exploring the river Congo. There is however no sample of 



the species in the Herbarium of Dr. Smith, the botanist of that 



expedition, nor any seeds of it among the collection brought 



home for the Kew Gardens; nor have we indeed any direct 



notice where the seed that produced the plant was collected, 



nor if indigenous of the place where it was- found. We have 



been unable to detect in it any difference whatever from the 



East Indian plant, under the name of which it is now given, 



Except that the upper part of the calyx has rather a longer 



for in the indigenous samples than in ours. In some 



samples of the species all the whorls of the inflorescence are 



separately subtended by a pair of opposite leaves below the 



involucre, in others only the lower whorls are so, in others 



none. Specimens having been formerly brought from Surinam, 



of which country however it seems to be ascertained that 



it is not an aboriginal plant, Hermann has been led to apply 



to it the epithet of " americana.'* It is an annual species. 



Requires to be kept constantly in the hothouse, where it 



grows to the height of from 4 to 6 feet. It bears a great 



resemblance to the fine Cape species (L. Leonurus) well 



known in our gardens by the name of " Lion's Tail ;" but 



the foliage is here much broader, and the corolla three or 



four times smaller. Introduced from the East Indies by Sir 

 Joseph Banks in 1778. 



Stem simple, upright, quadrangular, obtusely cornered, 

 furred with a close white extremely short down, like thai 

 on the skin of a Peach, with 4 deep broad furrows. Leaves 

 <joi*date, obtusely and deeply serrated, subtomentose, green. 

 Petioles the length of the leaves. Pf^horls distant, many- 

 flowerefj, towards the top of the spike globular. Calyx 

 slightly haired, 10-nei*ved, cucuUately cylindrical, with a 

 Sharply toothed spiny border: the upper tooth being more 

 than' twice larger than the others, which are from 4 to 9, and 

 JUiiall. Corolla villous, about an inch long, of a deep shining 

 orange-scarlet, casque or upper lip projecting far beyond the 

 nether lip, shaggily and brightly bearded on the outdde, 

 notched, hwei- lip quite smooth, sharp pointed. Involucre 

 nmnerously leafletted, concealed by the flowers of the whorl, 

 reflectent, pubescent, leaflets lanceolately linear, prickly 

 pointed. Anthers two-lobed, lobes vertically divaricated. 



Not having had an opportunity of seeang the plant while 



fresh, we have added but little to the sketch given by 

 Xiitteeas. 



