PLATE 317. 



DIOSCOHEA MALIFOLIA, Baker (Fl. Cap., Vol. VI., p. 248). 

 Natural Order, DIOSCOBEACEAE. 



A dioecious climbing plant, with yellow flowers. Rootstock woody, roots 

 tough. Stems slender, wide climbing, glabrous. Leaves alternate, petiolate, blade 

 broadly ovate, quite entire, truncate or cordate at base, rnucronulate at apex, 7- 

 nerved at base, 5 of the nerves reaching the apex of the leaf, the outer one at each 

 side only reaching to I the length of the blade, the whole leaf glabrous and 

 shining, dark green above, lighter beneath ; petiole f to I J inch long. Flowers r f 

 the staminate plant in fascicled racemes, 5 to 3 inches long, the rhachis straight or 

 curved ; pedicels short, ascending, bracts small, ovate-acuminate. Perianth less 

 than 1 line long, yellow, tube very short, segments obtuse. Stamens 6, opposite 

 lobes of perianth ; pistillate flowers in lax racemes, 3 to 6 inches long, barren 

 stamens 6, minute. Ovary inferior, triquetrous, glabrous, two to three times 

 longer than the perianth, 3-celled, cells 2-ovuled, ovules superposed; styles 3, very 

 short, rrcurved, stigmas obtuse. Capsule emarginate, triquetrous, f to 1 inch long, 

 6 to 8 lines long, including the wings, which are 2 to 3 lines wide. Seeds ovate, 

 compressed, with a sub-basal wing, half or more the length of the seed, and 

 extending as a very narrow line all the way round. 



Habitat : NATAL : Inanda, 1,800 feet alt., Wood, No. 753 ; Northdene Herb., 

 Normale, No. 1035; Sanderson, No. 232; Cooper, No. 3247; Gerrard, No. 444. 



Drawn and described from the specimens gathered near Durban, March, 1903. 



This is the second species of Dioscorea figured in this work, the other being 

 D. crinita, Hook (Plate 17, Vol. 1). The seeds examined were not quite ripe, but 

 the wing in all those seen was as is stated in the description and shown in the 

 drawing. The native name of the plant is in-Tana, and the tough roots are split 

 and used to tie round the shaft of the assegai where the iron blade is inserted into 

 it to prevent splitting. 



Fig. 1, female flower; 2, longitudinal section of same; 3, perianth lobe, show- 

 ing insertion of stamen ; 4, ovary, styles and stigmas ; J5, raceme of fruit ; 6, seed 

 showing wing ; 7, longitudinal section of male flower ; 8, stamen of male flower. 

 Fig. 5, natural size, remainder enlarged. 



