PLATE 375. 



ASTER PERFOLIATUS, Oliv. (Icones Plan taruiii,' Vol. XVIII. plate 1717). 



A glabrous herbaceous plant, bearing solitary heads of blue flowers on long 

 peduncles. Stems simple or branched, ascending or erect, striate, 1 to 2 feet 

 high. Leaves alternate, amplexicaul, broadly ovate to sub-rotund, quite entire, 

 cordate amplexicaul, obtuse and mucrouate at apex, strongly net veined, with very 

 minute immersed glands in the araeole, margins thickened ; 1 to 2 inches long, 1 

 to 1 J inch wide. Peduncles long and naked, sometimes with a single lanceolate or 

 ovate depauperated leaf above the centre. Heads solitary, radiate, 1^ to 1 J inch 

 diameter when fully expanded. Involucral scales in two to four series, outer ones 

 ovate-lanceolate, acute, margin broadly scarious, 3-veined, erose ; inner oblan- 

 ceolate, acute. Pappus bristles copious, barbellate, in two rows, inner row shorter, 

 outer equalling the disk florets. Corolla of ray florets linear-oblong, toothed at 

 apex, disk florets tubular 5-toothed. Anthers sagittate at base. Style arms 

 flattened, acute, minutely bristly, those of the disk florets more so than those of 

 the ray florets. Achenes pilose with minute silvery hairs. 



Habitat : NATAL : Slopes of Drakensberg, Cooper, 3,510 ; Tugela Falls, 

 January, 6-7,000 feet alt., -Wood, 3,605; Van Reenen's Pass, 5-6,000 feet alt., 

 December, Wood, 9,646, 



This plant has only been found in the higher districts of the Colony, and is 

 nowhere very plentiful. At Van Reenen and also near Tugela Falls it was found 

 growing in the crevices of often almost perpendicular rocks. The flowers are 

 dark blue, but differ a little in depth of colour. It was also collected in " Faku's 

 Territory" by the late Dr. Sutherland, and was figured and described in Hooker's 

 41 Icones Plantarum " in the year 1887. 



Fig 1, section of involucre ; 2, outer involucral scales ; 3, ray floret ; 4, style 

 arms of same ; 5, disk floret ; 6, stamens ; 7, style arms of disk floret ' 8 pappus 

 bristle ; 9, same, inner series ; 10, achene ; all enlarged. 



