Plate 49. 



HOLMSKIOLDIA Speciosa. 



Transvaal. 



Verbenaceae. Tribe Viticeae. 

 Holmskioldia, Retz. ; Benth. et Hoolc. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 1156. 



Holmskioldia speeiosa, Hutchinson et CorUshley in Keio Bull. 1920, p. 332, 



Kg. 1. 



This beautiful and showy plant was first collected by 

 Dr. I. B. Pole Evans at Komati Poort in November, 1917, and 

 specimens sent to Kew were reported to be an undescribed 

 species of the genus. Sir Wm. Hoy, the General Manager of 

 the South African Railways, presented two living specimens 

 to the Division of Botany, Pretoria, and our plate was 

 prepared from these plants when they flowered. 



The plant is a large bush 10-20 ft. high, and when in full 

 bloom is one of the most conspicuous objects in the veld. The 

 calyx in this species very soon becomes almost fully developed, 

 and the young corolla is at first only visible as a minute ball 

 at the base of the saucer-shaped calyx. 



Holmskioldia is a small genus with a curious distribution. 

 A handsome species, H. sanguinea, Retz, occurs in the foot- 

 hills of the Himalaya mountains of India at an altitude of 

 3000-5000 ft. H. tettensis, H. spinescens, and H. mucronata, 

 Vatke, are found in the basin of the Lower Zambesi and 

 Shire Rivers, and there is an unnamed species in Madagascar. 

 The genus is very closely related to Clerodendron, largely 

 represented in all these areas. 



Description % . — Branchlets woody, terete, shortly and softly 

 pubescent, marked with pale lenticels ; internodes about 

 2 cm. long. Leaves broadly ovate, triangular at the apex, 

 broadly wedge-shaped at the base, 2-5-4 cm. long, 2-3 cm. 

 broad, coarsely crenate, with few (about three) rounded teeth, 

 very shortly setulose above, paler below and conspicuously 

 glandular and shortly pubescent ; lateral nerves about three 

 on each side of the midrib ; petiole 7 mm. long, densely 

 pubescent. Flowers few, arranged in axillary cymes about 



II. c 



