PLATE 39.--Fig. 1, plant, natural size; Fig. 2, flower; Fig. 3, canopy in fully-opened flower seen from above; Fig. 4, side view of canopy in bud; Fig. 5, canopy in bud seen from above; Fig. 6, corona; Fig. 7, follicles.
SARCOCAULON, _Sweet_; _Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant._ vol. i. p. 272.
=Sarcocaulon rigidum=, _Schinz in Verh. Bot. Ver. Brand._, vol. xxix. p. 59, (1888).
This remarkable plant, one of the so-called “Bushman’s Candles” or “Candle Bush,” flowered in the garden of the Division of Botany, Pretoria, in September, 1919. The specimens were collected by Major C. W. Lewis at Aus in South-West Africa. It is very closely allied to _S. Burmanni Sweet_.[D] We are indebted to the Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, for the determination.
The plant appears to do quite well in cultivation as specimens have flowered and set mature fruit for two seasons at Pretoria.
DESCRIPTION:--_Stems_ very stout and smooth, with a waxy epidermis. _Primary leaves_ with long petioles, which, after the blade falls off, are hardened so as to form thorns 1·5-4 cm. long; lamina 1-1·6 cm. long, 5-9 mm. broad, obovate, cuneate at the base, retuse or sometimes 3-toothed at the apex, glaucous, glabrous; secondary leaves arising in the axils of the primary leaves, sessile or sub-sessile, obovate, cordate at the apex, cuneate at the base, entire. _Stipules_ 2 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate, usually ciliate, deciduous. _Sepals_ 1·2 cm. long, 6 mm. broad, obovate-oblong, obtuse, bluntly mucronate and shortly bearded at the apex, with membranous margins, concave, glabrous. _Petals_ 2·2 cm. long, 1·6 cm. broad, obovate, somewhat truncate at the apex, glabrous, ciliate on the cuneate base. _Stamens_ 15, of two different lengths; the filaments of the 10 shorter stamens not equalling the styles, 7 mm. long, linear, tapering to the apex, ciliate below; the filaments of the 5 long stamens exceeding the styles, 1·2 cm. long; anthers 2 mm. long, oblong. _Ovary_ 3 mm. long, obovate in outline, silky; styles cohering, 6 mm. long, silky; stigmas 5, 2 mm. long, subterete, obtuse. _Carpels_ 1 cm. long, produced into a long awn densely pilose in the upper half.
PLATE 40.--Fig. 1, sepal; Fig. 2, petal; Fig. 3, stamens, enlarged; Fig. 4, ovary and styles, enlarged; Fig. 5, transverse section of ovary, enlarged; Fig. 6, fruit.