19 



CLERODENDROJV infortunatnm, 

 Unlucky Clerodendron. 



DIDYNAMIA ANGIOSPERMIA. 



Nat. ord. Verbenace^. 

 CLERODENDRON. Bot. Reg. v. 5. fol. 40G. 



C. infortunatum ; foliis maximis subrotundis alt^ cordatis dentatis supra 

 pilosis subtiis tomentosis, panicula colorata simplici pubescente, floribus 

 apice ramorum subsessilibus, calyce ampliato quinquefido, corollae laci- 

 niis planis obovatis obtusis staminibus paulo brevioribus. 



C. infortunatum, Linn.Jl. Zeyl. 232. 



Whoever shall investij^ate the true distinctions between 

 the beautiful species of Clerodendron with scarlet inflores- 

 cence, will find as ample a harvest of confusion to be reaped 

 as he can desire. We cannot pretend to do more than point 

 out some of the instances to which we refer. 



Linnaeus founded this species upon a Ceylon plant in Bur- 

 mann's Herbarium, with a specific character that applies very 

 well to this plant, and a description which leaves no doubt 

 upon our minds that we have now before us what he intended, 

 which was sent from Ceylon to His Grace the Duke of Nor- 

 thumberland by Mr. Nightingale, and which flowered at Syon 

 in August, 1843. But Linnaeus quoted as a synonym the 

 Petasites agrestis of Rumphius, which is quite a different 

 species, and added as a variety the plant represented at t. 29 

 of the Thesaurus Zeylanicus^ which is also different, and pro- 

 bably what Dr. Wallich distributed under the name of Clero- 

 dendron infortunatum. The true characters of the species 

 seem to lie in its very large flowers, which are clustered in 

 little heads at the end of the principal branches of inflores- 

 cence, and in the large leafy- coloured calyx, which is half 

 split into five segments. 



Nearly allied, but very different, is the Clerodendron 

 squamatwn, figured in this work at p. 649. That plant has 

 April f 1844. i 



