57 



The bark analysed by Mr. Stephen for the; Colonial and Indian Exhibition 

 gave 18% of leather forming material, or 7.20% of tannin ; or dried at 110 centi- 

 grade gave 7.48% of tannin. 



The tree is known to the natives as isi-Fuca, and they use the gum which 

 exudes from the bark for fixing the blades of the assegai into its handle, as a 

 depilatory they simply, smear their fingers with the gum so as to enable them to 

 take a firm hold of the hairs, which they then pluck out by the roots. 



Fig. 1, Twig with leaves and flowers, natural size ; 2, Male flower ; 3, Female 

 flower ; 4, Female flower with calyx and corolla removed ; 5, Cross section of fruit ; 

 all enlarged. 



PLATE 70. 



ORNITHOGALUM VIRENS, Lindl. 

 Natural Order, LILIACE.E. 



Bulb globose, f-l-g- inches in diameter, very light in colour, with numerous 

 fibrous roots, and several small flattened bulbils at base, springing from amongst 

 the tuft of fibrous roots, in the young state adherent by their inner faces to the 

 parent bulb, afterwards being forced away to varying distances from it, thus be- 

 coming stoloniferous. Leaves 3-6, erect, linear-acuminate, glabrous, Hark green, 

 concave in lower portion, veins fine and rather prominent, numerous ; 1-1J inches 

 broad at base, tapering to a fine point; 12 to 18 inches long. Peduncle slender, 

 terete, equalling or longer than the leaves ; raceme at apex of peduncle, many 

 flowered ; at first short, afterwards lengthening to 3 to 4 inches when in fruit ; 

 pedicels ascending, finally 2-4 lines long, upper ones shorter ; bracts linear-subu- 

 late, equalling the pedicels of the mature flowers, usually, but not always project- 

 ing beyond the young buds at apex of raceme. Perianth 6 parted to base, the 

 segments in two rows, spreading widely, each segment 3-4 lines long, l|-2 lines 

 wide, the inner ones widest, oblong, minutely cucullate at apex ; greenish white 

 with broad green central band. Stamens 6, nearly as long as the perianth lobes. 

 Filaments lanceolate, the three opposite the outer perianth lobes much broader, 

 and oblong in lower two-thirds, then abruptly narrowed to an acuminate apex. 

 Anthers 2 celled, versatile. Ovary trigonous with rounded angles, 3 celled, many 

 seeded. Capsule membranous, loculicidally 3 valved, broadly ovate-trigonous with 

 rounded angles. Seeds compressed, 3 ribbed or winged, black. 



Habitat : NATAL : Common in coast and midland districts, flowering in spring 

 and summer. 



Drawn and described from specimens gathered near Durban, September, 1898. 



The genus Ornithogaluin contains about 100 species " widely spread in the 

 old world," of these, according to the volume of the Flora Capensis lately published, 

 73 are natives of South Africa, 11 of which have been found in Natal; the species 

 here described has, we think, been hitherto confused with O. Eckloni, but it differs 

 in the following particulars, the bracts are not lanceolate-setaceous, but linear- 

 subulate, and in the young inflorescence do not protrude much beyond the buds, 

 while in 0. Eckloni they do so conspicuously ; the filaments are not lanceolate and 

 sub-equal, but the alternate ones are much broader than the others and almost 

 quadrate at the base, and lastly the flowers are certainly not pure white, but . 

 tinctly greenish white as stated in the text, each segment having a broad central 



