110 lorantiiacEtE (Sprague). [Loranthus. 



about II 111, long, retlexed above the lower third, linear, gradually 

 broadened upwards, upper jjart linear-lanceolate ; filaments inserted 

 3-3| lin. above the base of the corolla lobes, about 9^ Hn. long, 

 breakhig above the lower third when the flower expands, the lower- 

 most 3^ lin. straight, linear, the remainder much thickened, 

 involute ; anthers linear, 2-horned at the apex, 1^-2 lin. long, nut 

 divided transversely ; disc }. lin. high ; style filiform^ ; stigma 

 ellipsoid, | lin. long, slightly bifid; berry oblong, tapering to an 

 obtuse apex, covei^ed with white silky hairs, and crowned with the 

 persistent calyx, dull pink when ripe, 5 lin. long, 3 lin. iu diam. 

 {Wood), Hnrv, in Harv, & Sand, Fl Caii. it. 575; Enul in EngJ. 

 Jahrh. XX. 84, 101; Engl Pfl. Od-Afr. C. 166; M. S. Evans 



Nature, li. 230 ; Schinz in Mem, lleih, Bois^. no, 10, 31 ; 

 Wood, Natal PL iv. /. 312; Sprague in Bijer, FL Trop, Afr. vi. 

 i. 311. L. Drcfjei, forma suhcuneifolia^ Engl, Lc, 104, an to the 

 Soutli African specimens, X. Dregei, forma ohfKHifoUuy Engl. he. Iv-^j 

 as to the South African specimens, L. rosens^ Klotzsch in Feterff, 

 Beise Mossamh, Bot. 177 ; Schinz in Mem. Jlerh. BoisB, no. 10, 3-. 

 L. ohlongifuJius, E. Meyer in Dregc, Zwei ^BJl. Documc/de, 14:8, 



m 



gust if 



Eriaulhemiim Dregci, Van 



Tiegh. in BiiJI. Soc. Bot. France, xlih 248. 



Coast Begion : Komgha Div. ; near Komgha, Flunagan in MacOwa/ii Bcv'^* 

 Austr,-Afr., 1527! British Kaffraria, Cooper^ 142! 



Kalahari PtEGiox : Transvaal ; near Lydenburg, Wilms, 200 ! Port Shepstone, 

 Burtt-Davy, 2413 1 and without precise locality, Sandermn \ 



Eastern Region : Traiiste: ; Kentani, Jllm Pegkr, 418 ! Tembuland ; ^lorleVj 

 Drege ! Pondoland ; between Umtata Eiver and St. Johns Hiver, Dref/e ! Natal ; 

 near Durban, Brege, Peddiel Sand(TSon, 203 I Gerrard, 641 ! Inanda, Wood, 44^. 

 Alexandria District, ^/./r/aiia, 266! and without precise locality, Gerrard ! Cooper^ 

 1223 ! 2458! Saudcnon, 552 ! Delagoa Bay ; on TrickiUa emetica, VaUI, Monteivo, 

 15 ! Louren(;o Marques, Schlechterj 11564 ! 



Also in Tropical Africa, where nine di&tinct varieties occur in addition to tne 

 type. According to M. S. Evans (I.e.), the flowers of Z. Dregei are visited by 

 sunbirds, which insert their beaks into the slits between the corolla-lobes ai^^ 

 cause the flower to open with a jerk. As the flower opeius, the anthers are broken 

 sharply off, and fly away, scattering their pollen aa they go. The point ot 

 breakage is evidently at the junction between the slender and thickened parts oi 

 the filament, judging frona dried specimens, and it is apparently the sudden 

 coiling up of the thickened part which causes the explosive opening of the flo\ven 



A specimen collected by Medley Wood (4407) on Anrna sp., near Qumbem, 

 3000-4000 ft., Natal, apparently represents an uudescribed variety. The leave.s 

 differ from the type in being subcordate at the base, and iu retaining a covering or 

 stellate and verticillate-branched hairs on the lower surface when fully developed. 

 The bract is rather larger (1 J lin. long). The receptacle is surrounded by a very 

 dense band of ascending hairs which increase its apparent diameter so that the 

 combined receptacle and calyx appear to be flask-sbaped mstead of subcylindric. 



A isecond variety may be represented Ly Galpln, 708, from near Barberton, 

 Transvaal, and Rthmanv^ 6470, from Houtboeh. This resembles the above, b"^ 

 has short stout peduncles and longer flowers. 



10. L.Wyliei (Sprague); brandies subterete, nodose, ash-coloured? 

 rather slender, about 1 lin. in diam. G in. below the apex, glabrous ? 

 branchlets minutely and rather densely pilose with very short uu- 



