Tas. 5797. 
MACKAYA BELLA. 
Natal Mackaya. 
Nat. Ord. ACANTHACE.,—DIANDRIA MonoGyYnIA. 
Gen. Char.—Calyx parvus, ebracteolatus, equaliter 5-partitus, laciniis 
subulatis. Corolle tubus cylindraceus, limbus ampliatus oblique campanu- 
latus, venosus, subsqualiter, 5-lobus, lobis patentibus. Stamina circa 
apicem tubi inserta; duo fertilia antheris sagittatis bilocularibus sub- 
equilateris pilosis; duo inferiora ananthera filiformia. Stylus filiformis ; 
stigmate minute bifido. Ovarium loculis medio bi-ovulatis. Capsula?— 
Frutex gracilis, inermis. Folia supra minute punctata, sinuato—dentata. 
Racemi terminales, laxe secundiflori, bracteis bracteolisque infra medium 
pedicellorum minimis. lores magni, speciosi, lilacini. Harv. Thes. Cap. 
Tab. xiii. 
Mackaya bella, Harvey in Proc. Dubl. Univ. Zool. et Bot. Ass. ined. The- 
saurus Capensis, t. xiii. T. Anderson, in Journ. Linn. Soc. v. vii, p. 18 
and 53. 
This most beautiful Acanthaceous plant was dedicated by 
the late Professor Harvey, of Dublin, to his old friend, Dr. 
J. T. Mackay, Keeper of the Dublin University Botanic 
Garden, and author of “ The Flora Hibernica ;’ it is ana- 
tive of the bed of the Tongat river, Natal, where its dis- 
coverer, Mr. J. Sanderson, describes it as “a beautiful shrub, 
one mass of most delicate pendant, pale lilac, campanulate 
flowers.” For living specimens the Royal Gardens are in- 
debted to its discoverer, and to Mr. McKen, of the D’Urban 
Botanic Gardens. It flowered in the Palm House in May of 
the present year. 
Descr. A tall, slender, nearly glabrous shrub, with virgate 
branches. Leaves on short petioles, patent, ovate-oblong, 
two to four inches long, glabrous, but minutely granulated 
on the upper surface when dry, sinuate-toothed, apex con- 
tracted, obtuse or acuminate, veiny. tacemes four to six 
OCTOBER Ist, 1869. 
