ICrowji Copyright Reserved 



ROYAL BOTANIC GARDENS, KEW. 



BULLETIN 



OP 



MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIOK 



No. 



[1915 



XI.-NOTES ON SOUTH AFRICAN SANTALACEAE. 



Thesidium. 



The genus Tlieaidittm falls naturally into two parts, making a 

 useful subdivision for purposes of classification. In some of the 

 species the male and female plants are quite similar in general 

 appearance, while in the others they are so unlike that without 

 evidence from the collector it is hardly possible to assign specimens 

 of male plants to their proper females. 



To the group of species with similar male and female plants 

 belong 7. exocarpaeoidcs, Sond., T. 71n/nhcrffh\ Sond. and 7. 



/ 



'f 



W. Hill, J. fntticiiJo^inn, A- W. 



TJiat tho flifficulij Avitli those dissimilar forms is a real one is 

 shown by the fact tlmt De CaTuloHe descrihetl as two species 

 {Thesiuni yJohosuin uiul Tlicsium stvigidontm*), the female and 

 male plants rt\s])ectively of one and the same species ^rhich Sonder 

 lif^htly included togc^tlier under the name of Tlicddium hirtum (in 



Flora, 1857, 365). 



Of the three new species T, Jongifolinm is the most striking from 

 the conspicuous disi)aritv betAveon the tAvo sexes; the male plant 

 closely resembles that of T. frufici/Jo.unn, while the female with 

 its comparatively long stems and elongate, lanceolate leaves and 

 bracts, is distinct from any other species and quite unlike the 

 W'lle. ThrouP-hout this small genus the male flowers show 



liUUUl. IJ±10 OJm.^i J5 



scarcely any difference, and the femnle flowers also are not 

 "uirkedly difi'ercnt in the several species. 



The species, therefore, have to be separated almost entirely on 

 vegetative characters, and especially on those of the bracts and 

 bracteolos. Between the species with the males and females 

 Teseii,l)]iTij> each other the diil'ercnces are not very well nciiked. and 



■J 



* A. DC. E.p. Nouv. Thes. 1857, p. 4; placed under Thmdinw, but hotli 



i-pecies retained in DC. Prodr. xiv. 67-3. 



(876fl.) Wt. 225-595. 1,125. 4,15. J. T. & S. G. 14. 



