Central China and reached Messrs. Veitch towards the’ end 
of 1901. Plants were raised in 1902, and from one of these, 
presented by Messrs. Veitch to the Royal Botanic Garden, 
Glasnevin, in December, 1904, came the material from which 
our plate has been prepared, Planted in a good border 
and protected by a wall facing south-east, S. Veitchiana, 
Mr. Moore informs us, has proved perfectly hardy at Glas- 
nevin. The soil which has been found suitable is a light 
loam, fairly deep and well-manured. The plant, to which the 
dark flowers impart a very remarkable appearance, flowered 
for the first time in 1909 and again more strongly in 1910. 
As Mr. Drummond points out, the species though nearly 
related to the others which constitute the ‘ bracteate’ 
group is nevertheless readily distinguishable from most of 
them. Its closest ally is the as yet little-known S, iodostegia, 
so named on account of its violet-tinted floral leaves, 
described by the late Dr. Hance from specimens collected 
on Siao Wu-tai-shan by Mr. Hancock so long ago as 1876. 
Desoription.— Herb, 2-3 ft. high, with about 2-5 leafy 
scapes from a tufted crown; flowering stems erect, rigid, 
floccose upward, grooved, leafy. Leaves green above with 
a pale stout midrib, loosely hairy beneath, those lowest 
down about 10 in. long, 2 in. wide just below the middle, 
oblong-linear, acute, sheathing ; upper ovate-lanceolate, 
semiamplexicaul, gradually smaller upwards, with expanded, 
subinflated, rounded subauriculate bases and finely denticu- 
late undulate margins, passing just below the inflorescence 
into thin, acuminate, blush-coloured to purplish bracts. 
Heads wearly ovoid, over 1 in. long and about ? in. wide at 
the thickest part ; peduncles hollow and enlarged below the 
heads, receptacle beset with fine semi-transparent hair-like 
soe Florets about 4 in. long; tube narrow, slender 
elow, suddenly wide campanulate above, limb 4—lobed, 
segments linear, somewhat saccate at the base. Anthers 
alternately black, with woolly tails. Cypselae obtusely 
4-angled. Pappus double, bristles of the outer series few, 
scabrous, of the inner copious, twice as long, feathery. 
Fig. 1, section of flower-head ; 2, asingle fl t; 3, a proc ; 
? : 5 4, g : f the receptacle ; 
4, outer pappus hairs ; 5, inner pa i cg ae ae : i f 
siyle it style- “aint i ai as hairs ; 6, anther; 7, upper portion is 
