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no rain. A good example of this was seen in the grounds of 

 the Natal University College last year, where a hockey field 

 had been cleared of turf. The advantage of the early flower- 

 ing lies in the plant being able to carry out the more impor- 

 tant work of the year, before the taller growing aestival and 

 autumnal aspects develop. 



As for the species composing the vernal aspect societies, 

 they are so numerous and varied in the different parts, that 

 only a few of the commonest examples can be mentioned. 



The Compositae are best represented. Senecio latifolius, 

 a rather variable plant, is very abundant. S. albanensis, 

 S. bupleuroides, S. coronatus, S. erubescens, S. barbollatus, 

 S. speciosus (iBohlolo), and dozens of others occur in different 

 parts. Over 70 species of Senecio are found in Natal alone. 

 Helichrysum is another large genus. II . lati folium, H. adeno- 

 carpum, H. squarro.su m, H. aureonitens, H. foetid urn, H. 

 fulgidum are all common, but altogether there are nearly 80 

 species, though a few of them are not Veld plants. The fol- 

 lowing are other common composites: Gerbera kraussii 

 (uHlambiloshane), G. aurantiaca, Yemonia hirsuta, V. 

 hraussii, V. woodii (uHlonyane), Aster asper (uDlutshana), 

 A. erigeroides (isiThlelo), Nidorella auriculata, Stoebe 

 cinerea, Dicoma argyrophylla, Cineraria atriplici folia, Calli- 

 lepis laureola (imPila), Ethalia ccmyzoides (umSokosoko), but 

 the list might be extended to include two or three hundred. 



The Leguminoseae are also very well represented, and 

 interest attaches to them, since some of them are known to 

 cause stock diseases. Lotononis corymbosa, L. eriantha, 

 //. foliosa, L. prostrata, Melolobiuiv alpinum, 31. obcordatum, 

 Crotalaria burkeana, C. eapensis, C. globifera, C. lanceolata, 

 C. natalitia, Argyrolobium marginatum finTondo), A. stipu- 

 laceum, A. uniflorum, A. Ion gi folium, A. andrewsianum, A. 

 rupestre, A. sutherlandi, Medicago dentieulata, Indigofera 

 dregeana, 1- eriocarpa, I. di midiata, I. fastigiata, I. hedy- 

 antlia, I. hilaris, I. longipes, I. woodii, I. zeyheri, Eriosema 

 salignum, E. kraussianum, E. cajanoides, E. longipes, 

 Teplirosia eapensis, T. longipes, T. diffusa, T. discolor, T. 

 macropoda (iLozane), Lessertia bi flora, Ehynchosia adenodes, 

 R. totta, Vigna verillata, V . triloba, are a few of the com- 

 monest species, and although the list seems a fairly long one 

 it represents only a small proportion of the total. 



