PLATE 565. 



G-ABDENIA GEERADIANA, Sond & Harv. (Fl. Cap. Vol. 3, p. 6.) 

 Natural Order, RUBIACEJ;. 



A tall several stemmed shrub, armed with sharp spines, the stems up to 12 

 feet or more long, suberect or horizontally spreading, sometimes branched from 

 the base, the ultimate branches very short, at right angles to the stem or branch 

 and with greyish bark. Spines J to inch long. Leaves oblong, oblong-lanceo- 

 late, lanceolate or ob-lanceolate, petiolate, stipulate, acute or sub-obtuse, tapering 

 to base, margins entire, quite glabrous and shining, paler beneath, 1 to 3J inches 

 long, 4 to 1 6 lines wide ; petiole 1 to 3 lines long ; stipules subulate, 2 lines long. 

 Flowers solitary, axillary on the short leafy branches, Calyx tubular, cylindric, 

 5-toothed, the teeth deltoid, acute, minutely ciliate, 1 line long ; tube 4 lines long[ 

 2 lines wide, a little constricted above the ovary, green, glabrous. Corolla salver- 

 shaped, in bud the limb pink, the tube green, at maturity the whole flower white 

 with faint pink tinge beneath, tube cylindrical, widening in upper portion, 1-J inch 

 long, 3 lines wide at throat, segments oblong 1 J to 1 J inch long, -J inch wide, en- 

 tire, obtuse. Stamens 5, at throat, included, anthers linear, sessile, 2-celled, dorsi- 

 fixed. Ovary inferior, 1 -celled; style long, slender, stigma clavate, minutely bifid, 

 exserted. Young berry ovate, | inch long, crowned with the $ inch long tube of 

 the calyx, ripe fruit not seen. 



Habitat: NATAL. Near Durban, Gerrard Sf McKen 715; Stella bush, near 

 Durban, 200 to 400 ft. alt. January, Wood 11797. 



Of this genus three species have already been figured in this work, viz., G. 

 citriodora and G. Thunbergia in vol. 1, pi. 25 & 40, and G. globosa in vol. 4, p. 376, 

 but the species here described differs in several important respects from any of 

 them. It is a shrub with very long straggling branches, and is armed with sharp 

 thorns or spines ; the flowers are, however, conspicuous and handsome, and the 

 plant is well worth cultivation. I have no information of its being collected in any 

 other locality than those given above, nor have I any record of its being introduced 

 into cultivation. 



Fig. 1 , calyx ; 2, corolla tube opened showing stamens ; 3, a stamen ; 4, style 

 and stigma ; 5, cross section of ovary ; 6, berry ; figs. 2 fy 6 natural size, remainder 

 enlarged. 



