Tab. 7615. 



LOBELIA inteetexta, Baler. 

 Native of Central Africa. 



Nat. Ord. Campanulace2E. — Tribe Lobelieje. 

 Genus Lobelia, Linn.\ (Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 551.) 



Lobelia (Hemipogon) intertexta ; herba tenella, laxe ccespitosa, e basi diffuse 

 rainosa, ramis erectis angulatis pilosulis, foliis parvulis sparsis orbicularis 

 late ovatis obtusis crenatis in petiolutn lamina breviorem angustatis 

 utrinque glaberrimis marginibus ciliatis, supra laate viridibus subtus 

 purpurascentibus, snpremis linearibus, floribus 5-poll. diam. apices versus 

 ramulorum laxe racemosis longe graciliter pedicellatis, bracteis ad basin 

 pedicellorum linearibus crenatis, calycig tubo parvo obconico, lobis 

 Bubulatis patentibus corollse tubo brevioribus ciliatis, corol'aa tubo 

 cylindraceo ^ poll, longo intus piloso, limbi labio superiore profunde 

 trilobo lobis late ovatis sub-acutis patentibus, inferiore multo minore 

 bipartito segmentis lanceolatis defiexis, filamentis basi liberis pilosis, 

 antheris inclusis parvis 3 apicibus barbatis, ovario brevi turbinato, stylo 

 glaberrimo basi late conico, stigmate hemispherico bifido annulo pilorum 

 cincto, capsula obconica. 



L. intertexta, Baker in Kew Bulletin, No. 139 (1898), p. 157. 



The little Lobelia here figured resembles very closely the 

 common L. Erinus, Linn., of our gardens (tab. 901), a native 

 of South Africa, and is nearer still to the variety bicolor 

 of that plant (tab. 514, L. bicolor), which has similarly 

 hairy stems. It is in fact one of a puzzling group of 

 African congeners, extending from Abyssinia to the Cape 

 Colony, which includes L. Erinus, L. umbrosa, Hochst., 

 L. acutidens, Hk. f'., L. truUifolia, Hemsl., and others, 

 all of which require good figures for their accurate 

 identification. 



L. intertexta is a native of the Nyika plateau in British 

 Central Africa, at an elevation of 6000 to 7000 ft., where 

 it was discovered by A. C. Whyte, Esq., F.L.S., Superin- 

 tendent of the Forest Department (under Sir H. Johnston, 

 K.C.B.), who has further transmitted to Kew an Her- 

 barium of 1500 species from the same region. 



The plant figured was raised from seed received in 1897, 

 which yielded plants that flowered in a stove in December 

 f.ubek 1st, 1898. 



