I

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THE FLOWERING PLANTS OF

SOUTH AFRICA.

A MAGAZINE CONTAINING HAND-COLOURED FIGURES WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF THE

FLOWERING PLANTS INDIGENOUS TO SOUTH AFRICA.

EDITED BY

E. P. PHILLIPS, M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S.(S. Afr.),

Chief, Division of Botany and Plant Pathology, Department of Agriculture and Forestry, Pretoria;

and Director of the Botanical Survey of the Union of South Africa.

(Published with the Assistance of the Carnegie Corporation of New York)

The veld which lies so desolate and bare

Will blossom into cities white and fair.

And pinnacles will pierce the desert air,

And sparkle in the sun.

R. C. Macfie's “Ex Unitate Vires."

L. REEYE & CO., Ltd.,

LLOYDS BANK BUILDINGS, BANK STREET, ASHFORD, KENT

SOUTH AFRICA:

J. L. VAN SCHAIK LTD.

P.O. BOX 724, PRETORIA

1940.

All rights reserved.

PRINTED IN GREAT BRITAIN

TO

ILTYD BTJLLER POLE EVANS

C.M.G., M.A., LL.D., D.SC.

FORMER CHIEF OF THE DIVISION OF PLANT INDUSTRY

AND DIRECTOR OF THE BOTANICAL SURVEY OF THE

UNION OF SOUTH AFRICA, TRUE LOVER OF NATURE AND

KEEN HORTICULTURIST THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED IN

GRATEFUL RECOGNITION OF HIS INSPIRING EXAMPLE AND

LEADERSHIP TO WHICH SOUTH AFRICAN BOTANY OWES SO

MUCH OF ITS PROGRESS, AND PARTICULARLY FOR HIS

VISION AND ABILITY TO ENLIST PUBLIC INTEREST IN

OUR WONDERFUL FLORA RESULTING IN THE PUBLICATION

OF THE FIRST TWENTY VOLUMES OF THE FLOWERING

PLANTS OF SOUTH AFRICA ; SEVERAL ILLUSTRATIONS IN

THE PRESENT VOLUME REPRESENT BEAUTIFUL PLANTS

INTRODUCED INTO CULTIVATION IN SOUTH AFRICA BY THE

POLE EVANS CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICAN EXPEDITION OF

1938.

Division of Botany and Plant Pathology, Pretoria,

October, 1940.

V

M’.E.Conn.eJl del

Plate 761.

ALOE BRANDDRAAIENSIS.

Transvaal.

Lujaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe branddraaiensis Groenewald sp. nov. in sectione Saponariae,

A. pterophilae Pillans affinis, sed validior et flores rubriores ; ab A. chimani-

maniensi Christian floribus minoribus differt.

Acaulescens. Folia c. 20, 30-40 cm. longa, basi c. 10 cm. lata, maculata;

dentes 3-4 mm. longi, recurvi. Inflorescentiae 1-3, plus minus 1 m. altae.

Racemi 20-50, capitati, c. 5 cm. longi. Pedicellus c. 20 mm. longus.

Bracteae c. 10 mm. longae, acuminatae, 3-nervatae. Perigonium 2-7 cm.

longum, basi inflatum ; segmenta c. 5 mm. longa.

Transvaal : Lydenburg district ; Branddraai, van der Merwe in

National Herb. 24208 (typus), 22998; van der Merwe 138; Ohrigstad Valley

near Branddraai, Reynolds 2490.

The species was collected by Dr. F. Z. van der Merwe near

Branddraai, where it was found in large quantities. It

extends to Penge Mine, Olifants River, where it sometimes

crosses with A. burg erf ortensis Reynolds. At Branddraai

it occurs amongst A. Fosteri Pillans, which, however, flowers

a few months earlier. In the veld A. branddraaiensis is found

in flower during the month of July ; in cultivation in Pretoria,

at the Division of Plant Industry, the specimens presented

by Dr. van der Merwe flowered in June 1938, and our Plate

was prepared from this specimen. The species is allied to A.

chimanimaniensis (see Plate 639) and to A. pterophila (see

Plate 555), but differs from the former in its much more

robust habit and brighter flowers, from the latter in the

smaller racemes and more slender flowers, while from both it

differs in the very much larger number of racemes, of which

the terminal one is usually higher than the lateral ones.

The following description applies to typical plants growing

in rich red soil; many plants are found on the neighbouring

dolomite hills with fewer racemes, viz. 15-20 to each

inflorescence.

Description : — Stemless. Leaves rosulate, about 20, sometimes per-

sistently subdistichous, 30-40 cm. long, about 10 cm. wide at the base, 1-5 cm.

thick, usually with longitudinal striations on the upper surface as well as

whitish double spots ; striped on the under surface and with irregular macules ;

spines brown, about 1-5 cm. apart, 3-4 mm. long, curved, with the inter-

spaces fairly straight. Inflorescence 1-3 (usually 2) to each plant, 1 m. or

more high. Peduncle branching about the middle, with many secondary

and tertiary branches. Racemes 20-50, capitate, 5 cm. long and somewhat

broader, each with 20-30 flowers. Pedicel about 2 cm. long in open flowers.

Bracts less than 1 cm. long, deltoid-acuminate, 3-nerved. Buds forming a

regular and very obtuse pyramid, which at first has a characteristic green

appearance; opening flowers bent right down, leaving a gap all round.

Perianth bright red, 2-7 cm. long, swollen and 5 mm. diameter around the

ovary, narrowing to 3 mm. diameter and then widening to 7-8 mm. diameter,

compressed laterally and curved in a vertical plane ; perianth-lobes about

5 mm. long. Genitalia just exserted. — [F. Z. v. d. M.]

Plate 761. — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of a flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 62

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 762.

ALOE Nuttii.

Northern Rhodesia, Tanganyika Territory.

Llliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fit. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe Nuttii Bah. in Hook. Ic. PL t. 2513 ; FI. Trop. Afr. vol. 7, p. 457.

Mr. Basil Christian has supplied the following notes and

descriptions. The type sheet of A. Nuttii Bak. at Kew, of

material collected by Mr. W. H. Nutt at Fwambo, Northern

Rhodesia, at an altitude of 5250 feet, in 1894, shows the upper

portion of a leaf only. Baker was therefore not correct in

describing the leaf as unspotted and the marginal teeth as

obsolete. Another sheet of material collected on the south

slopes of the Mporoto Mountains, Tanganyika Territory, in

1872, subsequently placed at Kew under A. Nuttii, shows

the maculation and denticulation in the lower portion of the

leaf. This sheet must have been seen by Berger, who de-

scribed these characters in his monograph on Aloe in “ Das

Pflanzenreich.”

The late Mr. B. D. Burtt, travelling botanist to the Division

of Tsetse Research, Tanganyika Territory, again collected

this species ( Burtt 6390) on Chunia Ridge, Mbeya district, at

an altitude of 8000 feet, in January 1937. In June 1938 the

Pole Evans Central and East African Expedition again collected

it (No. 742) in the Mbeya district. Burtt’ s dried material

compares very well with that at Kew, and from living material

at Ewanrigg, Southern Rhodesia, and in the garden of the

Division of Plant Industry, Pretoria, it is now possible to give

a fuller description of this species.

Our Plate was prepared from a specimen collected by the

Pole Evans Central and East African Expedition, and which

flowered in Pretoria in May-June 1939.

Description: — A succulent; stems up to 8-10 cm. high, 2-5-3 cm.

diameter, covered in the upper part with the remains of the withered leaf-

bases. Leaves 16-20, rosulate, erect to erect-spreading, up to 38 cm. long,

1-5 cm. broad, linear, sheathing and 2-2 cm. broad at the base, suddenly

constricted above the sheathing base, gradually acuminate in the upper

8-10 cm. ; upper surface green, with a few scattered whitish spots low

down, obscurely lineate, canaliculate ; lower surface green, more profusely

spotted in the lower part with whitish lenticular spots having a minute

tubercle which is sometimes spinulescent in the centre of each, rounded,

not at all keeled ; margins with a very narrow whitish cartilaginous border,

armed with white translucent teeth 0-75 mm. long in the lower portion;

teeth becoming almost obsolete above. Inflorescence simple, up to 62 cm.

long, including the raceme. Peduncle 8 mm. diameter, slightly laterally

compressed low down, subterete above. Bracts about 12, 2 cm. long, 1-8 cm.

broad, ovate, shortly acuminate, subamplexicaul, many-nerved. Raceme

sub-dense, 16 cm. long, 8 cm. diameter, cylindric-acuminate ; buds erect

and covered by the imbricate bracts; mature flowers pendulous. Floral-

bracts scarious, ovate, shortly acuminate, apiculate, many-nerved, clasping

the pedicels, with the lower bracts 1-8 cm. long and 1-8 cm. broad at

the base. Pedicels 3 cm. long, cernuous, becoming longer and erect in the

fertilised flowers. Perianth peach red (R.C.S., PI. 1), greenish towards the

tip, 3-8 cm. long, 1 cm. diameter at the base, narrowing towards the throat

to 7 mm. diameter, cylindric, straight; outer segments as long as the tube,

6-nerved, sub-acute, hardly spreading ; inner segments free, longer than the

outer, sub-obtuse, slightly spreading. Stamens as long as the perianth ;

anthers terracotta, 5 mm. long. Ovary pale green ; style slightly shorter

than the stamens (National Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 25,026).

Plate 762. — Fig. 1, median longitudinal section of a flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 63

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 763.

ALOE Buchan anil

Nyasaland.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe Buchananii Bak. in Kew Bull. 1895, p. 119 ; FI. Trop. Afr. vol. 7,

p. 457.

This Aloe was first collected by Buchanan in Nyasaland

and sent to Kew, where it flowered in December 1894. Berger,

who obtained living material from Kew, which flowered in the

garden at La Mortola, Italy, in February 1897, figured it in

his monograph on Aloe in “ Das Pflanzenreich.” Berger

places the species near A. Cooperi Bak. from Natal, but the

flowers in his figure bear no resemblance to those of A. Cooperi,

which are very similar to those of A. Buchananii. It is

probably due to Berger’s misleading figure that collectors and

botanists have been misled in the past. Baker gives the

length of the perianth as 18-20 mm., whilst Berger gives it

as 34 mm., but it must be remembered that Baker’s plant

was grown at Kew under glass, whereas at “ La Mortola ” all

the aloes are grown in the open air, and Berger’s description

of the flowers compares very well with those of plants in their

native habitat.

Aloe Buchananii is a variable species; the form figured

here, from the Cholo Road, 20 miles south of Blantyre, growing

in Brachystegia woodland, on a rather heavy red loam soil,

usually occurs as single plants with distichous leaves. Another

form collected by Mr. F. H. Holland and myself ( Christian

367) in July 1938 on the upper eastern treeless slopes of

Dedza Mountain has its leaves in rosettes, and a third form

collected on Capt. A. H. Maw’s estate “ Namadidi ” near

Zomba is usually tufted.

The specimen figured was collected by the Pole Evans

Central and East African Expedition.

We are indebted to Air. Basil Christian for the above note

and the following description.

Description : — A succulent plant, sub-acaulescent ; stem up to 20 cm.

high and 5 cm. diameter, covered in the upper portion with the withered

remains of old leaf-bases. Leaves 12-16, distichous, erect to erect-spreading,

up to 75 cm. long, 5 cm. broad at the base when flattened, linear, deeply

canaliculate above, rounded and not keeled beneath, from the base gradually

acuminate, green on the upper surface, with a few scattered whitish lenticular

spots towards the base, green on the lower surface, more copiously spotted

in the lower portion, with a minute tubercle in the centre of each spot ;

margins with a very narrow translucent whitish cartilaginous border,

minutely and remotely denticulate low dowm; teeth 5 mm. long, 15 mm.

apart, deltoid, obsolete in the upper portion. Inflorescence simple, up to

1 m. high. Peduncle pale green, 8 mm. diameter, laterally compressed low

down, bracteate at the middle. Bracts 3-5 cm. long, 3 cm. broad at the base,

ovate, shortly acuminate, many-nerved, with the lowest sometimes up to

12 cm. long. Raceme 21 cm. long, 7 cm. diameter at the base, conico-

cylindric ; young buds covered by the densely imbricate bracts ; exposed

buds erect-spreading; mature flowers pendulous. Floral bracts pale-pink,

rather fleshy, 3 cm. long, 2-1 cm. broad, ovate, acute, apiculate, many-

nerved. Pedicels pale-pink, 3 cm. long, erect-spreading, becoming cemuous

in the mature flowers. Perianth light coral red (R.C.S. XIII), shading to

green towards the apex, 3-2 cm. long, 1-2 cm. diameter over the ovary, sub-

cylindric, narrowly stipitate at the base, straight ; outer segments connate

at the base, sometimes free, long-triangular, 7-nerved, sub-acute; inner

segments white shading to green at the apex, with a narrow pink 3-nerved

keel, connate at the base, straight, obtuse. Stamens included ; filaments

white, widened and flattened low down ; anthers terracotta. Ovary pale

green, 8 mm. long, 4 mm. diameter, cylindric, acuminate, style white,

included. (National Herbarium Pretoria, No. 25,025.)

Plate 763. — Fig. 1, longitudinal median section of flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

C.Letty- del.

Plate 764.

ALOE Lettyae.

Transvaal.

Lujaceae. Tribe Aeoineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe Lettyae Reynolds in S. Afr. Journ. Bot. July 1937, p. 137.

This species was collected by Miss C. Letty near Duivels-

kloof in the northern Transvaal. It was described and named

by Mr. G. W. Reynolds in honour of Miss Letty, who, until

recently, was responsible for so many of the coloured illustra-

tions appearing in this work.

Mr. Reynolds, who has observed the species in the field,

states that it is found in long grass among bushes and trees

on the eastern slopes of the northern extremity of the Drakens-

berg near Duivelskloof ; it also grows farther south near the

top of Magoebaskloof. The species flowers during the

months of February and March.

A. Lettyae is distinguished from other species in the

section Saponariae by its leaf-marking and shape of the

flowers. The base of the perianth is remarkably globular,

which character, from much material examined, appears to be

fairly fixed. The teeth on the leaf -margin are usually 3-4 mm.

long and not joined by a horny line. The species is allied to

A. Simii Pole Evans, which flowers in February near White

River, eastern Transvaal, but A. Simii has more erect broader

glaucous softer unspotted leaves and a different inflorescence.

Another ally is A. de Wetii Reynolds from Zululand, which

differs in its considerably larger teeth, denser more acuminate

racemes and differently shaped flowers.

The specimen figured flowered at the Division of Plant

Industry, Pretoria, in March 1937.

Description : — Plant succulent, not stoloniferous, acaulescent. Leaves

about 20 in a dense rosette, erectly spreading, lanceolate-attenuate, up to

45 cm. long, 9 cm. broad at base ; upper surface slightly concave, dull green

with numerous dull white spots throughout; lower surface convex, dull

green, obscurely spotted throughout, with the spots larger, more obscure

and more in undulating transverse bands ; margins sinuate-dentate, armed

with deltoid brownish firm teeth about 3-^1 mm. long, 10-15 mm. distant,

the interspaces usually the colour of the leaf, sometimes slightly corneous

and pale brownish. Inflorescence a branched panicle up to 1-75 m. high.

Peduncle flattened low down, about 3 cm. diameter, 8-12 branched from

about the middle ; the lowest branches with 1-3 branchlets producing a total

of 15-20 racemes. Racemes cylindric, slightly acuminate; the terminal

the highest, 20-25 cm. long, 8-9 cm. diameter. Bracts deltoid-acuminate,

about as long as their pedicels, thinly subscarious, pale brown, 3-5-nerved.

Pedicels 12-51 mm. long. Perianth nearest Rose Red (R.C.S. XII), 38-42

mm. long, with a globular basal swelling 10-11 mm. diameter, constricted

to 6 mm. above the ovary, thence slightly decurved and enlarging towards

the throat, the mouth slightly pale brownish ; outer segments free for 10 mm.,

obscurely nerved, with paler margins and sub-acute slightly spreading

apices; inner segments dorsally adnate to the outer for 30 mm., broader

than the outer, with broader white marginal border and more obtuse apices.

Filaments almost white ; the 3 inner narrower and lengthening in advance

of the 3 outer. Genitals exserted 1-2 mm. Ovary 8 mm. long, 3-5 mm.

diameter, finely 6-grooved, green. Capsule 30 mm. long, 15 mm. diameter

at middle. (National Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 22,849.) — G. W. Reynolds.

Plate 764 : — Fig. 1, median longitudinal section of a flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

C.Letty del-

Plate 765.

NEMESIA CYNANCHIFOLIA.

Cape Province, Natal, Transvaal.

SCROPHtTLARIACEAE. Tribe HEMIMERIDE AE .

Nemesia Vent. ; Benth. et Hook. fit. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 931.

Nemesia cynanchifolia Benth. in Hook Comp. Bot. Mag.

vol. ii, p. 21 ; FI. Cap. vol. 4, sect. 2, p. 188.

The genus Nemesia is an African one with over fifty-

species which, with the exception of two or three of these

found in tropical Africa, are restricted to South Africa, being

concentrated mostly in the western area of the Cape Province.

Many of the species are exceedingly beautiful and lend them-

selves to cultivation. Through hybridization and selection,

several fine forms are now well-known garden plants.

According to the “ Flora Capensis ” conception of N.

cynanchifolia, it extends from Worcester in the Cape Province

into the Transkei to Natal and as far as Standerton in the

Transvaal, and is also found in some of the central districts

of the Cape Province. It is possible, however, according to

some workers, that the species N. cynanchifolia in the “ Flora

Capensis ” embodies more than one species, but, in view of the

present state of our knowledge of the genus, we have been

unable to confirm this.

Owing to the fugitive nature of the flowers of Nemesia,

plants collected in the veld do not afford good material for

figuring after travelling any great distance by post. The

present Plate was prepared by Miss Cythna Letty while

on leave in Natal, from a specimen she found growing on a

small mound of damp soil near Uvongo on the south coast.

Description : — A spreading semi-decument branched herb

about 20 cm. high. Stems and branches 4-angled, sparsely

hairy below the inflorescence, otherwise glabrous. Leaves

opposite, 3-4 times as long as broad, oblong-lanceolate, sub-

obtuse, more or less narrowed to the sessile or subsessile

base, remotely toothed. Inflorescence subcorymbose, several-

flowered, terminal. Lower bracts similar to the leaves, but

smaller, sparsely glandular-hairy. Pedicels about 1-5 cm. long,

with the upper shorter, sparsely hairy. Calyx-segments 3 mm.

long, 1-5 mm. broad, ovate, sub-obtuse, glandular-hairy.

Corolla pinkish mauve with blue veins, 2-3 cm. long, 1-8 cm.

diameter; lower lip about as long as the upper, 1-1 cm. long,

with a pubescent palate of 2 white gibbosities; the 4 upper

lobes oblong, with the 2 outer wider than the 2 inner; spur

8 mm. long, slightly incurved, 2-lobed at the tip. (National

Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 13,045.)

Plate 765 : — Fig. 1, side view of corolla; 2, side view of lower lip with

spur ; 3, upper lip with stamens ; 4, calyx writh gynaechun.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

766

M.E. C OTixi ell del.

Plate 766.

PYCNOSTACHYS Stuhlmannii.

Tropical Africa.

Labiatae. Tribe Ocimoideae.

Pycnostachys Hook. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 117.

Pycnostachys Stuhlmannii Giirke in Engl. Pflanzenw. Ost-Afr. C. 1895,

p. 345 ; Bak. in Dyer FI. Trop. Afr., vol. v. p. 380 ; E. A. Bruce in Kew Bull.,

1939, p. 586. P. remotifolia Bak. l.c., p. 381. P. Bequaertii De Willd.

Contrib. FI. Katanga, p. 171 (1921). P. longifolia De Willd. l.c. p. 172.

On Plate 513 we figured a South African species ( P . pur-

purascens ) of the genus, and are now able to illustrate one

of the numerous tropical African species, collected in 1938

on the Pole Evans Central and East African Expedition,

and which flowered at the Division of Plant Industry, Pretoria,

the following year.

P. Stuhlmannii is a herb growing up to 5 ft. in height, and

was found in vleis and damp ground about 15 miles north of

Dyvanga in Nyasaland. In Pretoria it has established itself,

and is an extremely striking plant when in full bloom, and will

no doubt soon find its way into general cultivation.

According to a recent revision of the genus by Miss E. A.

Bruce in the Kew Bulletin (1939, p. 563), there are thirty-seven

species, only two of which, P. reticulata (E. Mey) Benth.

and P. urticifolia Hook., occur in South Africa. Miss Bruce’s

conception of P. Stuhlmannii shows it to range from the

Belgian Congo and Uganda south to Southern Rhodesia.

Description : — Stems bluntly 4-angled, 4-6 mm. diameter,

minutely pubescent. Leaves shortly petioled up to 20 cm.

long, smaller on upper portion of stems, up to 2*5 cm. broad,

linear, sub-acuminate, serrate on the margins, with many

lateral veins, with the mid-rib narrow and somewhat sunk

on the upper surface and prominent on the under surface,

minutely punctate above and beneath, glabrous. Inflores-

cence almost capitate, terminal on axillary branches 3-13 cm.

long from the upper leaves ; the whole forming a lax panicle.

Flowers phenyl blue (R.C.S., PL IX). Bracts 7 mm. long,

linear, cUiate. Sepals 4-5 mm. long, linear, acute, cartila-

ginous-ciliate. Corolla 2-2 cm. long; lower portion of tube

7 mm. long, about 1 mm. diameter, cylindric, slightly dilated

at the base, somewhat glandular-pubescent; upper portion

of tube flattened-campanulate, 3 mm. wide, glandular-

pubescent; upper lip 3-lobed, 4-5 mm. broad, with the middle

lobe shortly 2-lobed ; lower lip 1 cm. long, cucullate, enclosing

the stamens and style, shortly acuminate, glandular-pubescent.

Stamens attached to the base of the widened portion of corolla-

tube; filaments connate in lower half into a wide channelled

structure, which is slightly adnate to the corolla-tube, free

above and of two different lengths; the 2 upper longer than

the corolla ; anthers blue. Ovary partly enveloped by a

massive fleshy helmet-shaped gland ; style exceeding the

corolla, minutely 2-lobed at the apex. (National Herbarium,

Pretoria, No. 25,027.)

Plate 766 : — Fig. 1 median longitudinal section of corolla; 2, upper

lip; 3, ovary surrounded by disc ; 4, cross-section of stem.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

78 7

Plate 767.

IBOZA RIP ARIA.

Nyasaland, Rhodesia, Natal, Zululand.

Labiatae. Tribe Satubeineae.

Iboza N.E. Br. in FI. Cap. vol. 5, sect. 1, p. 298.

Iboza riparia ( Hochst .) N.E. Br. in FI. Cap. vol. 5, sect. 1, p. 300.

This beautiful species was one of the many living plants

collected on the Pole Evans Central and East African Ex-

pedition 1938 and cultivated at the Division of Plant Industry,

Pretoria. The specimen we figure flowered in Pretoria in

June 1939.

Iboza riparia is a herbaceous shrub up to 5 ft. high, much

branched at the base. The plant that grew at the Division

appeared to be quite at home, and flowered very profusely.

Cuttings are easily rooted, and, as the species is a quick

grower, it should soon find a place in South African gardens.

The particular specimen we figure was found growing

in wet places on the Zomba Mountains in Nyasaland. The

species also occurs frequently throughout Rhodesia, Natal

and Zululand, and our specimen differs from plants found in

Zululand in the lighter-coloured flowers, with a corolla that

is relatively narrow in comparison with its length.

The late Dr. N. E. Brown constituted the genus Iboza

so as to include certain species formerly referred to the genus

Moschosma, as they differed in habit, calyx and corolla from

Moschosma, besides having unisexual flowers. We found

on our specimen that many flowers had both male and female

organs, though both are not functional. The generic name

is derived from the Zulu name i Boza, which means something

that is always smelling.

Description : — Branches somewhat 4-angled, pilose with

straight stiffish long hairs and glandular-pubescent with

shorter hairs. Leaf blade 5-9 cm. long, 5-8*5 cm. broad.

ovate, shortly cordate, subacute, with coarsely crenate margins,

with the veins prominent beneath and somewhat sunken

above, pilose above and beneath, with longish hairs and

pubescent with shorter glandular hairs ; petiole 2-6 cm. long,

terete, with similar hairs as on the blade. Inflorescence a

number of short panicles 3*5-6 cm. long, massed in a large

terminal panicle 20 cm. long. Floivers a pale mauve, in

groups of 2-6 on the ultimate axes and each group subtended

by a bract. Bract 2 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, ovate, pilose

and glandular. Pedicel about 1 mm. long. Calyx 1*5 mm.

long, 5-lobed, pilose and glandular. Corolla-tube 3 mm.

long, 1*5 mm. diameter above, 1 mm. diameter at the base;

limb sub-bilabiate, pilose and glandular; lobes 1 mm. long,

0*75 mm. broad, oblong, obtuse, pilose and glandular; two

stamens exceeding the corolla-lobes, the other 2 as long.

Style shorter than the corolla, faintly 2-lobed. Gland uni-

lateral to the ovary, less than 0*5 mm. long. (National

Herbarium Pretoria, No. 25,029.)

Plate 767 : — Fig. 1, group of flowers; 2, a single flower; 3, calyx;

4, gynaecium.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

C.Leiity del-

Plate 768.

GLADIOLUS Melleri.

Nyasaland; Rhodesia.

Ikidaceae. Tribe Ixieae.

Gladiolus Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 709.

Gladiolus Melleri, Baker in Journ. Bot. 1876, p. 334; FI. Trop. Afr.

vol. 7, p. 362.

The specimen figured was one of many raised from

corms collected by J. Erens on the Pole Evans Central and

East African Expedition, 1938. Plants flowered at the

Division of Plant Industry, Pretoria, in October-November

1938. The original corms were found growing in sandy soil

among grass, 43 miles south of Ndola, between Kapiri Mposhi

and Ndola, in Northern Rhodesia.

The “ Botanical Magazine ” (t. 8626) published a coloured

plate in 1915, prepared from a plant that flowered at Kew in

October 1913 from a corm received from Mr. A. Hislop,

who obtained it at Makoni Kop, Rusape, Rhodesia, and

our specimen agrees well with this plate. In the “ Flora of

Tropical Africa,” the leaf is stated to be £ in. broad, while

in the description accompanying the plate in the “ Botanical

Magazine ” the breadth of the leaves is stated to be over J inch.

In that connection the plate appearing in the “ Botanical

Magazine ” (t. 6463 G. brachyandrus) should be compared,

as there is a strong likelihood that both plates in the

“ Botanical Magazine ” are illustrations of the same species.

Description : — Scape up to 50 cm. long, sometimes with a

single branch, up to 5-flowered. Bracts herbaceous, dark

green, brownish green on the lower portion, lanceolate ;

the outer acuminate; the inner shortly 2-lobed at the apex.

Flowers scarlet-red, standing at right angles to the peduncles.

Perianth-tube 1*5 cm. long, slightly curved, 2 mm. diameter

below, 5 mm. diameter above ; outer lobes 5 cm. long, 2 cm.

broad at the middle, distinctly apiculate at the apex, with the

lowest lobe shorter and narrower than the two upper; pos-

terior inner lobe similar to the two posterior outer lobes;

anterior inner lobes 3-5 cm. long, 1 cm. broad, lanceolate,

apiculate. Filaments 1 cm. long, semiterete; anthers 1*7 cm.

long, linear, shortly sagittate at the base. Ovary green, 1 cm.

long, 4 mm. diameter, terete; style 3-5 cm. long, terete,

with 3 linear lobes 1 cm. long, glandular-ciliate on the margins.

(National Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 25,030.)

Plate 768 : — Fig. 1, longitudinal median section of a flower ; 2, a stamen ;

3, upper portion of style with the 3 stigmas.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

769

C . Let+,y del.

Plate 769.

PUN CTILLARI A optata.

Cape Province.

Ficoidaceae. Tribe Mesembryeae.

Pun ctillari a N.E. Br. in Oard. Chron. 1926, p. 122.

Punctillaria optata N.E. Br. in Gard. Chron. 1926, p. 228.

The genus Punctillaria was founded by the late Dr. N. E.

Brown to include certain species that had formerly been

described under Mesembryanthemum; he also added a few

newly described species to the new genus. The type species

of Punctillaria is Mesembryanthemum magnipunctata, de-

scribed by Haworth in the year 1821. The genus at present

consists of five or six species, all native of the Karoo area

of the Cape Province, and the generic name is an allusion

to the conspicuously dotted leaves. Dr. L. Bolus, who de-

scribed (“ S. Afr. Gard.,” 1927, p. 326) another species P. cana,

suggests that P. optata appears to be the same species.

The specimen figured flowered at the Division of Botany

and Plant Pathology, Pretoria, and was collected by Mr.

J. J. van Nouhuys, but the precise locality is unknown.

Description : — A tufted succulent. Leaves pale greyish-

green with indistinct darker spots, 4-6 cm. long, 1-1*5 cm.

broad, triangular in cross-section, with the sides almost

equal or the lateral sides longer than the upper side. Flowers

lemon-chrome (R.C.S., PI. IV), pedicelled, arising from be-

tween the leaves, 6 cm. diameter when expanded. Pedicel

1*5 cm. long, 3 mm. diameter, terete, glabrous. Calyx-tube

7 mm. long, 9 mm. diameter, campanulate, glabrous; lobes

7 mm. long, 3*5 mm. broad, ovate-oblong, obtuse, with narrow

membranous margins. Petals 3 cm. long, 1*5 mm. broad,

linear, narrowing to the base. Filaments 6 mm. long, linear ;

anthers 0*75 mm. long. Ovary 12-chambered, with several

ovules in each chamber; styles 12, 4 mm. long, linear, narrow-

ing upwards. (National Herbarium Pretoria, No. 8664.) —

E. P. Phillips.

Plate 769 : — Fig. 1, flower with petals removed ; 2, ovary and styles sunk

in receptacle; 3, part of receptacle showing insertion of stamens.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

*

710

C.LeVty del.

Plate 770.

ADENIA GLAUCA.

Transvaal.

Passifloraceae. Tribe Modecoeae.

Adenia Forssk. ; FI. Aegypt. Arab. 77 (1775).

Adenia glauca Schinz in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. xv. Beibl. 33, Heft. 1, 1-3.

On Plate 113 we figured a species of Adenia (A. digitata)

that is common in the Pretoria district. The species we

figure on the accompanying Plate is also commonly found

near Pretoria, often growing in the fissures of quartzite

rocks. The particular specimen illustrated was collected by

Mr. A. O. D. Mogg, M.A., at Derdepoort on the slopes of the

Magaliesberg.

The genus Adenia is represented in South Africa by

eight species, and has recently been monographed by Mr.

L. C. C. Liebenberg, M.Sc. (see “ Bothalia,” vol. 3, p. 513).

A comparison of this Plate with that of A. digitata shows the

difference in the shape of the leaves, and, in addition, the

leaves of A. glauca, as the name implies, are very glaucous.

Another marked difference between the two species as seen

in the field is that the “ tuber ” of A. glauca is always partly

above ground, while in A. digitata this is rarely so. Dr. D. G.

Steyn (“ Toxicology of Plants in South Africa,” p. 314)

found that fresh leaves of A. glauca contain small quantities

of hydrocyanic acid, and further states that the “ tubers ”

are edible and that no trace of hydrocyanic acid could be

detected in them.

Description : — Main axis tuber-like, fleshy, partly or

mostly above ground. Branches divaricate, about 1-5 m.

long, up to 5 mm. diameter, striate, glaucous, arising from

attenuations of the main stem or directly from a flat surface.

Leaves glaucous, digitately compound, petioled ; lobes 5,

conduplicate, T5-6 cm. long, elliptic, sub-orbicular, or

obovate, obtuse, entire, with thinly cartilaginous margins ;

glands absent ; stipules minute. Inflorescence usually axillary,

with the peduncle usually terminating in tendrils. Male

flowers yellowish, about 3 cm. long. Calyx-tube shorter

than the semi-spreading lobes. Petals more than* half the

length of the calyx-lobes, arising from the sinuses of the calyx-

lobes. Corona of a few filiform processes. Stamens about

half as long as the calyx-lobes. Female flowers yellowish,

about 1*4 cm. long. Receptacle about 2-4 mm. long, shortly

funnel-shaped or narrowly subcylindric. Calyx-tube shorter

than the lobes. Petals half as long as the calyx-lobes and

arising from the sinuses. Corona of a few filiform processes.

Staminodes connate to form a tube round the ovary stalk.

Glands O. Ovary stipitate, ovoid or orbicular; style short,

3-branched, Fruit orange to yellow, usually dehiscent. Seeds

flat, roundish heart-shaped, regularly pitted. (National

Herbarium, No. 7802.) — E. P. Phillips.

Plate 770: — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of a male flower; 2, longi-

tudinal section of a female bud from another plant.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

C.Letty del.

Plate 771.

PACHYPODIUM NAMAQUANUM.

Cape Province, S. W. Africa.

Apocynaceae. Tribe Echitideae.

Pachypodium Lindl. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 722.

Pachypodium namaquanum (Wyley) Welw. in Trans. Linn. Soc.

vol. xxvii. p. 45 (1869).

Since the early days of botanical exploration in South

Africa, Pachypodium namaquanum has attracted special

attention for its remarkable appearance. The common names

“ Elephant’s trunk ” and “ Half mens ” are allusions to this.

The first figure, and possibly the first reference to the plant

in botanical literature, appears in an account by Paterson of

his travels in Southern Africa. He located specimens in

Great Namaqualand in 1779, several miles north of the Orange

River, and describes his discovery as follows : — “ I found here

the most beautiful plant. ... It grows to six feet high and is

full of long spines from the ground to the tops and forms a

large crown of crisped leaves, and reddish tubular flowers

tinged with yellow and green.”

The plant was not named specifically, however, until 1863

when Wyley, in Harvey’s “ Thesaurus Capensis,” described

it as Adenium namaquanum. Later, in 1869, the traveller

Welwitsch transferred it to its present genus Pachypodium.

It received prominence again in 1909 and 1912, when Pearson

mentioned it in the Gardeners’’ Chronicle, and then Lee published

a paper on its anatomy and morphology in the Annals of

Botany. Lee was the first to draw attention to the inaccurate

description of the spines in the “ Flora Capensis,” 1907, and

Harvey’s “ Thesaurus Capensis.”

A fine group of P. namaquanum is reproduced on Fig.

269a in The Stapelieae by White and Sloane. This picture is

doubly interesting, since in it also is Hr. I. B. Pole Evans,

C.M.G., who was instrumental in launching and maintaining

the publication The Flowering Plants of South Africa.

As in several unrelated species of succulent plants, the apex

of the stems of P. namaquanum curve slightly to the north.

Several explanations for this behaviour have been put forward

and most agree that it is some response to the sun’s rays.

P. namaquanum occurs in arid regions both north and

south of the Orange River on rocky slopes, often with their

roots wedged tightly between large boulders or in rock

crevices. The subject of the accompanying illustration was

collected by Miss I. C. Verdoorn and the writer in July 1937

near Sperlings Putz, S.W. Africa. It was transferred to the

National Herbarium, Pretoria, where it flowered in September

of the following year. This plant has been the source of envy

of many enthusiasts, since it is found only rarely in cultivation

owing to the difficulty experienced in transplanting. Only

the root should be buried in the soil and if this is insufficient

support for the stem, large stones should be placed round

the base, or a stake may be used. The soil should be a

very sandy loam and watering should be done very sparingly.

Description : — A robust spinescent succulent. Stem simple or occasion-

ally branched at or near the base, up to 2 m. high, cylindric, up to 30 cm.

or more in diameter near the base, narrowed to the apex and inclined to

the north, tubercled throughout, each tubercle being armed at its apex with

2-3 large and 1 or 2 short spreading spines. Spines 4-10 cm. long, rigid,

tapering from a hollow base. Leaves crow-ded at the summit of the stem,

falling each season, 15-20 cm. long and 7-10 cm. broad on adult plants,

smaller on younger plants, obovate-oblong to oblong, obtuse or acute,

shortly attenuate at the base, margin wavy, densely velvety-pubescent on

both surfaces with stellate hairs, greyish ; petiole short or obsolete. In-

florescence of few-flowered cymes arising singly from a small cushion on the

tubercles above the spines ; cushions furnished with several short paired

spines; peduncles shortly villous; bracts oblong, acute 1-1-2 cm. long;

pedicels very short. Calyx 0-8-1 cm. long, sepals resembling the bracts.

Corolla about 5 cm. long, narrowly tubular for about 1-1-2 cm. at the base,

abruptly expanded to 1 cm. diam. and 1-5 cm. diam. below the throat

towards which it is somewhat contracted; lobes 4-9 mm. long, 6 mm. wide

at the base, oblong, obtuse, yellowish -green, red within the tube, villous on

the outer and inner surfaces, but less densely so within the throat. Stamens

inserted at the basal contraction of the corolla, 7 mm. long. (Nat. Herb.

Pretoria, No. 25,136.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 771. — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of base of flower; 2, anther;

3, stellate hair of leaf.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

772

C.Letty del.

Plate 772.

EUPHORBIA Schoenlandii.

Cape Province.

Euphorbiaceae. Tribe Etjphokbieae.

Euphorbia Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 258.

Euphorbia Schoenlandii Pax in Bot. Jahrb. Ges. Kult , 82 : 2, p. 24

and Fedde Rep. vol. i. p. 59 (1905).

In the South African Journal of Science, 1938, I set out

briefly the main distinguishing features of Euphorbia fasciculata

Thunb. and E. Schoenlandii Pax, two species which had

previously been united by N. E. Brown in the Flora Capensis

under the former name. The living specimens studied were

comparatively young, but quite comparable with the type

specimens of the respective species. The absolute range in

variability of the adult plants of both species is not as yet

accurately recorded, and the position is rendered more obscure

by the suggestion in the late Dr. R. Mar loth’s manuscript

notes that a third very closely allied species exists. It is not

unlikely, however, that Mario th’s reference is to an adult

form of E. fasciculata.

E. Schoenlandii shows many interesting morphological

features, the discussion of which would take more space than is

available here. For instance, the formidable-looking spines

are modified floral branches or sterile peduncles. Below

them are produced the fertile peduncles. Both these arise

from within a cavity in the tubercle or modified leaf-base, a

unique arrangement. During evolution the leaf-base has

evidently folded up and fused round the flowering stalks. It

is in the closely allied species E. fasciculata that the earlier

stage in evolution is to be found. In this the primary

flowering branches are fertile and although they persist for

some time, they do not become sharply spinescent, and the

tubercles are not so markedly fused round the flowering stalks

as they are in E. Schoenlandii. There are further important

differences in the inflorescences.

Both species are found in the van Rhynsdorp district and

probably also in the Clan william district. E. Schoenlandii is

found in dense colonies in several places, whereas E. fasciculata

is apparently more scattered in its distribution. The par-

ticular specimen figured here was collected near van Rhyns-

dorp in May 1935 by Mr. H. Herre of Stellenbosch. It was

the identification of. this plant that led to the rehabilitation of

the species E. Schoenlandii, named originally in honour of

Dr. Selmar Schonland, Emeritus Professor of botany.

Description : — A spiny succulent up to 40 cm. high or probably more;

main stem solitary or very rarely branched, up to 10 cm. or more thick,

erect, clavate when young, becoming cylindrical with age, tubercled ;

tubercles somewhat spirally disposed, ovoid-conic, 6-12 mm. prominent with

a rudimentary leaf on the recurved apex, and with a cavity above the apex

through which emerge first sterile and later fertile peduncles, the latter

below the former. Leaves 1—1 -5 mm. long, 1-2 mm. broad, linear, channelled

on the face, acute. Spines or modified sterile peduncles solitary, 2-5-5 cm.

long, 3-5 mm. thick at the base, narrowed to an acute apex, incurved-erect

or occasionally somewhat spreading. Cymes of 1-3 cyathia ; cyathia male

or bisexual on the same plant; fertile peduncles arising from within the

tubercle-cavity below the spines and apparently several may be produced

in rotation from the same cavity in successive years, 1-2-5 cm. long, stout,

bearing a few bracts; bracts sessile, 0-6-3 cm. long, 1-3 mm. broad, linear

or linear-lanceolate, obtuse, channelled down the face, soon deciduous.

Involucre cup-shaped or somewhat obc-onic, 6-8 mm. in diam., with 5

glands and 5 subquadrate deeply fringed, puberulous lobes ; glands trans-

versely oblong with their inner margin inflexcd, forming a small lip, and their

outer margin with 3-8 entire or bifid, linear processes, 1-1-5 mm. long.

Ovary pedicellate, subglobose; pedicel about 2-5 mm. long; styles short

and stout, with broad emarginate stigmas. (Nat. Herb. Pretoria, No.

25,46S.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 772. — Fig. 1, involucre-glands and lobes; 2, male flower with

bract; 3, female flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 7 3

Plate 773.

ALBUCA Bainesii.

British Bechuanaland.

Liliaceae. Tribe Scilleae.

Albuca Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fit. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 809.

Albuca Bainesii Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. vol. xiii. 290 (1873).

The genus Albuca is not well known in cultivation, although

there are about 130 species. Most of these are indigenous in

Africa. They are considered comparatively unattractive as a

general rule, the flowers being predominantly white with

broad green keels on the segments, and often have a half-

closed appearance due to the inner segments always being

connivent. That all species of Albuca are without horti-

cultural merit, in spite of the connivent segments, is dis-

proved by the accompanying illustration of A. Bainesii, named

after the famous explorer. The outer segments are usually

considerably more expanded than shown by this plant, which

was adversely affected by being brought in for figuring.

Another characteristic feature of the genus, in addition to

the connivent inner perianth-segments, is the exudation of

mucilage from the withered flowers. The asymmetrical dis-

position of the stamens as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is, however,

unusual and noteworthy in this species.

The bulb from which our plant was grown was collected

in Bechuanaland on the Mabelapudi Hills by Mr. J. Erens,

when accompanying Dr. I. B. Pole Evans, C.M.G., in 1937 on

a botanical expedition to Lake Ngami. Several old in-

florescences were observed in the neighbourhood, but only the

one bulb ; there being evidence that animals, probably baboons,

had removed and eaten others not long previously. The bulb

flowered at the National Herbarium, Pretoria, in February

1938, and as it was not possible to identify the specimen with

certainty, it was submitted to the Royal Botanic Gardens,

Kew. There, Mr. Milne-Redhead identified it as the Tropical

African species Albuca Bainesii Baker, a species not repre-

sented in the “ Flora Capensis.” Moreover, in his opinion,

another plant, previously described as A. Lugardi Baker, is

not specifically distinct. The latter name, being of a more

recent date, must therefore be relegated to synonymy.

Description : — Bulb 4—5 broad, 3 cm. high, truncate, the

outer tunics membranous. Leaves 30-45 cm. long, the outer-

most broadest, 4 cm. broad at the base and clasping the inner

ones, gradually tapering to the tail-like apex, margin incurved,

glaucous, the outer leaves with several parallel rows of hairs

on the back, the inner leaves with fewer rows of hairs and the

hairs more irregularly placed or almost glabrous ; hairs about

2 mm. long. Inflorescence about 80 cm. high; raceme about

30 cm. long, 40-50-flowered ; peduncle 7 mm. diam., glaucous,

glabrous; bracts linear from a lanceolate base, shorter than

the pedicels, pedicels erecto-patent, stiff, up to 2 cm. long.

Perianth 25-2*7 cm. long, yellowish-green in bud and greenish-

yellow later, the segments with very faint keels; outer seg-

ments 8 mm. broad, slightly hooded, half-spreading, inner

segments 11-12 mm. broad, hooded but without appendages,

connivent. Stamens all fertile, curved into two planes, the

lower 3 about level with the style, the upper 3 disposed under

the adaxial segment; filaments flattened below with margins

folded together 5 mm. above the base; anthers oblong.

Ovary 7 mm. long, 5 mm. broad, somewhat triangular, carpels

with an oblique flattened apical portion with acute margins

and a central rib passing into the style. Style cylindric, about

15 mm. long, very shallow^ grooved; stigma entire. (Nat.

Herb. Pretoria, No. 23,390.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 773. — Fig. 1, cross-section of leaf; 2, outer corolla-segment with

twisted filament ; 3, inner corolla-segment ; 4, gynoecium ; 5, androecium

and gynoecium and adaxial corolla segment, side view ; 6, flower with part

of perianth removed.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

C.Letty del.

Plate 774.

PECTINARIA arcuata.

Cape Province.

Asclepiadaceae. Tribe Stapelieae.

Pectinaria Haw. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 782

(under Piaranthus R. Br.).

Pectinaria arcuata N.E.Br. in FI. Cap. vol. iv. i. 870 (1909).

Pectinaria arcuata is one of the rarer species of the tribe

Stapelieae, being recorded previously only in the districts of

Bedford and Cradock in the eastern Cape Province. Our

plant was collected by Mr. G. W. Reynolds just outside the

Bedford district border within the Somerset East district,

2 miles south of Middleton on the road to Alicedale. It

responded well under cultivation for a time, and was figured

when it flowered at the National Herbarium in February

1938. It is one of the comparatively few species in the tribe

to escape illustration in the Stapelieae by White and Sloane

(1937) ; in fact this is the first illustration to be published. It

is not, however, the first member of the genus to appear in

Flowering Plants of South Africa. Pectinaria saxatilis was

illustrated on Plate 618 in 1936.

The specific epithet arcuata may be translated as “ hoop-

like,” which might well be applied to other members of the

genus, due to their unusual habit of branching. Neverthe-

less, the manner in which the branches form arches over the

ground and then penetrate the soil, there to terminate their

growth or produce new aerial branches, is truly remarkable.

The genus as a whole, comprising only six species, is par-

ticularly interesting for the manner in which the tips of the

corolla-lobes are fused together, forming a small cage-like

structure, not found elsewhere in the Stapelieae, but

reminiscent of some species of the Ceropegieae.

Description : — A semi-prostrate succulent whose stems

form arches above ground and penetrate it, either terminating

their growth underground or producing new aerial branches.

Stems 5-7 mm. diam., somewhat obscurely 4-angled, slightly

channelled on each face, with angles rounded and tubercled

by the leaf bases. Flowers in fascicles of 1-5, produced from

the side or under-surface of the branches. Sepals 2 mm. long,

acuminate from a somewhat ovate base. Corolla cupular at

the base, the tube 4 mm. long and 3 mm. diam. across the

mouth, greenish-yellow on the outer surface, dark purple

within, glabrous; lobes 4-5-7 mm. long, 1-5-2 mm. broad at

the base, lanceolate, acuminate. Coronas apparently in one

series, bright yellow, with 5 lobes alternating with the anthers

0-5 mm. long, sometimes 2-toothed (outer corona) and inner

corona-lobes 1 mm. long and about 0-75 mm. broad at the

middle, produced into a linear portion scarcely exceeding the

anthers, kneed on the back below the middle. (Nat. Herb.

Pretoria, No. 25,467.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 774. — Fig. 1, flower showing cage-like structure of lobes; 2, longi-

tudinal section of flower ; 3, coronas.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 75

Plate 775.

EUPHORBIA SEKUKUNIENSIS.

Transvaal.

Euphorbiaceae. Tribe Euphorbieae.

Euphorbia Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. in, p. 258.

Euphorbia sekukuniensis R.A. Dyer, sp. nov., a films E. Evansii Pax,

podariis corneis confluentibus capsulis profunde trilobis differt.

Arbor 2-7 m. alta, succulenta, spinosa, trunco teretiusculo, ramis

numerosis patenti-ascendentibus. Rami usque 1 m. longi, ramulis seg-

ments inconspicuis usque 20 cm. longis, constricti, 4-5 angulati, 1-5-2 cm.

crassi vel juniores nonnunquam 3-angulati, 1-1-5 cm. crassi; anguli leviter

compressi, podariis corneis griseis confluentibus aculeis 5-8 mm. longis

rariter usque 1 cm. longis et ad ramorum constrictos minoribus instructi.

Cyma 1, 2 mm. supra aculeos disposita, perbreviter pedunculata, 3-cyatbia;

pedunculus bibracteatus ; bracteae subquadratae vel late oblongo-ovfCtae,

ciliatae. Cyathium primum masculinum deciduum ; cyathia bisexualia,

perbreviter pedunculata. Involcrum circiter 5 mm. diam., glabrum, 5 lobis

ovatis laceratis et 5 glandulis transverse oblongis 3 mm. latis integris con-

tiguis flavis munitum. Ovarium stipitatum, triangulare. St-yli in columnam

1 mm. longam connati, apice bifidi. Capsula profunde triloba, 8-9 mm.

lata, pedicello circiter 4 mm. longo exserta.

Transvaal : — Lydenburg district ; Kloofs leading from Ironstone and

Schoonoord to the Steelpoort Valley, May, Barnard in Nat. Herb. Pretoria,

25,471; Sept. 25,472; 25,473; 25,474 (type of fruit) ; north of Roos Senekal

near Steelport, van der Merwe in Nat. Herb. Pretoria, 25,475 (type of

epithet) ; without locality record, Ross Frames in Nat. Herb. Pretoria,

25,470.

Information concerning Euphorbia sekukuniensis has been

accumulated at irregular intervals during the past ten years.

In November 1930 Mr. Ross Frames collected a small specimen

which he forwarded to the late Dr. R. Marloth, but the latter

had insufficient data at his disposal on which to identify it

specifically. Mr. W. G. Barnard next drew attention to it in

1935, but it was not until two years later that he secured

flowers and young fruits. It was then decided that it repre-

sented an undescribed species. The figure reproduced here

was, however, prepared from material collected in Lydenburg

district in 1938 by Dr. F. Z. van der Merwe, guided by Mr.

Barnard’s records. The species is recorded only from certain

secluded boulder-studded slopes and krantzes in the native

reserve of Sekukuniland, which constitutes part of the Lyden-

burg district in the Transvaal, hence the choice of the specific

epithet. With regard to the spelling of the name, sekukuni is

considered by experts in the native language to be more

desirable than secocoeni, which is found on some maps.

E. sekukuniensis resembles such species as E. Evansii, E.

grandidens and to a lesser degree E. tetragona. From all of

these it may be distinguished by the conspicuous horny margin

along the angles and the more deeply lobed capsules. All four

agree in the production of secondary branchlets and the

presence of single cymes at the flowering eyes, the 2 lateral

cyathia being disposed in the horizontal plane.

Mr. Barnard states that the latex is used medicinally by

the natives, as also the latex of several other species in that

area. The native name is “ mokgokoatoane.”

Description : — A small tree 2-7 m. high (6-20 ft.) with a crown of

flowering branches with a combined spread of about 2 m. Stem rarely

producing stem-like branches, subcylindric with 8-10 vertical bands of spine

shields representing obsolete angles. Branches up to 1 m. long, ascending-

spreading, slightly constricted at intervals up to 20 cm. long and frequently

rebranched immediately above this portion, obtusely 4-5 angled, 1-5-2 cm.

thick, the branchlets occasionally 3-angled, 1—1 -5 cm. thick; angles armed

with paired spines set on a continuous horny margin ; horny margin

decreasing in width from each pair of spines to the next lower flowering eye.

Spine-pairs 1—1 -5 cm. apart, stout, rigid, 5-8 mm. long, occasionally up to

1 cm. long and much reduced in size on the constrictions. Cymes one from

each flowering eye, very shortly peduncled, 1-2 mm. above the spine pairs,

3 cyathia, one central male cyathium and 2 lateral bisexual cyathia hori-

zontally disposed; cyme branches about 2 mm. long, bibracteate; bracts

subquadrate or broadly oblong-ovate, with few cilia, slightly keeled on back.

Involucre 5 mm. diam. with 5 ovate, lacerate lobes and 5 (rarely 6) glands;

glands contiguous, transversely elliptic-oblong, 2-2-5 mm. broad in their

greater diameter, outer surface suberect, margin entire. Ovary on a pedicel,

acutely triangular, the connective tissue in the cells extended into a fringed

hood over the ovules; styles united at the base into a column 1 mm. long,

with bifid tips 1-5-2 mm. long. Capsule (nearly mature) exserted on a

pedicel about 4 mm. long, deeply trilobed, 8-9 mm. across the angles. —

R. A. Dyer.

Plate 775. — Fig. 1 , cross-section of branch towards base ; 2, cross-

section of branchlet ; 3, cyme ; 4, young bisexual cyathium ; 5, young

ovary on developing pedicel; 6 and 7, young fruit from Barnard in Nat.

Herb. Pretoria, No. 25,474.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 76'

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 776.

MONADENIUM succulentum.

Kenya.

Euphorbiaceae. Tribe Euphorbieae.

Monadenium Pax, in Engl. Bot. Jahrb. vol. xix. 126 (1895).

Monadenium succulentum Schweickerdt in Kew Bull. 1935, p. 274.

It will be noted that the usual practice of illustrating

purely South African plants has been departed from in this

and in several other plates in the present volume. This is the

outcome of the Pole Evans’ Central and East African Expedi-

tion, 1938, when valuable material was collected and for-

warded for cultivation at the Division of Botany and Plant

Pathology, Pretoria. Mr. J. Erens, a member of the Expedi-

tion, collected the plant now under consideration 17 miles

north of Nyeri on the western plains of Mount Kenya growing

under dry conditions in hard gravelly soil.

It was as recently as 1935 that Monadenium succulentum

was described for the first time. The type specimen was

collected by Sir Arthur Hill, Director of the Royal Botanic

Gardens, Kew, while on a tour of inspection in Kenya in 1931.

The description of the plant in Kew Bulletin, 1935, indicates a,

slightly larger plant than ours with thicker branches, but there

are apparently no fundamental points of difference. More-

over, branches from our specimen agree very closely with a

branchlet cut from the type at Kew and kindly donated to the

National Herbarium. Whereas the plant figured here had

branches up to 12 cm. tall, it is stated by the collector that

plants were seen up to 20 cm. tall or more under natural

conditions. Another feature worthy of note is the formation

of the cymes : here only 3 cyathia were produced in a cyme,

but up to 7 have been recorded for the species.

The genus Monadenium consists of somewhat over 20

species, all of which occur in Tropical Africa. Only one of

these, namely M. Lugardae, extends as far south as the

Transvaal. Monadenium is closely allied to the more widely

known genus Euphorbia, and differs from this mainly in the

structure of the involucral gland.

Description : — A succulent plant branched at the base

forming dense clumps. Branches up to 12 cm. tall, 1-T5 cm.

thick, or larger under natural conditions, cylindric, glabrous,

green, tesselate; tessellations up to T2 cm. long, 0-75 cm.

broad, 2-4 mm. prominent, not furnished with prickles near

the petiole or leaf scar. Leaves tufted towards the ends of

the branches, up to 4 cm. long, 1 cm. wide, oblanceolate,

acute, spreading, fleshy, slightly channelled above, rounded

or slightly keeled below, green. Peduncle up to 9 mm. long.

Cymes of 3 cyathia, the central one male, soon withering, the

two lateral ones bisexual, horizontally disposed, shortly

stalked. Bracts peduncle-clasping at the base, about equal

to the involucre in length, glabrous, light green, somewhat

glaucous, with two keels down the back, bilobed at the apex;

lobes ovate, acute. Involucre 6-7 mm. long, 3-5 mm. diam.

furnished with horseshoe-like brown glands and 5 sub-

quadrate fimbriate lobes. Ovary exserted, triangular with

papillae on the angles ; styles 2-5 mm. long, united into a

column 0-5 mm. long at the base; stigmas bifid. (Nat. Herb.

Pretoria, No. 25,134.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 776. — Fig. 1, bract subtending cyme; 2, cyathium ; 3, gynoecium.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

Plate 777.

SCHOTIA BRACHYPETALA.

Natal , Transvaal.

Leguminosae. Tribe Amherstieae.

Schotia Jacq. ; Benth. et Hook. fit. Gen. Plant, vol. i. pt. 2. p. 581.

Schotia brachypetala Sond. in Linnaea vol. xxiii. p. 39 (1850).

This is one of several trees widely known by the common

names “ Boerboon ” or “ Hottentots Bean.” It is known

also in Natal under the name “ Tree Fuchsia.” Before

European colonisation took place at the Cape the aborigines

used to roast and eat the seeds or beans. When the European

settlers arrived they too found the beans of species of Schotia

a valuable source of food. This aspect is gradually being

forgotten and the trees are more and more coming into

prominence as plants of ornamental merit.

Schotia brachypetala presents an exceedingly beautiful

sight when adorned in early spring by a mass of blood-red

flowers. Unlike most ornate flowers, the petals in this are

comparatively short and insignificant, hence the specific name,

and it is in the coloured calyx and stamens that the beauty

lies. Even in the absence of flowers the trees are con-

spicuously decorative and well worthy of cultivation owing to

the attractive foliage. The trees may or may not be com-

pletely deciduous about flowering time, but are seldom with-

out leaves for more than a brief period. The flowers produce

a considerable quantity of nectar, which attracts buds, bees

and other insects.

As a source of timber Sim in his “ Native Timbers of South

Africa,” referring to S. brachypetala , states that it has “ a

pinky-grey sapwood of fair density, and a small, but hard,

distinctly separated, dark walnut or almost black heartwood,”

and that it is “a high-class furniture timber, of which, how-

ever, the available quantity is small.”

In open bush and on krantzes, S. bracliypetala grows into

a symmetrical tree 15-30 ft. high, usually with spreading

curved branches, and under forest conditions it is recorded

up to a height of 40 feet or more. It extends in its distri-

bution from the southern portion of Natal into the northern

Transvaal on the Zoutpansberg.

The tree from which the twig illustrated here was cut was

grown from seed by Mr. J. Leslie Smith of Pietermaritzburg,

who collected the seed on the farm “ Vaalkrans ” about 12

miles from Colenso towards Weenen, Natal. Planted nearly

15 years ago, the tree is now about 15 feet tall. This is the

first coloured plate of the species, but three uncoloured figures

have been published previously, the first being in Harvey’s

“ Thesaurus Capensis ” in 1859.

Description : — A small or large tree, 5-10 m. (15-45 ft.) high with a

trunk 15^15 cm. (6-18 ins.) in diameter. Leaves compound, paripinnate,

up to about 16 cm. long and 8 cm. wide, drooping, especially when young;

stipules small, soon deciduous; petiole 2-3 cm. long; rhachis channelled,

sometimes slightly winged and glandular, glabrous or tomentulose, with

4-5 pairs of opposite leaflets; leaflets mostly 4-6 cm. long, 2-3-5 cm. broad,

oblong, ovate-oblong or elliptic, the basal pair the smallest, light green

when young and becoming glossy when mature ; petiolule 2 mm. long ;

apex rounded or emarginate, mucronulate ; base oblique. Panicles axillary

or terminal or produced from old branches. Flowers pedicellate ; calyx-

tube conical, lobes about 1 cm. long, crimson ; petals minute, one somewhat

larger than the others, linear, hidden under the calyx-lobes ; stamens

monadelphous, crimson. Ovary on a long stipe. Legume 5-10 cm. long,

3-5 cm. wide, compressed. (Nat. Herb. Pretoria, No. 24,541.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 777. — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of flower; 2, section showing

petals.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

77 S

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 778.

EUPHORBIA pseudocactus.

Natal.

Euphorbiaceae. Tribe Euphorbieae.

Euphorbia L. ; Benth. et Hook. fit. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 258.

Euphorbia pseudocactus Berger, Sukk. Euphorb. 78 (1907).

The original description of this species appeared in Berger’s

publication “ Sukkulente Euphorbien 1907. Berger had as

his type a specimen cultivated in a cool house on the Riviera.

Nothing was known of its origin and he compared it with the

Arabian species E. cactus Ehrenb., which occurs also in

Eritrea. This suggested affinity naturally led one to expect

that E. pseudo cactus would eventually be found growing wild

in the same geographical region as E. cactus, and the possi-

bility of its occurring in South Africa did not present itself to

N. E. Brown, who omitted it entirely from his revision of the

genus for “ Flora Capensis,” vol. V, pt. 2 (1915). The most

noteworthy specific character mentioned by Berger is the

V-shaped markings of the branches. To our knowledge the

first collection of plants in the wild state agreeing with Berger’s

description, and with cuttings under the name E. pseudocactus

in cultivation, was that made in 1927 by Dr. A. P. D. McClean

in Muden Valley, Natal. The specimens were submitted to

the present writer, then stationed in Grahamstown. It has

since been ascertained that Dr. I. B. Pole Evans photographed

similar plants in this area in July 1916, without, however,

preserving specimens. Consultation with several workers

has led to the conclusion that there remains little doubt that

Berger’s type plant must have been collected originally in the

Tugela River Valley, not far from Muden.

In addition to the typical plants with the greenish-yellow

markings on the branches, there is indiscriminately scattered

among them in the field a form similar in habit but without

these characteristic markings. Had one not personally

examined some of these plants in their natural habitat one

might have been persuaded that a specific difference exists,

but no evidence in support of this was obtained. Specimens of

typical E. pseudocactus have been collected on several occasions

during the past few years, and the one figured here was for-

warded to the National Herbarium by Dr. F. Z. van der Merwe.

Another of Berger’s unlocalised species is E. Franckiana.

Although it probably originated from South Africa it is less

readily localised than E. pseudocactus, since it has no dis-

tinctive coloration on the branches, nor apparently any other

characteristic feature by which to identify it. It agrees fairly

well with some specimens of the unmarked form of E. pseudo-

cactus, but even better with some plants in the Uitenhage and

Albany districts of the Cape Province referred to by Lotsy

and Goddijn under the collective name E. bothae. The

apparent similarity of E. Franckiana with the two groups of

plants mentioned above opens up a wide field of argument,

into which we shall not enter here.

Description : — A succulent spiny shrub with main stem suppressed or

very shortly produced above ground, giving rise to many suberect branches

or the older branches spreading and ascending, some of which have a few

secondary branches, eventually producing clumps up to 1 m. high and 2 m.

in diameter. Branches 4-5 angled, occasionally only 3 angled, irregularly

constricted into segments according to annual growth ; segments 2-15 cm.

long (up to 17 cm. long in cultivation), usually broadest below the middle

and there 2-5-4-5 cm. broad, grooved or nearly flat between the angles

(grooves deepest in the 5 angled branches, dark or light green), the more

common form with yellowish-green V-shaped markings radiating from the

grooves or some plants without this ; angles irregularly sinuate-tuberculate,

otherwise straight or rarely twisted ; spine-shields united into a continuous

horny margin along the angles. Spines more or less than 1 cm. long, 1—1-5

cm. apart, moderately stout, smallest at the constrictions of the branches,

brown soon becoming grey. Cymes 1-3 at each flowering-eye about half

way or lower between the spine pairs, each cyme on a short peduncle pro-

ducing one central male cyathium and two lateral bisexual cyathia vertically

disposed, sessile at first but developing peduncle up to 2-5 mm. long with

age ; peduncle about 2 mm. long with 2 broadly ovate bracts. Involucre

cup-shaped, 6-7 mm. in diam. with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate lobes ; glands

transversely oblong, about 3 mm. in their greater diameter, entire, glabrous,

yellow. Ovary subsessile, obtusely 3-angled (becoming subacute with age)

connective tissue with ovule hood-shaped ; ovule subglobose ; styles about

3 mm. long, united into a column below the middle, free portion grooved on

the upper surface, bifid. (Nat. Herb. Pretoria, No. 25,489.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 778. — Fig. 1, cyme with central male cyathium and two }Toung

bisexual cyathia vertically disposed ; 2, cyme side view ; 3, gvnoecium.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 79

M-E. C oimell del.

Plate 779.

PELARGONIUM acraeum.

Transvaal.

Gerantaceae. Tribe Pelajrgonieae.

Pelargonium L’Herit. ; Benth. et Hook. fil. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 273.

Pelargonium acraeum R. A. Dyer sp. nov. affine P. zonali L. et P.

inquinanti L. ab illo foliis baud zonatis petalis latioribus sepabs brevioribus,

ab hoc florum colore fobis minus pubescentibus plus lobatis differt.

Herba suffrutescens, sparse ramosa, ramis plus minusve scandentibus,

1 m. vel rariter usque 2 m. alta. Caules carnosulo-sublignosi, teretes,

pubescentes, pilis brevibus et longioribus instructi. Folia reniformi-orbi-

culata, basi cordata, 5-lobata, 6-7 cm. lata, infra satis pubescentia supra

subglabrescentia lobis crenatis vel crenato-lobulatis, bracteis ovato-oblongis

vel ovato-lanceolatis usque 1 cm. longis. Pedunculi 9-14 cm. longi, pube-

scentes, pilis brevibus glandulosis et eglandulosis et longis eglandulosis

instructi, plus minusve 15-flori, bracteis 6-8, stipulis similibus. Flores

pedicellati, pedicellis 3-3-5 cm. longis calycis calcare tenui basin versus eis

adnato. Sepala lineari-oblonga vel oblongo-lanceolata circiter 1 cm. longa,

acuta. Petala subaequalia, obovata vel obovato-cuneata, apice rotundata,

1-5 cm. longa, 3 inferiora 9-10 mm. lata, 2 superiora 7-5-8 mm. lata, dilute

rosea. Stamina 10, antheris fertilibus 7. Ovarium dense villosum.

Transvaal : Lydenburg district ; Sekukuniland, on krantzes of the

Lulu Mountains, Nov., 6000 ft., Barnard in Nat. Herb. Pretoria, 25,483;

5000 ft., June, 25,484; Sept., 25,485; Mogg in Nat. Herb. Pretoria, 25,486

(type) ; near Waterval Boven, mountain slope, July, van der Merwe in Nat.

Herb. Pretoria, 25,487.

The two species P. zonale and P. inquinans mentioned in

the Latin diagnosis as being the closest affinities of the plant

described here, were among the first members of the genus

Pelargonium introduced into European gardens from the Cape.

They are the parent plants of innumerable garden hybrids, some

of which are still greatly favoured as “ bedding plants ” under

the name Geranium, a name to which they are not entitled in

a botanical sense. P. acraeum described here for the first time,

nearly 200 years later than the other two species mentioned,

may actually be an older botanical form, or in other words

may be the ancestral stock from which the two Cape species

were evolved. As in the case of many species in the genus

Pelargonium, P. acraeum shows variability in the size,

indumentum and texture of the leaves.

There have been recorded from the Cape Province and

Natal other closely related species and varietal forms of

P. zonale and P. inquinans. Since the latter two species are

known to occur in fairly close proximity in some parts of the

eastern Cape Province it is not unlikely that natural hybridisa-

tion has taken place. To say that this group, like so many

others, requires intensive study in the field is to use an

expression which becomes monotonous by constant repetition,

but the limitations of our present knowledge should not be

disguised.

The specimen from which our illustration was prepared

was collected by Mr. A. O. D. Mogg on the Lulu Mountains of

Sekukuniland in the Transvaal. Plants had been collected

previously in this area by Mr. W. G. Barnard during the

course of his research into the native uses of the indigenous

flora of that area. The species has been recorded further

south in the Transvaal, near Waterval Boven, and may even

extend into Natal. The specific epithet means “ dweller on

the heights.”

Description : — A scandent half shrub a metre or occasionally up to

2 m. in height, the flowering branches being 4-6 mm. thick, pubescent with

hairs of variable length ; the middle internodes averaging 4—5 cm. long.

Leaves reniform-orbicular, cordate at the base, 6-7 cm. broad, 4-5-5 cm.

from the petiole attachment to the apex, pubescent below, sparsely pubescent

or glabrescent above without zonal marking, 5-lobed ; the lobes often tri-

lobulate and irregularly crenate or crenate-dentate ; petiole 3-6 cm. long ;

stipules ovate, ovate-oblong or ovate-lanceolate, up to 1 cm. long. Peduncle

9-14 cm. long, pubescent with long simple hairs and short glandular or

eglandular hairs, about 15 flowered; bracts 6-8, similar to the stipules.

Flowers pedicellate ; the pedicels 3-3-5 cm. long, united with the calyx-spur

nearly throughout its length, glandular-pubescent with hairs of varying

lengths. Sepals linear-oblong or oblong-lanceolate, about 1 cm. long, acute,

with few long simple hairs and densely covered with short glandular hairs.

Petals subequal, obovate or obovate-cuneate, rounded at the apex, 1-5 cm.

long, the 3 lower ones 9-10 mm. broad, the 2 upper ones 7-5-8 mm. broad,

mauvish-pink (mallow pink R.C.S.). Stamens 10, 7 fertile. Ovary densely

villous. — R. A. Dyer.

3

Plate 779. — Fig. 1, pedicel and calyx;

, ovary.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

2, staminal tube opened out ;

750

M-E. Connell del.

Plate 780.

PELARGONIUM bechuanicum var. latisectum.

Transvaal.

Geraniaceae. Tribe Pelargonieae.

Pelargonium L’Herit. ; Benth. et Hook. fit. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 273.

Pelargonium bechuanicum Burtt Davy var. latisectum Burtt Davy

FI. PI. & Ferns of Transv. pt. 1. p. 48 (1926).

Pelargonium bechuanicum and the variety latisectum were

described by Burtt Davy in 1926 in his “ Manual of the

Flowering Plants and Ferns of the Transvaal.” In this

publication the author pointed out that the closest ally was

P. dolomiticum, another species from the Transvaal in the

Marico district. An authentically named specimen of the

latter is not represented in the National Herbarium for com-

parison, but the most obvious difference according to the

description, though possibly not the most important, is the

size of the leaves, those of P. dolomiticum being much smaller.

In his description of P. bechuanicum, Burtt Davy states that

the branches are angled, but in the living plant described here

the branches are round, and only become angled on drying.

It must be remembered, however, that Burtt Davy had only

herbarium specimens from which to describe.

The plant figured here was collected by Mr. J. Erens near

Wonderboompoort, near Pretoria, which is the type locality

of the variety. It was growing there in leafmould between

rocks on the hillside, and flowered freely in October 1939 after

being transferred to the garden of the Division of Botany and

Plant Pathology.

Although P. bechuanicum is not as attractive as many

other species in the genus owing to the small size of the flowers,

there is some compensation in the profuseness of its flowering,

which suggests that it may meet with a measure of success in

horticulture as a member of a mixed herbaceous border.

Description : — A perennial herb up to about 45 cm. tall,

freely branched from the base, more or less canescent with

short hairs or with some longer hairs intermixed, and in

addition furnished with some short glandular hairs towards

the inflorescence. Branches at length becoming somewhat

woody at the base, terete, about 5 mm. diam., flexuous.

Leaves (basal ones), including the petiole, up to 20 cm. long

or more, bipinnate or subbipinnate ; petiole 8-10 cm. long

or more; pinnae distant with petiolules up to 5 cm. long or

longer ; pinnules deeply and irregularly lobed. Stipules

broadly ovate, less than 5 mm. long. Peduncles at first sub-

erect, spreading later and eventually becoming almost at

right angles to the main axis, 5-10 cm. long with glandular

and eglandular hairs mixed, 3-5-flowered ; bracts sub-

orbicular to broadly ovate, with or without cilia; pedicels

10-12 cm. long, the fused calyx-spur extending 2-5 mm. from

the base, glandular-pubescent. Sepals about 7 mm. long,

oblong, the outer ones up to 3-5 mm. broad and with up to

5 green keels, the inner ones narrower and occasionally with

only 1 keel, glandular. Petals 4, red-veined towards the

basal constriction, the upper two with a suberect, recurved,

oblong terminal portion 1 cm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, the basal

portion with incurved sides about 5 mm. long ; the lower two

broader and shorter and the margin of the lower portion

markedly inflexed. Stamens 7 fertile. Fruit 3-3-5 cm. long,

pilose; "the beak somewhat under 3 cm. long. (Nat. Herb.

Pretoria, No. 25,482.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 780. — Fig. 1, pedicel and calyx; 2, staminal tube opened out;

3, young fruit.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

767

M.E. ConnelL del.

Plate 781.

ALOE SOLAIANA.

Kenya.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe solaiana Christian, sp. nov., in sectione Saponariae Berg. A.

Menyharthii Bak. affinis, sed foliis utrinque maculatis, racemis cylindricis,

colori perigonii, segmentis brevioribusque differt.

Planta succulenta, acaulis. Folia viridia, ca. 12-14, rosulata, patentia

usque erecto-patentia, 30 cm. longa, 10 cm. lata, e basi sensim acuminata,

supra concava, subtus convexa, utrinque maculis albis oblongis subfasciatim

picta, margines linea rubra cartilaginea cincta, dentibus rubro-brunneis

deltoideis patentibus, 3-4 mm. longis et 10-18 mm. inter se distantibus

armata. Inflorescentia paniculato-ramosa, usque 1 m. alta. Pedunculus

validus, infra medium ramosus. Rami arcuato-erecti, prorata validi, parce

vacuo bracteati. Racemi densi, cylindrici, 9 cm. longi, 7 cm. diam. ; bracteae

lineari-acuminatae, 10 mm. longae. Pedicelli 15 mm. longi, superiores

breviores. Perianthium coccineum, 30 mm. longum, circa ovarium inflatum

9 mm. diam., supra ovarium constrictum, deindi ampliatum usque 8 mm.

diam. et faucem versus contractum, le viter decurvatum ; segmenta exteriora

per 8 mm. libera, apice subacuta; segmenta interiora apice subobtusa.

Filamenta inclusa. Ovarium 8 mm. longum, 3-5 mm. diam. Capsula 25

mm. longa, 18 mm. diam., ellipsoidea.

Kenya Colony : — Solai Station, Lake Solai, east of the Meninqai

Crater, at foot of the Sebukia Hill, Pole Evans and Evens in National

Herbarium 25,157.

This striking-looking aloe, with its robust inflorescence

and scarlet flowers, was collected by the Pole Evans Central

and East African Expedition 1938. Specimens were planted

and flowered at the Division of Botany and Plant Pathology,

Pretoria, in August 1939, and it was from these specimens

that our illustration was made. Owing to its habit of sending

up 3-4 inflorescences in succession from the same rosette, this

species remains in flower for a longer period than is usual for

most species in the genus.

Description : — An acaulescent succulent. Leaves 12-14,

densely rosulate, with the older spreading and the younger

erect-spreading, 30 cm. long, np to 10 cm. broad at the base,

gradually narrowing from the base upwards, with the tips

usually withered and often curled in a spiral fashion, flatfish

on the upper surface, slightly convex on the back, obscurely

lineate and with oblong whitish spots in irregular transverse

bands on the upper surface, striate and more sparsely

obscurely spotted on the lower surface; margins with a

reddish cartilaginous border armed with dark reddish-brown

spreading teeth; teeth 3-4 mm. long, irregularly disposed,

10-18 mm. apart, with the interspaces straight. Inflorescence

a branched panicle, 3-4 in succession from the same rosette,

up to 1 m. high, branched from below the middle. Peduncle

stout, 4 cm. diameter, either bi-con vex or flattened on one

face low down. Branches about 7, stout, arcuate-erect;

the lower up to 46 cm. long, sub-branched ; all branches with

a few linear bracts. Racemes dense, 9 cm. long, 7 cm.

diameter, cylindric, rounded on the top, with the buds erect

or erect-spreading and the mature flowers pendulous; buds

in immature racemes green. Floral bracts 10 mm. long,

linear, acuminate. Pedicels 15 mm. long, erect-spreading and

cernuous on lower portion of raceme, shorter and more erect

on the upper portion. Perianth scarlet (R.C.S. PI. I), 30 mm.

long, 9 mm. diameter over the ovary, sharply constricted to

5 mm. diameter above the ovary, then widened again to 8

mm. diameter and contracted towards the throat, slightly

decurved, flat at the base; outer segments scarlet, slightly

darker towards the tips, free for 8 mm., hardly spreading,

subacute; inner segments slightly spreading, dorsifixed to

the outer, subobtuse. Filaments pale yellow, included ;

anthers maroon. Ovary green, 8 mm. long, 2-5 mm. diameter;

style yellow, at length slightly exserted. Capsule 25 mm.

long, i8 mm. diameter, ellipsoid. — H. Basil Christian.

Plate 781. — Fig. 1, median longitudinal section of a flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

782

M E. Cornell del.

Plate 782.

ALOE Pole-Evansii.

Kenya.

Liliaoeae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hoolc. /. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe Pole-Evansii Christian sp. nov. in sectione Prolongatae. A. Bussei

Berg, affinis, sed foliis ad margines haud linea cartilaginea cinta, racemis

laxioribus, bracteis minoribusque differt.

Planta succulenta, tandem fruticosa, usque T6 m. attingens; caulis

superne foliatus, basi soboliferus. Folia rosulata, suberecta, vaginae

strialulata, 26-34 cm. longa, 5 cm. lata, lanceolata, acuminata, viridia,

immaculata, supra concava, subtus convexa, ad margines dentibus del-

toideis, rubro-brunneis, 3 mm. longis et 11-13 mm. distantibus armata,

interstitiis rectis. Inflorescentia usque 60 cm. alta, supra medium ramosa.

Pedunculus brunneus, basin versus lateraliter compressus. Rami 3, arcuato-

erecti. Racemus laxus, floribus 16-20, cylindrico-acuminatus, 16 cm. longus,

lateralibus brevioribus. Bradeae florum 5 mm. longae, scariosae. Pedicelli

erecti, 12 mm. longi. Perianthium rubrum, nervis brunneis, 3-2 cm.

longum, 8 mm. diam., basi breviter stipitato-angustatum, cylindricum,

rectum, medium versus laevissime constrictum ; segmenta exteriora per 12

mm. libera, 5-nervata, apice recta, subacuta; segmenta interiora pallidiora,

3-nervata, per 20 mm. dorsifixa, apice recta, obtusiora; stamina inclusa;

antherae paullum exsertae. Ovarium 7-5 mm. longum, 3 mm. diam. ;

stylus exsertus.

Kenya Colony : — Kisumu, 2,500-3,000 ft. alt., Pole Evans and Evens

1650 and in National Herbarium 25,603.

It is a great privilege to be able to name this aloe in honour

of Dr. I. B. Pole Evans, C.M.G., who did so much to stimulate

interest in the genus, and who was responsible for bringing

together the fine collection of living aloes at the present

Division of Botany and Plant Pathology in Pretoria.

The figure represents a young plant that flowered in the

gardens at the Division for the first time in October-November

1939. It was collected by Mr. J. Erens on the Pole Evans

Central and East African Expedition, about six miles from

Kisumu, in August 1938, on red loam among rocks. Mr.

Erens states that the plants grow into bushes up to 5 ft. in

height and are used by the natives for demarcating their

fields.

Description : — A succulent caulescent plant suckering

from the base, becoming bushy and up to 1-5 m. high. Leaves

green, immaculate, rarely with a few distinct spots, 26-34

cm. long, 5 cm. broad below, lanceolate, acuminate, acute,

clasping the stem at the base and forming a distinct cup,

slightly convex on the back, slightly concave on the face;

young leaves from suckers distinctly spotted ; cup-like basal

portion distinctly nerved; margins toothed, with the teeth

brown and 2 mm. long and 1*1-1 *3 cm. apart, closer together

towards the base, with the interspaces straight. Inflorescence

branched from about the middle with 3 arcuate-erect branches,

the older plants with up to 6 branches, up to 60 cm. long.

Peduncle brown, laterally compressed low down, sub-terete

above. Bracts subtending lowest branch 1 cm. long, absent

on lateral branches; bracts on terminal branch 2, scarious,

5 mm. long, deltoid. Raceme in young plants lax, 16-20-

flowered, 16 cm. long, in older plants denser, cylindric,

acuminate; the two lateral racemes shorter; mature flowers

pendulous. Floral-bracts scarious, 5 mm. long, deltoid,

indistinctly nerved. Pedicels 1-2 cm. long, ascending, those

of mature flowers cernuous. Perianth darkish red with

brown nerves running through to the base, 3-2 cm. long, 8 mm.

diameter, cylindric, straight, very slightly constricted towards

the middle, shortly and narrowly stipitate at the base ;

outer segments free for 1*2 cm., 5 nerved, sub-acute and

straight at the apex ; inner segments yellowish-white, with a

3-nerved brown keel, dorsifixed to the outer for 2 cm., sub-

obtuse and straight at the apex. Stamens as long as the

perianth; anthers just exserted. Ovary green, 7-5 mm. long,

3 mm. diameter, oblong in outline; style slightly exserted;

stigma hairy. — H. Basil Christian.

Plate 782. — Fig. 1, cross-section of leaf; 2, median longitudinal section

of flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 83

C . L etty del.

Plate 783.

KNIPHOFIA Galpinii.

Transvaal.

Liliaceae. Tribe Hemerocalleae.

Kniphoeia Moench. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 775.

Kniphofia Galpinii Baker in FI. Cap. vol. 6 p. 281.

We previously figured (Pis. 47, 340) two species of

Kniphofia, and through the courtesy of Dr. F. Z. van der

Merwe have been able to illustrate a third species of this

characteristic South African genus. The particular specimen

illustrated was found by him on the Mauchberg, near Sabie

in the eastern Transvaal, in March 1936. Dr. E. E. Galpin

first collected the species in the year 1891 on damp mountain

slopes at Upper Moodies in the Barberton district. Dr.

Galpin describes the flowers as flame colour, but in another

specimen (Galpin 13717) he collected on the eastern slopes

of Mt. Anderson, in the Lydenburg district, he describes the

upper flowers as red and the lower as yellow. Another

specimen (Liebenberg 3116) in the National Herbarium,

collected by Mr. L. C. C. Liebenberg on the slopes of Amajuba

Mt., Schagen, Nelspruit district, was found growing on the

banks of mountain streams. The species is one that in its

native habitat is always found in damp or wet places. Like

so many other species of the genus which are easily cultivated

provided they have sufficient water, K. Galpinii is a note-

worthy addition to horticulture. Nearly all species of

Kniphofia in cultivation stand a fair amount of frost.

Description : — Acaulescent. Leaves uniformly dark

green, all arising from the base, up to 41 cm. long, 4-6 mm.

broad below, gradually narrowing above, acutely 3-angled in

cross-section, keeled on the back, channelled above, much

broadened membranous and clasping at the base, with smooth

margins. Peduncle 36-40 cm. long, 5-6 mm. in diameter,

terete, naked except for 1-2 bracts near the inflorescence.

Bracts up to 1*5 cm. long, ovate, long-acuminate. In-

florescence 7 cm. long. Flowers all strongly reflexed. Bracts

6 mm. long, oblong, acuminate, reflexed. Pedicel 2 mm.

long, curved. Perianth 2-7 cm. long, 5 mm. in diameter

above, gradually narrowing below, somewhat obliquely swollen

below, with 6 ridges ; lobes 3 mm. long, 2 mm. broad, ovate,

obtuse. Filaments and anthers exserted; filaments becoming

spirally coiled and withdrawn into the perianth; anthers

black, 1-5 mm. long. Ovary 2 mm. long, ellipsoid; style 2-6

cm. long, terete, stigma simple. (National Herbarium,

Pretoria, No. 21,057.) — E. P. Phillips.

Plate 783. — Fig. 1, median longitudinal section of a flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

784

C.Letty del.

Plate 784.

KNIPHOFIA SARMENTOSA.

Cape Province, Natal, Basutoland.

Liliaceae. Tribe Hemerocalleae.

Kniphofia Moench. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 775.

Kniphofia sarmentosa Kunth, Enum. iv. 552 ; FI. Cap. vol. vi. p. 282.

The species of Kniphofia figured on the accompanying

Plate is one of the earliest species of the genus known in

European gardens. In the year 1797 a coloured plate was

published in Andrews’ “ Botanist’s Repository ” (Pl. 54),

prepared from a plant introduced from the Cape of Good

Hope about the year 1789; seven years later a coloured

illustration of the species appeared in the “ Botanical

Magazine ” (t. 744). Kniphofia sarmentosa may be grown in

the open, and with suitable precautions it can survive a

considerable degree of frost.

The specimen we illustrate was collected by Dr. I. B. Pole

Evans, C.M.G., at Umkomaas, Natal, and grown in Pretoria

where it flowered in April 1935.

Description : — Acaulescent. Leaves up to 90 cm. long,

3 ’8 cm. broad at the base, gradually narrowing upwards,

keeled on the back, with small cartilaginous teeth on the

margins. Peduncles several from a plant, 1*5 m. high, 1*2

cm. diameter, with linear bracts up to 2 cm. long from an

ovate base. Inflorescence dense, 11-13 cm. long, about 5 cm.

diameter, without flowers at the tip. Floivers all refiexed,

maturing from the base upwards. Perianth of mature basal

flowers 2-5 cm. long; of apical buds 1 cm. long; unopened

flowers somewhat club-shaped; lobes 3 mm. long, 3 mm.

broad, ovate, obtuse. Pedicel 2 mm. long. Floral-bracts 5

mm. long, 2 mm, broad at the base. Filaments 3-2 cm. long,

linear; anthers 1-75 mm. long, oblong. Ovary 3 mm. long,

ovoid; style 2*5 cm. long, terete; stigma simple. (National

Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 20,149.) — E. P. Phillips.

Plate 784: — Fig. 1, median longitudinal section of flower; 2, cross-

section of leaf showing keel and toothed margins ; 3, portion of leaf-margin

showing the small teeth.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

78.5

M. e,. Connell del.

Plate 785.

ALOE MKETIENSIS.

Tanganyika Territory.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe mketiensis Christian, sp. nov. in sectione Leptoaloe Berg. A.

Nuttii Bak. affinis sed foliis basi vix dilitatis, maculis majoribus numerosiori-

busque, haud spinulescentibus, coloribus formisque florae, segmentis liberis

differt.

Planta succulenta caespitosa. Caules ca. 10 cm. longi, 6 mm. diam.,

superne vaginis exsiccatis tecti. Folia viridia, rosulata, erecto-patentia,

usque 40 cm. longa, basi 2-5-3-5 cm. lata, linearia, sensim acuminata, infra,

medium maculis paucis picta, tempore arido canaliculata, subtus albo-

maculata, rotundata, ad margines denticulis albis crebribus ciliata. Ir. ■

florescentia simplex, usque 87 cm. alta. Bracteae vacuae, 18-20 mm. longae,

15 mm. latae, ovato-acuminatae, carnosulae, multi-nervatae. Racemus

densus, conico-cylindricus, 15 cm. longus, 8 mm. diam. Bracteae 20 mm.

longae, 15 mm. latae, ovato-acuminatae, multi-nervatae, pedicellos amplee-

tentes. Pedicelli 22 mm. longi. Perianthium luteo-salmoneum, apice

viridulum, haud stipitatum, rectum, 30 mm. longum, 7 mm. diam., medium

versus leviter constrictum, hinc ampliatum ad 8 mm. diam., et faucem

versus constrictum; segmenta libera. Stanima inclusa. Ovarium 8 mm.

longum, leviter acuminatum ; stylus breviter exsertus.

Tanganyika Territory : — Mketi, Sao Highlands, Pole Evans and

Evens in National Herbarium 24,803.

This species was first collected by the Pole Evans Central

and East African Expedition in September 1938 north of

Mketi on the road to Iringa, and was found growing in red

sandy soil. Plants were grown at the Division of Botany and

Plant Pathology, Pretoria, where they flowered in May 1939,

and onr plate was prepared from these specimens. The

species is easily distinguished from A. Nuttii, its nearest ally,

by the shape of the flowers which are slightly constricted

towards the middle, then again becoming slightly broader

than they are over the ovary, and by the perianth-segments

which are free to the base. In A. Nuttii the flowers are

cylindric, straight and slightly acuminate, with the outer

perianth-segments as long as the tube or sometimes even

shorter.

Description : — A caespitose succulent in the section

Leptoaloe Berger. Stems about 10 cm. long, 6 mm. diameter,

covered in the upper portion with the old membranous leaf-

bases. Leaves multifarious, erect-spreading, up to 40 cm.

long, 2*5-3 cm. broad at the base, narrower above, linear,

gradually acuminate, deeply channelled in the dry season,

with the margins becoming involute, sparsely spotted with

whitish lenticular spots in the lower half of the upper surface,

rounded and more profusely spotted on the under surface;

margins with a translucent whitish cartilaginous border,

toothed ; teeth white 1 mm. long, closely set towards the base,

smaller and more distant above, obsolete towards the tip.

Inflorescence simple, 37 cm. high. Peduncle flattish on one

face below, terete above, 7 mm. diameter, with about 9 sterile

bracts. Bracts somewhat fleshy, with a pinkish tinge, 18-20

mm. long, 15 mm. broad at the base, ovate, acute, many-

nerved. Racemes dense, conico-cylindric, 15 cm. long, 8 cm.

diameter ; buds erect, covered by the imbricate bracts ;

mature flowers pendulous. Floral-bracts 22 mm. long, 14

mm. broad, ovate, acute, many-nerved, clasping the pedicels.

Pedicels 22 mm. long. Perianth yellowish to yellowish-

salmon, shading to greenish at the apex, 30 mm. long, 7 mm.

diameter over the ovary, very slightly constricted towards

the middle and widened again to 8 mm. diameter and con-

tracted towards the mouth, cylindric, straight, not stipitate

obscurely many-nerved; outer segments free, straight, sub-

acute, 8-9-nerved ; inner segments free, yellowish-white,

shading to green above, with 3 orange coloured nerves running

through to the base, straight, obtuse. Stamens pale yellowish,

as long as the perianth; anthers orange. Ovary green,

8 mm. long, 3 mm. diameter, slightly acuminate ; style wiiite,

shortly exserted. — H. Basil Christian.

Plate 785. — Fig. 1, median longitudinal section of a flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

78 6

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 786.

OEDERA hirta.

Cape Province.

Compositae. Tribe Anthemideae.

Oedera Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 418.

Oedera hirta Thunb. FI. Cap. ed Schultes p. 725 ; FI. Cap. vol. 3, p. 135.

The species we figure on the accompanying Plate represents

one of those rare and interesting examples that have been

lost to botanical science sometimes for more than a century.

Several such species have been discovered in recent years,

especially on the less-frequented mountains of the Cape

Province. The species was first collected by Dr. Carl Thun-

berg before the year 1800, and a little later by the two

botanical collectors Ecklon and Zeyher. It was described by

Thunberg and the description published in the year 1823.

We have no record of the species being collected for over one

hundred years until it was found by Mr. T. P. Stokoe on the

Witzenberg mountains near the Great Winterhoek at an

altitude of 3,500 feet above sea level. Mr. Stokoe states

that he also found the species in April 1939, but not in flower,

when climbing with General J. C. Smuts on the Schoonzicht,

and again in May 1939 on the Wemmershoek Tafelberg.

The flowering specimens illustrated were collected by Mr.

Stokoe in September 1939.

The genus Oedera consists of four species, all recorded

from the Cape Province and is characterised by having

several heads enclosed within a common involucre so that at

first sight the inflorescence appears to be a single head.

Description : — A shrub. Branchlets about 7 mm.

diameter, hidden by leaf bases. Leaves crowded, somewhat

rigid, 1-1-2 cm. broad, with the leaves below the inflorescence

slightly larger, lanceolate, subobtuse, partly decurrent on

the branchlets with the midrib distinct beneath, slightly

/

keeled beneath on the upper portion, densely glandular on

both surfaces, glandular-ciliate on the margins. Heads several,

crowded within a common sessile bracteate inflorescence which

is 4-4-5 cm. in diameter and surrounded by the upper leaves.

Bays of common involucre female ; tube 4 mm. long, cylindric,

glandular; limb 1-2 cm. long, 3-5 mm. broad, oblong, irregu-

larly 3-lobed at the apex (more rarely 2-lobed or entire),

with one or more of the sinuses produced into a short spur-like

body at the back of the limb. Style-branches not infrequently

3, usually 2, linear, exserted from the tube. Involucral-

bracts of individual heads free, 8 mm. long, 0-75 mm. broad,

linear, somewhat lacerated on the upper margins, sparsely

glandular. Ray-florets of individual heads female. Corolla-

tube 4-5 mm. long, cylindric, glandular-hairy; limb 2-5 mm.

long, 1 mm. broad, linear-oblong, entire. Ovary 3 mm. long,

linear in outline; style-lobes almost reaching the top of the

limb. Pappus of free unequal scales 1-3 mm. long. Disc-

floret bisexual. Corolla-tube cylindric, 4 mm. long and 0-5

mm. diameter below, glandular, then becoming campanulate

and 2 mm. long and 1-25 mm. diameter in the campanulate

portion. Anthers obtuse at the base. Ovary 4 mm. long,

cylindric, glabrous; style-lobes obtuse. Pappus of irregular

free paleae 1-5 mm. long. (National Herbarium, Pretoria, No.

25,469.) — E. P. Phillips.

Plate 786. — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of common head; 2, a ray

floret of the common head ; 3, a single head showing the involucral-bracts ;

4, a ray floret ; 5, a disc floret.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

'• /»

78 7

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 787.

HYPERICUM LEUCOPTYCHODES.*

Cape Province, Transvaal, Natal, Rhodesia.

Hyperioaceae. Tribe Hypeeiceae.

Hypericum Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. i. pt. 1, p. 165.

Hypericum leucoptychod.es 8 tend, ex Rich, in Tent. FI. Abyss. 1, 96 (1847).

The South African species of Hypericum have recently-

been monographed by Mr. H. C. Bredell, M.Sc. (Bothalia

vol. 3, p. 572), who described seven species occurring in the

Union. The genus is an important one in the north temperate

hemisphere, where close on three hundred and fifty species

have been described.

The particular specimen we figure is growing in the “ wild

flower ” garden at the foot of the Union Buildings, Pretoria.

It grows to a shrub 5-8 ft. high, with many stems from the

base that are gracefully drooping, and with the large yellow

flowers massed at the ends of the branches. When in full

bloom it makes an extremely ornamental object. In the

veld the species is usually found on the edge of the forests,

and is common in such habitats from Griqualand East to the

north-eastern Transvaal. It is commonly known as the

“ forest primrose ”.

* The name used here for this species is in accordance with Good’s

classification (Journ. Bot. 65 : 330 (1927), and Bredell’s revision (Bothalia

3 : 571). For the Flora of West Tropical Africa, however, I looked carefully

into the question and found myself unable to distinguish the widely- spread

continental plant (ranging from the Cameroons Mt. and Abyssinia south to

the eastern Cape Province) from that of the Comoro Islands and Bourbon,

accepted by all other botanists as H. lanceolatum Lam. The difference in

the size of the leaves relied upon by Good breaks down in the large series of

specimens now available. I do not consider the species to be different and

think the abandonment of the name H. lancelatum Lam. is scarcely justified.

A similar wide range of distribution is not uncommon, for example such as

Harungana madagascariensis Lam. (Hypericaceae) and Agauria salicifolia

Hook. f. ex Oliv. (Ericaceae). — J. Hutchinson.

Description : — A shrub 5-8 ft. high, branching from the

base. Branches dark brown, up to 5 mm. diameter, glabrous ;

ultimate branchlets greenish, standing from almost at right

angles to 45° from the branches, distinctly decussate. Leaves

distinctly decussate, 1-5-1 -8 cm. long, 3 mm. broad, lanceolate,

subacute, with the base of the leaf recurved and semi-clasping,

with the midrib distinct beneath and with the primary veins

subpinnate and the ultimate veins appearing as striae,

glabrous. Flowers up to 5 cm. diameter, solitary and terminal

at the apices of the ultimate branchlets, subsessile. Sepals

green, 9 mm. long, 5 mm. broad, more or less obovate, with

black spots on the margins, glabrous. Petals light cadmium

yellow (R.C.S. PI. IV), 2-5 cm. long, 1 cm. broad, oblong,

obtuse. Filaments yellow, up to 1-3 cm. long, very delicate,

standing at an angle of about 45° to the ovary; anthers

darker yellow, about 1 mm. long. Ovary greenish, 1-5 cm.

long, 4 mm. broad at the base, tapering sharply upwards,

5-locular, with many ovules in each loculus; style reddish,

1 cm. long, shortly 5-lobed ; stigmas small, capitate, minutely

glandular. (National Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 25,141.) — ■

E. P. Phillips.

Plate 787. — Fig. 1, portion of branchlet shoving attachment of leaves;

2, a sepal ; 3, flower with petals removed, showing back of calyx and stamens ;

4, young fruit with remains of calyx ; 5, gynaecium ; 6, cross-section of

ovary.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

78 8

M.E. C onnell del-

Plate 788.

EUPHORBIA obesa.

Cape Province.

Euphorbiaceae. Tribe Euphorbieae.

Euphorbia Linn. ; Benth. et HooJc. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 258.

Euphorbia obesa Hook. f. in Curtis Bot. Mag. 1903, t. 7888.

It may be said of Euphorbia obesa that it is one of the most

localised species of the genus in its natural distribution, and

yet it is possibly the best known and most admired species

in cultivation throughout the world.

It was first described and figured in Curtis’s Botanical

Magazine under Plate 7888 in 1903. Since then it has been

figured in most popular illustrated works on succulents and

appears in many garden catalogues. It occurs naturally

only on a few farms near Kendrew in the district of Graaff

Reinet, and the specimens figured here were collected by the

writer in 1939 on the farm “ Charlwood,” by land permission

of the owner, Mr. van den Berg.

The complete plant illustrated is a female, and only the

top of the male plant is shown. The peduncles of the latter

were somewhat more elongated than normal, owing to the

absence of light in the packing-case on the journey to Pretoria.

E. obesa grows either under the protection of Karoo shrublets

in loose sandy soil, or in hard sandy soil among small boulders

from which it is often very difficult to distinguish the plants.

At one time, owing to the depredations of collectors and

dealers, added to those of baboons which eat the plant, it

was feared that E. obesa would be exterminated, but thanks

to the wise protection of the plant by some farmers, this

catastrophe is no longer imminent ; in fact the plant population

is known to have increased appreciably on certain sites within

recent years. It is not surprising that the veld resources

were taxed to the limit at one time, since individual plants

changed hands at twenty-five shillings and more, at the time of

the Exhibition at Wembley in 1924. The drain on the veld

supply is now also very greatly diminished owing to the facility

with which stock is increased from seed under favourable condi-

tions, such as, for example, pertain in various parts of California.

E. obesa has two closely allied neighbours in E. valida

N.E. Br., and E. meloformis Ait., both of which are found

in the eastern Cape Province, the former in the inland karoid

veld such as occurs near Somerset East, and the latter in

areas of higher rainfall near Port Elizabeth and Grahamstown.

But a very much more closely allied plant occurs in the Great

Karoo in the Beaufort West and parts of the adjacent Willow-

more district. With some justification these plants have been

mistaken for typical E. obesa by the few collectors who knew

of their occurrence in this area. The writer was introduced

to the plant in 1939, and its classification is still under con-

sideration. It is a smaller plant with a more pronounced tap

root than the typical form of E. obesa, and shows an important,

though not obvious, difference in the arrangement of the

inflorescences. If not to be regarded as a distinct species,

it will at least require varietal rank.

Description : — A unisexual dwarf succulent up to 20 cm. high and 9 cm.

in diameter, rarely much larger. Stem unbranched subglohose when young,

becoming more or less cylindrical with age but showing quite an appreciable

degree of variation, grey green, irregularly marked with numerous transverse,

dull purple bands and the surface with narrow oblique grooves, usually 8-

angled but varying from 7-10-angled ; angles very little prominent at the

middle of the plant but more so towards the apex, minutely tuberculate by the

small leaf bases alternating with the flowering eyes ; flowering eyes circular,

1-5-2 mm. apart, producing a single peduncle. Peduncles solitary from the

flowering eyes, 1-3 at a time from each angle at the apex of the plant, very

short or occasionally up to about 7-5 cm. long, unbranched or branched di-

chotomously below the first involucre hi the cymes, branching more usual in

male than in female plants, puberulous and bearing a few ovate-oblong, cili-

olate bracts. Involucre 2-5-3 mm. diam. expanding in female to 4 mm. as the

ovary develops, puberulous outside, with 5 glands and 5 subquadrate, puberul-

ous toothed lobes ; glands distant suberect, circular 1-25 diam., puberulous on

the under surface, somewhat concave and pitted above, red. Ovary subsessile

glabrous or pilose, styles about 2 mm. long, united into a column below the

middle with spreading, recurved bilobed tips ; ovules filling the ovary cells,

the connective tissue of the placenta thickened but not extended into a hood

over the ovule. Capsule obtusely triangular, 6-7 mm. diam. glabrous, with

whitish pustula marking under the epidermis ; seed subconical, 2 mm. diam.,

grey with dark mottling. (National Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 26,269.) —

R. A. Dyer.

Plate 788. — Fig. 1, female inflorescence; 2, young male inflorescence;

3, cross-section of plant shoving vascular system ; the strengthening ribs

opposed to the troughs of the stem-angles and alternating with the ridges

from which the peduncles arise.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

789

M.E.C onneil del.

Plate 789.

EUPHORBIA SQUARROSA.

Gape Province.

Euphorbiace ae . Tribe Etjphorbieae.

Euphorbia Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 258.

Euphorbia squarrosa Haw. in Phil. Mag. 1827. p. 276.

It was in 1823 that this plant was first introduced into

cultivation in Europe by James Bowie, a Kew gardener.

He forwarded plants to his institution at that time, but

unfortunately no exact locality record was preserved. These

plants were described by Haworth four years later. It was

not until comparatively recently, however, that its native

habitat in the eastern Cape Province was established, and

within the last few years it has been recorded from several

neighbouring districts, e.g. Albany, Fort Beaufort and King

Williams Town. The specimen figured was collected by Mr.

G. W. Reynolds in 1934, near Koonap River Heights, between

Grahamstown and Fort Beaufort. Mr. Reynolds forwarded

a plant to the Division of Botany and Plant Pathology* where

it has been grown successfully, as the illustration made in

November 1939 proves.

In the text referring to E. Groenewaldii R. A. Dyer under

Plate 714 of this work, attention was drawn to the remarkable

fusing of the main stem and root to form a large tuberous

body, the division between the two organs being very difficult

to distinguish. The same character is found in E. squarrosa

and all its close allies. The presence of lateral roots from the

upper margin of the tuberous root structure, which penetrate

mostly surface soil to make use of light showers of rain, has

also been mentioned previously. As compared with E.

Groenewaldii the habit is similar, but there are fundamental

differences in the floral characters. For instance, the lateral

cyathia in E. squarrosa are horizontally disposed, whereas

those of E. Groenewaldii are vertically disposed, and the

3-angled, pedicellate capsules of the former are very different

from the subglobose sessile ones of the latter. E. squarrosa,

however, is not always readily distinguished from its near

allies E. micracantha Boiss. and E. stellata Willd., which also

grow in the eastern Cape Province. As a general rule it is

more robust than either of these and the tubercles on the

branches are more prominent. Typical specimens of E.

stellata have 2-angled flowering branches, concave above with

feather marking, and E. micracantha is usually 4-angled,

uniformly green coloured and furnished with relatively small

spines.

Description : — A dwarf spiny succulent whose main stem and root

together form a large tuberous body, more or less oblong in shape, up to

about 10 cm. thick, buried in the ground almost or quite to its apex, and

there producing a tuft of flowering branches or occasionally producing two

or three stem-like branches each with a tuft of flowering branches. Branches

up to 15 cm. long or even longer on occasions, 1-2 cm. thick, including

the tubercles, the outer ones longest, procumbent, the inner ones suberect,

3- or occasionally 2- or 4-angled ; angles somewhat twisted or sometimes

straight, irregularly tuberculate and furnished with paired spines ; tubercles

almost obsolete on some branches, to 10 mm. prominent on others but

usually 3-5 mm., the upper margin often almost at right angles to the axis.

Spines in pairs at the apex of the tubercles, 1-6 mm. long, reddish-green

when young, greyish-brown with age. Leaves rudimentary, ovate or roundish-

cordate, soon deciduous. Cymes single in the axils of the tubercles, shortly

pedunculate, bearing 1 central male involucre and 2 lateral bisexual cyathia,

horizontally disposed ; bracts small, scale-like, shorter than the involucre,

subquadrate toothed on the upper margin. Involucre 4-5 mm. in diam.

(including glands) cup-shaped, glabrous with 5 glands and 5 somewhat

transversely oblong, lacerate lobes ; glands contiguous, transversely oblong,

2 mm. in their greater diameter, minutely punctate, very bright green in

colour. Ovary pedicellate, 3-angled, styles about 1-5 mm. long, united at the

base with spreading, recurved, bifid tips, connective tissue of ovary to ovule

slightly swollen, extended into a minute 3-toothed hood. Capsule exserted

from the involucre on a curved pedicel about 7 mm. long, acutely 3-angled,

expanding from the apex to a comparatively broad base 7-8 mm. wide,

3-3-5 mm. high ; seed subglobose, apiculate smooth. — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 789. — Fig. 1, cyme; 2, bisexual cyathium with developing

capsule well exserted.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

790

C.Letty del

Plate 790.

LOBELIA ROSULATA.

Transvaal.

C amp anxjlacb ae . Tribe Lobelieae.

Lobelia Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 551.

Lobelia rosulata S. Moore in Journ. Bot. vol. xli. p. 402 (1903).

When the spring rains are timely this species of Lobelia

becomes a feature of the Transvaal veld. It is then found

growing in large stretches in low lying open grass veld, vleis

and old lands. Although such a small plant with delicate

flowers, it grows so densely that a bluey haze may be seen for

some distance. A closely related species, Lobelia decipiens,

often occurs mingled with it or in small consocies nearby.

In this species the flowers are blue and chrome yellow instead

of blue and white, as in the species figured. On Plate 538

of this work another related species was figured. In the text

will be found notes on the genus to which they belong.

The specimen illustrated was collected by Miss C. L. Letty,

who found it in a patch about 15 miles north of Pretoria.

Description : — Herb. 20-30 cm. high, caespitellose.

Branches slender, erect, shortly pubescent below, simple or

1-2-branched near the base, ending in long and lax racemes.

Leaves subsessile or cuneate into a petiole about 5 mm. long,

mostly basal varying much in size, ovate to oblong, 10-23

mm. long, ± 5 mm. wide, obtuse or subacute shortly pubescent

on the lower surface, glabrescent above; the cauhne much

reduced and grading into the bracts. Racemes laxly many

flowered, glabrous. Bracts linear, 4-5 mm. long, 0*5 mm. wide.

Pedicels glabrous, slender, elongating with age, 5-20 mm. long.

Calyx-tube turbinate, 7-ribbed, 2*5 mm. long in flowering

state, enlarging later ; lobes 5, equal, linear-lanceolate, 2 mm.

long, acute. Corolla 15 mm. long, 2 lipped; tube blue,

± 5 mm. long, arising obliquely from the calyx, horizontal;

upper lip 2-lobed, lobes blue, erect, spathulate, up to 5 mm.

long and 1*5 mm. broad; lower lip 3-lobed to about the

centre, with the united basal part white with 2 yellow spots in

the throat; lobes blue, ovate, 4 mm. long and 3 mm. wide.

Staminal-tube formed by united filaments blue and white;

anthers black ; the two upper distinctly white-bearded dorsally

at the apex and the lower slightly bearded just at the apex.

Stigma surrounded by a ring of hairs. (National Herbarium,

Pretoria, No. 25,480.) — I. C. Verdoorn.

Plate 790. — Fig. 1, frontal view of flower;

flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

2, longitudinal section of

79/

C.I.etty del-

Plate 791.

GLADIOLUS varius var. elatus.

Transvaal.

Iridaceae. Tribe Ixieae.

Gladiolus Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 709.

Gladiolus varius var. elatus Bolus f. in Annals of the Bolus Herbarium

vol. ii. p. 104.

The Transvaal species of Gladiolus are not so well repre-

sented in this work as those from the Cape Province. It is

therefore gratifying to add this plate to the previous records.

The figure was prepared from plants which flowered at the

Division of Botany and Plant Pathology in April, 1938.

These were grown from a fine collection of corms sent in at the

end of February of the previous year by Mr. G. W. Reynolds

(No. 2284). Mr. Reynolds found them in flower about 8

miles south of Nelspruit on the road to Barberton. The

plants occurred very plentifully, and grew in small clumps on

gentle slopes in sandy grass veld. From the above, and

according to records in the herbarium, the flowering period for

this species extends from about the end of February to April.

Description : — Corm 3*5 cm. in diameter, fibrous. Plant

about 70 cm. tall. Leaves distichous, 3 short and sheath-like

at the base and 7 produced into a lamina up to 50 cm. long and

2*3 cm. broad. Inflorescence ± 20 cm. long, 16-flowered (or

more) ; flowers developing in succession from the base, usually

with only 3 or 4 open at the same time. Outer bracts lanceolate,

acuminate, acute ; the lowest 3-5 cm. long; the upper 1*7 cm.

long; inner bract up to 1*5 cm. long, somewhat membranous,

not acute. Perianth up to 5 cm. long, bent about the middle ;

tube 2-5 cm. long, slender, widening suddenly at the mouth,

reddish (close fine red lines on yellowish background) ; lobes

2-5 cm. long and up to 1 cm. wide; the 3 lower slightly

narrower than the 3 upper, white speckled with red. Stamens

inserted in the perian th- throat ; filaments 1-5 cm. long,

reddish; anthers 6 mm. long, linear, dark purple to black.

Style reddish (fine red lines on whitish background) 3-brancked ;

branches 2 mm. long, clavate. (National Herbarium No.

24190.) — I. C. Verdoorn.

Plate 791. — Fig. 1, Longitudinal section of flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

79 2

A.Hoole del

Plate 792.

HAWORTHIA Lockwoodii.

Cape Province.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Haworthia Duval in PI. Succ. Hort. Aleng. 7 (1809) ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen.

Plant, vol. iii. p. 777.

Haworthia Lockwoodii Archibald sp. nov., affinis H. altilineae pedun-

culis robustioribus, floribus foliis majoribus margine haud ciliatis vel

dentatis differt.

Planta succulenta, parva, acaulis, foliis dense rosulatis. Bosnia 40-50-

foliata, 6-8 cm. diam., 5-8 cm. alta. Folia viridi-flava, glabra, erecta;

juniora oblonga, lanceolata, mucronata, apicem versus pellucida et utrinque

lineis viridibus tribus ; superiora oblonga, 5-6 cm. longa, 2-3 cm. lata, 1-3

mm. crassa, apicem versus albida et papyracea ; ad margines sine dentibus.

Racemus 20-40-florus, 25 cm. longus. Bradeae 8 mm. longae, ovato-lan-

ceolatae, membranaceae, rubro-nervatae. Flores albi, virides vel rubro-

nervati, ad 1-3 cm. longi.

Cape Province : Laingsburg, S. Lockwood Hill, 215, in Albany Museum

Herbarium.

The species described is named after its discoverer, Mr.

S. Lockwood Hill, who is a keen collector of succulent plants.

Material was sent to the Albany Museum Herbarium by

Mr. C. Wilmot in June 1939, and has since flowered. Further

specimens were received in flower during September and

October. According to recent work by von Poellnitz in Fedde ,

Rep. XLIY, p. 237 (1938), on the sections of the genus

Haworthia, this new species belongs to the section Denticulatae

Bak. which corresponds to Berger’s section Laetevirentes.

H. Lockwoodii is nearest to H. altilinea in this group, but differs

from H. altilinea by its sturdy, many-flowered inflorescence,

the width and thickness of its leaves and the complete absence

of marginal hairs. The white, paper-like tips of the old

leaves also give it a characteristic appearance.

The author is indebted to Miss Grace Britten for cultivat-

ing the type plant at the Albany Museum Herbarium and thus

affording the opportunity of figuring and describing the

species.

Description : — Small, succulent, acaulescent plants with

leaves in dense rosettes ; plants grow singly and only the upper

part of the leaves show above ground. Rosettes 6-8 cm. in

diam., 5-8 cm. high, with 40-50 leaves. Leaves yellowish-

green, smooth, erect; young leaves oblong, lanceolate, muc-

ronate, transparent towards the tip and marked on back and

front with about three green lines, front concave, back slightly

convex, no distinct keel; old leaves oblong, 5-6 cm. long,

2-3 cm. wide, 1-3 mm. thick, margins without teeth, the tip

drying out and becoming white and papery, giving the plant

a characteristic appearance. Raceme up to 25 cm. long, with

about 20-40 flowers. Bracts 8 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate,

membranaceous, with brown lines. Flowers white, with green

or brown veins, up to 1-3 cm. long. — E. E. A. Archibald.

Plate 792. — Fig. 1, young leaf face view; 2, young leaf side view; 3,

old leaf face view ; 4, old leaf side view.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

7 9 3

C.Letty del-

Plate 793.

HAEMANTHUS namaquensis.

Namaqualand.

Amaryllidaceae. Tribe Amarylleae.

Haemanthus Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 730.

Haemanthus namaquensis R. A. Dyer, sp. nov., bulbo magno com-

presso foliis magnis basin versus maculatis bracteis oblongis cruentis quam

floribus magis longioribus distinguitur.

Bulbus eompressus, 10 cm. altus, 13 cm. latus et 6-5 cm. crassus. Folia

2, disticha, usque 40 cm. longa, 7-5~9-5 cm. lata, lorata, suberecta, glabrata,

leviter glauca, margine basin versus undulata, utrinque basin versus rubro-

maculata et leviter striata. Pedunculus plus minusve 8 cm. longus, erectus,

eompressus 1-4-1 -5 latus, ruber, 7-8-bracteatus; bracteae exteriores 3-25

cm. longae, usque 1-4 cm. latae, obtusae, cruentae imbricatae, erectae.

Flores bracteis longiores; pedicelli 1-5-2 cm. longi; perianthium plus

minusve 2-3 cm. longum, basin versus roseum superne rubrum, tubo 4-5 mm.

longo, lobis exterioribus 1-8-2 cm. longis interioribus paullo brevioribus

apicem versus crassis. Stamina periantbio longiora, plus minusve 3 cm.

longa. Ovarium 4-5 mm. longum, stylo filamentis aequilongo.

Cape Province : Namaqualand, 10 miles north-west of Steinkopf on

rocky slope, Dyer and Verdoorn No. 3674 and in National Herbarium, Pretoria,

No. 26355.

The genus Haemanthus , and in fact all the genera of

the family Amaryllidaceae, with the possible exception of

Gethyllis, are not well represented in the arid regions of South

Africa, and any records of species in such areas as Namaqua-

land are of special interest. The plant which is figured and

described here for the first time was collected in July 1937 by

Miss I. C. Verdoorn and the writer on the foothills of the

Kosiesberg about 10 miles north-west of Steinkopf. The

vegetation is composed of small shrubs and a rich succulent

plant flora in which Aloe melanacantha Berger is prominent.

In spite of a diligent search, only two bulbs of Haemanthus

namaquensis, attached together and wedged between boulders,

were located. These were in leaf at the time, and it was not

until March of the following year that flowers were produced

under cultivation at the Division of Botany and Plant Patho-

logy, Pretoria. New leaves were produced after the flowering

period, and took several weeks to attain approximately the

same dimensions as those produced in the veld ; moreover, the

latter were appreciably tougher. The large compressed bulb,

formed of two opposite series of fleshy scales, the large, strap-

shaped leaves and the vividly coloured inflorescence are all

notable features.

Efforts to align our plant satisfactorily with a published

figure or description failed, but it appeared to agree closest

with H. splendens Dinter. Through the courtesy of the

Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the material

was examined by Mr. E. Milne-Redhead, who compared it

with the type speciemn of H. splendens received at Kew on

loan from Professor K. Dinter. It was found to be specifically

distinct from this also, and consequently it is regarded as an

undescribed species.

Description : — Bulb compressed, flattened on two sides, composed of

thick bifarious scales, up to 10 cm. high, 12 cm. broad, 6-5 cm. thick, with a

solid concave base, young scales pinkish (2 bulbs only discovered in veld

connected at base, tightly pressed together). Leaves 2, suberect, lorate, up

to 40 cm. long, 7-5-9-5 cm. broad, glabrous, without cilia on margin, somewhat

undulate on the margin, and more pronounced towards the base, somewhat

glaucous, on inner and outer surface towards the base purple spotted and

shortly banded with red. Peduncle about 8 cm. long, erect, compressed

1-4-1 -5 cm. in its greatest diameter, red. Umbel dense, surrounded by 7-8

large bracts with a few narrower ones within; outer bracts oblong, 3-25

cm. long, up to 1-4 cm. broad, obtuse, bright red, imbricate erect. Flowers

dense, well exserted from the bracts. Pedicels 1-5-2 cm. long, slender.

Perianth about 2-3 cm. long, light pink towards the base, darker above,

especially on the tips of the lobes; tube 4-5 mm. long; outer lobes 1-8-2

cm. long ; inner lobes slightly shorter, thickened towards the tips and with a

minute tuft of hairs from the inner surface of the apex. Stamens exserted

from the perianth, about 3 cm. long. Ovary 4-5 mm. long, each cell with

one ovule; style nearly equalling the stamens ; stigma minutely 3-lobed.—

R. A. Dyer.

Plate 793. — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of flower ; 2, longitudinal section

of ovary.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

M. E. Connell de i -

Plate 794.

PELARGONIUM multibracteatum.

East Tropical Africa.

Geraniaceae. Tribe Pelargonieae.

Pelargonium UHerit. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 273.

Pelargonium multibracteatum Hochst. in Flora xxiv. 1 (1841).

This species of Pelargonium was first described from

Abyssinia in 1841, and for some time its further distribution

was unknown. Gradually, however, records became available

to show that the plant extends in east Tropical Africa from

Eritrea as far south as Tanganyika Territory.

The subject of the present plate is another of the plants

introduced into cultivation in South Africa by the Pole Evans

Central and East African Expedition of 1938. It was collected

on an escarpment about 10 miles north of Kapenguria in

Kenya, and was grown in the garden of the Division of Botany

and Plant Pathology, Pretoria. The plant assumes rather a

straggling habit in its wild state, growing under trees and

bushes, but used as a bedding plant it branches freely from the

rootstock forming a shapely clump up to about 3 ft. in diameter

and somewhat less in height. The cultivated plants were very

floriferous throughout the summer months, giving a beautiful

effect, but were adversely affected by the first frost of the

winter. This is the first coloured illustration of the species to

be published.

Description : — A straggling perennial herb under natural

conditions, forming shapely clumps under cultivation, the outer

branches being procumbent and the inner ones sub-erect.

Branches at length becoming somewhat woody at the base,

terete or obtusely 3 -4-angled, 4-7 mm. diameter, thickened

at the nodes, thinly pubescent with reflexed hairs ; internodes

up to about 10 cm. long towards the base of the branches,

becoming shorter towards the apex. Leaves towards the base

10-12 cm. diameter, smaller towards the apex of the branches,

orbicular or reniform-orbicular, 5-lobed; the lobes crenate-

dentate or occasionally lobulate, more especially the basal

lobes, short hairs directed towards the apex of the lobes ;

petiole up to about 10 cm. long ; stipules broadly ovate or the

upper ones ovate-lanceolate, up to 1-5 cm. long. Peduncle

10-30 cm. long, thinly covered with long simple hairs and short

glandular hairs, about 6-flowered. Bracts usually 6, 6-8 mm.

long, linear-lanceolate, with short glandular hairs on the back

and also a few long simple hairs. Flowers pedicelled ; the

pedicels 4-4-5 cm. long, with the calyx spur extending 2-3 mm.

from the base, thinly pubescent with minutely glandular hairs.

Sepals oblong-lanceolate, 7-8 mm. long with a few long hairs.

Petals subequal, obovate, about 2 cm. long, 8-9 mm. wide,

white, very faintly pink tinged towards the base. Stamens

10, 7 fertile. Ovary densely villous. ( Pole Evans and J.

Erens No. 1636, and in National Herbarium, Pretoria , No.

26426.) — R. A. Dyer.

Plate 794. — Fig. 1, pedicel with decurrent calyx-spur, calyx and

gynoecium ; 2, androecium, staminal tube opened out ; 3, gynoecium.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

C. Letty del.

Plate 795.

PELARGONIUM quinquelobatum.

East Tropical Africa.

Geraniaceae. Tribe Pelargonieae.

Pelargonium L’Herit. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. i. p. 237.

Pelargonium quinquelobatum Hochst. ex. A. Rich. Tent. FI. Abyss, i.

118 (1847).

Pelargonium quinquelobatum Hochst. is the second species

of the genus to be figured in this part of Flowering Plants of

South Africa, both species being collected on the Pole Evans

Central and East African Expedition, 1938, and introduced

into cultivation in South Africa. The other, P. multibractea-

tum Hochst., may be seen on Plate 794, and so far it has proved

the more attractive bedding plant of the two. The colour of

the flowers of P. quinquelobatum is unusual, being nearest to

“ drab brown ”, according to Pidgway’s Colour Standard.

The plants were gathered by Mr. J. Erens amongst grass and

trees at Ngong near Nairobi in Kenya Colony. There the

plants were rather ragged and straggling, but in exposed

conditions under cultivation they maintain a more compact

habit. Like P. multibracteatum, P. quinquelobatum was first

recorded from Abyssinia, and has since been found con-

siderably farther south in Tanganyika Territory. Unlike

P. multibracteatum, it has apparently not been figured pre-

viously, and this opportunity of doing so is therefore the more

welcome.

Description : — A diffusely branched perennial herb under

cultivation, but rather straggling in its wild state. Branches

at first soft, becoming woody with age towards the base,

pubescent. Leaves with pubescent petioles up to 10 cm. or

more long; lamina ovate-cordate, 5-lobed, with the lobes

crenate or crenate and shortly bilobed, 5-6 cm. long from the

apex of the petiole and 6-7 cm. across the base (the young

leaves much smaller and often subentire) crenate, moderately

pubescent, more densely so on the prominent veins on the

undersurface of the leaves, zonal marked ; stipules lanceolate,

about 1 cm. long. Peduncles up to 30 cm. long, sparsely

pubescent with long hairs and fairly densely so with short

recurved hairs, about 6-flowered. Bracts about 8, about 7

mm. long, 1-5 mm. broad at the base, linear-lanceolate, pubes-

cent on the back with 3-5 long spreading hairs near the apex.

Flowers pedicellate ; the pedicel 4-5 cm. long, pubescent with

reflexed hairs; the portion below the calyx-spur 4-7 mm.

long, with a few long hairs. Sepals about 8 mm. long, 1-5-2

mm. broad at the base, linear-lanceolate, pubescent with

short hairs and a few long ones. Petals ; the 3 lower ones

1-5 cm. long, 7-8 mm. wide; the 2 upper ones 1*6—1 -7 cm.

long and 6 mm. wide, approximately abovate, drab brown

(R.C.S.) ; the upper ones dark pink striped towards the base.

Stamens 10, 7 fertile. Ovary densely villous. Fruit more

than 2 cm. long with short hairs. ( Pole Evans and J. Erens

1135, and in National Herbarium , Pretoria, No. 26307.) —

R. A. Dyer.

Plate 795. — Fig. 1 pedicel with decurrent calyx-spur and calyx ; 2,

androecium, staminal tube opened out; 3, gynoecium.

F.S.P.A., 1940.

7 96'

M. E . Con nell del.

Plate 796.

ECHINOPS AMPLEXICAULIS.

Tanganyika Territory.

Compositae. Tribe Cynaroideae.

Echinops Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, ii. p. 462.

Echinops amplexicaulis Oliv. in Trans. Linn. Soc. Lond. xxix. p. 101,

t. 67 ( E . Korobori De Wild, in Ann. du Congo vol. ii. p. 216 & t. lxiii).

The spectacular species of Echinops figured on the accom-

panying plate was grown at Pretoria from seed collected on the

Pole Evans Central and East African Expedition, 1938. It

was found on the grassy plains of the Ufiume Mountains,

Mbulu country, Tanganyika, and later seen between Kitale

and Kapenguria in Kenya. Plants of what might have been

the same species were also seen near Kabale in Uganda. Our

specimen agrees quite well with the type description and plate

of Echinops amplexicaulis Oliv. from Usui and Ukidi. De

Wildeman described and figured a specimen from the Belgian

Congo which he first called E. Korobori, but later put into

synonymy with E. amplexicaulis. This figure also agrees

well with our plant. It would seem therefore that E. amplexi-

caulis is fairly widely distributed in central tropical Africa.

Description : — Plant 2-3 ft. tall, branched towards apex.

Leaves sessile, opposite, decussate, spreading, elliptic-oblong,

averaging about 12 cm. long and 8 cm. wide, bipinnately

lobed; lobes tipped with sharp spines 2-5 mm. long; upper

surface sparsely pubescent with minute gland-tipped hairs,

white woolly pubescent beneath. Inflorescence a compound

capitulum, terminal, about 10 cm. in diameter; common

involucre hidden beneath the capitulum, reflexed, consisting

of setae and scales resembling those of the partial involucres.

Partial head 1 -flowered ; the involucre consisting of setae on

the outside about 1-5 cm. long passing into bracts ranging

from 1-3 cm. long and up to 2 mm. broad at the widest part

and from spathulate to lanceolate, long-acuminate, green to

reddish-brown where exposed, the 5 innermost connate into a

tube about 1 cm. long at the base, with the margins ciliate

with sharp rigid acutely ascending bristles. Corolla-tube

1 cm. long included in the involucre, whitish pink ; lobes

linear 2*5 cm. long, about 1 mm. wide, with 5 gibbosities at the

base within, erect and whitish as far as they are held by the

stiff involucre scales, then revolute and pomegranate red in

colour. Filaments inserted in the perianth throat, reddish-

brown, about 1*5 cm. long; anthers united into a reddish-

brown tube, 1 cm. long, each one acute at apex and tailed at

base, the tails not spreading, ciliate, white. Pappus a col-

larette of numerous uneven, flattened setae up to 1 mm. long.

Ovary about 5 mm. long, densely pubescent with erect muli-

cellular hairs which more or less hide the pappus ; style up to

3-5 cm. long, reddish brown when exserted from tube, branches

becoming revolute in mature flowers dorsally shortly pubescent

in upper half; cupular gland at base of style yellowish, 1-5

mm. high. ( Pole Evans and J. Erens 878, and in National

Herbarium , Pretoria, No. 26352.) — I. C. Yerdoorn.

Plate 796. — Fig. 1, partial head ; 2, outer involucre setae and one scale ;

3, medial involucre scale ; 4, inner involucre scale ; 5, floret with pappus at

base ; 6, achene ; 7, stamen ; 8, style and cupular gland.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

797

$ ’

X

X.

M.E. Connell del-

Plate 797.

ALOE Erensii.

Kenya.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe Erensii Christian sp. nov. : ab A. secundiflora Engl, in eo quod

planta acaulescens est, foliis maculatis, dentibus marginalibus minoribus,

inflorescentia breviori, racemis densioribus, floribusque brevioribus difiert.

Planta succulenta, acaulis, Folia circiter 16-19, dense rosulata, ascen-

dentia, paulo incurvata, ovato-acuta, e medio sensim attenuata, 21 cm.

longa, basin versus 8 cm. lata, 1-3 cm. crassa, supra viridia, maculis albis

ellipsoideis sparsis picta, concaviuscula, ad margines convexa ; subtus

maculis sparsis, irregulariter seriatim picta, convexa, ad margines linea

cartilaginea albida cincta, dentibus albis deltoideis, 1-5 mm. longis, et 4-6

mm. inter se distantibus armata. Inflorescentia erecta vel obliqua, usque 54

cm. longa, infra medium ramosa ; rami circiter 6-7, graciles, obliquo-patentes.

Pedunculus pallide-brunneus, nudus, lateraliter compressus, 7 mm. diam.

Racemi laxi usque subdensi, subsecundiflori, sensim acuminati, 21 cm. longi.

Bracteae ovato-acuminatae, scariosae, 3-nervatae, 6 mm. longae. Pedicelli

8-9 mm. longi. Perianthium pallide puniceum, 29 mm. longum, 10 mm.

diam., supra ovarium leviter constrictum, trigonum; segmenta exteriora

13 mm. longa, ad margines pallidiora, 3-nervata, apice subacuta ; segmenta

interiora dorsifixa, ad margines libera, 3-nervata, apice subobtusa. Fila-

menta inclusa ; antherae exsertae ; stylus flavus, inclusus. Ovarium 6 mm.

longum, 3 mm. diam.

Kenya Colony, in gorge between Lokitaung and Lake Rudolph, Pole

Evans and Erens No. 1587 and in National Herbarium, Pretoria, No. 26354,

(type) Christian No. 989.

This pretty little species of Aloe is named in honour of

Mr. J. Erens, who is in charge of the gardens of the Division

of Botany and Plant Pathology, Pretoria, and was a member

of the Pole-Evans Central and East Tropical African Expedi-

tion of 1938, and collected it in July of that year near Loki-

taung on the rocky mountain slopes, 4000 ft. altitude above

sea level. Mr. Erens reports that it occurs in situations partly

sheltered by trees, was not seen in great numbers, usually

suckers, forming clumps of 3-4 plants, and was the only species

of the genus seen in the vicinity.

Although it is much akin to A. secundiflora Engl, in the

habit and characters of its inflorescence, yet it differs so much

in habit, shape and other characters of its leaves, that it

cannot be referred to Berger’s Section Pleuostachyae, to which

A. secundiflora belongs. It will probably be necessary to

constitute a new section to include this and several unpublished

Tropical African species.

The figure is of a plant that flowered in the gardens of the

Division of Botany and Plant Pathology, Pretoria, in Feb.-

March, 1940.

Description : — A succulent acaulescent plant. Leaves about 16-19,

densely rosulate, ascending, slightly incurved, ovate, acute, from above the

middle gradually attenuate, 21 cm. long, above the base 8 cm. broad and

1-3 cm. thick in the middle, upper surface green, or sometimes milky green,

obscurely lineate, with clearly defined white elliptical scattered spots, slightly

concave in the middle and convex towards the margins; lower surface

convex, the same colour as the upper, with the non-confluent spots in irre-

gular transverse bands; margins with a narrow whitish translucent border

armed with small flat, whitish deltoid spreading teeth, 1-5 mm. long and

usually 4-6 mm. apart, interspaces straight. Inflorescence erect or arising

more or less obliquely, branched from below the middle with about 6-7

branches. Peduncle light-brown, naked, laterally compressed, 7 mm.

diameter on the one axis, 4 mm. diameter on the other. Branches slender,

3-5 mm. diameter, obliquely spreading; the lowest 28 cm. long and sub-

branched. Racemes the terminal 21 cm. long, the lateral shorter, gradually

acuminate with the flowers sub-secund and from lax to sub-dense. Floral

bracts ovate-acuminate, scarious, 3-nerved, 6 mm. long. Pedicels erect-

spreading, at length cernuous, 8-9 mm. long. Perianth flesh pink (R.C.S.)

with a bloom, the base flat, 29 mm. long, 10 mm. diameter over the ovary,

straight or very slightly constricted on the upperside, on the lower side

gradually constricted above the ovary to 8 mm. diameter and widened again

to 9 mm. diameter, trigonous; outer segments free for 13 mm., pale at the

margins, 3-nerved, apices sub-acute, hardly spreading ; inner segments white

on margins with a 3-nerved flesh-pink median line, free on margins, dorsifixed

to the outer, the apices sub-obtuse, nearly straight. Stamens with the

filaments white, shading to citron yellow above; anthers apricot-orange

(R.C.S.), shortly exserted. Ovary lettuce-green (R.C.S. ), 6 mm. long, 3 mm.

diameter, acuminate ; style citron yellow, included. — H. Basil Christian.

Plate 797. — Fig. 1, cross section of leaf; 2, bract dorsal view; 3,

longitudinal section of flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

M.E. Connell del.

Plate 798.

ALOE MARSABITENSIS.

Kenya.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hoolc. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Aloe marsabitensis Verdoorn and Christian, sp. nov. in Sectione

Aethiopicae Berg, ab A. Engleri Berg, caulibus gracilioribus decumbentibus,

foliis pallidioribus, dentibus brevioribus, ramis inflorescentiae numerosioribus

longioribusque, et forma florum differt.

Breviter caulescens; caulis circiter 25 cm. longus, 11 cm. diam. Folia

circiter 12 in rosula, circiter 90 cm. longa, 20 cm. basi lata, et 2 cm. crassa,

ovato-lanceolata, acuminata, patentia, recurvula, pruinosa, pallide viridia,

immaculata, supra valde canaliculata, sulcata, subtus rotundata; succus

flavus ; ad margines linea rubro-brunnea tenuiter cincta, dentibus deltoideis

rubro-brunneis, plus minusve 2 mm. longis saepius bifidis usque 25 mm.

inter se distantibus, basin versus crebrioribus instructa, interstitiis

rectis. Inflorescentia plus minusve obliqua, circiter 1 m. alta, infra

medium ramosa. Pedunculus nudus, rubro-brunneus, lateraliter compressus,

basin versus 25 mm. latus et 7 mm. crassus ; rami circiter 16, inferiores sub-

ramosi, usque 50 cm. longi, 6 mm. diam., nudi. Racemi secundi vel sub-

cylindrici, acuminati, laxiusculi, 7-15 cm. longi. Bracteae ovato-acuminatae,

circiter 4 mm. longae, 3-nervatae. Pedicelli usque 12 mm. longi, patentes,

demum cernui. Gemma pallide corallina, apice viridis. Perianthinm

corallinum, apice flaviusculum, basi stipitatum vel late obconicum, rectum,

trigonum, 28 mm. longum, circa ovarium 7 mm. diam. medium versus

sensim le viter constrictum et hinc ampliatum; segmenta exteriora per 12

mm. libera, corallina, ad margines et apicem versus flaviuscula, 5-nervata,

apice vix patentia, sub-acuta, segmenta interiora ad margines libera, dorsi-

fixa, flaviuscula, 2-nervata, apice brunneuscula, leviter patentia, sub-obtusa.

Filamenta flava ; anthera exserta ; stylus flavus, demum exsertus. Ovarium

corallinum, 7 mm. longum, 3-5 mm. diam.

Kenya : Mt. Marsabit, Gof Bongoli Crater ( Pole Evans and Erens

No. 1275 and in National Herbarium Pretoria, No. 26351).

Among the many interesting species of Aloe collected on

the Pole Evans Central and East African Expedition 1938 and

grown in the gardens of the Division of Botany and Plant

Pathology, Pretoria, is the one figured on the accompanying

plate. It flowered in May- June, 1940.

In connection with the habitat of this sp. Dr. I. B. Pole

Evans writes : “ Marsabit is a volcanic mountain rising up

to 5000 ft. in the desert country of the Northern Frontier of

Kenya Colony. The mountain contains a number of small

crater lakes, the largest of which measures about 1 1 miles across.

The mountain above 4500 ft. is frequently enveloped in cloud

and this portion is clothed with temperate ram forest, in which

elephants, buffalo and rhinocerus abound.”

Mr. J. Erens writes : “ This Aloe occurs in large numbers

in arid country on the rim of Gof Bongoli Crater, alt. 4500 ft.

both in shade and in the open ; it has a decumbent habit, the

stem creeping along the ground ; it was not noticed suckering

in the wild state as it does in cultivation, and no other species

of Aloe was seen.”

A somewhat unusual character of this species is that the

terminal raceme is only about half the length of the lowest

lateral raceme.

Description : — Shortly caulescent, becoming decumbent with age.

Stem about 25 cm. long and 11 cm. diameter. Leaves about 12 in a rosette

with the remains of the withered leaves at the base, up to 90 cm. long, 20

cm. broad just above the base, and 2 cm. thick, spreading recurved, ovate-

lanceolate, long-acuminate, upper surface strongly canaliculate, somewhat

sulcate, light green and thinly pruinose, immaculate ; lower surface rounded,

smooth, thinly pruinose, which makes the surface appear grayish-green,

immaculate; sap yellow; margins with a narrow reddish-brown border

furnished with flat deltoid reddish-brown teeth, often bifid, about 2 mm.

long and up to 25 mm. apart, closer towards the base, interspaces straight.

Inflorescence more or less oblique, about 1 m. tall, 16-branched from just

below the middle, branches virgate, the lower sub-branched. Peduncle

naked, reddish-brown, laterally compressed, about 25 mm. vide near the

base and 7 mm. thick. Branches naked, up to 6 mm. diameter, the lower

50 mm. long, with up to 4 branchlets. Racemes sub-cylindric or secund,

acuminate, somewhat laxly flowered, 7-15 cm. long, the terminal of the lowest

branch the longest. Floral-brads ovate-acuminate, 4 nun. long, 3-nerved.

Pedicels up to 12 mm. long, spreading, eventually becoming ccmuous. Buds

light coral-red (R.C.S. pi. XIII) with green tips. Perianth light coral-red

(R.C.S. pi. XIII) with yellowish mouth, trigonous, straight, shortly stipitate

or shortly obconical at the base, 28 mm. long, 7 mm. diameter over the ovary,

thence gradually narrowing to 6 mm., and widening again to 7 mm., outer

segments free for about 12 mm., shading to yellowish at the margins, 5-

nerved, apices sub-acute, hardly spreading ; inner segments free on margins,

dorsally attached to the tube for the length of the tube, yellow, 2-nerved,

the apices brownish, slightly spreading, sub-obtuse. Filaments yellow,

becoming brownish at the apices; anthers orange-rufous (R.C.S. pi. II),

exserted. Ovary oblong, faintly 6-lobed, coral red and yellow, 7 mm. long,

3-5 mm. diameter. — I. C. Verdoorn and H. Basil Christian.

Plate 798. — Fig. 1, longitudinal section of a flower; 2, cross section of

a leaf.

F.P.S.A., 1940,

799

M. E- Connell del.

Plate 799.

LEPTALOE Johnstonii.

Kenya.

Liliaceae. Tribe Aloineae.

Aloe Linn. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. iii. p. 776.

Leptaloe Johnstonii (Bak.) Stapf. in Bot. Mag. Vol. 156 (1933) under

pi. 9300; in Trans. Linn. Soc. ser. 2. Bot. ii. (1886) 351 1. 63; Th. Dyer. FI.

Trop. Afr. vii. (1898) 456 ; Das Pflanzenreich iv. 38. iii. 11.

When Baker described and put this species as very near

Aloe Cooper i Bak., he must have overlooked L. myriacantha

(Haw.) Stapf. [Syn. Aloe myriacantha (Haw.) Roem & Schult

1829], to which species, with its leaves not at all keeled, its

size, the general characters of the plant and especially the

structure of the flowers, it is unquestionably much more closely

allied. Berger in his revision of Aloe in Das Pflanzenreich

p. 167 describes the leaves as distichous. Baker does not

mention this character, and all the material I have seen, both

living and dried, from different localities, has the leaves

rosulate.

The plant described and figured here was collected on the

Pole Evans Central and East Tropical African Expedition in

1938 at Machakos, Yatta Plains, about 40 miles south-east of

Nairobi, Kenya, and flowered in the gardens of the Division of

Botany and Plant Pathology, Pretoria, in March, 1940.

It must be remembered that this plant was grown under

cultivation in rich garden soil and has developed into a plant

larger in all respects than the type.

The species has been recorded from Ngong, Chyulu Hills,

Machakos and Taveta in Kenya, and from the Ankole country

in Uganda.

Description : — An acaulescent plant. Roots fusiform,

fleshy. Leaves 8-10, rosulate, erect to erect-spreading, ovate

and broadly dilated at the base, then constricted and linear

above, up to 51 cm., long, 3 cm. broad at the base and 1 cm.

broad in the middle ; upper surface green, immaculate,

canaliculate, lower surface, reddish towards the base, green

above, profusely spotted with rather large whitish spots,

rounded; margins minutely denticulate; teeth white, trans-

lucent, 0*5 mm. long and about 5 mm. apart, larger and

closer towards the base. Inflorescence simple, up to 50 cm.

high. Peduncle sterile-bracteate in the upper two thirds,

about 4 mm. diameter. Bracts adpressed to the peduncle,

15 mm. long, ovate, abruptly acuminate into a point 7 mm.

long, membranous with about 7 prominent green nerves.

Raceme conico-capitate, dense, 6 cm. long and 6-5 cm. dia-

meter ; the floral bracts similar to the sterile bracts. Pedicels,

the lower 21 mm. long, ascending, those of the mature flowers

becoming eemuous. Perianth pale pink, 2 cm. long, distinctly

narrowly stipitate at the base, sub-cylindric, trigonous,

straight, abruptly contracted at the throat and thence becom-

ing bi-labiate, the upper lip with 2 outer and one inner seg-

ments recurved at the apices ; the lower lip with 2 inner and

1 outer segments straight or curved upwards ; outer segments

free to the base, pale pink with 3 green nerves, sub-acute at

the apices, the lower 17 mm. long and 5 mm. broad, the upper

15 mm. long and 5 mm. broad ; the inner segments free, green

with pinkish mid-rib on outer face, 17 mm. long and 5 mm.

broad. Filaments green, included; anthers brownish-pink,

included. Ovary green, 5 mm. long; style green, included.

(Pole Evans and Erens 1099 and in National Herbarium,

Pretoria, No. 26356.) — H. Basil Christlyn.

Plate 799. — Fig. 1, transverse section of leaf; 2, longitudinal section of

flower.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

800

M-E. C onnell del

Plate 800.

THUNBERGIA Gibsonii.

Kenya.

Acanthaceae. Tribe Thttnbergieae.

Thtjnbergia Linn. f. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 1072.

Thunbergia Gibsonii S. Moore in Bot. Mag. vol. cxli t. 8604.

Several plants of Thunbergia Gibsonii are flourishing in the

gardens of the Division of Botany and Plant Pathology,

Pretoria. They were grown from seed collected on the Pole

Evans Central and East African Expedition, 1938. The

plants were found in fair numbers on the Aberdare Range,

creeping over the low bushes and hanging down the ledges

at the road side. They were flowering freely at the time

(17th July), and in cultivation, within 2 years of planting

of the seed, flowers appeared sporadically from about the

middle of May onwards, and the plants with numerous densely

intertwined branches had reached a height of 6 ft. The bright-

orange flowers with curved tubes and oblique limbs are

elegantly displayed on long, erect peduncles, and set off by the

large green densely pilose bracteoles.

Description : — A perennial twining herb, much branched

and very voluble. Branches terete, pilose, from 1-5 to 5 mm.

in diameter. Leaves ovate, deeply cordate at base, from

about 5 cm. long and 4 cm. wide to 9 cm. long and 8 cm. wide ;

margin repand ; both surfaces pilose, the upper surface slightly

darker than the lower ; petioles 1-2*5 cm. long, pilose. Flowers

axillary solitary. Peduncles about 12-14 cm. long, pilose.

Bracteoles ovate, about 3*5 cm. long and 2*5 cm. wide, 9-nerved,

densely pilose without. Calyx about 4 mm. long, with about

12 unequal teeth, pubescent and furnished with stalked glands

without a rim-like epicalyx at the base. Corolla-tube about

3*5 cm. long, bent about the middle, inflated towards apex to

1*5 cm. wide and contracting suddenly at the throat to about

1 cm. wide ; limb oblique ; lobes broadly obovate, emarginate,

bright orange; the 2 upper erect and somewhat reflexed;

the 3 lower spreading. Stamens 4 ; filaments of one pair about

7 mm. long and the other pair 10 mm. long, all sparsely

covered with gland-tipped hairs ; one anther theca lower than

the other, each with a tuft of hairs and a spur at the base.

Ovary somewhat laterally compressed and contracted near the

apex, glabrous, green; disc yellow, fleshy, almost encircling

the base of the ovary; style about 2 cm. long, glabrous;

stigma 2-lobed ; the upper lobe erect 4 cm. long, truncate at

the apex and with the sides folded inwards; the lower lobe

spreading 3 mm. long and 6 mm. wide at the truncate apex.

(Pole Evans and Erens 1366 and in National Herbarium ,

Pretoria, No. 26353.) — I. C. Verdoorx.

Plate 800. — Fig. 1, flower in longitudinal section with calyx at base;

2, one of the short stamens ; 3, one of the long stamens ; 4, ovary with disc

at base, stigma and style ; 5, enlargement of the 2-lobed stigma.

F.P.S.A., 1940.

INDEX TO VOLUME XX

Adenia glauoa

Albuca Balnesh .

Aloe branddraaiensis .

Aloe Buchan anii .

Aloe Erensii

Aloe Lettyae

Aloe marsabitensis

Aloe mketiensis .

Aloe Nutth ....

Aloe Pole-Evansec

Aloe solaiana

Echinops ample xicaulis

Euphorbia obesa .

Euphorbia pseudocactus

Euphorbia Schoenlandii

Euphorbia sekukuniensis

Euphorbia squarrosa .

Gladiolus Melleri

Gladiolus varius var. elatus .

Haemanthus namaquensis

Haworthia Lockwoodii

Hypericum leucoptychodes .

Iboza rip aria

Kniphofia Galpinti

Kniphofia sarmentosa .

LePTALOE JOHNSTONII

Lobelia rosulata .

Monadenium succulentum

Nemesia cynanchifolia

Oedera hirta

Pachypodium namaquanum

Pectinaria arcuata

Pelargonium acraeum .

Pelargonium bechuanicum var .

Pelargonium multtbraoteatum

Pelargonium quinquelobatum

PUN CTILLARIA OPTATA

Pycnostachys Stuhlmannh .

SCHOTIA BRACHYPETALA .

Thunbergia Gibsonh

FLATS

770

773

761

763

797

764

798

785

762

782

781

796

788

778

772

775

789

768

791

793

792

787

767

783

784

799

790

776

765

786

771

774

779

LATISECTUM . . . 780

794

795

769

766

777

800