PLATE 568. 



Aeistea anoeps, Bcklon. (Fl. Cap. Vol. 6, p. 49.) 

 Natural Order, Ibidem. 



A small plant with, terminal clusters of blue flowers. Roots fibrous, slender, 

 wiry. Leaves distichous, basal, linear, erect, glabrous, quite entire, 2 to 8 inches 

 long, 1 to 1^ lines wide. Stems simple, erect, 5 to 1 2 inches long, strongly an- 

 cipitous for their whole length. Inflorescence in terminal clusters, the clusters few 

 flowered, each cluster suspended by a rigid, linear bract, which is frequently much 

 longer than the cluster of flowers ; inner spathe-valves membranous, lanceolate, 

 brown, entire, 4 to 6 lines long. Perianth segments 6, in two rows, oblong, entire, 

 dark bright blue, 4 lines long. Stamens inserted at throat of perianth tube, an- 

 thers 2-celled, opening outwards, filaments equalling or a little longer than the 

 anthers. Style about half as long as the perianth limb ; stigma 3-lobed, the lobes 

 horizontally flattened, stigmatose on the margins. Ovary inferior, 3-celled, the cells 

 many ovuled. Capsule oblong, sessile or nearly so, more or less torulose, 4 lines 

 long. Seeds small, more or less angled by pressure. 



Habitat: Natal: Tnanda, 1,800 ft. alt, December, Wood 735; Sanderson 

 339 ; 386 ; 457 ; Cooper 32 14 ; Camperdown 2,000 ft. alt., M. Franks, ( Wood 1 1 742.) 



One species of this genus, A. Ecklnni, has already been figured in this work, 

 Vol. 1, plate 68. The species here described is a much smaller plant, with an un- 

 branched stem and a solitary cluster of flowers. It is not uncommon on grassy 

 hills from near Durban to at least 3,000 feet above sea level, and so far as known 

 to us it has no useful properties. 



Eig. ] , longitudinal section of flower ; 2, cross section of ovary ; 3, capsule ; 

 4, seed ; all enlarged. 



