35 
Mr. C. F. Stayner, in a minute to the Conservator of Forests, Pietermaritzburg, states : 
“ One large tree isolated by heavy fellings was in flower as late as September, and I have 
come to the conclusion that this species (but he confused his specimen with B. tysoniana 
E.P.P.) is inconsistent in its period of blossoming. I find that Bersama is well known 
to native herbalists and is frequently employed, but for what disease it is a specific I 
cannot ascertain.” Mr. Stayner submitted his specimen to the Bolus Herbarium, and 
these were reported on as follows :—' Very nearly allied to B. tysomana, Oliv., and 
probably that species, but the type of B. tysomana has more slender, longer, and less 
tomentose petioles.” 
Mr. J. 8S. Henkel, who also collected the species at Mkazeni Forest Reserve, Riverside, 
Natal, in March, 1917, states “that the tree is about 30 ft. high—a bole about 70 in. in 
girth and 12 ft. long, somewhat crooked. Natives use the bark as medicine and the tree 
has been injured by the removal of bark. Bark has a bitter quinine-like taste.” Mr. Henkel 
also noted that the leaves were hairy, and not glabrous. Forester Honshold informs 
Mr. Henkel that in the reserve there are about three to four other trees, all smaller than 
the one he saw. In the bush many seedlings were noticed up to about 4 ft. high. The 
young shoots are frequently reddish in colour and leaves serrated and mucronulate, but 
older leaves have margins entire. 
Mr. Robertson took considerable pains to sift all the evidence he had accumulated, 
and tabulated his results * as follows :— 
Mr. Robertson distinguished the various samples of bark he examined as (1) those 
with a bitter taste and (2) those with a bitter and burning taste. This latter property 
he referred to as “ X.” 
Forest. | Large or 
| Small Variety. Sample of Bark. ; Taste. Remarks. 
MOUNTAIN 
FORESTS. 
erm oe. El Presumably the | Sent June, 1914, and | Not X........ B.tysoniana, sent to 
large variety February, 1915 “| Imperial Institute. 
Digadd.......... aR EC oes tapers Collected March, 1915.. | Not X........ B. tysoniana.+ 
Amanzamnyama. | Large......... Collected March, 1915.. | Not X........ B. tysoniana. 
Coast FORESTS. 
Port St. Johns.. | Large......... sent July: Vit. eet. aee Has eX. acs B. Swmnyi. 
Bulelo Forest... | Large......... Collected March, 1915.. | Has X, though | B. Swinnyr. 
not strongly 
Mboleni Forest.. | Large......... Collected March, 1915.. | Not X........ B. tysoniana. 
Pub bdrest. .: | Large.......+.. Collected March, 1915.. | Has X, though | B. Swinny. 
d not strongly 
Cwebe Forest... | Small......... . | Collected March, 1915.. | Has X, though | B. Swinnyi. 
not strongly 
Port St. Johns.. | Small.......... Sent July, 1914.:...... Hasie EE 2 B. Swinny. 
Bulolo Forest... | Small.......... | Collected March 1915... | Has XX... ee ' B. Swinnyt.t 
Mr. Robertson came to the following conclusions :— 
1. In mountain forests the large variety (i.e. B. tysoniana E.P.P.) has not “ Xe 
Yet the natives do use the bark in these forests, so that its medicinal qualities 
do not depend on its having “ X.” It appears that only the large variety is 
found in the mountain forests. 
*In the “Remarks” column I have inserted the name of the species which was given in the 
original by a herbarium number only. 
{ 1 have not seen specimens of these, but do not doubt the correctness of the names given.—(Z. P. P.) 
