Compilation
Sericocoma avolans

Much confusion exists regarding Sericocoma Zeyheri (Trichinium Zeyheri, Moquin) and Sericocoma avolans, Fenzl, to both of which species Moquin has referred Zeyher's 1439. In his description of S. avolans, Moquin simply copies Fenzl who says that staminodes are present, which is certainly not the case in Zeyher's 1439 at Kew, while in his description of Trichinium Zeyheri under the same number, Moquin assigns the absence of staminodes as a reason for placing the plant in the genus Trichinium instead of in Sericocoma. Engler based his description of Sericocoma Zeyheri (Bot. Jahrb. x. 6) upon a plant collected at Kimberley in Griqualand West by Marloth, 785, in which the ovary is horned (and therefore a species of Cyphocarpa), and also referred to it Trichinium Zeyheri, Moquin, in an authentic specimen of which at Kew (as well as all the others cited above) the ovary is not horned. Lopriore (Engl. Jahrb. xxvii. 45) makes Cyphocarpa Zeyheri conspecific with Trichinium Zeyheri, Moquin, and therefore accepts the horned ovary described by Engler. I think that Trichinium Zeyheri and Sericocoma avolans should be regarded as conspecific, under the latter name. This will invalidate one of Lopriore's characters of Sericocoma (viz. the presence of staminodes), but according to the Genera Plantarum of Benth. & Hook. f. staminodes in Sericocoma are sometimes absent and are said to be so in S. avolans. (T. C.)