Flora of the Leribe Plateau and En ri runs. 53 



Planch., and M. cord at a, E. Mey., respectively, but when conipai'ing the 

 specimens with those in our herbarium and with the descriptions 

 given in the ' Flora Capensis ' I found that Harvey had sunk M. 

 cordata, E. Mey., into M. betonicaefolia, E. & Z.*~ Following the 

 description of M. chrysantha, Planch., Harvey adds the following note: 

 " Larger and more woody than M. betonicaefolia, with longer leaves 

 and flower-stalks, longer and narrower petals, and more acuminate 

 and more woolly calyx-lobes, but in other respects so similar that we 

 suspect it is merely a very luxuriant variety, and retain the species 

 chieflv in deference to the opinion of other botanists." Among the 

 specimens quoted by Harvey under the two species M. chrysantha and 

 M. betonicaefolia, we have in the South African Museum Collection 

 the following: Melhania chrysantha, E. Mey., collected by Drege ; 

 Burke s specimen No. 158 from Dornkop, Bechuaualand ; Ecldon and 

 Zeyher's No. 320 from Katriver and Mahernia- cordata, E. Mey., 

 collected by Drege at Stormberg. A detailed examination of these as 

 well as other specimens at my disposal makes me agree with Harvey 

 that M. chrysantha. Planch., and M. betonicaefolia E. & Z., are 

 co-specific, but I do not agree with him in sinking M. cordata, E. Mey., 

 as a synonym of If. betonicaefolia, E. & Z., and I should prefer to 

 separate them out as follows : 



1. M. chrysantha, Turez (H. betonicaefolia, E. & Z., Hermann iu 

 geniculata , E. & Z., Melhania chrysantha, E. Mey.). 



2. M. cordata, E. Mey. 



The habit of the two species varies : in M. chrysantha the flowers 

 are always arranged along the length of the stem and arise from the 

 axils of the leaves, while in M. cordata the flowers are grouped up 

 in a panicle at the end of the stem. This difference in habit is 

 always associated with other characters, as the table given below will 

 show. 



M. chrysantha, Turez. M. cordata, E. Mey. 



Flowers large, over 1 cm. long. Flowers smaller, under 1 cm. 



long. 

 Pedicels over 1 cm. long. Pedicels usually less than 1 cm. 



long. 



The calyx is villous within. The calyx is glabrous within. 



Lower half of the petals about Lower half of the petals always 

 9-uerved. 3-uerved 



Madame Dieterleu gives the colour of the corolla as yellow in 

 M. cordata and cream in M. chrysantha, and in most cases this seems 



* Szyszylowicz, ' Polypetalae Thalamiflorae, Rehmannianae' (1887), p. 14 >, 

 follows the ' Flora Capensis.' 



