t>LATE 536. 



ScHEEBEBA Saundersi^, Harv. (Fl. Cap. Vol. IV, Section I, p. 483.) 



Natural Order Olbaoeji. 



A tree up to 30 feet in height, bark light coloured, lenticillate. Leaves 

 opposite, exstipulate, unequally pinnate ; leaflets 3-5, sessile, oblong-lanceolate to 

 ovate, entire, quite glabrous, subcoriaceous, dark green and shining above, paler 

 and duller beneath, lateral ones 1^ to 2 inches long, ^ to 1 inch wide, terminal 

 2-| to 3 inches long, | to I inch wide, all obtusely acuminate and tapering to 

 base; common petiole 1 to I J inch long, auricled ab base, the auricles extending 

 as a very narrow wing on each side of the petiole to the first pair of leaflets, 

 between the two pairs of leaflets the petiole winged along its whole length and 

 ^ inch wide in the upper portion. Inflorescence paniculate, triohotomously 

 branched, its branches opposite with a depauperated leaf at the base of each 

 lowest branch which passes into a simple bract in all the upper branches of the 

 inflorescence. Calyx tubular, truncate, light green. Corolla salver- shaped, tube 

 three times as long as the calyx tube, limb 6, occasionally 5-lobed, spreading to 

 ■^ inch wide, white with a dense tuft of erect hairs at the base of each lobe. 

 Stamens 2, filaments short, inserted below summit of corolla tube, included. 

 Ovary 2-celled, cells 4-ovuled, ovules pendulous, superposed; stigma clavate. 

 Capsule obovoid, laterally compressed, separating into two boat-shaped valves 

 with septum in centre of each. Seeds strongly compressed, with a membranous 

 wing at apex, the wing much larger than the seed. 



Habitat: Natal: Berea 150ft. alt., January, Wood 5201; Inanda, 1500ft. 

 alt., December, Wood 819; without precise locality, Gerrardll63; Tongaat 100- 

 200 ft. alt. McKen. 



A small tree said in the Flora Capensis and also in the Thesaurus Capensis where 

 it was first published and figured, to be a " partly scandeut shrub," but in all the 

 specimens seen by us it forms a small tree showing no sign of scandent habit. It 

 has also been know as S. alata, Welw. ; S. latialata, Qilg ; and Nathusia alata, 

 Hochst, and it is not improbable that the name under which it is known may 

 have again been changed ; the tree is not common, and would appear to differ 

 considerably in the size of its leaves, and possibly also in the habit of growth ; we 

 have in our collection no other specimens than the above named with which to 

 compare it. 



Fig. 1, calyx and bract; 2, corolla tube opened, showing stamens; 3, a 

 stamen ; 4, same, back view ; 5, pistil ; 6, cross section of ovary ; 7, capsule ; 

 8, seed ; figs. 7 and 8 natural size, remainder enlarged. 



