BOTANICAL. INFORMATION. 



117 



is one of the rarest plants that grow here, as well as in 

 the interior. Helichrysum milleflorum, ferrugineum, Dais an- 

 thylloides, Bupleurum Mundii, Morysia pinnata, Cyperus 

 flavissimus, (Schrad.), Harpechloa Capensis, (Kunth), form 

 a part of that mountain Flora. But one of the rarest 

 and most interesting is the tree-like Oldenlandia Ar- 

 buscula, (DC), with its large capitula, the size of an 

 artichoke, or like Protea cynaroides; the tree bears a 

 great resemblance to Leucospermum conocarpum, or Protea 

 grandiflora, on account of which the Dutch call it Wagen- 

 boom, which is the name of the latter tree. It grows 

 only in this mountain range, and sparingly in a few spots ; 

 its natural locality is on rocky places in a rather mixed soil, 

 composed of peat and loam. The vegetation of this range 

 is rather rich, especially in herbaceous plants, owing to its 

 elevation and its being the first range of mountains from 

 the shores of the southern coast ; a great part of the moisture 

 of the atmosphere, wafted by the sea-breeze, is attracted and 

 condensed towards the higher point of the mountain, and 

 forms a climate essential to the growth of many species 

 of plants. By reason of this favourable circumstance, there 

 exists a great resemblance between this and the much 

 higher Winterberg mountain range, in respect to their 

 vegetable productions. The Kohautia Amatymbica, Olden- 

 landia Caffra, Pulsatilla Caffra, Geum Capense, Polyactium 

 Caffrum, Psilostoma ciliata, (Klotzsch), Bluffia Eckloniana, 

 (Nees), Erianthus Ecklonii, (Nees), &c, &c, are natives both 

 of the Winterberg and this mountain chain. The weather 

 became very boisterous and rainy, which is not unusual 

 here, and we had not yet reached the eastern extremity when 

 we were obliged to halt for a day on the mountain, for fear 

 any accident should befall our waggons on that bad road. 

 Close to our encampment, amongst shrubs of Cliff ortia 

 strobilifera and of Restio, in the course of a small rivulet, 

 grew the Lubinia atropurpurea, a primulaceous plant, showing 

 its dark red spikes amongst a multitude of other flowers. 



