Tab. 5655. 

 gloxinia htpocyrtiflora. 



Hypocyrta-flowered Gloxinia. 



Nat. Ord. Gesneeiace^:. — Didynamia Ajs'Giospebmia. 



Gen. Char. Calycis tubus basi ovario connatus, 5-fidus v. 5-partitus. Co- 

 rolla polymorpha, tubo cylindrico v. inflato, limbi lobis patentibus v. conni- 

 ventibus. Stamina basi corolla? inserta, didynama. Discus e glandulis 

 5 liberis v. aimulus crenatus. Ovarium basi v. altius calycis tubo adhaarens. 

 Stylus crassiusculus, stigmate 2-lobo. Fructus capsulars. — Herbse radici- 

 bus fibrosis, propagulis repentibus. Flores axillares. 



Gloxixia hypocyrtijlora ; herbacea, erecta, tota patentim subhirsuta, radice 

 fibrosa, propagulis aucta, foliis oppositis breviter petiolatis ovato-rotun- 

 datis obtusis basi cordatis, sinu angusto, convexis obtuse serratis 

 reticulatim venosis, areolis bullato-regulosis, costa nervisque pallidis, 

 pedunculis axillaribus solitariis 2-nisve adscendentibus validis 1-floris, 

 calycis parvi tubo ovario connato, limbo ultra ovarium producto sub- 

 campanulato breviter 5-fido, corolla ventricosa gibba fere globosa 

 patentim hirsuta, lobis 5 parvis conniventibus faucem claudentibus, 

 filamentis styloque villosis, antherarum loculis pubescentibus disci 

 glandulis 5 erectis, ovarii apice libero. 



The Gesneriacece are confessedly a very difficult tribe to 

 classify, and the subject of the present Plate tends to in- 

 crease the difficulty. In its habit, fibrous roots, and the 

 presence of propagula (shoots bearing leafy buds), it is a 

 Gloxinia; in the corolla, a Hypocyrta ; in the glands, a 

 Gesnera ; whilst in the small calyx it differs from the ordi- 

 nary forms of all these genera. Many botanists would no 

 doubt found a new genus on it ; but this I am unwilling to 

 do for a member of an Order whose genera are already so 

 badly defined. It must also be observed, that though it 

 differs in the form of the corolla so much from any known 

 Gloxinia, this organ presents extremely different forms in 

 the various species both of that genus and of Gesnera. 



Gloxinia hypocyrtijlora is a native of the forests of the 

 Quitenian Andes, whence there are dried specimens (with 

 propagula) in the Hookerian Herbarium, collected by Pro- 

 jult 1st, 1S67. 



