310 Lxxiii. composite: (oliver and hiern). [Nidorella. 



21. NIDORELLA, Cass. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. PI. ii. p. 282. 



Capitula heterogamous, florets of ray pistillate oo-seriate, of the 

 disk ^ few or many. Involucre hemispherical or campanulate ; scales 

 pauci- ( 1-3 -) seriate, subequal. Receptacle naked or fimbrilliferous. 

 Corolla of ray-florets ligulate ; ligule narrow or elliptical, entire or 

 toothed, equalling or overtopping the style. Corolla of disk-florets 

 tubular, 5-toothed. Anther-base obtuse or 2-dentate. Style-branches 

 with J-conical or lanceolate tips. Achenes more or less compressed. 

 Seta? of pappus 1-seriate. — Biennial or perennial herbs, pubescent or 

 hirsute. Leaves alterna.te, simple. Capitula not exceeding ^ in. 

 diam, in terminal cymose panicles, yellow. 



A small genus restricted to the Cape with the following exceptions : — 

 Leaves elongate, linear-lanceolate, denticulate, acuminate, 



6-6 in. long. Involucral scales ^ in. long 1. ^. vernonioides. 



Leaves obovate oblong or oblanceolate, obtuse, toothed or 



entire, 2-4 in. long. Involucral scales ^-^ in. long . 2. N. microcephala. 



1. N. vernonioides, Schultz Bip. in Hb. Schimp. Abyss, sect. ii. 

 n. 846. Extremities terete, striate, thickness of a goose-quill, tawny- 

 pubescent-tomentose, rather densely leafy. Leaves elongate- linear- 

 lanceolate, acute, callous- denticnlate, more or less tawny-pubescent on 

 both sides, narrowed into the short winged petiole ; 6-6 in. long, J to 

 nearly 1 in. broad. Capitula ^ in. diam., in short pubescent- tomentose 

 pedicels, collected in broad dense terminal corymbs J— | ft. diam., 

 somewhat overtopped by the leaves. Involucral scales linear-lanceolate 

 or inner linear, acute, outer pubescent. Receptacle fimbrilliferous, from 

 the much produced irregularly toothed margins of the pits. Ray 

 equalling the tube in diameter, overtopping the style. Ovary thinly 

 pilose. Mature achenes not seen, immature oblong-pyriform, obtusely 

 callus-pointed at base, more or less compressed. — A. Rich. Fl. Abyss. 

 i. p. 384. 



xrile Iiand. Abyssinia, Schimper ! 



A doubtful member of the genus, not recognised from elsewhere. Perhaps a con- 

 gener of Conyza hypoleuca, Kich. We presume Erigeron vernonioides, Sch. Bip. in 

 Schw. and Asch. Enum. 285, from Abyssinia, is the same plant. 



2. N. microcephala, Steetz in Peters Mossamb. Bot p. 406. 

 Stem erect, from a woody base, with ascending branches above, striate, 

 hirsute or pubescent. Leaves oblanceolate or oblong obovate-oblong, 

 entire or denticulate or more or less coarsely dentate-serrate, obtuse, 

 mucronate, membranous, thinly pubescent or puberulous ; upper sessile, 

 auriculate-amplexicaul, lower narrowed into a broadly winged petiole, 

 2-4 in. long, ^1^ in. wide. Capitula very small, orange-coloured, 

 campanulate, at length hemispherical, i^^j to -f^ in. long, on short pe- 

 dicels in dense cymes, collected in ample terminal corymbiform pani- 

 cles. Involucral scales pauciseriate, linear, acute, glabrous or nearly 

 so, 1 -nerved. Receptacle naked. Anther-base obtuse. Ligule elliptic 

 or obovate, equalling or exceeding the style. Achenes compressed, 

 thinly pilose.— .N". membranifoUa, Steetz, I. c. 400. 



