468 Transactions of the South African Philosophical > c j. 



ages of the perianth segments. It would be necessary k, Kamine 

 the other species of Hydnora in this respect, and it may be nr jssary 

 to trace their evolution from the youngest stage. 



It is often stated that the fruit of this plant, which cc -ins a 

 jelly-like mass, in which the tiny seeds are embedded, is a fa >urite 

 food of the jackals, and the Colonial name, "jackals kost," has 

 been given to it on that account. Whether that is correct or not 

 I cannot say, but I have found many of the fruits scratched out of 

 the ground in places where no jackals lived. It appears more likely 

 that the unearthing of the fruits is done by the porcupines, for I 

 have seen their burrows among the Euphorbia bushes where the 

 Hydnora abounded. These animals would eat the contents, jelly 

 and seeds, and in their nightly wanderings disseminate the plant 

 afterwards. 



The flowering season of the plant is spring, and the fruit ripens 

 during the summer. If, however, no rains should have fallen at the 

 proper time, the plant does not flower at all. 



