Plants -- South Africa -- Periodicals; Plants -- South Africa -- Pictorial works -- Periodicals
This extremely handsome species of _Gazania_ was cultivated by Mr. C. N.
Knox-Davies in Johannesburg from plants collected at Worcester in the
Cape Province. The plants form a dense mass, and are suitable either for
growing in a border or in large pots. The ray florets are a beautiful
nopal red, with a warm sepia-brown eye-spot at the base, and when the
plants are in full bloom they present a very striking appearance. It is
surprising that species of this genus, which are amongst the most
handsome of the South African Compositae, have received so little
attention from horticulturists, and though hundreds of our native plants
have been figured in the _Botanical Magazine_ only two species of
Gazania have been illustrated.
Mr. N. E. Brown, who contributed an account of the genus to _The
Garden_, wrote that “it is one of the most perplexing that a botanist
has to deal with,” and even to-day the species are very imperfectly
known. Our plant was submitted to Kew for verification of the name, and
the Director reports, “The _Gazania_ has not been exactly matched, but
might be regarded as a form of _G. Pavonia, R. Br._”
Specimens are preserved in the National Herbarium, Pretoria (Herb. No.
1473).
DESCRIPTION:--_Plant_ compact, decumbent, forming a clump about 30 cm.
in diameter. _Leaves_ crowded near the apex of short shoots, 6-10 cm.
long, pinnatisect, slightly broadened and clasping at the base; lobes
1-2·5 cm. long, 2·5-4 mm. broad, linear, subacute, woolly-tomentose
beneath except on the mid-rib, sparsely woolly above, at length
becoming glabrous. _Peduncle_ 9 mm. long, terete, sparsely woolly, at
length becoming glabrous. _Tube of involucre_ 9 mm. long, 8 mm. in
diameter, sparsely woolly, intruse at the base; lobes in three rows; the
outer 4 mm. long, less than 1 mm. broad, linear, subacute; the innermost
ovate, subacuminate, subobtuse, with reddish-brown margins.
_Ray-florets_ neuter, corolla tube 7 mm. long, cylindric; limb red with
a dark-coloured mark at the base, 1·9 cm. long, 8 mm. broad, obovate,
rounded and minutely 3-fid at the apex, with two prominent veins
beneath. _Disc-florets_ hermaphrodite. _Corolla-tube_ 7 mm. long, more
or less angled, glabrous; lobes ·5 mm. long, ovate, subacute. _Anthers_
3 mm. long. _Pappus_ of long delicate linear scales connate in the lower
half and encasing the base of the corolla tube, free in the upper half.
_Ovary_ densely clothed with long silky hairs; style elongating up to
1·3 cm. long, filiform; stigmas about 0·75 mm. long.
* * * * *
PLATE 69.--Fig. 1, limb of ray flower; Fig. 2, longitudinal section
of involucre; Fig. 3, ray flower; Fig. 4, segment of leaf enlarged.
F.P.S.A., 1922.
[Illustration: _70._
K A Lansdell del.]
PLATE 70.
OCHNA PRETORIENSIS.
_Transvaal._
* * * * *
OCHNACEAE. Tribe OCHNACEAE.
OCHNA, _Schreb._; _Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant._ vol. i. p. 317.
* * * * *
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