A NOTE ON THE GENUS FAUREA. HARV. 



BY 



J. J. KoTZE, B.A., B.Sc. (Dept. of Forests), and E. P. Phillip:; 

 M.A., D.Sc, F.L.S. (Division of Botany.) 



With 2 Maps and Plates XIII-XVIII. 



Read July ii, 19 19. 



Since the publication of the " Flora Capensis" containing 

 an account of the Proteacear, we have had an opportunity of 

 examining further material, which extends our knowledge of 

 the distribution of the genus Fanrca in South Africa. We have 

 also been able to collect data from forest officers in the Union 

 as to the habit, etc., of the species which were not available when 

 the genus was first monographed. This later information, we 

 think, justifies a further note on the genus. 



Three of the five known species occur in the Transvaal, viz., 

 F. Galpinii, F. speciosa and F. saligna. The two former species 

 are endemic, and are found only in the mountainous country of 

 the Eastern Transvaal. The latter species, however, is one of 

 the dominant trees in the Bushveld from Rustenburg to Zeerust, 

 but has outliers in the mountains, and is sometimes associated 

 with F. speciosa below the limits of F . Galpinii, which appears 

 to be confined to the higher elevations. It is the most widely dis- 

 tributed species of the genus occurring both in the Transvaal and 

 Natal. We have seen a specimen without flowers or fruits collected 

 by Sim in the Egossa Forest, East Pondoland (Sim 2446), which 

 he has called F. saligna. The shape of the leaves certainly sug- 

 gests F. saligna, but a careful investigation shows 



(i) That the lateral veins do not join and form a more 

 or less distinct marginal vein, as in F. saligna. 



(2) The petioles are glabrous and not hairy, as in 

 young leaves of F. saligna. 



(3) The young branchlets are glabrous and not hairy, 

 as in F. saligna. 



These characters, together with the fact that we have seen 

 no authentic specimens of F. saligna from the forests in East 

 Pondoland, lead us to believe that this species does not occur 

 further south than Natal. 



Faurca natalensis has been recorded from Natal by Gerrard 

 without precise locality, and is evidently confined to the eastern 

 coastal forest belts. Specimens have been collected in the Nenga 

 and Cwebe Forests near St. John's and the Bashee River respec- 

 tively, and in the Ntsubani Forest in the district of Lusikisiki. 

 . The Bashee River appears to be its southern limit, as Miss Pegler 

 does not record it from Kentani, a district she has exhaustively 

 collected in, and no other records are known. 



Faiirea Mcnmightonii is known only from Knysna, where it 

 is confined to the Eily Vlei Forest (Gouna), and, as no further 

 information on the distribution of this species has been brought 



