Plate 170.
Reading edition
LEUCADENDRON humifusum. Cape Province. Proteaceae. Tribe Proteae. Leucadendron, R. Br.; Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. p. 169.
Leucadendron humifusum, E. Mey. in Drege, Zwei. Pfl. Documente, pp. 64, 118, 198; Fl. Cap. vol. v. sect. i. p. 549.
This interesting species of Leucadendron was first collected by Drege between the years 1826 and 1829, and then completely lost sight of, as none of the later collectors are credited with finding it again. In August, 1922, Mr. T. P. Stokoe came across the plant on the Hottentot Holland Mountains, and thus had the honour of bringing to the notice of South African botanists a species which had not been collected for almost one hundred years. We take this opportunity of giving a fuller description of the plant than that appearing in the Flora Capensis, and describe the female plant for the first time.
Description:—A shrub. Branches tomentose, at length becoming glabrous. Leaves 3·5 to 7 cm. long, 0·7 to 1·6 cm. broad (those surrounding the heads a little larger), oblong or oblong-lanceolate, with a blunt callous apex, slightly narrowed to a rather broad base, with 3 distinct veins from above the base, glabrous. Male head sessile, 2·5 to 3 cm. long (including the flowers), 2·5 cm. in diameter, surrounded by about 8 series of involucral bracts. Involucral bracts 1·15 to 1·3 cm. long, 8 to 8·5 mm. broad, oblong, the outer shortly cuspidate and with ciliated margins, inner rounded at the apex and without cilia, all glabrous. Receptacle 1 cm. high, 1 cm. in diameter, club-shaped. Perianth-tube 7 mm. long, somewhat compressed, glabrous; lobes 8 mm. long, linear, obtuse at the apex, glabrous. Anthers 5 mm. long, linear. Style 1·1 cm. long, terete, pilose below; stigma faintly two-lobed. Female-head 1·6 cm. long, 2 cm. in diameter, surrounded by about 4 series of involucral bracts. Involucral bracts 1·2 to 1·5 cm. long, up to 1·4 cm. broad, ovate, shortly cuspidate, obtuse, the outer ciliated, the inner without cilia, all glabrous. Receptacle 1 cm. high, 6 mm. broad, conical. Perianth-tube 8 mm. long, compressed, long-pilose; limb 2 mm. long, linear, obtuse, glabrous. Staminodes 0·75 mm. long. Ovary 1 mm. long, 0·75 mm. in diameter, ellipsoid, pilose; style 1 cm. long, linear, gradually narrowing to the base; stigma flat and oblique.
Plate 170.—Fig. 1, female head; Fig. 2, bract; Fig. 3, longitudinal section of female head; Fig. 4, female flower; Fig. 5, pistil; Fig. 6, male head; Fig. 7, bract; Fig. 8, longitudinal section of male head; Fig. 9, male flower.
F.P.S.A., 1925.
