1954] 



PLANTS COLLECTED IN NYASALAND 



473 



gregata, heterogama; involucrum 0.8-1.2 cm. altum, circiter 0.8-1.3 cm. latum; 

 foliola circiter 7-serialia, glabra, scariosa, interiora omnino lutea circiter 5-6 

 mm. longa (sed intima reducta et circiter 1 mm. longa), mediana et exteriora bi- 

 coloria apicem acutum et squarrosum versus viridi-nigra aliter luteo-straminea, 

 extima ovato-triangularia circiter 2 mm. longa, superne sensim longiora et lanceo- 

 lata, ad 7-8 mm. longa et 2-2.5 mm. lata. Flores extimi tantum ?, circiter 1.75 

 mm. longi, apice minute 4-5-lobati; c£ numerosissimi, 2.5 mm. longi, tubulosi, 

 apice minute 5-lobati; antherae 1.3 mm. longae. Ovarium glabrum, pappi setis 

 circiter 2 mm. longis coronatum. Achaenia breviter oblongo-ellipsoidea, olivacea, 

 0.5 mm. longa, 0.3 mm. lata. 



Helichrysum brassii Brenan var. brassii. 



Planta verisimiliter perennis, inferne valde ramosa; capitula solitaria vel 

 pedunculos 5-10 cm. longos vel ultra terminantia. 



Mlanje District: Mlanje Mountain, 2 130 m., 1896,/. McClounie 43 (Herb. Kew.). 

 Tuchila Plateau, plant 30 cm. high, 1830 m., Aug. 1901, /. M. Purves 71 (Herb. 

 Kew.). Mlanje Mountain, southwest ridge, under shelter of rocks on open summit, 

 herb 30-40 cm. high, flowers yellow, bracts black-tipped, 2400 m., June 28, 1946, 

 16500; ibid., Chambe Plateau, common on shallow rocky soil in grasslands, herb 

 20-30 cm. high, viscid, branches reddish, flowers yellow, apex of bracts greenish- 

 black, 2100 m., July 9, 1946, 16759 (TYPUS varietatis et speciei). Zomba Dis- 

 trict: Zomba Plateau, 1520 m., Sept. 1895, A. Whyte s.n. (Herb. Kew.). 



Helichrysum brassii Brenan var. 8 aggregatum Brenan, var. nov. 



Planta verisimiliter perennis, inferne valde ramosa; capitula ad apices caulium 

 plerumque 2-5 aggregata, pedunculos circiter 0.4-3 cm. longos terminantia. 



PORTUGUESE EAST AFRICA: Namuli, Makua country, comm. 1887, /. T. Last s.n. 

 (typus varietatis in Herb. Kew.). 



NYASALAND: North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, 2380 m., Sept, 1902, /. McClounie 

 154 (Herb. Kew.). 



Helichrysum brassii Brenan var. y tenellum Brenan, var. nov. 



Planta annua, caule simplici apice in inflorescentiam tricephalam terminante; 

 pedunculi 0.8-1 cm. longi; foliola involucri quam in varietatibus aliis apice multo 

 dilutius atro-tincti. 



North Nyasa District: Nyika Plateau, common locally in open grasslands, an- 

 nual herb 20-35 cm. high, slightly viscid, stems reddish, leaves grey beneath, 

 flowers yellow, bracts bronze-green, 2340 m., Aug. 12, 1946, 17186 (TYPUS varie- 

 tatis). 



H. brassii Brenan is obviously a close relative of H. sulphureo-fuscum Baker 

 and has been confused with it in the herbarium. Although the two are very much 

 alike so far as the capitula are concerned, yet the differences in the shape, in- 

 dumentum, and venation of the leaves are so striking and apparently constant that 

 H. brassii must, in my opinion, be treated as a distant species. In true H, sul- 

 phureo-fuscum the leaves, even the basal ones, are linear and grasslike, glabrous 

 and not glandular on the upper surface, and with very close parallel lateral nerves 

 and veins running the length of the leaf. In H. brassii the oblanceolate shape 

 particularly of the lower leaves, the short close glandular indumentum on the up- 

 per side, and the non°parallel venation showing up clearly above are easily ob- 

 served on the specimens, and I have found that the separation of H, brassii from 

 H, sulphureo-fuscum really presents no difficulty in practice. 



Helichrysum (§ Polylepidea) dichroolepis Brenan, sp. nov. 



H. brassii Brenan affinis, foliis supra satis dense et persistenter albido* 

 araneosis necnon glandulos carentibus distincta; a H. sulphureo-fusco Bak. no- 



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