SOUTHERN AFRICA. 189 
diftinguifhed place among the tall trees of the kloofs, and the 
thick fhrubbery on the fides of the fwells. This plant is the 
African lignum vitje, the guajacum Afrum of Linnaeus, and the 
fchot'ia fpec'iofa of the Hortus Kewenjis. The wood, however, 
is not fufficiently hard to be converted to the fame purpofes as 
lignum vitce, nor is the tree large enough to make it of any- 
particular ufe. The feeds of this leguminous plant are eaten by 
the Hottentots, and fometimes alfo are ufed by the colonifts. 
Two plants of the palm tribe were frequently met with ; one, 
the %amia cycadis^ or Kaffer's bread-tree, growing on the plains ; 
and the other, alfo a fpecies of the fame genus, Ikirting the 
fprings and rivulets : the fruit of the latter was called wild cof- 
fee, and fubftituted by the peafantry for this berry. The ftrc^ 
Utzia regina alfo^ now in full and beautiful bloom, grew every 
where in wide-fpreading patches in the vicinity of the Great 
Fifh river, but not one of the new fpecies, difcovered about 
twenty miles to the northward of Zwart Kop's river, could be 
found among them. The cerulean blue neftarium of the re- 
ginge feemed to be uniformly faded, and it loft its color by a 
ftiort expofure to the weather, which did not appear to be the 
cafe wath that of violet blue of the teret'ifoUa, The feed of the 
reginse is eaten both by the Kalfers and Hottentots. A great 
variety of bulbous rooted plants were now fpringing out of the 
ground; and feveral fpecies of thofe elegant families the gladio- 
lusy ixia, 7noraa, and the iris, were in full bloom. That fm- 
gular plant the tiimus elephantiopiis, fo called from a protube- 
rance thrown from the root refembling the foot of an elephant, 
was met with only in this part of the country. Several fpecies 
of xeranthemum and gnaphalium decorated the gralTy plains 
wath 
