12 



PLATE 235. 



LOTONONIS CORTMBOSA, Benth. (Fl. Cap. Vol. ii., p. 63). 

 Natural Order, LEGUMINOS.E. 



A low plant having many simple, or occasionally branched stems from a thick 

 woody root. Stems erect or ascending, 4-9 inches high, terete, pilose with long 

 white hairs. Leaves trifoliolate, alternate, petiolate, stipulate ; leaflets obovata, ob- 

 long or elliptical, subsimilar or the terminal one slightly larger, entire, apiculate, 

 midvein prominent beneath, margins thickened ; densely pilose on both surfaces, 

 ciliate ; 8-12 lines long, 8-6 lines wide ; common petiole 1-4 lines long, petiolules 

 1-2 lines long. Stipules similar to the leaflets but smaller, much longer than the 

 petiole. Inflorescence corymboso-capitate, flowers yellow. Calyx gamosepalous, 

 pedicellate, 5-fid, the lowest segment narrower than the others, which are connate 

 in two lateral lobes each of which is bifid ; 2^-3 lines long, pubescent ; bract small 

 1 line long. Corolla papilionaceous, pubescent ; vexillum oblong-acuminate, alae 

 oblong, wrinkled at upper margin ; carina oblong, curved ; all clawed and with 

 spur-like projection above the claw. Stamens 10, monadelphous ; anthers ovate, 

 similar. Ovary many ovuled, pubescent. Style subulate, stigma minute, capitate. 

 Legume oblong, oblique, compressed, tipped with remains of the style, about twice 

 as long as the persistent withered calyx, glabrescent ; 2-4 seeded by abortion. 



Habitat : NATAL : On hillsides all over the Colony. 



Drawn and described from Wood's No. 7944, gathered near Botha's Hill 

 Railway Station. 



This is the second species of Lotononis which has been figured and described 

 in the present work, the first one being L. grandifolia, Bolus (Natal Plants, 

 Plate 9). 



The genus includes 60 or more species, nearly all of which are natives of 

 South Africa, not more than about half a dozen being natives of other countries. 

 The species above described is in Natal the most common of the genus, and its 

 bright yellow flowers are very conspicuous. A variety with glabrous petals was col- 

 lected at Liddesdale (Wood No. 4253) L. corymbosa is known to the natives as 

 um-Hloboluku, or um-Hlambaluku, and they use the roots as a tonic. 



Fig. 1, a flower ; 2, calyx opened ; 3, vexillum ; 4, ala; 5, carina; 6, stamen; 

 7, ovary, style and stigma ; 8, legume ; all enlarged. 



