these circumstances its discovery, no doubt in a wild state, 
on the shores of the Bismarck Archipelago, in Eastern 
New Guinea, by Mr. Micholitz, when collecting for Messrs. 
Sander in 1896, is a notable one in the annals of horticul- 
ture. Hitherto, only the female plant has been described, 
for it appears to me doubtful whether that figured at 
tab. 37 of Herb. Amboin., which has been considered to be 
the male (but which is not described as such by Rumphius) 
can safely be referred to the same species. 
Acalypha hispida cannot fail to become an exceptionally 
popular stove plant, not only because of its great beauty 
and striking habit, but from its flowering literally all the 
year round. The largest plant now at Kew, procured 
from Messrs. Sander in 1898, has been in fine condition 
ever since, having now upwards of fifty flowering spikes, 
and others still to expand. It must, however, be borne in 
mind, that the introduction of the male plant and pollina- 
tion of the female thereby, would in all probability check 
further flowering of the female for a definite period 
devoted to the maturation of seed. : 
Desevr.—An erect, dioecious shrub, ten to fifteen feet 
high, with brown bark, and spreading leafy green branches. 
Leaves eight to ten inches long, opposite and alternate, 
broadly ovate or rhombic-ovate, acuminate, base rounded 
or broadly cuneate, often notched at the insertion of the 
petiole, surfaces glabrous or puberulous, upper dark green, 
lower pale, margins irregularly acutely or obtusely crenate- 
toothed ; nerves eight to ten pairs, petiole one-fifth to one- 
fourth shorter than the blade, terete, tomentosely pubescent. 
Female spikes axillary, pendulous, twelve to eighteen inches 
long by one in diameter, terete, shortly peduncled, obtuse, 
flexuous, scarlet. lowers minute, sessile in densely 
crowded glomerules, minutely bracteate and bracteolate. 
Sepals four, ovate, hispidly pubescent. Ovary three- 
lobed, hispid with white, stellately spreading hairs, style 
very short, stigmas three, each forming a brush of very 
long capillary scarlet filaments.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Female flowers, with bract and bracteoles; 2, sepals; 3, ovary with 
style and stigmas; 4, peri and ovary with stigmas removed; 5, transverse 
section of the same :—A// enlarged. 
