NOVITATES AFRICANAE 
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capsule differs in having entire and spreading valves with deflexed 
margins (not erect and bifid ones). Individual plants vary much in size, 
as do the leaves and flowers. The measurements given are of the largest 
seen. Mr Pillans describes the plants as “lying flat on the ground and 
reaching a diameter of 3 feet.” Plants collected by him, mostly in the 
seedling-stage, on sandy banks of Horees River, Walle Kraal, Little 
Namaqualand, in Oct. 1924 (Bolus Herbarium, No. 17790) are undoubtedly 
this species, although the solitary flower produced in cultivation was 
barely an inch in diameter. Other collections which seem to belong here 
are: M. Schlechter, 7, Jackal’s water, Little Bushmanland, Nov. 27, 1897. 
H. H. W. Pearson (Percy Sladen Memorial Expedition, No. 5986), sandy 
river-bed between Modderfontein and Doornpoort, Dec. 1910. 
Mesembrianthemum scutatum, L. Bolus (§ Moniliformia). Erectum, cum 
floribus ad 16 cm. altum, caule, ramis, ramulisque reliquis pergamentaceis 
scutatis quasi scutis, “scutis” imbricatis, glaucis vel pallidis, cum aetate 
brunneis vel atratis, lateraliter compressis, subquadrangularibus, angulis 
plus minusve rotundatis, ad 1-5 cm. diam. vel recentibus 7 — 9 mm. diam. ; 
folia nunc uniformia nunc diversiformia, brevia fere patentia, fere semi- 
circularia, crassa, obscure apiculata, polita nitentiaque, 7 — 8 mm. diam., 
longa erecta, fere cylindrica, supra plana vel leviter convexa, papillosa, 
glauco-viridia, in cultis ad 12 cm. longa, 6 — 7 mm. diam., saepius 5 — 7 cm. 
longa, 3 — 4 mm. diam.; flores solitarii, meridie expansi, ad 3 cm. diam., 
pedunculis 4-5 — 6-5 cm. longis; receptaculum hemisphaericum, apice ad 
5 mm. diam. ; sepala, 5, inter se parum inaequilonga, ovato-lanceolata 
vel ovata, acuta, 3 late membranaceo-marginata ; 6 — 8 mm. longa; petala 
numerosa densa, circa 3-seriata, inferne leviter attenuata, obtusa vel 
acuta, saepe apice dentata, alba, 1-2 cm. longa, fere ad 2 mm. lata; 
stamina erecta numerosa, filamentis luteis, basi parce barbatis, ad 4 mm. 
longis, antheris luteis, polline aureo; ovarium omnino inferum, supra 
convexum, stigmatibus subulatis, 2 mm. longis; capsula anni prioris 
1 cm. diam., aqua expansa 1-4 cm. diam., valvis 5, recurvatis, marginibus 
deflexis, alis membranaceis transverse oblongis, carinis inter se distantibus, 
superne divergentibus, alis loculi ultra dimidium tegentibus, seminibus 
subobovatis levibus, -75 mm., diam., parieti exteriore dispositis. 
Cape Province: Western Region; Little Namaqualand, 2-3 miles N.E. 
of Walle Kraal, in colonies on white quartzite, Oct. 1924, N. S. Pillans 
(Bolus Herbarium, No. 17794). Flowered in National Botanic Gardens, 
July 1925. 
The vegetative parts are described from ample living material, and the 
flowers from carefully dissected and dried material. During July, August, 
and September of 1925 and 1926 long leaves were freely produced, the 
short ones being much less frequent. No plant seen by me produced a 
