MO SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWERING PLANTS, 



soon appear at the notches, and buds follow, each of 

 which then becomes an independent plant. 



General Description of the Crassida Family, 



Herbs. 



Leaves — Succulent. 



Flowers — Eegular, sepals nearly free ; petals, free or 

 coherent ; stamens, equal to or twice as many as petals , 

 carpels nearly free. 



Fruit — Follicles. 



Bruniaceae. 



The Brunia Family. 



This family of 40 species of 9 genera is exclusively 

 South African. It consists of heath-like shrubs. The 

 leaves are small or needle-like, and crowded together, 

 with a hard tip. The flowers are minute, white or 

 red in clusters (Fig. 60, I.), rarely solitary. The plants, 

 like true heaths, are eminently characteristic of a dry 

 climate. Many other South African plants of several 

 different families put on a similar appearance. It is 

 the want of sufficient moisture which prevents leaves 

 of little herbs growing large, so that a great number 

 remain heath-like, or the short needle-like leaf may be 

 still further reduced, till it becomes very minute and 

 closely pressed against the stem, as in Bru'nia nodiflo'ra 



