C 186 3 



Selago Ovata. Oval-Headed Selago. 

 $ ♦ $ ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ fr frfr ♦ <t ft ♦ ♦ ♦ ♦ ' ♦♦ 



C/ij/> a//^ Order. 



DlDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA. 



Generic Character. 

 QaL 5-fidus. Cor. tubus capillaris ; limbus fubacqualis. Sem. 1. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 



SELAGO ovata fpicis ftrobilinis ovatis terminalibus, foliis 

 fparfis linearibus, caule fruticofo. L'Herit. Stirp. 

 nov. torn. 2. t. 33. Ait. Hort. Kew. V. 2. p. 355. 



LIPPIA ovata capitulis ovatis, foliis linearibus integerrimis. 

 Linn. Mant. ^.89. 



Linnius in his Mantijfa has fomewhat largely defcribed 

 this plant under the name of Lippia ovata, evidently from a 

 dried fpecimen, which may account for the flowers being 

 defcribed of a dark violet colour; he recommends it to fuch 

 as might have an opportunity of feeing the living plant, to 

 obferve if it was not referable to feme other genus ; accord- 

 ingly Monf. L'Heritier, who, when lately in England, law 

 it in flower in the royal garden at Kew, joined it to the 

 genus Selago, retaining the trivial name of ovata, brat~i<eata 

 would perhaps have been a better name ; for though its ovate 

 inflorefcence may be peculiar to the fpecics, its braftea? or 

 floral leaves are fo very lingular that they conftitute the moft 

 prominent feature of the plant. 



Mr. A 1 ton informs us, that it was introduced to the royal 

 garden at Kew, from the Cape, by Mr. Masso.n, in 1774- 



It recommends itfelf not fo much on account of its beauty* 

 as of the curious ftrufcture of its flowering fpikes, and the 

 fragrance of its blofloms. 



It is a greenhoufe plant, and flowers during moft of the 

 fummer ; its blolfoms are white with a \ eilow fpot on the two 

 uppermoft, and iometimes on all the fegments of the corolla* 

 and an orange fpot at the mouth of the tube. 



Is propagated by cuttings. 



