42 



43. VERONICA nivea. 



V. nivea; racemis erectis lateralibus multifloris, foliis pinnatifidis glabris la- L 



ciniis linearibus distantibus, sepabs ovaUbus obtusis glabris, corolla basi f 



barbata laciniis tribus angustioribus, capsula obcordata dissepimento ' 

 valvis bilobis* contrario. 



A native of the mountains of Van Diemen's Land, where 



it was originally found by Mr. Gunn, from whom I have 



dried specimens (no. 269). It appears to be half shrubby 

 its native country, with stems a foot and a half high, stout 

 and stiff. But the plant before me, raised in the Garden of 

 the Horticultural Society, from seeds presented by T. Lloyd, 

 Esq. is hardly six inches high, and much more feeble in habit. 

 The leaves are cut into many narrow segments, and the 

 flowers are pure white. It is a pretty greenhouse plant. 



44. BECIUM bicdor. 



From among some Abyssinian seeds sent to the Horticul- 

 tural Society, from Paris, has been raised a plant of a genus 

 of Labiatse, which does not appear to be described. It is a 

 shrub with downy stems, ovate-lanceolate, serrated, slightly 

 petiolated leaves, and verticillasters of beautiful flowers 

 arranged in short spikes. The calyx has a broad upper lip, 

 like that of an Ocymum, the lower lip is deep, truncate, bor- 

 dered with a close fringe of white hairs, and terminated in 

 front by a pair of feeble teeth. The corolla is large, white, 

 with lilac veins ; and nearly an inch long. The upper lip is 

 3-lobed, with the middle lobe split at the point, and the points 

 of all rolled back ; the lower lip is of about the same length, 

 oblong and concave. The stamens are four, declinate, bright 

 violet, and about an inch long, The anthers are ovate, with 

 a distinct pair of lobes attached to rather a convex connective. 

 The ovary is almost entirely buried in a fleshy 4-lobed disk ; 

 the style is long, violet, follows the direction of the stamens, and 

 ends in a stigma with two equal subulate lobes. Both the style 

 and filaments are twisted spirally before the corolla expands. 



This plant evidently belongs to the Ocymoideous Labiate 

 plants ; but does not agree with any of the published genera. 

 Its singular calyx seems by itself to mark it sufficiently, inde- 

 pendently of which the plant differs from Plectranthus and its 

 allies in the equal size of the two lips of the corolla ; and 

 from Ocymum and its allies in the long declinate stamens, 



