Dr. Wallich, in his splendid Illustrations of the Flora 

 of India, speaks thus of it : — 



" This very handsome species I took at first to be only 

 a purple variety of Roxburgh's H. furcatus, which I have 

 likewise found on the banks of the Irawaddi : but having 

 had an opportunity, since my return from Ava, to compare 

 both plants in their growing state in the Honourable Com- 

 pany's Botanic Garden at Calcutta, I am able to propose 

 the following marks as sufficient to distinguish them speci- 

 fically : ■ — The leaves in our plant are not hairy as in Rox- 

 burgh's, but nearly smooth; the involucres do not enlarge 

 at the bifid apex, but are of a uniformly linear figure ; and 

 lastly, the flowers, instead of being yellow, as in that 

 species, are constantly of a deep purple colour. H. h'lfiir- 

 catus Cavan. diff"ers, according to a note in Dr. Roxburgh's 

 manuscript Flora Indica, made from the living plant, intro- 

 duced into the Garden from Trinidad, in being smoother 

 and void of the small tubercles, which render the other 

 shrubs peculiarly rough to the touch ; in having setaceous 

 stipules and rose-coloured flowers. 



*' Like most of the members of the extensive genus to 

 which it belongs, it abounds in strong and woody fibres. 

 All its green parts have an agreeably acid taste." 



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