Holothrix villosa, Limltey in Comp. Bot. Mag., vol. ii, j). 207 

 (1836). — Tubera ovata vel oblonga, lana intertexta vestita ; folia bina 

 radicalia humistrata, interdum carnosa, inferum orbiculare, 3-5 cm. 

 diam., superum miuvis, supra margiuibusque pilis longis mollis vestita, 

 subtus glabra ; scapus erectus gracilis, 15-30 cm, lougus patentim 

 pilosus ; spica multiflora, floribus quaqimversis ; bractese ovats acu- 

 minatse pilosse, ovario breviores ; flores glabri, circa 3 mill, longi ; 

 sepalum impar suborbiculare, obtuse acutum, lateralia late ovata; 

 petala linearia, basi latiora, obtusa, sepalis paullo longiora ; labellum 

 circumscriptione ovata, trifidum concavum, segmentis linearibus obtusis 

 subfequilortgis, petala superantibus ; calcar conicum rectum, sepalis 

 brevius; columna subconica obtusa ; polliuium caudiculas in glandulam 

 unicam ellipticam desinentes. {Kx exevipU. jylur. vir.) 



Hab: South-western Region; Cape Colony: Cape Peninsula, 

 on the Flats and on Table Mt., amongst bushes, alt. from 20 up to 

 750 meters, fl. Sept.-Nov., Bolus, 3929, 4655; Paarl, Iher/e, 1253A; 

 Piquetberg &c.— South-eastern Region; Cape Colony: 'Cave Mt., 

 near Graaff Reinet, alt. 1350 met., rare. Bolus; Boschberg, near 

 Somerset East, MacOiran ; near Grahamstown, Sept., Souter, (ex 

 Schoenland 402.) 



Plate 14, B. Fig. 1, flower with bract, side view; 2, odd sepal; 

 3, one of the side sepals; 4, one of the petals; 5, hp, — all the foregoing 

 magnified about 6 diameters: 6, ovary and column with lip; 7, column, 

 front view ; 8, column, back view ; 9, polHnarium, — all the latter 

 variously magnified. 



Tubers ovate or oblong, clothed with interwoven woolly hairs ; 

 leaves 2, radical, lying flat on the ground, sometimes fleshy, the lower 

 orbicular, 3-5 cm. long and wide, the upper smaller ovate acute, the 

 upper surface and margins as also the scape and bracts, clothed with 

 long soft brownish spreading hairs ; scape erect, straight or curved, 

 15-30 cm. long; spike many-fl,, the flowers turned in every direction; 

 bracts ovate acuminate shorter than the ovary ; flowers glabrous, 

 about 3 mill, long ; odd sepal nearly orbicular, obtusely acute, side 

 sepals broadly ovate ; petals linear, widened at the base, obtuse, a 

 little longer than the sepals ; lip ovate in outline, concave, 3-fid, the 

 segments linear obtuse, a little longer than the petals, spur conical 

 straight, shorter than the sepals ; column somewhat conical, obtuse ; 

 caudicles of the pollinia terminating in a single gland. 



Described from numerous living and dried specimens. Colour of 

 the petals and lip ochraceous yellow. The species is well distinguished 

 by its particularly long and soft indument ; and though dried specimens 

 may sometimes resemble some forms of h. sqwninilosa, Lindlcij, (Bolus, 

 Orchids of the Cape Peninsula, t. 23) the latter may always be known 

 by the 5- or 7-fid lip and the slenderer curved spur. It appears to be 

 a widely distributed plant, and about Cape Town, at least, is frequently 

 to be seen every year. 



