Descr. Our plants are from four to five feet high, erect. 
Leaves very much confined to the summits of the branches, 
oblongo-obovate, coriaceous, conspicuous, penninerved; the nerves 
sunk, dark full green above, beneath silvery-white. ower-buds 
imbricated with large, brown, very broad, obtuse scales. Howers 
capitate, compact. Peduncles very short, subumbellate, thick, 
curved downwards. Calyx literally none, unless about. six 
small dracteoles, reflexed bodies bent down upon the peduncle, 
can be so called; these have their origin at the very top of 
the peduncle (under the very base of the corolla), and are linear 
or oblong, white, somewhat fleshy, occasionally divided into two 
unequal segments. Corolla in bud fine rose-colour, obovate 
compressed, deeply eight-furrowed; as the corolla expands it 
gradually changes to white, and is then broad, tubular-campanu- 
late, two and a quarter inches long, laterally a little compressed ; 
tube slightly widening upwards, eight-furrowed, discoloured at 
the base in consequence of a large, black-purple, velvety, eight- 
rayed spot, at the bottom within, surrounding the stamens. 
Limb spreading, two and a quarter inches in diameter, eight- 
lobed; Jodbes rounded, imbricated, deeply emarginate, almost 
bifid, slightly lobed or waved. Stamens sixteen. Filaments com- 
pacted almost into a tube below, white, slender, as long as the 
tube of the corolla, slightly curved upwards from the base, 
and there hairy. Anther small, oblong, rich red-brown, open- 
ing by two pores at the apex. Pollen white. Ovary ovate- 
oblong, ten-furrowed, woolly. Style as long as the stamens, set 
abruptly on to the top of the ovary; the apex clubbed, and 
Gurving upwards. Stigma a large, fleshy-coloured, oval disc, with 
a depressed line in the centre. 
Fig. 1. Flower, nat. size, with the five bracteoles (?) at the base of the corolla. 
2. Stamen. 8. Pistil, 4. Transverse section of the ovary, seated upon the 
fleshy disc, * 
