we 4706. 
ig GYMNOSTACHYUM Ceytanicum. 
Ceylon Gymnostachyum. 
Nat. Ord. ACANTHACEA.—DIANDRIA MoNoGYNIA. 
Gen. Char. Calyx quinquepartitus, lacinia superiori subinde breviori. Corolla 
bilabiata, labio superiori angustiori bidentato, inferiori trifido. Stamina duo, tubo 
infra medium inserta, inclusa; sterilium rudimentum nullum. <Axthere bilocu- 
lares, loculis sequalibus parallele contiguis altero aut utroque basi mucronatis, 
ubi wnimucronatis ibi subinde anther uniloculares. Stigma bifidum, laciniis 
compressis. Capsula tetragona, a basi ad apicem bilocellata et seminigera, 
12-sperma.—Herbee Indie orientalis, Habitus Hranthemi. Caulis humilis. 
Racemus spiceformis, gracilis, subsecundus, simplex vel bi-trifidus, e Jfloribus distan- 
tibus brevissime pedicellatis, Bracter exigue, subulate, subopposite, altera sterili 
paulo inferisri. Bracteole nulla, in altera racemus similis e Jloribus fasciculato- 
ternis, lateralibus bibracteolatis. Nees. 
GymnostacuyuM Ceylanicum ; floribus in racemo fasciculatis, fasciculis distanti- 
bus, pedicellis lateralibus bibracteolatis, foliis oblongo-ovalibus obtusis basi 
in petiolum sensim attenuatis subtus tenuissime pubescentibus supra secus 
nervos albo-variegatis, antheris ovalibus basi unicalearatis, caule calycibus 
corollisque glanduloso-pubescentibus. 
Gymnostacnyum Ceylanicum. Arn. et Nees in De Cand. Prodr. v. 11. p. 93. 
The genus Gymnostachyum was established by Nees von Esen-— 
beck in Wallich’s «Plant Asiatic Rariores,’ upon _a plant of © 
Tavoy, G. leptostachyum, to which he added, in the ‘ Prodromus’ — 
of De Candolle, four other species, including G. Ceylanicum. 
Through Dr. Wight two other species are made known to us n 
the fourth volume of the ‘Icones Plantarum Indie Orientalis,’ 
G. polyanthum, t. 1494, and @. alatum, t. 1525, both from Coorg. 
G. febrifugum of Bentham, in Hohenacker, ‘Plants of Canara,’ 
n. 374, seems identical with the latter. The habit of the genus, 
Nees observes, is that of Hranthemum: to us it appears more — 
allied to Cryptophragmium, next to which he has placed it ; and | 
so it would appear to have been considered by Mr. Thwaites, 
who sent the seeds of our plant from Ceylon to the Royal Gar- 
dens with the manuscript name of Cryptophragmium acaule. 
MARCH Ist, 1853. 
