Polygala.]  POLYGALES (Harv.) 93 
29. P. serpentaria (E. & Z.! No. 181) ; root woody ; stems diffuse 
or prostrate, puberulous ; leaves subsessile, elliptical or oblong, obtuse, 
mucronulate, midribbed, with reflewed margins and a paler under side ; 
racemes lateral, 2-8 flowered ; pedicels not longer than the flower ; 
bracts ovate, deciduous ; ale sub-herbaceous, elliptical, mucronate, with 
white edges, ant. sepals ovate, sharply mucronate, concave ; keel with 
a multifid crest, lat. petals broadly cuneate, truncate, on long claws ; 
capsule sharply notched, broader than long, with a wide, marginal wing. 
P. lengata, E. Mey. ! in Herb. Drege. 
Has. Stony places near the Fort of Chumiberg and at Fort Beaufort, Kat River, 
E. & Z.! Caffirland, and towards Natal, Drege/ Natal, Gueinzius/ Sanderson / 
Herb., T.C.D., Hook., Sond.) ee 
Stems decumbent, 6-12 inches long or more, subsimple or much branched, slender. 
Flowers small, with green ale, and purple or flesh coloured keel and pe : the 
petals large (in proportion) and standard-shaped. According to Zcklonand , Con- 
firmed by Dr. Pappe, the root is a Caffir remedy for the bite of serpents, whence the 
specific name, and the colonial “ Kafir Schlagen Wortel.” It is nearly allied to P. 
amatymbica, from which it differs in habit ; in its more obtuse leaves, broader and 
more elliptical ale, &. 
30. P. amatymbica (E. & Z.! No. 182) ; root woody ; stems half- 
herbaceous, tufted, erect, sub-simple, filiform, downy ; leaves lanceolate, 
acuminate ; pungently mucronate, the lower ones broader, with reflexed 
edges ; racemes lateral, few-flowered, with a wavy rachis ; bracts deci- 
duous ; ale herbaceous, ovato-lanceolate, acute, mucronate, ant. sepals 
ovate, sharply acuminate ; keel with a multipartite crest, ant. petals 
obovate or cuneate, truncate ; capsule oval-oblong, emarginate, wider 
than the ale. P. acuminata, E.Mey.! in Herb. Drege. 
Has. Mountains near Shiloh, Tambukiland, Z. 4 Z./ Drege/ Aapjies River and 
Macallisberg, Burke’ Gekau, Caftraria, Drege/ (Herb. T.C.D., Hook., Sond.). 
Densely tufted, 3-6 inches high, with slender, wiry stems. The lower leaves are 
somewhat ovate; the midribs prominent. Flowers small, the ale green and 
narrow ; keel and petals flesh coloured or purple. Allied to P. asbestina, but dif- 
fering in the foliage and habit. ae 
Group 7. Parvirtorx. Minute, herbaceous species, with linear, 
scattered leaves. Racemes terminal, densely many-flowered, spiciform, 
with very minute flowers. Keel with a small, not much divided crest. 
(Sp. 31-32). ; 
$1. i Mey. ! in Herb. Drege); herbaceous, branched near 
the base, Bifoem are few, linear, ie at base, obtuse ; racemes 
terminal, spike-like, elongating, many-flowered ; pedicels much shorter 
than the minute flowers ; bracts oval, obtuse, persistent ; ale broadly 
elliptical, veiny, very obtuse, ant. sepals obovate or obcordate ; keel 
crested, twice as long as the spathulate petals ; capsule obcordate. 
Has. Between Nat Voet and the Gareep, 1-1500 feet, Drege’ (Herb. Hook., 
Benth.). 
A nai annual (?), 2~3 inches high, or perhaps more ; nearly allied to the follow- 
ing, but differing in bracts, sepals, petals, &c. The leaves are sometimes oblong 
and mucronulate. Flowers nearly sessile, whitish or white. Crest of the keel small, 
and but little cut. ; 
32. P. capillaris (E. Mey. ! in Herb. Drege) ; herbaceous, erect, sub- 
