The original drawing from which our figure has been reproduced was prepared by Miss Page and loaned by the Curator of the Bolus Herbarium. The plants flowered in March and April at the National Botanic Gardens, Kirstenbosch (No. 1232/18), and were sent by Mr. G. Hay from Louis Trichardt, Transvaal.
DESCRIPTION:--A diffuse herbaceous plant. _Stem_ 15-80 cm. long. _Leaves_ 3-8 cm. long, 1·5-3·5 cm. broad, ovate or elliptic-ovate, acute, contracted at the base into a sheath often ciliate with reddish hairs, and usually wavy margins. _Flowers_ partly enclosed in a green hairy spathe, the topmost flower long-exserted. _Sepals_ 3; the two side sepals more or less orbicular; the odd sepal elliptic. _Petals_ 3; the two side petals dark blue, semi-orbicular, produced at the base into a distinct claw; the odd petal small, ovate-elliptic. _Stamens_ 6, divided into three sets; three stamens barren, forming staminodes; the three side stamens blue; one stamen yellow, with two appendages at the back of the anther. _Ovary_ sub-globose, 3-celled; style cylindric; stigma simple. _Fruit_ obovoid, 3-celled. _Seeds_ more or less oblong, wrinkled.
PLATE 42.--Fig. 1, inflorescence in bud; Fig. 2, the same with half of spathe removed; Fig. 3, side sepal × 2; Fig. 4, odd sepal × 2; Fig. 5, side petal × 2; Fig. 6, odd petal × 2; Fig. 7, stamens and pistil × 3; Fig. 8, small anther (blue) × 5; Figs. 9, 10, larger anthers (yellow), front and back view × 5; Fig. 11, fruit × 4; Fig. 12, transverse section of fruit; Fig. 13, seed, enlarged.
HESSEA, _Herb._; _Benth. et Hook. f. Gen. Plant._ vol. iii. p. 720.
=Hessea Zeyheri=, _Baker_, _Handb. Amaryllid._ p. 23; _Fl. Cap._ vol. vi. p. 191.
This is a very rare species here figured for the first time. It was discovered by Carl Zeyher at Hardeveld in little Namaqualand about the year 1847, and appears to have been unrecorded since then until recently collected by Mr. E. B. Watermeyer. The genus _Hessea_ is endemic to South Africa, and contains nine species found in the Cape Province, Little Namaqualand, and one species from the Transvaal. Hitherto none has been recorded from Natal or the Orange Free State. Our specimen differs slightly from the original described in the “Flora Capensis” in having three rather shorter leaves contemporary with the flowers. At first the style is short, but elongates as the flowers mature.