Brachystelma. | ASCLEPIADE (Brown). 841 
803! Basutoland, Cooper, 983! Transvaal; Mooi Kiver, Burke, 292! near Elsburg, 
Schlechter, 3547! Potchefstroom, Burtt Davy, 1820! Houtbosch'Berg, Rehmann, 
5877! Modderfontein, Conrath, 1013! and without precise locality, Nelson, 13! 
Eastern Recion : Zululand, Thomas ! 
A fruiting specimen from Cradock (Cooper, 2710) may also belong to this 
species. According to Mr. Sanderson, the tuber ‘‘is sometimes eaten by the 
Hottentots and called Hottentot’s bread, when eaten raw it tastes bitter.’”’ The 
flowers are stated to be ‘‘abominably scented” or to emit ‘‘an awful stench.” 
Dr. Schlechter founded B. fotidum upon a small-flowered specimen with the 
inner surface of the corolla-lobes glabrous, and B. Rehmannii upon a large-flowered 
specimen with the inner surface of the corolla-lobes puberulous. I have examined 
both and find no structural difference between the two extreme forms, nor does 
Dr. Schlechter mention any, and they are connected by specimens with flowers of 
intermediate sizes, which demonstrate that the size accords with the vigour of the 
plant, probably depending upon the amount of moisture. Specimens with the 
inner surface of the corolla-lobes puberulous appear to be uncommon, the only 
examples [ have seen are Rehmann’s 5877 (the type of B. Rehmannii) and Rogers’ 
803 ; I deem it to be a variable character, such as occurs in B. Barberiz, Harv. 
5. B. tuberosum (R. Br. in Bot. Mag. t. 2343 excl. syn.) ; tuber 
flattened, 14-2 in. in diam., producing 1 or more sparingly branched 
stems 3-4 in. high, or taller under cultivation, pubescent ; leaves 
spreading, 3-1} in. long, 2-6 lin. broad, mostly linear or linear- 
lanceolate, the lower sometimes larger and ovate or oblong, acute or 
subobtuse, tapering into a short petiole at the base, more or less 
longitudinally folded, puberulous on the under surface, glabrous 
above, minutely ciliate ; flowers 2-4 together at the nodes ; pedicels 
2-3 lin. long, puberulous; sepals about 1 lin. long, lanceolate, 
acuminate, puberulous; corolla about ? in. in diam., glabrous and 
green speckled with purple-brown outside, inner face dark purple- 
brown on the lobes, yellow with transverse purple-brown lines in 
the campanulate tube, which appears to be 2-3 lin. long, and as 
much .in diam. ; lobes free, } in. long, very spreading or slightly 
reflexed, tapering from the base to the acute apex, with revolute 
margins, ciliate with rather long hairs at the base ; corona-lobes 
triangular, conniving at the points. Bot. Reg. t. 722; Fl. des 
Serres, iv. t. 340; Geel, Sert. Bot. ii. t. 7; Spreng. Syst. Veg. i. 842; 
G. Don, Gen. Syst. iv. 125, fig. 16; Dietr. Syn. Pl. ii. 887 ; Decne 
in DC. Prodr. viii. 646 partly ; Schlechter in Journ. Bot. 1897, 292. 
Soura Arrica : without locality, ex Sims. 
This plant was probably introduced by Bowie, as there is a drawing of it at Kew, 
made in Sept. 1825 from a plant brought from the Cape by him in 1823. No 
dried specimen of it seems to have been preserved. I have, however, seen 3 
specimens which much resemble the figure in the Botanical Magazine. One of 
them distinctly differs in being quite destitute of cilia, this I have described as 
B. decipiens, “ Another at the British Museum, labelled ‘ Huernia, India” from 
Nuttall’s Herbarium, agrees with the figure except as to the cilia, these appear to 
have fallen off, as here and there I notice a long deciduous and probably vibratile 
hair, otherwise the corolla is entirely glabrous; the corona is blackish apparently 
of 5 three-toothed lobes opposite the anthers, with the lateral teeth (outer corona) 
very short, deltoid, puberulous on the inner face, and the middle’ tooth (inner 
corona-lobe) linear, obtuse, very abruptly inflexed upon the backs of the anthers 
