Chapter III: Part 3

DESCRIPTION:--An acaulescent herb with large underground fleshy tubers 7 cm. long, about 5 cm. in diameter, and thick cylindric roots arising from the junction of the tuber and short stem. _Leaves_ three to four to a plant, 19 to 30 cm. long, 1·5 to 3 cm. broad, lanceolate linear, subacuminate, acute, plicate, with the primary nerves prominent beneath, glabrous. _Inflorescence_ lateral, racemose, about 26-flowered. _Peduncle_ about 30 cm. long, surrounded by brown membranous sheaths 8 to 9 cm. long. _Floral-bracts_ 4 cm. long, linear, acuminate, acute. _Pedicels_ about 6 mm. long. _Sepals_ 2·8 cm. long, 1·1 cm. broad, ovate-lanceolate, shortly acuminate, acute, the upper sepal slightly narrower. _Side petals_ 2·6 cm. long, 1 cm. broad, lanceolate, acute. _Lip_ 3 cm. long, 1·3 cm. broad, 3-lobed; the middle lobe, obovate, obtuse, sparsely covered with short filaments and produced at the base into 2 keels; side lobes deep purple, 8 mm. long, 9 mm. broad, ovate-oblong, obtuse, unequal sided; spur 5 mm. long, slightly curved, terete, blunt. _Column_ 1 cm. long, 3 mm. broad, oblong, convex on the back, deeply concave on the face. _Operculum_ ovate; pollinia ovate, attached to a single gland. _Stigma_ kidney-shaped. (National Herb. Pretoria, No. 2650.)

PLATE 119.--Fig. 1, plant much reduced; 2, bract; 3, median
longitudinal section of flower; 4, sepal; 5, side petal; 6, 7, lip;
8, column.

F.P.S.A., 1923.

S Gower del.]

PLATE 120.

HESSEA REHMANNI.

_Transvaal._

AMARYLLIDACEAE. Tribe AMARYLLIDEAE.

HESSEA, _Herb._; _Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant._ vol. iii. p. 720.

=Hessea Rehmanni=, _Baker, Hanb. Amaryllid._ 22; _Fl. Cap._ vol. vi. p. 190.

This species differs from the one we previously figured (_H. Zeyheri_, Plate 43) in not having a short perianth-tube above the ovary. The species here figured is evidently quite common in some localities in the High Veld, growing amongst the grass, but has not been extensively collected. Rehmann first found the plant on which Baker based his description, and it has since been found by Miss Saunders and Mr. E. E. Galpin near Johannesburg. Our illustration was made from specimens collected by Dr. I. B. Pole Evans, C.M.G., at Kaalfontein, between Pretoria and Johannesburg.

Baker in his description mentions that the pedicels are strongly angled, but we suspect that is solely due to drying, as in the fresh material the pedicels are quite terete.

Like many other plants belonging to the _Amaryllidaceae_, the seeds may commence germination before falling from the capsule.

As far as we are aware the species has no common name, and we would suggest “wit sambrieltje” for this little plant.

DESCRIPTION:--_Bulb_ 1·8 cm. long, 1·5 cm. in diameter, globose, covered with papery tunics and produced into a neck about 1 to 1·5 cm. long. _Leaves_ usually one, more rarely two, 9 cm. long, filiform, quite terete or with a shallow channel, glabrous. _Peduncle_ 15 cm. long, terete, glabrous. _Inflorescence_ a centripetal umbel of about nine flowers. _Spathe-valves_ 2 mm. long, ovate, acute. _Pedicels_ 8 mm. long, terete, glabrous. _Perianth-segments_ 8 mm. long, 1·5 mm. broad, linear, much crisped, with 3 segments minutely and bluntly apiculate and with papillae at the apex. _Filaments_ attached to base of perianth-segments, 5 mm. long, terete; anthers 1 mm. long, orbicular, basifixed. _Ovary_ 2·5 mm. in diameter, globose, glabrous with a single ovule in each cell; style 7 mm. long, terete; stigmas 3, papillose. (National Herb. Pretoria, No. 2713.)

PLATE 120.--Fig. 1, section of part of leaf showing shallow
channel; 2, involucral bract; 3, median longitudinal section of
flower; 4, perianth segment; 5, anther; 6, style and stigmas; 7,
fruit.

F.P.S.A., 1923.

INDEX TO VOLUME III,

PLATE

ADENIA DIGITATA, 113

ADENIUM OLEIFOLIUM, 105

ALOE COMOSA, 107

ALOE MICROCANTHA, 111

ALOE SAPONARIA, 96

ALOE VARIEGATA, 86

BRACHICORYTHIS PUBESCENS, 103

BRUNIA STOKOEI, 92

CERATOTHECA TRILOBA, 87

CHRYSOPHYLLUM MAGALISMONTANUM, 98

CLEMATOPSIS STANLEYI, 81

CRASSULA CONGESTA, 115

CRATEROSTIGMA PLANTAGINEUM, 106

CYRTANTHUS HELICTUS, 99

DICOMA ZEYHERI, 88

ERYTHRINA HUMEANA, 112

EULOPHIA ZEYHERI, 119

GERBERA PLANTAGINEA, 85

GLADIOLUS PSITTACINUS, 116

GREYIA RADLKOFERI, 101

HESSEA REHMANNI, 120

HOODIA BAINII, 93

HYOBANCHE FULLERI, 89

LACHENALIA ROODEAE, 91

LEUCOSPERMUM CORDATUM, 95

LONCHOSTOMA MONOSTYLIS, 118

MACKAYA BELLA, 104

MESEMBRYANTHEMUM DIGITATUM, 102

MESEMBRYANTHEMUM PILLANSII, 110

MIMETES HOTTENTOTICA, 82

PROTEA COMPACTA, 84

PROTEA PITYPHYLLA var. LATIFOLIA, 108

PROTEA STOKOEI, 100

ROMULEA AUSTINII, 90

SENECIO MEDLEY-WOODII, 83

SYNNOTIA METELERKAMPIAE, 97

TRIASPIS NELSONI, 109

TRITONIA MATHEWSIANA, 94

VENIDIUM MACROCEPHALUM, 117

WACHENDORFIA PANICULATA, 114