PLATES 1 and 2. 



MOSUHOSMA RIPAR1A, Hochst. 



Natural Order LABIATE. 

 Tribe 



A dioecious undershrub, with brittle stems and branches, large leaves, and 

 pale lavender flowers. Stems erect, branching, terete, and glabrous with pale bark, 

 3 to 5 feet high ; branches terete, green, very finely pubescent, and with a few 

 pilose white hairs. Leaves opposite, exstipulate, broadly ovate, cordate at base, 

 acute or obtuse at apex, edge coarsely crenate, the lobes again toothed : veins very 

 conspicuous beneath, and plainly visible above, paler beneath, densely pubescent 

 on veins and veinlets beneath, more finely so on lamina, veins and veinlots above, 

 1 to 6 inches long, 1^ to 5 inches wide; petioles ^ to 4 inches long. Inflorescence 

 in large axillary and terminal panicles, those of the staminate plant, usually larger, 

 and more loosely flowered than those of the pistillate plant, ultimate branches of 

 the panicle of the staminal plant 8 to 4 inches long, of the pistillate plant 2 to 3 

 inches long, the whorls about 15 to 20 in each, but in the pistillate plant they are 

 much more crowded together; in both from 5 to 9 flowered. Calyx gamosepalous, 

 campauulate, 5 fid, back lobe larger, ovate, obtuse ; lateral lobes acute, or sub- 

 acumiuate, ciliate, veiny. Corolla garnopetalous 5 lobed, lower lobe longer, all 

 obtuse, pubescent outside; in male flowers back lobe erect, lateral reflexed, lower 

 strongly so ; in female flowers, all sub-erect, and smaller than the male. Stamens, 

 in male flowers 4, didynamous ; on corolla tube above the base, exserted ; anther 

 cells confluent; filaments flattened, in female flowers absent. Style biiobed, in 

 male flowers shorter' than stamens, but longer in the female flowers, lobes spreading, 

 or reflexed. Disk forming an oblong gland in front of calyx tube. Ovary 4 parted, 

 present also in male flowers, bat abortive. Fruit of 4 little nuts in base of calyx 

 tube. 



Habitat: NATAL: Inanda, August, 1800 feet alt., ./. M. Wood, No. 141; 

 Gerrard & Mcken without locality in Government Herbarium, No. 1889; Umgeni, 

 J. M. Wood. 



Drawn and described from specimens gathered near Durban, July, 1896. 



The genus Moschosma contains 6 species only, one being Australian, one 

 Abyssinian, one Tropical African, one cosmopolitan, but not reaching Natal, one a 

 doubtful species, and the above described one. Onr species is remarkable for 

 being dioecious, that is bearing male and female flowers on different, plants. 

 Although the Order Labiatne includes more than 2500 species this is the only one 

 known to us having this peculiarity. Like most plants of the Order, it is strongly 

 scented, and is also somewhat viscous or clammy to the touch, the glands exnding 

 the viscous matter being very minute. It is often infested with a parasitic fungus 

 (Uredo labiatarurri) which causes the leaves to have a sooty appearance. It is 

 known to the natives as i-Boza, is used by them medicinally, and is sometimes 

 cultivated as an ornamental shrub by colonists. It flowers in winter only, and 

 then very plentifully; in Umlaas location being quite a conspicuous object at that 

 season. 



PLATK 1. Fig. 1, Leaf and panicle, natural size; 2, Flower front view; 

 3, Flower, side view; 4, Section through calyx, showing rudimentary ovary, 

 style and stigma; 5, Stamens; all variously enlarged. 



PLATE 2. Fig. 1, Leaf and panicle natural size; 2, Flower; 3, Flower opened, 

 showing ovary, style, stigma and disc ; 4, base of calyx tube showing ovary and 

 disc; all variously enlarged. 



