Tas. 4720. 
EPISCIA meuirrtiro.ia. 
s 
Melittis-leaved Episcia. 
Nat. Ord. GrsnertacnE®.—DipyNamta GYMNOSPERMIA. 
Gen. Char, Calyx liber, pentaphyllus seu quinquepartitus. Corolla infundi- 
buliformis, tudo rectiusculo basi postice gibbo, limbo 5-lobo. Stamina A, didy- 
nama, cum quinti postici rudimento e basi tubi. .dunulus hypogynus in glandu- 
lam posticam tumens, Stigma bilamellatum. Capsula subglobosa, membranacea, 
bivalvis, placentis 2 parietalibus bilamellatis. Semina plurima, oblonga.—Herbze 
Americane moilles, decumbentes, radicantes. Folia opposita, petiolata, venis anasto- 
mosantibus percursa. Flores azillares, solitarii vel cymosuli et bracteati. De Cand. 
Eptscra melittifolia ; erecta, caule obtuse tetragono cano-pubescente, foliis ovato- 
ellipticis acutis pubescenti-hirsutulis grosse duplicato-crenatis reticulatim . 
rugosis nitidis subtus pallidis, pedunculis axillaribus subpaniculatis pauci- 
floris folio brevioribus, sepalis corollee tubum subaquantibus longe lanceo- 
latis acuminatis subserratis, corollz lobis integerrimis. 
Eptscta melittifolia. Mart. Nov. Gen. et Sp. Braz. v. 8. p.42. De Cand. Prodr. 
v. 7. p. 547. 
BrsLerra melittefolia. Linn. Sp. Pl. p. 862. “ Schrank, Hort. Monac. t. 44.” 
Besturra Melisse Tragi folio. Plum. Gen. Am. p. 29. t. 5. 
"A really handsome Gesneriaceous plant, now, we believe, first 
cultivated in any European stove; sent by our friend Dr. Imray 
from Dominica, and flowering with us in March and April, 1853. 
It is probably not uncommon in the West Indian Islands; for 
De Candolle gives the Caribbean Islands, Martinique, Guade- 
loupe, and even French Guiana, as stations for it, and we pos- 
sess dried specimens from St. Vincent. Plumier’s outline figure 
18 very characteristic ; but, like so many of his representations, of 
his Ferns especially, on an exaggerated scale. The leaves are 
Coarse and nettle-like, while the flowers exhibit a very rich co- 
louring. ~ 
Descr. Our plant is about a foot high, branched only at the 
the base ; stem stout, dark purple, obtusely quadrangular, clothed 
with delicate canescent down, especially upwards. Zeaves upon 
NE Ist, 1853. 
