Tas. 5026. 
SONERILA speciosa. 
Showy Sonerila. 
Nat. Ord. MELASTOMACEH.—TRIANDRIA MoNOGYNIA. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, TaB. 4978.) 
SoNnERILA speciosa ; herbacea erecta, ramis obtuse tetragonis, foliis longiuscule 
petiolatis cordato-ovatis acutis argute serratis 5—7-nerviis serratis glabris, 
petiolis versus apicem villosis, pedunculis terminalibus solitariis dichotomis, 
ramis demum elongatis scorpioideis, floribus secundis, calyce urceolato glan- 
duloso-piloso, petalis subrotundo-ovatis mucronulatis carina dorso villosa, 
staminibus stylum aquantibus, antheris basi cordatis longiuscule acuminatis, 
dorso basi medio obtuse calcarato. 
SoNERILA speciosa. Zenker, Plant. Ind. Nilgh. p. 18. t.18. Ann. Se. Nat. o. 6. 
p.151. Wight, Ic. Plant. Ind. Or. t. 2952. 
From ‘the collection of the Messrs. Veitch, of the Exeter and 
Chelsea Nurseries, who introduced the plant from the Neilgher- 
ries, at the same time with the Sonerila elegans, figured from the 
same collection at our Tab. 4978. It is a species that was 
quite unknown to M. Naudin, when he published his elaborate 
‘Melastomacearum que in Museo Parisiensi continentur Mono- 
graphice descriptionis et secundum affinitates distributionis Ten- 
tamen.’ It is a most lovely species, in richness of the colour 
of the flowers far exceeding the yet handsome S. elegans just 
alluded to. Zenker gives the locality of the plant about Otaca- 
mund; Dr. Wight, “ Kaitie Falls, on moist sides of ravines above 
the Avalanche Bungalow, very abundant, flowering in February :” 
Dr. Wight seems to be alluding to the Neilgherries on the oc- 
casion. | : 
Descr. Stems scarcely a foot high, moderately branched : 
branches herbaceous, obtusely quadrangular, glabrous. Leaves 
opposite, petiolate, cordato-ovate, acute, serrated, five- to seven- 
or even nine-nerved, glabrous. Pedioles rather shorter than the 
leaf, channelled on the upper side, villous towards the extremity. 
Peduncle terminal on the branches, solitary, very glandulosely 
JANUARY Is, 1858. 
