20 



bracts linear, much shorter than pedicel. Calyx campulate 5 toothed, teeth 



, 



celled, 5 angled, muricate, and very hispid with numerous small stellate hairs. 



Habitat: NATAL: Inchanga, 2000 feet altitude, October J M. Wood, No. 

 6536, without locality, Miss Stainbank, in Herbarium, J. M. Wood, JNo. 6 tttt 



Professor Harvey ,in a note to the description of this plant says, " not nearly 

 related to any other species," and in this we quite agree. It appears to be yety 

 local ; we have not met with it in any other place but in the one cited, and it is 

 quite probable that both Miss Stainbank and Mr. Sanderson collected it in the 

 same locality. It is an attractive plant and quite worthy of cultivation. The 

 protuberances on the fruit, each having a stellate hair at apex, are somewhat 

 singular. 



The genus Hermamiia including Mahernia, which is now united with it, 

 contains from 110 to 120 species, of which three are American, four Tropical 

 African and Arabian ; the remainder all South African. 



Fig. 1, Plant and fruiting stem, natural size; 2, Flower, front and side view; 

 3, Stamens and style, sepals and petals removed; 4, Calyx, opened out; 5, 

 Stamens, outside view ; 6, a Stamen, front and side view ; 7, Fruit ; 8, Section of 

 fruit ; 9, Protuberance on the fruit. 



PLATE 21. 



SAMOLTJS POROSDS, Thb. 

 Natural Order, PRIMULACE.&. 



A tall, almost leafless herb, with pink and white flowers, growing on muddy 

 shores near the sea. Stems few or many, from a thickened, short, creeping rhizome, 

 erect, branching, terete, glabrous and shining, with small bract-like depauperated 

 leaves at intervals of 1 to 3 inches apart. Leaves very few, in many plants at 

 time of flowering quite absent, when present confined to the very base of the stem, 

 or rhizome, occasionally appearing where a branch or stem has been broken or 

 damaged, oblanceolate, entire, glabrous, ^ to 1^ inches long, 3 to 10 lines wide. 

 Inflorescence in axillary and terminal simple, or branching, few flowered racemes. 

 Calyx gamosepalous, deeply 5 cleft, lobes ovate-oblong, acute, persistent, glabrous, 

 2 lines long, tube ob-conical, equalling calyx. Corolla gamopetalous, tube cylind- 

 rical, a little swollen in centre, lobes 5, spreading, ovate, acute, or obtuse, with 5 

 subulate scales alternating with the lobes, inserted below the throat, and reaching 

 half way along the lobes; corolla including tube, 3 lines long. Stamens 5, in 

 throat, opposite lobes of corolla, sub-exserted anthers 2 celled, apiculate. Style 

 shorter than corolla. Stigma obtuse. Ovary half inferior, 1 celled, many seeded, 

 opening by 5 valves at apex. Seeds minute. 



Habitat; NATAL : On shoves of Natal Bay, July, /. M. Wood, No. 1940. 

 Drawn and described from specimens collected June, 1896. 



