The flowering plants of South Africa; vol. 3Pole Evans, I. B. (Illtyd Buller)
Science
The flowering plants of South Africa; vol. 3
Pole Evans, I. B. (Illtyd Buller)
Plants -- South Africa -- Periodicals; Plants -- South Africa -- Pictorial works -- Periodicals
=Greyia Radlkoferi=, _Szyszy. Pl. Rehmann._ vol. ii. p. 49 (1880).
An extremely ornamental shrub found in the eastern Transvaal, where it
has been recorded from Waterval Onder, ’Thlatikulu and Barberton. The
plant does quite well at Pretoria, where specimens have been planted on
Meintjes Kop behind the Union Buildings.
The genus _Greyia_, which contains only three known species, was named
in honour of Sir George Grey, K.C.B. In South Africa it has a very
limited distribution, and is interesting botanically, as there are still
some doubts as to its affinities.
In the Transvaal the plant flowers from July to October, the young
leaves appearing at the same time as the scarlet flowers. The flowers
are proterandrous, _i. e._, the pollen is shed before the pistil has
quite matured, and this makes self-pollination almost impossible.
The Cape species, _Greyia Sutherlandi_, is commonly known as “Baakhout”
or “Wild bottlebrush,” so that our plant might be appropriately named
the “Transvaal Baakhout.” The material from which our illustration was
made was gathered by Miss S. Gower on Meintjes Kop, Pretoria.
For a roller account of this interesting genus the reader is referred to
a paper by Dr. S. Schonland in the _Records of the Albany Museum_, vol.
iii. p. 40.
DESCRIPTION:--A shrub 2-5 m. high. _Branches_ with light-brown bark,
glabrous. _Leaves_ at the apex of the branches at the side of the
flowers; blade 3·5-12 cm. long, ovate, subacute, cordate at the base,
with lobed margins, sparsely pilose above with curled hairs,
white-tomentose beneath; petioles 2-10 cm. long, terete,
glandular-pilose. _Inflorescence_ of many inverted scarlet flowers.
_Bracts_ 7 mm. long, boat-shaped, glandular-pilose. _Pedicels_ 7 mm.
long, terete, glandular-pilose. _Calyx-tube_ 2 mm. long; lobes 5 mm.
long, oblong, shortly apiculate, sparsely glandular-pilose. _Petals_ not
all equal, 2-2·3 cm. long, almost 1 cm. broad, oblong-obovate, usually
rounded at the apex, more rarely emarginate. _Stamens_ usually 10,
sometimes 8, in two whorls; filaments 2·7 cm. long, terete; anthers 1·5
mm. long, ovate. _Disc_ cupular below with 10 or 8 arms from the rim of
the cup, each arm has a peltate disc. _Ovary_ about 1 cm. long, terete;
style 1·8 cm. long, terete; stigma simple. (National Herb. Pretoria, No.
2635.)
* * * * *
PLATE 101.--Fig. 1, leaf; 2, flower with petals removed showing
disc; 3, ground plan of flower; 4, sepal; 5, petal; 6, anthers
front and side view; 7, stamen; 8, pistil; 9, section through the
ovary.
F.P.S.A., 1923.
[Illustration: _102_.
K A Lansdell del]
PLATE 102.
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM DIGITATUM.
_Cape Province._
FICOIDEAE. Tribe MESEMBRYEAE.
MESEMBRYANTHEMUM, _Linn._; _Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant._ vol. i. p. 853.
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