PLATE 327. 



HELIOHRYSUM TBRETIFOLIUM, LESS. (PI. Cap. Vol 3, p. 250.) 

 Natural Order, COMPOSITE. 



A mucn branched spreading undershrub, scarcely reaching to I foot in height. 

 Stems erect or decumbent, closely leafy, younger portions of stems and branches 

 densely white tomentose, older subglabrous. Leaves linear, sessile, heath-like, 

 their margins strongly revolute, apex mucronate, recurved, glabrous and green 

 above, densely covered with white silky tomentum beneath ; 3 to 4 or more lines 

 long, ^ line wide. Heads many flowered, 3 lines long, corymbose, terminal on the 

 branchlets, 5 to 12 in each corymb, pedicels 1 to 4 lin^s long, densely tomentose. 

 Involucral scales in about 6 series, the inner ones creamy white, outer and lowest 

 semitransparent, yellowish, all obtuse and with a few silky white hairs. Marginal 

 florets fcw, filiform, female; disk florets numerous, perfect. Corollas tubular, 

 5-lobed, lobes glandular externally, those of the disk florets recurved, those of the 

 marginal ones erec r . Stamens of disk florets tailed at base. Style arms truncate, 

 compressed. Receptacle fimbrilliferous, the fimbrils much longer than the ovaries. 

 Achenes not seen. 



Habitat: NATAL; Krauss ; Sutherland; Isipingo, 50 feet alt., Wood No. 1003 ; 

 9184. Also in Cape Colony. 



Drawn and described from Wood's No. 9134, collected at Isipingo, September, 

 1903. 



This plant would appear to be more common in Cape Colony than in Natal. 

 It was collected here by Krauss and Sutherland, but precise locality is not given. 

 We have only seen it near the mouth of the Isipingo river, though probably it will 

 be found near the sea coast from there to Umzimkulu It was first figured in the 

 Botanical Magazine in 1799 as Unaptialium ericoides, and it is there said of it : 

 " Lineaeus describes this species of Gnaphalium, most probably from dried speci- 

 mens collected at the Cape, where it is native. So insignificant did the plant 

 appear to him, that in his description he calls it ' misera.' Compared with the 

 more magnificent species such a term might not be inapplicable, but though small, 

 the plant possesses much beauty when cultivated, and hence is generally kept in 

 our greenhouses. It flowers from March till August. Its branches, naturally 

 weak and trailing, require to be carefully tied up ; if this business be executed with 

 taste and judgment, the natural beauty of the plant may be considerably 

 heightened. It is readily increased by cuttings." In the Botanical Magazine the 

 involucres are coloured red, and the Flora Capensis says, " sometimes very pale, 

 creamy, sometimes cinnamon-brown, commonly two coloured, the outer scales 

 deeper in colour." In our specimens they are as stated in the text ; in MacOwans 

 1162 they appear to have been cinnamon-brown. 



Fig. 1, involucral scale ; 2, palea ; 3, portion of receptacle with perfect florets ; 

 4, female floret ; 5, perfect floret ; 6, stamens ; 7, stigma ; all enlarged. 



