228 
F. E. Weiss. 
portion of South Africa, and both natural orders are also charac¬ 
teristic constituents of the Australian Flora. 
In the shelter of the “ bush ” will be seen during the wet 
months of winter and spring many monocotyledonous plants with 
brightly coloured flowers, which form so considerable a proportion 
of the flora of the Cape Peninsula. Of these the Iridaceae and 
the Orchidaceae are the most numerous, the latter being repre¬ 
sented only by terrestrial forms, of which some, like Disa grandi- 
Jlora are of exquisite beauty. The underground storage organs of 
both these groups of plants make it possible for them to last out in 
a resting condition during a long dry summer, while they come up 
one after the other at the commencement of the winter rains. One 
member of the Iridaceae, however, Bobartia spathacea, which is 
very common on the mountain slopes, has long filiform leaves of 
excessive toughness, and is as admirably protected as the Restion- 
aceae against the summer drought (Figs. 52 and 53.) 
t. 
Fig. 52. 
Fig. 52.—Transverse section of the filiform leaf of Bobartia Spathacea , 
shewing the assimilating tissue (as.) protected by deep flanges of 
sclerenchymatous tissue (set.) in which run the vascular bundles 
( vb .) The centre of the leaf is occupied by wide-celled paren¬ 
chymatous ground tissue (gt.) 
The numerous species of Oxnlis, which, with their bright 
yellow, white or purple flowers form so conspicuous a feature in 
the vegetation of the Cape Peninsula, exhibit no great adaptation 
of their foliage to the dry summer climate, but like the Iridaceae 
their subterranean tubers or corms enable them to remain dormant 
during a prolonged adverse season. 
A point of some interest is the occurence of small annuals, 
