from specimens collected near Hakodadi, by Charles Wright, 
who discovered it in 1855, and which was published in 1859. 
As a species it is very closely allied to P. prolifera, of the 
Khasia mountains, in East Bengal, discovered by Wallich’s 
collectors, previous to 1830, and which we have collected, 
but not in flower, inhabiting marshy spots at an elevation of 
5000 feet on that range. It is also most closely allied to the 
yellow flowered P. imperialis, Junghuhn (Cankrienia chry- 
santha de Vriese), of the mountains of Java (4—9000 feet 
elevation), and possibly all may prove varieties of one species. 
P. japonica has been collected also by Maximovicz, at 
Yokohama, and by Consul C. P. Hodgson, near Hakodadi. 
The splendid specimen here figured flowered in Mr. Bull’s 
establishment, at Chelsea, in April of the present year; it 
bears far more flowers than the indigenous ones. 
Descr. Glabrous, without pubescence or powder, or with 
a very spare sprinkling of atoms on the leaf beneath. Leaves 
subsessile, three to six inches long, one to three inches broad, 
obovate-oblong or subspathulate, obtuse, finely singly or 
doubly toothed, convex above, wrinkled and veined. Scape 
one to one and a half feet high, stout, strict, erect, bearing 
three to six spreading whorls of six to eighteen fine clear 
purple flowers an inch in diameter. Pedicel as long as the 
flowers. Calyz-tube sub-hemispheric, inner surface coated with 
yellow powder, lobes triangular-subulate. Corolla-tube nearly 
three times as long as the calyx, lobes obcordate. Style 
slender. Capsule subglobose, hardly exceeding the calyx- 
teeth, bursting irregularly into 5 valves.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Flower, with coroll 
a removed; 2 tyl d stigma :—all 
magnified, > #, OVary, style, and stigm 
