104 ILLUSTRATIONS OF 



i^b 



,/, 



This is a well-known species^ long cultivated in Europe, con- 

 spicuous for its large crimson flowers and copious small foliage. 

 The specimen ahove quoted from Drege^s collection, and described 

 by M. Dunal in the ' Prodromus/ p. 523^ as L. rigidum, var. an- 

 gmtifolium^ Dun., appears to me without doubt a true L. Afrum. 

 Specimens from different parts of Southern Africa vary in the 

 length and thickness of their crowded fasciculate leaves^ and the 

 species is easily distinguished from all others by its broad calyx 

 and large dark-coloured corolla- The species L. propinquum 

 (DC, Prodr. xiii. 526) was founded by G. Don (Diet. iv. 459) 

 simply upon Thunberg's description of L. Afrum in ' Linn, Trans/ 

 ix. 153: here, the words ''folia unguicularia " are translated, 

 ''leaves a nail long/' which M. Dunal has reconstrued into 

 "folia 24 pollicaria/' to me it appears that Thunberg meant to 

 express the essential feature of unguiculate or spathulate leaves : 

 under this more probable construction there is absolutely nothing 

 in Thunberg^s character at variance with what we know of L. 

 Afrum^. 



Afi 



Prodr 



Not having met with any specimen of this reputed species, I 

 cannot form a decided opinion respecting it, but from the pub- 

 lished descriptions, no very essential difference is appreciable be- 

 tween this and the preceding species : the principal distinction, 

 and that derived from cultivated specimens, consists in its some- 

 what smaller berry being of a deep blue, while the other is of a 

 blackish red colour, a mere difference of shade. M. Dunal, from 

 a specimen cultivated at Montpelier, says it is very close to 

 L. Afrum, differing only in its smaller stems, fewer spines, 

 thicker, shorter and paler leaves, and in a more greenish hue in 

 the colour of the corolla : a considerable difference in both these 

 respects is often witnessed in indigenous specimens of L. Afrum : 

 it does not therefore appear, that the vahdity of the species rests 

 upon very satisfactory grounds; and this is confirmed by the 

 fact, that among the numerous collections brought from all parts 

 of the Cape colony during the last few years, no specimen appears 

 that can be referred to this species. 



17. Lydum glaucum (n. sp.) ;— spinosum, glaberrimum, intri- 

 cato-ramosum, ramulis rugoso-rimosis, vel Ijcvigatis, juniori- 

 bus niveis, spin is ssepius brevibus, nudis, ex axillis strumoso- 



An outline of this species with its floral analysis is shown in plate 66 C. 



