2o6 



AIZOACEAE 



Known from Griqualand West, the southern Transvaal and other parts 

 along the Orange and Vaal, but as far as ascertained by the author, always in 

 reddish or brown, ferrugineous, gravelly soil or among such pebbles. 



The Dutch children call the plants "toontjes" (little toes) and eat them; 

 they are also sought by herbivorous animals, when grass and other food is 

 scarce, but being of the same colour and appearance as the ground, they have 

 every chance of escaping discovery, especially at night time. Flowering in 

 autumn. 















♦ ^r ^^ 

















• 







^ f ;***^ 





* 





H^£ 













i Sr^ 





^K^^^^^H 



^ 







s 



k. 







■*jflr 



J^^*^^V-_ " 







1 



V 





; t ■ 



■BP" -^m ; 











I 





























Fig. 94. Adesembrianthemum simulans Marl. 1/2 nat. size. From Klipplaat. April. 



M. Bolusii. This plant generally consists of a few pairs of leaves, each of 

 them having the shape, colour and surface texture of a stone. In cultivation 

 the colour becomes more greenish and the leaves longer. The flowers are bright 

 golden and of considerable size, similar to those of M. nobile (Fig. 90), hence 

 the plants are easily noticed during the flowering season (March — April). 



Recorded only from the neighbourhood of the railway station Aberdeen 

 Road, where also the somewhat similar species M. simulans occurs. Both are 

 becoming rarer every year, as the goats search for them during the dry season. 



Note to M. Hooker'i: This species is also figured in Trans. Roy. Soc. S. A. (Vol. II, 369, 

 1 91 2) under the name of M. Les/iei N. E. Br., and the chief difference is stated to be the 

 smooth apex of the corpuscula. That difference, however, is merely one ot season. When 

 the summer rains have soaked the ground the plants become gorged with sap and have a 

 smooth apex; but when left without water tor a long time, the surface becomes quite 

 shrivelled and covered with wrinkles. These raised ridges are caused by incrustations ot 

 brown granular masses in the subepidermal tissue of the apex, as explained and figured 

 by us 111 a paper on "Die Schut/.mittel der Ptlan/.en gegen Qbermassige Insolation," 

 Her. Deutsch. Hot. Ges. 1909. 



We have gathered the plant in various seasons near Windsorton on the Vaal and 

 near Griquatown on tlic ECaap Plateau, and compared it witli specimens kindly sent by 



Mr Leslie from Vereeniging. There is considerable variation in size, but otherwise no 

 difference. 



