EEEGOIES, OF ELEPHANTORRHIZA IN THE 
SOULH AFRICAN HERBARIA. 
By EP Paris, MAD) Seek as: 
The genus Elephantorrhiza is a small genus belonging to the Leguminosae, and was 
founded by Bentham in 1842 on the common Transvaal plant, #. Burchell. Four years 
later he described another species also from the Transvaal, #. Burkei. Since then Schinz 
and Harms each described a species found in South Africa, and two years ago Mr. Burtt-Davy 
described a species from the Transvaal. An examination of the material in the South 
African Herbaria has brought to light two additional species which hitherto have been 
confused with #. Burchellic. 
Two of the seven species found in South Africa have an acaulescent habit, viz., 
E. Burchell and E. obliqua. 
The shape and venation of the pinnules differ in all the species, and afford a good 
character whereby the species may be distinguished. The reader is referred to the 
accompanying plate illustrating the pinnules of the seven species described. 
Elephantorrhiza Burchellii, commonly known as “ Eland’s Boontjes,” is an extremely 
common plant on the high veld in spring, and in many parts of the Transvaal is the 
dominant species on veld which has been burnt. It is an acaulescent plant with enormous 
roots, which extend to a considerable depth into the ground. Young plants have been 
excavated by the writer with roots which penetrate to a depth of over 6 feet. The roots 
of this species have been used for tanning, but other plants have now superseded it. 
Mr. C. Howlett, of the Division of Botany, carried out a series of dyeing experiments with 
a 30 per cent. solution of the roots. Wool was treated with a 1 per cent. of the following 
mordants, and gave the following results (the colours mentioned are those of Ridgway’s 
Colour Standards and Nomenclature) :— 
1. Ammonium molybdate........... Orange rufous. (Plate II.) 
2. Ammonium vanadate............ Plambeous black. (Plate LIT.) 
weoumemmm: chloride 7. i... 65... .; Naphthalene yellow. (Plate XVI.) 
4 Werrous sulphate... SEE ER se Quaker drab. (Plate LI.) 
N Bkel silphale. EE DE ee Salmon colour. (Plate XIV.) 
6. Stanous Chioride....0....50.5... Empire yellow. (Plate IV.) 
7. Sodium tungstate...... once ae Salmon colour. (Plate XLV.) 
oe ME EA MEALS. OR ER ON Rufous. (Plate XIV.) 
uir CUlpHAtC In. foe ke aie de de Salmon colour. (Plate XIV.) 
AOR WOUAACOLALC? EE ed oes os Bittersweet pink. (Plate IT.) 
The above colours are, however, not permanent, and since these experiments were 
conducted some three years ago some of the colours in the samples of wool have changed. 
The seeds of this species show an interesting and uncommon type of germination, 
which has been described by Miss J. Hofmeyr in the “ South African Journal of Natural 
History,” Vol. Ill, No. 1. 3 
The writer is indebted to the Curators of the various Herbaria for lending him the 
material in their respective collections, and to Mr. J. Hutchinson, F.L.S., of the Kew 
Herbarium, for comparing some of the specimens with material in the Kew and British 
Museam Herbaria. 
