The exact habitat of this shrub is the mountains of the 
province of Lazistan (in the ancient Pontus), on the south- 
east shore of the Black Sea, above the town of Rhizé, and ~ 
in the valley of Khabackar, at an elevation of 3000 feet 
(French). It has been in the open air at Kew for four years 
uninjured, but has not flowered. The subject of our plate 
was received from Mr. Anthony Waterer, and was grown in 
his splendid nurseries at Knaphill, where it flowered in April 
of last year. 
Descr. A large leafy glabrous shrub; branches stout, 
erect, covered with smooth brown bark. Leaves shortly 
petioled, four to five inches long, elliptic-lanceolate, 
acuminate, quite entire, very coriaceous, very dark green 
_ and shining above, paler beneath with minute dots; midrib 
stout, nerves very finely reticulate; base cuneate; petiole 
one-quarter to one-third of an inch, stout. Flowers crowded 
in the leaf-axils, white; pedicels sometimes nearly an inch 
long, very unequal in length, slender, quite glabrous. Calyx 
small, four-cleft to the middle; lobes triangular, erect, 
acute. Corolla one-third of an inch in diameter, cleft nearly 
to the base into four oblong-linear spreading and recurved 
obtuse lobes. Stamens two, filaments short; anthers 
linear-oblong, erect. Ovary oblong-ovoid, narrowed into a 
style as long as itself, stigma small, ovoid, two-lobed. 
mi a half an inch long, purplish, stigma deciduous. 
~wed. D. i. 
Fig. 1, Flower; 2, calyx; 3, portion of base of corolla and stamen; 4, ovary ; 
5, transverse section of ditto; 6, fruit :—all but fig. 6 enlarged. 
