10 



PLATE 233. 



HoFFMANSEGGiA Sandeesoni (Harv.), J. M. Wood (PI. Cap. Vol. 2, p. 270). 



Natural Order, LEGUMiNOSis. 



A low herbaceous plant with several annual stems from a perennial root, the 

 whole plant except the petals and stamens sprinkled with resinous dots. Stems 

 erect, 6-18 inches high, terete, thickly covered with scaly reddish hairs, which are 

 often branched near apex, and also with black resinous dots, which project from 

 the surface. Leaves bipinnate, in 4-5 pairs with a terminal one ; 3-5 inches long, 

 the lateral pinnae, 8-16 jugate, 1^-3 inches long, terminal not longer than the 

 lateral ones, scaly like the stem and minutely pilose ; all abruptly pinnate ; leaflets 

 obliquely ovate, subcordate at base, emarginate at apex, quite entire, the resinous 

 dots brown (black when dry), sunk in the substance of the leaf, chiefly confined to 

 the margin, occasionally on the surface of the lamina, sometimes absent ; 4-5 lines 

 long, 2-3 lines wide. Stipules linear-oblong, lacerate at apex, gland dotted on 

 surface ; 3-5 lines long. Inflorescence racemose, racemes terminal, erect, dis- 

 tantly many flowered ; bracts lanceolate, deflexed, deciduous ; pedicels 3-5 lines 

 long. Calyx deeply 5-parted, 4 upper segments oblong, erect, lower largest, ovate, 

 deflexed, minutely toothed at apex. Petals 5, on throat of calyx, ovate, the two 

 lower ones recurved, two upper ones erect ; all pink, the fifth one erect in centre 

 of flower, and in front of the two upper ones, orange. Stamens 10, deflexed, the 

 filaments protruding between bases of the two lower petals, and lying in the con- 

 cave lower calyx lobe, equalling it in length, filaments hairy at base ; anthers 

 oblong similar, ovary pilose ; style cylindrical, glandular at base ; stigma hooked. 

 Legume compressed, 2-4 seeded, setose, the seta plumose, the surface thickly 

 covered with black, globose, sessile glands ; 1^2 inches long, ^— f inch wide. 



Habitat: Natal: Near Umzimkulu River ; Wood No. 1406; Near Richmond; 

 Wood ; GlencoB; 4-5,000 feet alt ; Wood. 



Drawn and described from a plant which flowered in the Botanic Gardens, 

 Durban, October, 1900. 



This plant was formerly known as Melanosticta Sandersoni, but the genus is 

 now united to Hoffmanseggia. Two species only of the genus are found in South 

 Africa, the one here described, and M. Burchellii, which was found in Zululand, 

 and is also a native of Tropical Africa, while Hoffmanseggia Sandersoni so far 

 as known to us has only been found in Natal and Transvaal. The roots have 

 been used for tanning leather, and the juice of the roots is said to be useful as an 

 application to horses backs when chafed by the saddle. 



Fig. 1 , a flower ; 2, calyx opened ; 3, one of the four similar petals ; 4, dissi- 

 milar petal, front and back view ; 5, stamens ; 6, ovary, style and stigma ; 7, 

 legume, natural size ; except Fig. 7, all enlarged. 



