PLATE 333 



VERNONIA NATALENSIS, Sch. Bip. (Fl. Cap. Vol XXXIII, p. 51 .) 

 Natural Order, COMPOSITE. 



Herbaceous. Stems simple, quite erect, striate, silky canescent, 12 to 24 

 inches high. Leaves alternate, sessile, crowded, lanceolate, entire, acute or acumi- 

 nate, densely silvery canescent on both surfaces, veins very prominent beneath, 

 visible above ; 1 to 3 infhea long, to f wide in centre. Inflorescence corymbose, 

 of many heads, flat topped, 2 to 3 inches across, flowers purple; pedicels 1 to If 

 inch long. Involucral scales in several rows, lanceolate, attenuate, bristle pointed, 

 silky on the back. Pappus bristles in 2 rows, barbellate, outer row short, inner 

 long Corolla tubular, 5-fid, lobes linear-oblong, acute, externally pubescent. 

 Anthers subsagittate. Achenes silky. 



Habitat : NATAL : Krauss, No. 443 ; near Mooi River, 4000 feet alt, Wood (in 

 Colonial Herbarium No. 3782) ; Inanda, 1800 feet alt, October, Wood, No. 1 132. 



This plant is easily distinguishable from other Natal species by its narrow, 

 strongly ribbed leaves, which are densely silvery canescent on both surfaces. It 

 resembles V. pinifolia, Less, but in that species the leaves are much longer and 

 narrower, the conspicuous silvery pubescence almost altogether absent, and the 

 involucral scales are acute or mucronate, not attenuate. It has not been found out 

 of South Africa. 



Fig. 1 , involucral scale ; 2, hair from involucral scale ; 3, floret ; 4, anthers ; 

 ail enlarged. 



