48 Transactions of the South African Philosophical Society. 



Clanwilliam. In stony ground. Alt. 100 m. Marloth No. 3489. 

 Flowers in March. 



Also brought from the same district by Mrs. Marloth. 



Crassula hemisph^rica, Thunb., 



Flor. cap. Edit. Schult., p. 292. 



Fig. 5, Plate V. 



This plant was relegated by Sonder (Flor. cap. vol. ii., p. 367) to 

 the list of doubtful species, probably because he did not know of any 

 dried specimen in existence. 



Thunberg's original description is, however, quite correct, viz. : 

 " Foliis connatis, subrotundis, ciliatis, hemisphaerice-imbricatis ; 

 caule nudo, thyrsifloro." To which he added: " Eoot fibrous, 

 annual. Leaves (the lowest, one should say) soft, those above 

 fleshy, gradually becoming smaller. Scape simple, fleshy, aphyl- 

 lous, whitish." 



To this we may add : The root is not exactly annual, as the plant 

 takes 2-4 years to reach maturity, when, having flowered and seeded, 

 it usually dies. Sometimes, however, it produces one or two buds 

 between the lower leaves, which develop into new plants. The 

 diam. of the hemisphgerical rosette of leaves is 40-50 mm., the 

 lower leaves are about 20 mm. long and 30 mm. broad. The 

 inflorescence is a thyrsus, formed by 10-15 pairs of cymules, 

 inserted alternately, giving the whole plant a height of about 

 15 cm. The flowers are small, whitish, somewhat bell-shaped ; 

 the sepals 1 mm. long, the petals 2-3 mm. long, lanceolate, 3- 

 nerved. 



Dr. Schonland has pointed out to me that Solander re-described 

 this plant as C. alooides in Ait. Hort. Kew, I., p. 394 [fide Journ. of 

 Bot., vol. XXXV., p. 482], but he agrees with me that both descrip- 

 tions evidently refer to the same plant, and that consequently 

 Thunberg's name must have the preference. 



Marloth No. 3436, Matjesfonteiny in stony ground, alt. 1,000 m. 

 Also Ladismith, on cliffs, together with Crassula orbicularis, L. 

 Flowers in November. 



■ ASCLEPIADACE^. 



Stapelia flavo-purpurea, n. spec. 

 Fig. 1, Plate V. 



Corolla rotata, 5 lobata lobis anguste-lanceolatis, rugosis, margine 

 revolutis. Coronas exterioris lobi erecti, concavi, acuminati, baud 



