4 



PLATE 252. 



TBIUMFETTA EFFUSA, B. Meyer (Fl. Cap. Vol. 1, p. 228). 

 Natural Order, TILIACEJ:. 



A herbaceous plant 2 to 4 feet high, much branched, stem and branches terete,, 

 hispid with stellate hairs. Leaves alternate, petiolate, stipulate, central ones 

 largest, 2 to 6 inches long and wide, irregularly and finely crenate, serrate or 

 crenato-serrate, more or less deeply trilobate in upper portion, the central lobe 

 much the longest, occasionally the lobes are obscure ; upper and lowest smaller, 

 varying from trilobate to tricuspidate, sometimes with long narrow cusps, to ovate 

 lanceolate or lanceolate, rounded and 3 to 5 veined at base, pubescent with stellate 

 and simple hairs beneath, more finely so above ; veins prominent beneath, visible 

 above ; petioles from 1 to 4 inches long, thickened at apex, hispid. Stipules small, 

 lanceolate, deciduous. Inflorescence in upper portion of the plant, on short or 

 elongated branches, the flowers solitary or clustered at the nodes. Peduncles 1-3 

 flowered, very short, bracteate above the middle, recurved in fruit. Sepals 5, linear, 

 hooded and spurred externally at apex, strongly recurved, yellow, 2^ lines long. 

 Petals 5, alternate with sepals, broadly spathulate, yellow, inserted at base of a 

 short columnar torus, which bears the stamens and ovary, 2 to 2^ lines long, 1 line- 

 broad. Torus very short, furnished with 5 glands on outer surface, and expanded 

 at apex into a ciliate membranous cup. Stamens 15, on torus, filaments equalling 

 petals. Anthers oblong, 2 celled. Ovary globose, pilose, 3 to 5 celled, cells 1-2 

 ovuled. Style filiform, stigma minutely 2-dentate. Capsule subglobose, tomen- 

 tose, covered with hooked bristles, indehiscent (?) about the size of a pea. 



Habitat: NATAL: Coast districts. Near Durban, April, Wood. Nonoti, 500 

 feet alt., April, Wood. 



Drawn from specimens gathered near Durban, April, 1901. 



This genus contains about 40 species found in tropical and subtropical 

 countries, many are weeds of cultivated ground, and the seedvessels or " Burrs " 

 of some of the species would no doubt be troublesome in wool producing districts, 

 none are of any economic value, though the bark contains a fairly strong fibre. The 

 leaves vary much in size and cutting even upon the same plant, and are sometimes 

 furnished with glands. The enlarged drawing of the flower is shown as it appears 

 when first opens, afterwards the sepals and petals are reflexed, the sepals strongly 

 so. The genus is named in honour of J. B. Triumfetti, an Italian botanist of the 

 17th century. 



Fig. 1, flower opening ; 2, flower with sepals and petals removed; 3 fruit; 

 all enlarged. 



