species. This specimen, which was communicated to Kew by 
the late Mr. W. W. Sanders, was obtained by Bowman some 
time between 1866 and 1868, the year in which he died. 
A, fascinator is one of the most useful as it is one of the 
most striking of garden Acanthads, being easy to grow in 
a warm moist greenhouse and giving abundant flower during 
the winter months. At Kew it is raised annually from 
cuttings set in spring and grown in a rich loamy soil. 
When in flower the plants do well if subjected to the 
conditions suitable for tropical Begonias. 
Descriprion. — Undershrub; stems terete, glabrous; 
axillary buds white-tomentose. Leaves entire, elliptic or 
wide-lanceolate, acuminate, narrowed at the base into a 
short petiole, up to 8 in. long and 3 in. wide, softly 
herbaceous, when young softly fugaciously puberulous, 
soon glabrous, dark green above with silvery bands along- 
side the midrib and main-nerves, beneath with prominent 
purple nerves and veins, and between these paler purplish. 
Spikes dense, terminating the branches; bracts ovate- 
elliptic, somewhat acute, entire, 31 in. long, } in. wide or 
rather wider, glandular white pilose externally ; bracteoles 
subulate, $-3 in. long, pilose like the bracts. Sepals herba- 
ceous, 910 lin. long, the posterior oblong, 3-toothed, the 
teeth subulate and the inner much shorter than the lateral; 
the remaining sepals subulate from a narrowly lanceolate 
base, all glandular pubescent and with long white ciliae 1™ 
the upper portion. Corolla brilliant scarlet, sparingly 
softly glandular pilose; tube cylindric, 11-14 ‘in. long, 
2-25 lin. wide; upper lip very concave, wide lanceolate as 
seen from in front, acute or sharply acuminate, 10 lin. long; 
lower lip unequally 3-partite, the mid-lobe widely rounded 
ovate, 1-14 in. long, 3 in. wide, lateral lobes elliptic-ovate, 
acute, about 2 in. long, 4 in. wide. Stamens attached @ 
short distance above the base; filaments glandular-puberu- 
Jous at their insertion, above the middle clothed with short 
spreading non-glandular hairs, nearly 2 in, long; anthers 
acute, 23 Jin. long, glabrous or somewhat puberulous. 
Ovary glabrous except at the tip which is glandular 
sla style hairy below and again near the stigm@. 
apsute not seen, 
Fig. 1, calyx and style; 
2, base of corolla-tube, and stamens; 3 and * 
anthers ; 5, ovary :—all ela 
‘ged, 
