November, 1910. B. officinalis promises to be a useful 
winter flowering plant for greenhouse decoration, a class to 
which additions are always welcome. It may prove hardy 
in the extreme south-west of England, but elsewhere will 
call for treatment such as is given to B. asiatica and to pot 
chrysanthemums. The cuttings should be rooted in bottom 
heat in spring and grown in pots of rich loamy soil. 
During summer the plants should be grown in the open 
air and fed liberally, the pots being plunged in ashes. 
About the beginning of October, before frosts occur, the 
plants should be taken indoors to flower. When thus 
treated they remain in flower for about three months. 
Like its ally B. variabilis, Hemsl., figured at t. 7609 of 
this work, our plant varies somewhat as regards its foliage, 
but is readily distinguished by the corolla, which is pubes- 
cent outside, and by the different tomentum on the under 
surface of the leaves. 
Description. — Shrub, 3-8 ft. high, with numerous 
densely grey pubescent nearly terete branches. Leaves 
oblong-lanceolate to linear-lanceolate, acuminate, about 
4 in. long, 4-1 in. wide, entire or sharply serrulate, 
sparingly adpressed hairy above, densely grey pubescent 
beneath; petiole 23 lin. long, grooved above. Flowers in 
thyrses at the ends of the branches; thyrses. 3-12 in. long, 
composed of short peduncled, 3-10-flowered glomerules ; 
pedicels shorter than the calyx-tube; bracteoles linear, as 
long as the pedicels. Calyx i4 lin. long, densely pubescent 
outside; tube twice as long as the blunt lobes. Corolla paie 
or very pale lilac with orange throat; tube about 5 lin. 
long, slightly curved, hairy without and within; limb 3 lin. 
wide; lobes 4, wide elliptic, obtuse. Anthers oblong, 
adnate to corolla-tube some distance below the throat. 
Ovary 1 lin. long, tomentose in the upper third; style short, 
pubescent below; stigma long, clavate, 2-fid. Capsule 
ovoid, obtuse, twice as long as the calyx. 
Fig. 1, a flower; 2, calyx in secti d pistil ; i ; 4and 5 
anthers :—ull enlarged. ae ee eee ce : 
