Plate 57. 



DIMORPHOTHECA spectabilis. 



Transvaal. 



Cojipositae. Tribe Calendulaceae. 

 Dimorphotheca, Moench. ; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 453. 



Dimorphotheca spectabilis, Sehltr. in Journ. Bot. vol. xxxv. p. 220 (1897). 



For quite a considerable time this common and well- 

 known Dimorphotheca was placed in herbaria under the name 

 of Dimorphotheca Ecklonis, and Harvey, who examined speci- 

 mens of this plant collected by Burke and Zeyher on the 

 Aapies Eiver and Magaliesberg, also included it under D. 

 Ecklonis. Dr. Schlechter first recognised that the Transvaal 

 plant was an undescribed species, but apparently did not 

 realise that Burke and Zeyher had collected the plant close 

 on a hundred years ago, as he founded his description on 

 specimens collected by Mr. E. E. Galpin, F.L.S., in 1887, on 

 the Saddleback Mountains, Barberton. 



Dimorphotheca spectabilis is a spring flowering plant, and is 

 common around Pretoria during the months of September and 

 October. It is a well-grown plant with large mauve flowers, 

 and if introduced into cultivation would be an acquisition to 

 any garden. The plant sets seed freely, and could easily be 

 raised by this means. The species is poisonous, and in ex- 

 periments carried out by the Division of Veterinary Research, 

 the plant was found to cause death in sheep fed on it. 



Specimens are preserved in the National Herbarium, 

 Pretoria (Herb. No. 1470). 



Description : — An herbaceous plant 24-40 cm. high with 

 one or more stems arising from the apex of a stout deep 

 underground root. Stem terete, faintly furrowed, covered 

 with short glandular hairs. Leaves 2-4 cm. long, '6-1 cm. 

 broad, lanceolate or lanceolate-ovate, obtuse, tapering upwards 

 from a broad base, sometimes slightly narrowed at the base, 

 with a prominent midrib and two faint lateral nerves more 

 distinct on the upper surface, punctate-glandular on both 



