A revision of the genu* Pteronia (Compos itae). "2*1 



heads are crowded together into a compound head, each unit being 

 1-flowered; and P. erythrochaeta, DC, and P. Eenii, S. Moore, are 

 remarkable in having a purplish pappus. 



Few of the species appear to be of any economic importance. 

 P. onobromoides, DC, which inhabits the sandy coast flats from Port 

 Nolloth to St. Helena Bay, has succulent and very aromatic leaves, 

 which mixed with fat are used by the Namaquas and Bastards as a 

 perfume under the name of " Buchu." The cultivation of this plant 

 may be worthy of the attention of the authorities of the New Botanic 

 Garden at Kirstenbosch. According to Pillans the shoots of P. utilis, 

 Hutchinson (a new species), are eaten by stock. P. incana, DC, is 

 cultivated as an ornamental plant at La Mortola, Italy (cf. Bot. Mag. 

 t. 8380), where it was first grown in 1872 from seeds communicated 

 by Prof. MacOwan. — J. H. 



PTERONIA, Linn. Gen. n. 937. 



Flower-heads homogamous, discoid, 1-many-flowered ; flowers 

 hermaphrodite, equal. Involucre campanulate, ovoid or cylindric, 

 with numerous bracts in several series, often chaffy with membranous 

 glabrous or ciliate margins, sometimes spine-tipped gradually in- 

 creasing in length upwards. Eeceptacle convex, flat or concave, 

 often deeply honeycombed, the pits with marginal setae or lacerate. 

 Corolla tubular, regular, with a turbinate or subcampanulate 5-lobed 

 limb. Anthers obtuse or rarely acute at the base. Style branches 

 flattened, with short or rather long appendages. Achenes turbinate or 

 more or less compressed and then often glabrous, frequently villous, 

 often contracted into a neck at the apex. Setae of the pappus nume- 

 rous or rarely somewhat 1-seriate, often connate at the base into a 

 ring, very unequal, more or less barbellate or subpilose, mostly straw- 

 coloured, rarely purple. 



Shrubs, much branched, sometimes only a few inches high, rarely 

 with decumbent branches rooting at the nodes, often viscid. Leaves 

 alternate or mostly opposite, entire or ciliate-serrulate, coriaceous or 

 fleshy, woolly-tomentose, papillous or glabrous, rarely warted, some- 

 times very small and clustered. Flower-heads large or medium- 

 sized, solitary or corymbose at the end of the shoots. Corolla yellow, 

 rarely purplish or greenish. 



Species 63, all endemic to South Africa. 



