Leaves grow by fours, awl-shaped, stiff, smooth, sharp pointed, the old ones appearing broke-back, the younger upright, furrowed slightly beneath, with short foot-stalks pressed to the stem.
Flowers terminal, crowded very close together at the ends of the small branches, in heads, upright, a good many, often twelve; foot-stalks very short, three floral leaves, two pressed to the stem and egg-shaped, the lower awl-shaped, twice as long.
Empalement. Cup four-leaved, leaflets awl-shaped, skinny, away from the blossom at the ends.
Blossom globular, smooth, whitish, the segments of the border blunt and nearly upright.
Chives. Eight hair-like threads. Tips beardless, just within the blossom.
Pointal. Seed-bud globular, furrowed. Shaft thread-shaped, without the blossom. Summit four-cornered.
Native of the Cape of Good Hope.
Flowers from October till February.
REFERENCE.
|
1. A flower. 2. The Empalement, magnified. 3. The Chives, and Pointal. 4. The same, magnified. 5. The Seed-bud and Pointal, the Summit detached, magnified. 6. The Seed-bud, magnified.[Pg 49] |