OCCURRENCE OF A SPEK-BOOM IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



By Joseph Blrtt Davy, F.L.S. 



A kind of Spekboom, a species of PorUdacaria, family Por- 

 tulacaceae, has been found in the Lydenburg^ district of the north- 

 •ern Transvaak It occurs at about 4,300 feet akitude, on the old 

 trek-road to the Pilgrim's Rest mines, at a place where the road 

 iformerly crossed a strong stream, a tributary of the Stcelpoort 

 River, by a drift, now abandoned for a substantial bridge. The 

 stream is called the Spekboom, and was probably so named by 

 transport riders who knew the Spekboom bush of the Eastern 

 Province. It is also reported from a similar situation on the 

 •Olifants River, north of Ohrigstad, and below its junction with 

 the Steelpoort. I am indebted to Mr. Harry Harber, of Groot- 

 boom, Ohrigstad, for information and specimens. The latter do 

 not appear to differ from specimens of Portulacaria afra J acq., 

 which I have collected in the Fish River Valley, Albany Division, 

 but I have not seen flowers. 



The occurrence of a species of Portulacaria so far north is 

 particularly interesting, for the genus is not known to occur else- 

 where in the Transvaal, nor at all in the Orange Free State. The 

 nearest point in the Cape Province, as far as I can learn, at which 

 the Spekboom occurs, is in the vicinity of Cradock, a distance 

 -of fully 600 miles from Lydenburg in a bee line. Mr. Medley 

 Wood notes the occurrence of Portulacaria afra Jacq. in Natal, 

 below 2,000 feet altitude, but there is no apparent phyto-geo- 

 ■graphical connection between the Fish River basin. Natal, and the 

 Upper Bushveld region of the northern Transvaal. One would 

 <expect that occurrence in remote localities, separated in the one 

 case by the mountain chain of the Drakensberg, and in the other 

 by 600 miles of high plateau, would result in marked specific 

 differentiation, and a careful study of specimens from each locality 

 is desirable from this point of view. 



In the Flora Capensis, Portulacaria afra Jacq. is recorded only 

 from the districts of Uitenhage, Graaff-Reinet and Albany. Mr. 

 Sim records that it extends from the Sunday's River to beyond the 

 Kei, and from near the coast to Cradock. but that it does not 

 ■occur beyond the Amatola or Winterberg ranges and is less abun- 

 'dant eastward. 



The only other species of the genus, Portulacaria namaquen- 

 sis Sond., occurs, as its name indicates, in Namaqualand, to 

 which region it appears to be confined. In this case the expected 

 8ias happened and distinct specific characters are found. 



