26 



PLATE 223. 



BEBKHEYA MONTANA, Wood & Evans (Jour, of Bot. Vol. xxxv, p. 351). 



Natural Order, COMPOSITE. 



An erect branching plant, 3-5 feet high, with yellow flowers. Stems and 

 branches striate, pubescent or hispid with short hairs, and bearing small scattered 

 spines. Radical leaves none, stem leaves petiolate, oblong, margin irregularly and 

 unequally wavy, ciliate with a few short scattered unequal spines, minutely hispid 

 above, cobwebby with dull white adpressed hairs beneath, 6-9 inches long, includ- 

 ing the petiole, 3-4 inches wide, petiole of the central leaves subamplexicaul, but 

 not or scarcely decurrent ; y inch long gradually becoming shorter upwards, 

 uppermost leaves sessile. Heads in lax axillary and terminal corymbs ; f-1^- inch 

 diameter. Involucral scales concrete at base, squarrose, lanceolate, outer ones 4-7 

 lines long including the 1 line long spine, margins with few shorter but similar 

 spines ; midrib conspicuous, lateral obscure above, on both sides densely clothed 

 with minute glands. Receptacle deeply honeycombed, edges of the cells with long 

 bristles. Achenes glabrous, striate, minutely pedicelled. Pappus cup-shaped, 

 concrete in one row, lacerate at apex. 



Habitat : NATAL : In a shady valley, summit of Drakensberg Mountains, near 

 De Beer's Pass, 5-6,000 feet alt March, Wood No. 6978 ; Van Reenen, 5-6,000 

 feet alt. Wood No. 5605. 



Drawn from Wood's 6978. 



A plant growing 3-4 feet in height, in light shade at margin of bush, and not 

 more than 500 yards from where B. latifolia was found, both being at that time 

 undescribed ; it is quite probable, however, that the present plant may have a 

 wider distribution than B. latifolia, as it has most likely hitherto been mistaken 

 for some other closely allied species. 



The lowest leaves which are not shown in the drawing are petioled, the 

 petiole being sometimes 1 inch or more long, this is plainly seen in the Van 

 Reenen specimens, which were not at hand when the drawing was made, and 

 description written. In the specimens gathered near De Beer's Pass the lowest 

 leaves are not present. 



Fig. 1, portion of involucre; 2, portion of receptacle; 3, ray floret; 4, disk 

 floret ; 5, achene and pappus ; all enlarged. 



