however, greatly pleased at my management; and declared that now
they had no doubt of my succeeding. The same country, which, at
the end of September presented an arid, unproductive appearance,
now smiled in charming verdant clothing, variegated with a profusion
of beautiful flowers and curious plants, which the late rains had
awaken from out of their subterranean retreat. A handsome and
entirely new species of Amaryllis* profusely covered a space of ground
of half a mile in extent, and the beautiful Uncaria procumbens f (or,
Grapple Plant) was not less abundant. It was just now in full bloom,
spreading on the ground; some plants having already formed the
grapple-like seed-vessels t ; while others were only beginning to
expand their large purple flowers. The fineness of the day rendered
travelling exceedingly pleasant, and imparted an additional
grace to every object.
The incomplete list which a botanist would form from travelling
but once over the dry plains of Africa, may be well exemplified by
the collection made between Klaarwater and the Kloof settlement
in the preceding month of September, as compared with that which
was made during this excursion. At that time, only six numbers
were added to my catalogue; but at this, fifty-eight. Some allowance,
however, must be made for having, at the former time, passed
over a portion of the road in the night. A comparison of that
part of my catalogue now made at the Asbestos mountains in a
single day, with that of my first visit, which was the result of sevetal
days, may perhaps be instructive, as showing these vegetable pro-
^ Geogr- 19«9- F o lk Iudda decombenti.. Scapussub-17-
florus complauatus brens, pedunculiqfie scabro-pubescentes. Affinis A . Jlcxuosa,
undulatce, et burnii, ; at, eis qnamvis humilior, umbella gaudet multò maiore.
iU n c a n a , B. genua est Martynias affine; a quo capsula, formi, (vide iconem magnitudine
naturali, in pag. 529.) satis differt. 1 uuein mag
Uncària procumbens, B Calai. Geogr. 1970. Caules plures prostrati parùm ramosi
boba palmato-div'sa et lobata, glaucescentia. Flores magni purpurei axillares solitarii.’
Calycis fohola 5 linearla acuta. Corolla infundibuliformis, tubo basi angustato, limbi laciniis
ìotundatis sequalibus. Stamina 4 didynama, pistfflumqùe corolla duplò breviora. Capsula
bilocukns ligmasa, angubs lobato-alatis, lobis uncinatis. Semina numerosa oblonga
f A f k u f " f i-?iaDta’ V‘Sa’ Punctuiis numerosis t A figure o f one, of thè naturai size, is given at page 529. albia conspersa est.
ductions which are met with only at different seasons. Such
catalogues are not uninteresting; they are, to a certain • extent, the
Floras (in the I .innican use of the word) of each separate spot. And
if they indicate concisely the state with respect to flowering, seeding,
or leafing, in which plants are at that season, and give briefly some of
the more remarkable particulars, their utility in various points of
view, will, it is hoped.be sufficiently obvious, to induce future travellers
to bestow a small portion of their time on the forming of
them.
The whole country was covered with verdure produced by an
abundance of tall, fresh grass, of a variety of sorts, most of which
happened to be now in flower. Of these, I collected in this short
journey six and twenty species, plucked merely as I walked along 5
and it is very probable that many more might have been discovered,
had there been time for a more careful search.*
The botanical collection of this day consisted o f —.
Corchorus serrcefolius, B. Catal. Geogr.
1962. Caules elongati procumbentes
villosi. Folia linearia grosse serrata.
Pedunculus, in medio internodii, tri-
florus. Alabastra acuta. Capsulse
lineares teretes scabra ssepiùs tor-
tuosse sexvalves.
Omithogalum nervosum, B. Cat. Geog.
1968. Folia erecta marginata nervosa
rigida. Scapus foliis paulo altior,
sursùm sensim incrassatus. Bracteae
setacea;. Flores parvi virentes. Pe-
dunculi longissimi horizontales. Fi-
lamenta omnia subulata.
Asparagus laricinas, B. C. G. 1971.
Fruticosus erectiis 4-6-pedalis. Rami
ramulique albidi. Spina brevis subre-
curva. Folia subulata subpollicaria
fase ¡culata; floribus 1-5 in singulo
fascículo.
B r iza nigra, B. C. G. 1978. Gramen
erectum annuum. Folia pilis raris
conspersa. Ligula pilosa. Panícula
nigrescentè vel obscure viridis. Locustae
cordata*, 14-18-floras. Gluma;
subearinatas.
Cleome heterotricha. B. C. G. 2011.
Caules et petioli pubescentes, pilis
longioribus interspersis. Folia quin-
a t a ; foliolis obovatis subintegerri-
mis. | Pétala alba. Stamina 6. Máxime
affinis C. pentaphyllee, sed huic
sunt folia vix serrata..
Celosía odor ata, B. \
Uncaria procumbens, B.
Cassia arachoides, B.
Cyperus usitatus, B.
Amaryllis lucida, B.
Indigofera.
Ackyranthes
Lappago. 2 sp.
D igitaria
Selago. 2 sp.
Ruellia
Panicum
Poa. 2 sp.
Aristida
Tripsacum