Tas. 4790. 
FRANCISCEA exita. 
Beautiful Franciscea. 
Nat. Ord. ScropHuLARIACER.—DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA,. 
Gen. Char, (Vide supra, Tas. 4583.) 
FRANCISCEA eximia ; foliis lato-lanceolatis acuminatis brevipetiolatis opacis ob- 
scure venosis subtus subglaucescentibus, cymis paucifloris, calycibus elon- 
gatis cylindraceis paululum curvatis pubescentibus apice quinquedentatis 
hine fissis spatheeformibus, corolle limbo amplo tubum zquante. 
FRANCISCEA eximia. Scheidweiler, in Gard. Mag. of Bot. v. 2. p. 16. 2. p. 177. 
cum Te. 
We made a brief allusion to a “ Hranciscea evimia’’ under our 
Fyanciscea calycina, Tab. 4583, but could only speak of it then 
as a plant so named in cultivation. It has since been figured in 
the work above quoted ; but the calyx, on which the main cha- 
racter depends, is so imperfectly represented, that but for the 
more accurate descriptive character it would be difficult, if not 
impossible, to say how it differed from /. calycina, save by 
the longer, narrower, and more opaque leaves, which indeed 
are not very constant to their shape in either species. In 
F. calycina the calyx (as shown at fig. 2) is perfectly gla- 
brous, straight, inflated, and divided at the apex into five mode- 
rately long, equal, and rather spréading teeth. ‘The calyx of our 
present plant is elongated, curved, cylindrical, not inflated 
(except possibly in fruit, which we have not seen), five-toothed ; 
the teeth straight or a little incurved, and the superior sinus — 
split down for some way, from which cleft the tube of the 
corolla is slightly protruded : the -calyx hence becomes spatha- 
ceous. The flowers are very beautiful when first expanded, but 
soon fading to white or whitish—characteristic, it would ap- 
pear, of all the Franciscee. The plant does not appear to have 
been taken up by any author but Scheidweiler, and is stated to 
JUNE lst, 1854. 
