PLATE 251. 



Pentanisu variabilis, Harv. var latifolia (Fl. Cap. Vol. 3, p. 24). 

 Natural Order, RubiacevE. 



A perennial plant having several or many stems, rising from a thick tuberous 

 root, the root straight, bent, forked or branched, ^1 inch in diameter. Stems 

 erect or declined, simple, or branched, 6 to 18 inches long, terete, subquadrangular 

 or compressed, reddish-brown at base, green upwards, densely pilose with long 

 white hairs. Leaves opposite, petiolate, stipulate, varying in shape from oblong to 

 linear-oblong, acute at apex, rounded at base, margins entire, ciliate, veins promi- 

 nent beneath, visible above ; densely hirsute with long white hairs ; 1 to 2 inches 

 long, 3 to 10 lines wide ; petiole very short, ^ to 1^ line long. Stipules broad- 

 based, the rounded base occupying the whole space between the opposite petioles 

 :^,nd connected with them, then cut above into from 3 to 6 bristle-like teeth which 

 are often of unequal size ; 2 to 3 lines long. Inflorescence of terminal, long 

 peduncled, many flowered, head-like, much abbreviated spikes. Flowers blue to 

 lilac. Calyx gamosepalous, tube very short, limb, 5-lobed, 1 to 3 of the lobes 

 elongated, linear-subulate, the remainder minute ; the longer one 3 to 3^ lines long. 

 Corolla gamopetalous, salver-shaped, tube slender, puberulous externally, inter- 

 nally pilose ; 6 to 7 lines long, limb 5-lobed, lobes oblong, apiculate, 2-lines long. 

 Stamens 5, inserted a little below throat. Ovary 2-celled, cells 1-ovuled. Style 1, 

 filiform, stigma bifid, lobes linear. Fruit a didynamous, subglobose capsule, covered 

 with numerous white bristles ; 1^-lines long and wide, 2 -seeded. 



Habitat : Natal : All over the Colony. 



Drawn and described from specimens gathered near Durban, March, 1901. 



This genus is exclusively an African one, and contains three species only, two 

 of which are from Tropical Africa, and the present species, which extends all over 

 Natal, has also been found in Kaffraria, and most likely exists in other parts of 

 South Africa. There are at least three well marked varieties, viz., latifolia, which 

 is the one here described, intermedia, and glancescens. The whole of the species are 

 dimorphic, and both forms are equally common, the plate well showing the differ- 

 ence between the two forms. 



The plant is known to the natives as " Icitshumlilo " and they use it medicin- 

 ally. The meaning of the native name is " put out the fire " so it is quite probable 

 that they use it in cases of inflammation. 



Fig. 1, flower, short, styled form ; 2, same, much more enlarged, corolla 

 ppened and part of its upper portion removed ; 3, flower, long styled form ; 4, same, 

 much more enlarged and with corolla opened and upper portion removed; 5, fruit; 

 S, cross section of same ; all enlarged. 



