Mitracarpum.| RUBIACEE (Sond.) 25 
D'Urban, Gerrard § M‘Ken, 34, 580. Krauss. 93, Drege; Magalisberg, Zeyh. 762. 
Oct.—Nov. (Herb. D., Sd. 
Root 2-3 inches long, nearly 1 inch broad, brown, Stem 4-1 foot, quadrangular 
or compressed, reddish. Stipules variable, 2-3 lines or nearly 6 lines long, 3-fid or 
5-fid, the middle lobe often larger. Leaves sessile, or on very short petioles ; in 
var. a., t-14 inch long, 6-9 lines broad ; in var. 8. et y. narrower, and often 2 inches 
long or longer. Flowers beautiful lilac, on a longish naked peduncle, in var. a. and f. 
aggregated in a head-like, dense spike, involucrated by the outer calyx-lobes, pubes- 
cent ; in var. y. forming an interrupted spike 4-2 inches long, glabrous. Calyx-lobes 
about 3-4 lines long. Corolla nearly 1 inch long. Fruit appressed-hairy or glabrous, 
subglobose, shorter than the calyx-lobes. 
XVII. MITRACARPUM, Zuccarini. 
Calyx with an ovate tube, and a 4-toothed, permanent limb; 2 of the 
teeth usually larger than the others. Corolla salver-shaped, with a terete 
tube, which is furnished near the base inside with a circular line of 
hairs, a glabrous throat, and a 4-lobed limb. Stigma bifid. Capsule 
membranous, crowned, 2-celled, circumcised round the middle. Seeds 
solitary in the cells, basilar, partly fixed to the dissepiment. Roem. 
et Schult. syst. 3, p. 210. A. Rech. mem. soc. hist, nat. par. 6, p. 151, f. 
14, f. 4. 
Herbs or subshrubs, with the habit of Spermacoce. Stipules combined with the 
petioles a little way, and ending in many bristles. Flowers in dense, verticillate, 
axillary and terminal heads, the latter always involucrated by 4 leaves. Name from 
uitpa, a girdle or ring, and kap7os, a fruit, in allusion to the fruit being cut round 
about in the middle. 
1, M. Dregeanum (E. Mey. in Herb. Drege) ; stem erect, branched, 
as well as the leaves hairy ; leaves sessile, lanceolate, narrower at the 
base, with revolute margins ; stipules with 5-6 bristles on each side ; 
flowers disposed in capitate whorls; calyx with 4 teeth, 2 a little 
smaller, ciliated, somewhat shorter than the corolla. : 
Has, Near Port Natal, Drege, Gerrard § M‘Ken. April. (Herb. Sd. D.) 
Stem 1-2 feet high, subhirsute. Leaves 14~2 inches long, 4-6 lines broad, acute, 
scabrous, hairy. Bristles of the stipules 2-3 lines long. Calyx-teeth subulate, about 
14 lines, corolla 3 lines long, the latter with 4 oblong, bearded lobes. Stamens 
subexserted. Capsule hairy, ovate. Seeds black, oblong, with a longitudinal furrow 
Calyx with an ovate, angular tube, and a 4-parted permanent limb ; 
teeth acute, erect. Corol/a campanulately funnel-shaped, 4-lobed. An- 
thers 4, sessile in the throat, exserted, linear-oblong. Stigma roundly 
2-lobed. Berry dry, corky, angular, lanceolate, or ovate-oblong, crowned 
by the calyx, 2-celled. Seeds solitary in the cells, oblong, bisulcate 
inside, with hard albumen and a straight embryo. Lam. idl. 76, fi 1. 
Serissus, Gertn. fruct. 1, p. 118, t. 25. mage. 
Glabrous, creeping herbs. Stems terete. Leaves ovate-oblong, fleshy, joined 
with the stipules into a cupular, toothed sheath at the base. Flowers axillary, ses- 
sile, solitary or by twos. Name from ddwp, water, and @vAag, a keeper or guar- 
1. H. carnosa (Sond.); quite glabrous ; stem decumbent ; branches 
ascending ; leaves ovato-lanceolate, acute, fleshy ; stipules 3-dentate ; 
flowers axillary, solitary ; limb of calyx shortly tubular, cleft on the 
