one to three feet high ; branches cylindric, annulate, covered 
with an ashy bark. Leaves crowded, opposite, three-quarters 
to one inch long, orbicular, obovate, subacute or cuspidate, 
concave, densely fleshy, quite entire, nerveless minute glau- 
cous furpuraceous scales, derived from the dead upper cells 
of the epidermis, margins dull purple. lowers solitary at 
the tips of the branchlets, drooping, an inch and a half 
long ; peduncle curved, naked, shorter than the flower, swol- 
len in a top-shaped manner beneath the calyx. Calya- 
tube short, cupular; teeth five, very short, triangular, acumi- 
nate, appressed to the corolla, separated by a broad shallow 
rounded sinus. Corol/a much larger than the calyx, fleshy, 
campanulate ; tube pale glaucous-green, cylindric or obscurely 
angular, lobes one-third the length of the tube, spreading, 
ovate, acute, thick, glabrous. Sfamens ten, filaments long, 
much thickened and pubescent at the base, where they are 
united into a ring which is attached to the corolla near its 
base; this ring projects in the cavity of the corolla and forms 
at its base a chamber which probably catches the nectar secreted 
by the glands at the base of the carpels, which would other- 
wise escape from the pendulous flower; anthers exserted. 
Carpels slender, tapering into filiform styles; ovary flat on 
the back, adnate below the horizontal fleshy cucullate 
hypogynous glandular scales.—/. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Vertical section of flower ; 2, portion of corolla laid open, and stamens 
showing the chamber formed by the shortened bases of the filaments; 3, bases 
of carpels and scales; 4, transverse section of carpel :—all enlarged. 
