J. Fleischmann del.
Barbacenia aequatorialis Rendle
A Inflorescence. B Flower cut lengthwise.
31. Ovary beaked. Fruit a berry. Flowers solitary or in dense spikes or heads.—Species
6. Tropical and South Africa. They yield fibre and are used medicinally and as ornamental plants; some have an edible root-stock. Curculigo Gaertn.
Ovary not beaked. Fruit a capsule. Flowers solitary or in lax racemes or umbels.—Species 60. Southern and tropical Africa. Some are used as ornamental plants. (Including Ianthe Salisb.) Hypoxis L.
32. Ovary almost inferior with 2 ovules in each cell. Anthers attached by the back, bursting lengthwise. Perianth with a distinct tube. Fruit 1-seeded.
Flowers in panicles. Stem, leaves, and inflorescence woolly.—Species 1.
South Africa (Cape Colony). [Tribe CONOSTYLIDEAE.] Lanaria Ait.
Ovary half-inferior or almost superior, with several or many ovules in each cell. Anthers attached at the base or near it, bursting at or towards the apex. Perianth divided nearly or quite to the ovary. Stem, leaves, and inflorescence glabrous. [Tribe CONANTHEREAE.] 33
33. Ovary half-inferior. Stamens more or less unequal. Flowers usually without bracteoles, solitary and terminal or arranged in racemes or panicles. Leaves, all or most of them, crowded at the base of the stem.—Species
7. South Africa to Damaraland. Some have edible root-stocks or are used as ornamental plants. Cyanella L.
Ovary almost superior. Stamens equal. Flowers blue, with bracteoles, solitary or in pairs and axillary, or arranged in panicles. Leaves scattered along the stem.—Species 5. Southern tropical Africa. Some have edible root-stocks. Walleria Kirk
[FAMILY 35.] VELLOZIACEAE
Leaves linear. Flowers solitary, terminal, without bracteoles, regular, hermaphrodite. Perianth-segments free or nearly so, petaloid, usually white. Stamens 6. Anthers attached by the base. Ovary inferior, 3-celled. Placentas projecting and peltately dilated. Ovules numerous. Style simple; stigma 3-lobed. Fruit a capsule. Seeds black, compressed. Embryo very small, enclosed by the albumen. (Under AMARYLLIDEAE.) (Plate 20.)
Genus 1. Species 25. Tropical and South Africa. (Xerophyta Juss., under
Vellozia Vand.) Barbacenia Vand.
[FAMILY 36.] TACCACEAE
Herbs with a tuberous root-stock. Leaves all radical, large, stalked, twice pinnately divided. Flowers in an umbel-like inflorescence on a leafless scape, regular, hermaphrodite. Perianth greenish-brown, bell-or urn-shaped, with a short tube. Stamens 6. Filaments hooded. Anthers turned inwards. Ovary inferior, 1-celled, with parietal placentas. Ovules numerous, inverted. Style short, umbrella-shaped, 6-lobed. Fruit a berry. Seeds compressed. Embryo small, enclosed by the albumen.