4 



PLATE 227. 



AEGTEOLOBIUM DNIFLORUM, Harv. (Fl. Cap. Vol. ii., p. 72). 

 Natural Order, LEGDMINOS.E. 



A slender, erect, herbaceous plant with yellow flowers. Roots tuberous. 

 Stems ribbed, glabrescent, or with a few scattered minute hairs in upper portion, 

 pubescent near the base, 10-18 inches long. Leaves trifoliate, petiolate, stipulate, 

 few and distant ; common petiole of lowest leaves -f- inch long, densely pubes- 

 cent ; uppermost leaves subsessile. Stipules small, subulate, hairy, 1-2 lines long. 

 Leaflets of lowest leaves ovate to lanceolate, entire, mucronate, 5-8 lines long by 

 3-4 lines wide, uppermost conduplicate, linear, 1-1| inch long, ^ line wide ; all 

 densely pilose. Flowers opposite the uppermost leaves, solitary (rarely in pairs). 

 Bracts setaceous, equalling pedicels ; pedicels 1-2^ lines long ; bracteoles 2, in 

 centre of pedicel and about half its length. Calyx bilabiate, upper lip deeply 

 2-lobed, lowest 3-fid ; hirsute. Corolla papilionaceous, vexillum broadly ovate, 

 reflexed, silky on outer surface, alae oblong, curved, glabrous, carina curved, hairy 

 on midvein. Stamens monadelphous, dissimilar, anthers five oblong, five ovate, all 

 obtuse. Ovary shortly stipitate, several ovuled, hirsute ; style strongly curved, 

 stigma subcapitate. Legume linear, compressed, pubescent, ciliate ; lj 1^ inch 

 long, 1-g- line wide. 



Habitat : NATAL: Inanda, 1,800 feet alt., Wood No. 180; Hillcrest, 2,000 feet 

 alt., Wood, September, No. 7941. 



The genus Argyrolobium includes more than 70 species, of which 43 are found 

 in South Africa, and 8 others in Tropical Africa. The flowers are always yellow 

 sometimes variously tinged with brown. The stamens are usually monadelphous, 

 but occasionally or perhaps frequently in the older flowers of this species one fila- 

 ment becomes detached from the others nearly to the base, thus appearing to be 

 almost diadelphous. The species here described is of no economic value. 



Fig. 1, calyx; 2, vexillum ; 3, ala; 4, carina; 5, staminal tube opened; 6, 

 ovary, style, and stigma; all enlarged. 



