THREE NOTEWORTHY SPECIES OF PLANTS FROM 

 SOUTH AFRICA. 



By E. p. Phillips, M.A., D.Sc, F.L.S., 

 Division of Botany, Pretoria. 



With Plate XXXIX. 



Read July ii, 1920. 



PROTEA RHODANTHA, Hook. fil. Branches brownish, 

 prominently pitted with old leaf scars! Leaves 16-20 cm. long, 

 1. 2-1. 5 cm. broad in the widest part, obtuse, long- attenuated at 

 the base, glabrous, the mid-rib distinct in fresh leaves and lateral 

 veins not evident, but are distinct in dried leaves. Heads ter- 

 minal, 9 cm. long from the base to apex of styles, about 7.5 

 cm. across. Receptacle 1.5 cm. high, conical. Iiivolucral-bracts 

 7-8-seriate; the outer 1.5 cm. broad, ovate, bluntly and shortly 

 acuminate, obtuse, glabrous or pubescent on the lower half, 

 ciliate; the inner 3.5 cm. long, i cm. broad, oblong, obtuse, 

 glabrous, not ciliate. Perianth 6 mm. long, 8 mm. broad at the 

 base, expanded and keeled, glabrous at the base, otherwise 

 villous; the upper portion of the perianth 2.5 mm. broad, linear, 

 villous without and within ; lip 2 . 5 cm. long, 2 . 5 mm. broad^ 

 3-toothed at the apex, villous. Anthers i .5 cm. long, linear with 

 a linear-elliptic apical gland .5 mm. long. Ovary 3.5 mm. long, 

 covered with pinkish hairs; style 5.5 cm. long, gradually taper- 

 ing upwards from a thickened base, glabrous ; stigma i . i cm. 

 long, filiform, obtuse, gradually passing into the style. 



Barberton Div. : Near Barberton, June, Thorncroft in 

 National Herb. 1053. A rare and handsome species nf the 

 genus. The involucral-bracts are a deep port wine colour and 

 the long projecting styles are pink. The perianth is also tinged 

 with pink and not with an orange-coloured lip as stated in the 

 " Flora Capensis." 



This Protea was first raised from seed sent by Mr. Horn, 

 who collected it at Pilgrim's Rest, in the Lydenburg district, in 

 1886, and it flowered a few years afterwards at Kew. It was 

 described and figured by Hooker in the Botanical Magazine, 

 t. 7331. For many years the plant was only known from the 

 figure until Bolus collected specimens in Swaziland, between 

 Dalriach and Forbes Reef (Bolus 12265). The specimens sent 

 in by Mr. Thorncroft are the first to be collected since Bolus' 

 gathering, and the locality from which they come is a new record 

 for the species. 



KNIPHOFIA N0RTHI7E, Bkr. Plant with a short stem 

 and a dense rosette of leaves 30-40 in number, increasing in size 



