PLATE 587. 



BRACHYSTELMA BARBERLE, Harv, (Fl. Cap. Vol. IV., Section I., p. 864.) 



Nat. Order, ASCLEPIADEJJ. 



Tuber large, flattened ; stems 2^ to 3 inches high, rather coarsely spreading- 

 pubescent. Leaves 1 to 4 inches long, -J- to 1 inch broad, cuneate oblong to 

 oblanceolate or obovate, acute to obtuse and apiculate, tapering below to the 

 petiole, pubescent on both sides, but more coarsely so beneath. Flowers in 

 opposite sessile umbels, forming a many-flowered ball, 3 to 4 inches in diameter 

 surrounding the stem ; pedicels 4J to 9 lines long, spreading-pubescent. Sepals 

 3 to 4^ lines long, f to 1 line broad at the base, thence tapering to the acute apex, 

 pubescent. Corolla 1 to 1J inch lon^, cage-like, with the lobes connate at the 

 tips, rich dark crimson-brown on the inner face, marked in the pale yellowish tube 

 with irregular transverse purple-brown lines, outside pubescent, puberulous or 

 glabrous and green ; tube (exclusive of the spreading united part of the limb) 

 about 2 lines long, subhemispheric, in dried flowers, from alteration in drying, 

 appearing campanulate or cup-shaped and up to 4 lines long, glabrous within ; 

 limb around the mouth of the tube and base of the lobes covered with purple 

 hairs; lobes f- to 1^- inch long, 2^ to 3 lines broad at the shortly ovate spreading 

 base, then contracted into linear erectly incurved tails with replicate margins, 

 varying from pubescent to glabrous on the inner face; outer corona cup-like ^line 

 high, divided to half way down by 5 cut-like fissures into 5 truncate or subtruncate 

 segments, often slightly produced into obtuse teeth at the shoulders, adnate at the 

 middle to the base of the inner corona lobes, which are half line long, linear, 

 obtuse, inflexed on the back of the anthers and not exceeding them, so that in the 

 dried flowers the corona often appears to consist of 5 transverse subtruncate lobes 

 with a linear obtuse point abruptly inflexed from their middle. 



Habitat : NATAL. Slope of Inanda mountain, 2,500 ft. alt. ; Cedara, 3,000 to 

 4,000 ft. alt. September, Fisher 126. 



The Inanda specimen was gathered by the writer about the year 1879. The 

 specimen was not preserved, but was sent to the late Mr. J. Sanderson, who failed 

 to grow it, the Cedara specimen was sent to us by Mr. J. Fisher for identification, 

 but had no tuber, the leaves were immature and very sparse, and the flowers were 

 somewhat damaged, the specimen was not really a good one, though quite sufficient 

 for identification, I have therefore taken Mr. Brown's excellent description entire 

 from the Flora Capensis and will only add that from the recollection that 1 have 

 of the plant collected so many years ago on the Inanda, it is a plant well worthy 

 of cultivation. 



Fig. 1, a flower; 2, calyx ; 3, corona and staminal column; 4, same, seen from 

 above ; 5, corona lobe, back view ; 6, same, side view ; 7, anther ; 8, style apex wit 

 anthers, seen from above; 9, pistil; 10, pollen masses;/?. 1 natural size,remaind 

 enlarged. 



