Tas. 7790. 
STROBILANTHES GOSSYPINUS. 
Native of the Nilghiri Hills. 
Nat. Ord. AcantHacer.—Tribe RvELLIEA, 
Genus StropitaNntuEs, Blume; (Benth. & Hook. f. Gen. Plant, vol. ii. p. 1086.) 
STROBILANTHES (Endopogon) gossypinus; frutex erectus, tomento fulvo dense 
lanuginoso, ramis tetragonis, foliis subcoriaceis 3-7 poll. longis ovatis 
ellipticisve acutis v. acuminatis supra demum glabrescentibus, nervis 
utrinsecus 10-13 confertis subtus validis, petiolo 1-14 poll. longo robusto, 
spicis apices versus ramorum paniculatis brevibus oblongis 3-6-floris, 
bracteis 3-}-poll. longis ellipticis obtusis, bracteolis lineari-oblongis, 
calycis 4-poll. longi segmentis erectis lineari-lanceolatis inwqualibus intus 
glabris, corolla }-poll. longa oblonga oblique ventricosa basi in tubum 
brevem curvum angustata intus postice fascia decurrente pilosa instructa, 
lobis patulis subsqualibus pallide cceruleis, staminibus 2 inclusis, 
filamentis laxe pilosis, ovario glabro apice piloso, stylo glaberrimo, 
stigmate lineari decurvo. 
S. gossypinus, 7. Anders. in Journ, Linn, Soc. Bot. vol ix. (1867) p. 466. 
Clarke in Fl. Brit. Ind. vol. iv. p. 434. Bedd. Ie. Pl. Ind. Or. p. 45, 
tab. 198. 
Though a native of so long and well known an Indian- 
botanical station as Sisparah Ghat, in the Nilghiri Hills, 
Strobilanthes gossypinus seems to have escaped the notice of 
Wight and all collectors, till Thos. Lobb found it at the 
above locality, and sent dried specimens to Messrs. Veitch, 
which are now preserved in the Kew Herbarium, It 
appears to be a rare plant, for except from Col. Beddome, 
who published an excellent figure and description of it in 
his ‘** Icones,” cited above, there are no other specimens at 
Kew. That botanist gives “common about Sisparah, at 
4-5000 ft.,” as the one localized habitat, though adding 
that he “has specimens from other localities in our 
Western Mountains.” 
As with others of its congeners, a plant of S. gossypinus 
flowers only once in its lifetime, on reaching its maturity, 
which in its native country takes six or seven years, and 
then dies. Col. Beddome mentions 1869 as one such year, 
The specimen here figured is from a plant now four feet 
high and wide growing in the Mexican division of the 
Temperate House of the Royal Gardens, Kew. 
It was 
Aveust Ist, 1901. 
