Balanophora hookeriana, Hemsl

Hemsley, 1894, CCCLXVIII. Decades Kewensis. Plantarum Novarum in Herbario Horti Regii Conservatorum. Decas VIII., Bulletin of miscellaneous information 1894, pp. 99-102 : 102

80. Balanophora hookeriana, Hemsl . [ Balanophorae ];

planta minima ♀ gracilis , caule paucisquamosa, squamis latis amplexicaulibus rotundatis superioribus quam internodiis brevioribus, spica brvis breviter pedunculata, floribus bene evolutis non visis sessilibus cum bracteis clavatis intermixtis.

Habitat. - Myrung , Khasia mountains, J.D. Hooker and T. Thomson, 1850 .

Planta circiter 1 1/4 poll. alta. Squamae mximae sesquilineam longae. Spica ♀ vix sesquilineam longa.

The history of this miniature Balanophora is very curious. Last year, when transferring some spirit-specimens of Cordyceps to the Herbarium, Mr. Massee found the plant in question, which he soon ascertained was not a fungus; yet, on comparing it with Berkeley's original drawing of Cordyceps racemosa , publihsed at the same time as C. falcata in Hooker's Kew Journal of Botany, vi. p. 212, t. 8, fig 3, it appeared to be the organism from which a part of at least of the drawing was made. The original drawing shows the scales on the stem, but the published figure does not, and strange to say Berkeley concludes this description of Cordyceps racemosa with the remark that it might easily be passed over as an imperfect Balanophora . It would appear that he fell into an inexplicable blunder, for there is nothing else to represent Cordyceps .