The genera of South African plants : arranged according to the natural system / by William Henry Harvey.

  • William H. Harvey
Date:
1868
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The genera of South African plants : arranged according to the natural system / by William Henry Harvey. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    elongate; stigma subcapitellate. Capsule shortly stipitate, compressed, didymous, 2-celled, 2-valved. Seeds solitary.— Kunth, l.e. p. 76. Herbs, often viscidly pubescent, ci’eeping at base; branches simple, erect. Panicles terminal, simple or branched, bracteate. Flowers pedicelled, sub- racemose, unilateral, small.—1 or more Cape species, at Natal. D. Capensis is the only one mentioned by Kunth. 4. CYANOTIS, Don. Flowers subregular. Outer perianth-segments connate at base, navicular, subequal, persistent ; iuiier longer, their claws connate in a tube, caducous. Stamens G, subequal, hypogynous ; filaments very long, bearded near the top ; an- thers similar. Ovary sessile, 3-cellcd ; style 1, thickened up- wards ; stigma hollow. Capsule 3-celled, 3-valved. Seeds 2 in each cell.—Kunth, l.c.p. 102. Annuals or perennials, mostly diiruso. Flowers blue, on longish, axillary or terminal peduncles, crowded, involucrcd by a folded, spatho-like, cordate bract.— C.nodijlora {Tradescantia j^ecjosa, Linn.) is common through the colony, especially in the East. Order CXXXVIII. XYRIDE.®. Perianth 6-parted, in 2 rows; outer glumaceous ; inner petaloid, its pieces with long claws. Stamens 6, 3 fertile in- serted on the apex of the claw of the petaloid segments of perianth ; anthers opening outwards. Ovary single, 1-celled; ovules numerous, on 3 parietal ])lacentas ; style 3-fid; stigmas multifid or undivided. Capsule 1-celled, 3-valved. Seeds numerous ; embryo on the outside of floury albumen.—Rush- like plants, with radical leaves, and densely spiked, yellow flowers, borne on leafless stems. 1. XYHIS, Linn. Flowers densely spiked, each from the axil of a rigid, scaly bract. Perianth double, each of 3 pieces ; outer segments un- equal, the 2 lateral keeled, glumaceous, persistent, theanticous thinner and much lai’ger, coloured, in the bud enfolding the inner, and falling on the opening of the flower; inner seg- ments petaloid, on long claws, equal; claws free, but cohering at the apex with the stamiuodia; limbs widely spreading, each bearing a fertile stamen at its base. Staminodia alternating wth the fertile stamens, hypogynous, free, filifoi’m, 2-fid at the apex, and cohering with the lamina) of the inner segments, the lobes plumose. Style 3-fid; stigmas obtuse. Capsule membranous, many-sceded.—Kunth, Enum. p. 2.