nearly about the same time that it was taken up by Mar- 

 tius and Zuccarini under that of Plectanthera. The 

 four species described by St. Hilaire (L. speciosa, L. 

 corymbosa, L. polyandra, and L. octandra) are all inhabit- 

 ants of Brazil ; and " all grow on that chain of mountains 

 which separates the virgin forests from the discovered 

 countries; and what is remarkable/' continues St. Hilaire, 

 " is, that this chain, which forms the boundary line between 

 two such different Floras, presents a vegetation equally 

 distinct from both." 



Our present species was first detected by Martius in the 

 Diamond district, province of Minas Geraes ; and, subse- 

 quently, in the year 1841, by Mr. Gardner, in moist, peaty 

 soil, in open places, growing with species of Andromeda, on 

 the Organ mountains, at an elevation of 5,000 feet above 

 the level of the sea. Truly distinct as this species is from 

 any other, Steudel, in the last edition of his " Nomen- 

 clator," has, I know not upon what authority, united it, 

 together with L. polyandra, with L. corymbosa. No one 

 could do so who has ever seen the two species growing. 

 It is a truly handsome plant, both in its foliage, which is of 

 a lively and glossy green, and in its fine corymb of flowers, 

 of a pure yellow colour. It requires a moderate stove heat, 

 and flowers during the summer months, in the Royal 

 Gardens of Kew, whither seeds had been sent by Mr. 

 Gardner. 



Descr. With us it, at present, forms a beautiful shrub, 

 three to four feet high ; but in Brazil it attains a height of 

 eight to twelve feet, and is branched. Leaves alternate, 

 oblong-lanceolate, tipped with a long bristle at the point, 

 glossy bright green, elegantly and closely penninerved, the 

 margin gland uloso-serrate, and within the serratures strongly 

 ciliated all round the margin; the glandular serratures, Mr. 

 Gardner observes, take their origin from an union of the 

 primary veins with one which surrounds the leaf, while the 

 cilia arise from the inoculation of a smaller primary vein 

 with the lateral branches of the larger ones; petioles an 

 inch and more long ; stipules subulate, much ciliated, cadu- 

 cous. Racemes many-flowered, terminal, subcorymbose. 

 Pedicels long, slender, jointed, with a pair of subulate, cili- 

 ated bracteas at the joint. Calyx of five, unequal, green, 

 deciduous sepals. Corolla large, of five hypogynous, obo- 

 vate, spreading petals. Stamens one-sided, of several linear 

 anthers, united into a concave mass in themselves and by 

 their short filaments. Ovary soon inclined, as it were, from 

 the fissure of the staminal mass, trigonal-oblong. Style 

 subulate. Stigma simple. 



