82 
NOVITATES AFRICANAE 
Restio tabularis, Pillans, R. compresso affinis, sed canlibus teretibus breviori- 
b usque, spiculis minoribus, ovario abortione 1-loculari distinguitur. 
Stems scattered, erect, slender, terete, sparingly branched from near 
the base to the summit, obscurely tubercled and wrinkled on the lower 
parts, nearly smooth on the upper, with yellowish spots, 3 — 5dm. high; 
leaf-sheaths closely convolute, except at the ramifications, oblong, 
tapered to an acute apex, with a straight subulate mucro, coriaceous, 
nervose-striate, membranous at the margins, red-brown, yellow-speckled, 
mostly 1-5 cm. long; male spikelets solitary, rarely in pairs, erect, linear- 
cylindric, acuminate, ultimately oblong, many-flowered, without barren 
bracts, 2 — 2-5 cm. long; spathes like the upper leaf-sheaths; bracts 
loosely convolute, linear-oblong, acuminate, with a slender mucro, 
coriaceous, nervose-striate, narrow-membranous along the margins, 
pale reddish brown, 1 — 1-3 cm. long; flowers on short stipes, linear- 
oblong, obtuse, 3-5 mm. long; outer perianth- segments cartilaginous, 
light brown; the lateral navicular, linear-oblong, acute, slightly villous 
on the upper part of the carina, the left segment larger than the right; 
anterior segment lanceolate, obtuse, dorsally rounded, glabrous; inner 
segments linear-oblong, obtuse white-hyaline, very thin; about equal- 
ling the outer; female spikelets solitary, rarely in pairs, erect, linear- 
cylindric, acute, Decoming linear-oblong, truncate, many-flowered, with 
one barren bract, 2 — 2-5 cm. long; spathes as in the male, about 1-3 cm. 
long; bracts as in the male, but slightly larger; flowers on short stipes, 
obliquely oblong, obtuse, 4 mm. long; outer perianth-segments carti- 
laginous, scabrid on the outside, light brown; the left segment navicular, 
linear- oblong, acute, villous-carinate; the right segment linear-oblong, 
acute, obtusely keeled and villous on the upper half, smaller than the 
left; anterior segment linear-oblong, obtuse, dorsally rounded, glabrous; 
inner segments oblong-lanceolate, obtuse, membranous, brownish, 
slightly shorter than the outer; ovary by abortion 1-celled, narrow- 
ovate; styles 3, free, adjacent, very slender. 
Cape Province: South-Western Region; Cape Div., lower plateau 
on Table Mountain, Pillans, 3904, $ and $ ! 
Allied to R. compressus, Rottb., but differs in having terete and 
shorter stems, smaller spikelets and the ovary 1-celled by abortion. 
Restio similis, Pillans, R. Browniano affinis, sed spiculis majoribus, ovario 
3-loculari, stylis adjectis differt. 
Stems caespitose at the base, erect, slender, terete, sparingly branched 
from the base upwards, slightly rough, with raised whitish spots on 
a somewhat iridiscent brownish ground, 25 — 30 cm. high, less than 
1 mm. in diam. at the base; leaf-sheaths closely convolute except at 
the ramifications, oblong, obtuse, with a stout erect-spreading mucro, 
