NOVITATES AFRICANAE 
75 
de valvis disjunctis, acuminatis membranaceis et alis membranaceis 
adnatis, alis vicinis coalescentibus truncatis, valva parum brevioribus, 
alis loculi per totam longitudinem disjunctis, tuberculo in loculo brunneo, 
sat parvo, seminibus obovatis vel fere orbicularibus, levibus, pallidis, 
1 mm. longis, axi centrali, basi loculi, et parieti exteriore, dense dispositis. 
Cape Province: Western Region; Little Namaqualand, on sandy fiats 
round Hondeklip Bay, in flower and fruit Oct. 1924, N. S. Pillans, 17752. 
The vegetative parts are described from living material, the flower and 
capsule from dried specimens. Two flowers only were seen. I have not 
been able to place the species exactly into any of the genera recently 
described by Mr Brown, but with a little stretching of its present limits 
the genus Cephalophyllum, N.E.Br., might include our plant. 
Mesembrianthemum insolitum, L. Bolus. Glabrum perenne, caule abbreviato, 
7 mm. diam., ramis procumbentibus, reliquis induratis foliorum onustis, 
ad 9 cm. longis, 6 mm. diam., ramulis fere erectis, saepissime dense 2 — 4- 
foliatis, internodiis in vaginis inclusis ; folia adscendentia subcymbiformia, 
supra plana, subtus inconspicue carinata, carina eccentrica, lateribus 
leviter convexis, obtusis, pallide glauca, tactu levia sed sub lente minutis- 
sime crebreque papillata, 1-5 — 2-7 cm. longa, ad 1 cm. lata diametroque; 
flores solitarii, meridie expansi, ad 3-2 cm. diam., pedunculis brevibus, 
in vagina inclusis; receptaculum clavatum subcompressum, utrinque 
carinatum, apice 1-1 cm. diam.; sepala 5 inter se parum inaequilonga, 
acuta, 0-8 — 1 cm. longa; petala sat dense 2 — 3-seriata, exteriora inter se 
subaequilonga, interiora pauca, multo breviora, lineari-spathulata, 
saepissime obtusa, nivea, ad 1-3 cm. longa, ad 2 mm. lata; stamina collecta, 
collectione suburceolata, apice 4 mm. diam., hlamentis albis, inferne 
breviter papillato-pubescentibus, ad 7 mm. longa, staminodiis nullis vel 
perpaucis, antheris pallidis, polline aureo; discus annularis crenulatus 
viridis inconspicuus, 6 mm. diam. ; ovarium supra planum, in medio vero 
leviter elevatum, stigmatibus 8 (vel in flore unico 7) lineari-filiformibus, 
superne attenuatis, 7 — 8 mm. longis, ovulis parieti exteriore dispositis; 
capsula (vetus imperfectaque tantum visa) aqua expansa 1-2 cm. diam., 
valvis 8 recurvatis, alis membranaceis transverse oblongis, carinis par- 
allels, inter se leviter distantibus, alis loculi nullis, semine unico viso subob- 
ovato, parte micropylari leviter producta. 
Cape Province: Western Region; karroid hills between Dun Vley and 
Groot Doom, overlooking south bank of the Orange River, Oct. 1926, 
N. S. Pillans, 5692. 
Described from one living plant which flowered in Mr Pillans’ garden 
in December, 1926. There were six flowers and seven or eight old capsules, 
all showing eight loculi. Only one capsule, however, had some of the 
valves remaining, and this one, like the rest, showed no trace of cell- wings. 
