PLATE 340. 
Thunbergia pondoensis, Lindau. (Fl. Cap. Vol. V., p. 9.) 
Natural Order, Acanthaceji. 
A slender climber with pure white flowers. Stems pubescent. Leaves oppo- 
site, petiolate, exstipulate, entire, acute or obtuse, cordate or hastate at base, 5- 
veined, hirsute on the veins beneath, scabrid above, reaching to 2^ inches long bj 
1^ wide. Flowers axillary, solitary, pedunculate, enclosed between two opposite, 
ovate, vemy, ciliate bracteoles, 5 to 8 lines long, white. Calyx gamosepalous, tube 
very short, limb of 12 linear, erect, greenish white glandular lobes, 1 to 2 lines 
long. Corolla gamopetalous, white, tube cylindrical in lower portion, then 
gradually widening to throat and laterally compressed, tinged with yellow internally: 
limb 5-lobed, lobes obcordate, subregular, spreading or reflexed, equalling the tube, 
reaching to 1 inch in diameter. Stamens 4, inserted on lower portion of the tube, 
filaments filiform, with fine hairs at the point of insertion ; anthers 2-celled, some 
but not all spurred, and with a tuft of moniliform hairs at base, occasionally one 
cell only spurred, connective produced beyond the cells ; poden globose, smooth. 
Ovary oblong, seated on an annular disk, style filiform, glabrous, 2-lobed, the lower 
lobe a little flattened, and recurved, the upper semi-funnel-shaped, erect. Capsule 
rostrate, seated in the calyx, and subtended by the persistent leafy bracts, loculici- 
dally dehiscing, 2-celled, cells 2-seeded, seeds hemispherical, ripe seeds not seen. 
Habitat: Natal: Zululand, near Entumeni, 2-3000 feet alt. May, Wood, 'No. 
4015 ; Ngoya, Zululand, 1-2000 feet alt, April, Wylie {Wood, No. 8478) ; near Dur- 
ban, Bachman, No. 1 265. Also in Pondoland. 
Drawn and described from plants brought from Zululand by Mr. Wylie {Wood, 
No. 8478) and cultivated in Botanic Gardens, Durban. 
This plant comes very near to T. angulata, a native of Madagascar. We have 
not seen this species, the chief differences according to the Flora Capensis being 
in the shape of the leaves, and the absence of hairs between the veins. It does 
not appear to be a very common plant in Natal, or it has perhaps been confused 
with T. DregecDia (Natal Plants, Vol. III., plate 280), especially as in the Flora 
Capensis the flowers of T. Dregeana are said to be white. In our specimens they 
are always yellow or buff, and those of T. pondoensis are always white ; in general 
appearance the plants are very similar. This plant is not distinguished from 
T. Dregeana by the natives and is used for the same purposes. 
Fig. 1, calyx and ovary ; 2, base of corolla opened showing insertion of 
stamens ; 3, portion of style with stigma ; 4, stamen ; 5, ovary and disk ; 6, 
capsule ; all enlarged. 
