Desce. A low herb, with a woody root. Stem two to six 

 inches high, erect, rather stout, rarely branched, light red, 

 cylindric, covered, as well as the petioles, with a furfuraceous 

 pubescence. Leaves, two to four pairs, horizontal, shortly 

 petioled, three to five inches long, elliptic, sometimes obo- 

 vate or oblong, obtuse, base contracted obtuse or cordate, 

 membranous, deep green above, with golden reticulated 

 nerves, beneath reddish, with pubescent midrib and nerves ; 

 petiole a quarter to half an inch, stout, reddish. Spike soli- 

 tary, sessile, three to five inches high, strict, apex pungent, 

 many-flowered ; bracts, many pairs, half to three-quarters of 

 an inch long, imbricating, appressed, hard and coriaceous, 

 lanceolate, acuminate, with a setaceous pungent point, green 

 glabrous, closely striate, quite entire or ciliate-serrate towards 

 the tip. ^ Flowers pale lilac. Sepals lanceolate, acuminate, 

 quite entire. Corolla tube exserted, very slender, incurved, 

 glabrous ; limb five-lobed, lobes acuminate, posterior small- 

 est ovate, lateral larger more broadly elliptic- ovate, anterior 

 largest obovate apiculate. Stamens towards the mouth of the 

 corolla filaments very short ; anthers oblong, acute, margins 

 oi cells cihate. Ovary glabrous ; style hairy, stigma small. 



J&1'S^^ ; a?&Z*J. S ' coroUa laid °P en; 4, stamens; 5, calyx and 

 style , 6, ovary and disk ; 7, the same cut loncitudinallv -.—all tinmen 



