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42. LAPIEDRA. - Perianth regular, expanded, star-shaped ;
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described above 200 years ago by Clusius, with particulars concerning it witch as yet we only know from his report, and with a precise indication of the spot in witch it still grows spontaneously, and that no botanist, as far as I can perceive, has since noticed his account of the plant under the name Sparganium Plaçæ, by which it is indicated on the margin of the page in witch it is described. He states that it was pointed out to him in its native locality, on the stony heights above Valentia, by Dr. Plaça, a physician of that town ; and in that very spot it is still pointed out by Lagasca, as growing amongst the clefts of rocks, without any reference to Clusius. It is difficult to understand, even in the vague state of botany at that period, how Dr. Plaça should have looked upon it to be a Sparganium, witch is an ancient name for a genus of a very different family, but there is no reason for rejecting the specific name wich Clusius gave to it in commemoration of its first discoverer. It seems to have been rather overlooked than intentionally laid aside, and as the later name has had little currency I have thought it undoubtedly proper to restore the original one. According to Clusius it usually has two leaves, in form like those of Oporanthus luteus, but marked with a longitudinal white stripe. He states the seeds, which are not noticed by Lagasca, to be small and angular. I con- jecture the scape to be solid, and the seeds testaceous. It is strange that Spanish plants of such easy access, and whose locality is so well known, as Lapiedra and Tapeinanthus, should never have been brought into cultivation, nor speci- mens even introduced into any herbarium. Lapiedra appears to be one of the points by which Amaryllideæ approach the hypogynous Allium and Ornithogalum. If the seeds, con- trary to my expectation, should prove to be fleshy, which I think very improbable, the genus would properly follow Carpolyza. According to Lagasca it grows also near the church of San Fuen, near Algesiras, and near Malaga, and it might certainly be easily obtained. The anthers are asserted to be arrow-headed and incumbent ; with the form of an arrow-head I should have expected them rather to be erect, like those of Hypoxis. The plant having been called a Crinum, I assume it to be schistandrous ; it may, how- ever, prove to be porandrous, it which case it would stand amongst Galantheæ, probably next to Leucojum. |
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