculicido-trivalvis. Semina plurima, obovata, teretia ; testa subcoriacea, grosse cellulosa ; rltaplie indistincta ; clialaza atra ; embryo parvus, elongato-obconicus, basi albuminis duri immersus. — Tapeinia, Juss. Gen. p. 59, e sckedis Commersonii.

1. Tapeinia Magellanica, Juss., 1. c. Yitsenia pumila, Tahl, Emm. vol. ii. p. 48. Ram. et Sch. Si/st. Feg. vol. i. p. 371. Spreng.Syst. Teg. vol.i. p. 147. Dietrich. Sp. PI. vol. ii. p. 559. W. Magel-