88 
NOTES ON LESSERTIA WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF 
Lessertia varies in habit from diffuse or trailing slender perennial, 
very rarely annual, herbs to erect and sometimes rigid shrubs, 2 — 3 ft. 
in height. 
The INDUMENT may be distinguished as being composed either of 
soft more or less spreading or crisp hairs or of rather rigid white, closely 
appressed strigose or hispid hairs. The former are often very copious, 
and frequently, on pedicel and calyx, almost black. I have not 
observed an entirely glabrous specimen in the genus. The petals and 
stamens, however, are always glabrous, while the ovary and upper 
leaf-surface are frequently so. 
The STIPULES are almost uniform in shape throughout the genus, 
being obliquely ovate or lanceolate and foliaceous, usually under 
0’6 cm. long. Leaves shortly petiolate, imparipinnate, the leaflets 
2 — 14-jugate (usually 5 — 7), often alternate, linear, oblong, or oblong- 
oval, more rarely obovate or suborbicular, obtuse or emarginate, rarely 
acute or acuminate, under 1 in. long. Racemes axillary pedunculate, 
usually many- fid., dense or rather lax (in macrostachya very lax). 
Bracts small and usually somewhat membranous, very rarely ( Kensitii ) 
large and foliaceous. Calyx segments equal or subequal, very rarely 
longer than the tube. Petals purplish blue, purple, crimson or rarely 
yellowish, usually about 6 Is. or less long (nearly 9 Is. in Pappeana), 
the vexillum slightly longer than the rest. Carina obtuse, as long 
as the alae or rarely ( spinescens , globosa and Flanaganii ) distinctly 
shorter. Stamens diadelphous, the anthers uniform. Ovary shortly 
stipitate several-ovuled, twice or more than twice as long as broad ; 
STYLE bearded at the apex, either all round the stigma or, very rarely, 
dorsally only, or ventrally half-way down the style ; STIGMA terminal, 
inconspicuous. LEGUME frequently membranous and transparent, or 
opaque and with the texture of parchment, glabrous or pubescent, 
varying in numerous gradations from suborbicular to linear, usually 
conspicuously oblique, the ventral suture being straight or nearly so, 
and the dorsal having a more or less wide sweep (the legumes resulting 
from the shorter ovaries are therefore considerably widened in the 
process, while those from the longer ovaries become falcate, annular 
or even spirally twisted), tardily dehiscing at the apex (not observed 
by me). SEEDS reniform, funiculus filiform. 
L. spinescens, E. Mey., var. gracilior, nov. var., ramis tenuioribus ; pedunculis 
elongatis. 
Cape Province : South-western Region ; Els Kloof, Hex River, 
fl. Aug., A. H. Wolley Pod, 4031; Cederbergen, nr. Clanwilliam, 
alt. 1600 ft., fl. Oct., H. Bolus, 8988 ; slopes of the Olifant Rivierbergen, 
alt. 300 ft., fl. Aug., R. Schlechter, 5079. 
