PLATE 327, 
HELICHRYSUM TERETIFOLIUM, Luss. (FI. Cap. Vol 3, p. 250.) 
Natural Order, Composita. 
A mucn branched spreading undershrub, scarcely reaching to | foot in height. 
Stems erect or decumbent, closely leafy, younger portions of stems and branches 
densely white tomentose, older subglabrous. Leaves linear, sessile, heath-like, 
their margins strongly revolute, apex mucronate, recurved, glabrous and green 
above, densely covered with white silky tomentum beneath; 3 to 4 or more lines 
long, 4 line wide. Heads many flowered, 3 lines long, corymbose, terminal on the 
branchlets, 5 to 12 in each corymb, pedicels 1 to 4 lines long, densely tomentose. 
Involucra] scales in about 6 series, the inner ones creamy white, outer and lowest 
semitransparent, yellowish, all obtuse and with a few silky white hairs. Marginal 
florets few, filiform, female; disk florets numerous, perfect. Covrollas tubular, 
5-lobed, lobes glandular externally, those of the disk florets recurved, those of the 
marginal ones erec'. Stamens of disk florets tailed at base. Style arms truncate, 
compressed. Keceptacle fimbrilliferous, the fimbrils much longer than the ovaries. 
Achenes not seen. 
Habitat: Narau; Krauss ; Sutherland ; Isipingo, 50 feet alt., Wood No. 1008; 
91384. Also in Cape Colony. 
Drawn and described from Wood’s No. 9134, collected at Isipingo, September, 
1903. 
This plant would appear to be more common in Cape Colony than in Natal. 
It was collected here by Krauss and Sutherland, but precise locality is not given. 
We have only seen it near the mouth of the Isipingo river, though probably it will 
be found near the sea coast from there to Umzimkulu — It was first figured in the 
Botanical Magazine in 1799 as Gnaphaliwm ericoides, and it is there said of it: 
“ Linezus describes this species of Gnaphalium, most probably from dried speci- 
mens collected at the Cape, where it is native. So insignificant did the plant 
appear to him, that in his description he calls it * misera.” Compared with the 
more magnificent species such a term might not be inapplicable, but though small, 
the plant possesses much beanty when cultivated, and hence is generally kept in 
our greenhouses. It flowers from March till August. Its branches, naturally 
weak and trailing, require to be carefully tied up ; if this business be executed with 
taste and judgment, the natural beauty of the plant may be considerably 
heightened. It is readily increased by cuttings.’ In the Botanical Magazine the 
involucres are coloured red, and the Flora Capensis says, ‘ sometimes very pale, 
creamy, sometimes cinnamon-brown, commonly two coloured, the outer scales 
deeper in colour.” In our specimens they are as stated in the text ; in MacOwans 
1162 they appear to have been cinnamon-brown. 
Fig. 1, involucral scale; 2, palea; 3, portion of receptacle with perfect florets ; 
4, female floret; 5, perfect floret; 6, stamens; 7, stigma; ail enlarged. 
