Curtis's Botanical Magazine/Volume 49/2339 Burchellia bubalina

by John Sims

[ 2406 ]


Burchellia bubalina. Cape Burchellia.

***************
Class and Order.

Petandria Monogynia.

Generic Character.
Capitulum involucratum. Cor. clavato-infundibuliformis:
limbo 5-fido abbreviato fauceque imberbi; aestivatione
mutuo imbricata contorta. Stamina supra medium tubi
inserta; antheris subsessilibus, inclusis. Stigma cla-
vatum. Bacca calyce alte 5-fido coronata, bilocularis
polysperma. Brown in Bot. Reg.


Specific Name and Synonyms.
Burchellia bubalina.
Burchellia capensis. Brown in Bot. Reg. 446.
Lonicera bubalina; capitulis terminalibus pedunculatis,
foliis oblongis integerrimis glabris. Lin. Suppl. p. 146.
Cephælis bubalina. Persoon Syn. p. 202. n. 12.
BuffelHorn. Colonis batavis.

---

In the Supplementum Plantarum of the younger Linnæus
this plant was referred to the genus Lonicera, but as it
belongs to the natural order of Rubiaceæ it will by no
means associate with that genus. Persoon joined it with
Swartz's Cephælis the Tapocomea of Aublet and Jussieu;
but Mr. Brown not finding it to accord with any esta-
blished genus, has considered it as distinct from any,
and given it the name of Burchellia in honour of Mr.
Burchell, a very enterprising traveller in Southern Africa,
who has favoured the public with an interesting account
of his travels in that country. And, certainly, persons
who, in spite of deprivations and difficulties, spend a large
portion of their valuable time in such hazardous under-
takings, for the promotion of science, merit this only re-
   ward

---

ward of the botanist; but we can by no means approve
of altering the specific name, which, when once established,
should remain inviolate, except for very particular reasons;
we have therefore thought it right to restore the name of
bubalina.
Burchellia bubalina is a native of the Cape of Good
Hope, where it is called Buffelhorn or Buffaloe-Horn, a
name given it by the colonists from the extreme hardness
of its wood.
Flowers in the spring or summer. Requires to be pro-
tected from frost and we believe has seldom blossomed in
this country without the assistance of the heat of the stove.
Communicated by Messrs. Loddiges and sons.