Hibiscus. MONADELPIIIA POLYANURIA. 205 



expanding, armed Avith numerous stiff, acute, spinous, recurv- 

 ed bristles, issuino- from small, coloured, glandular papilli ; 

 amongst the bristles, soft hairs are intermixed. Leaves from 

 cordate below, to three and even five-lobed about the middle 

 of the plant ; and again near the top narrow cordate ; all are 

 serrate and hairy ; the size very various. Petioles almost as 

 long as the leaves, and armed like the branches. Stipules 

 falcate, lanceolate; margins ciliate. Pednncles axillary, so- 

 litary, one-flowered, shorter than the petioles, and like them 

 armed with the same sharp bristles. Floicers large, yellow, 

 M'ith a dark crimsom bottom. Calyx, the exterior one about 

 two-leaved, each leaflet enlarged beyond the middle; from 

 the base of the enlargement on the upper side, issues a cla- 

 vate, erect, or incurved segment; these form a cancellated 

 dome over the inner, five-parted, rigid, glandular, bristly, 

 hairy calyx ; while the exterior broader, but shorter segments 

 spread out horizontally. Capsule very hairy on the outside. 

 Seeds few, from two to four in each cell. 



I considered this to be bijurcatus. Linn. Sp. Pl.ed.Willd. 

 iii. 811). until I reared that very plant, from seed received from 

 the Issland of Trinidad ; the shrubs are nearly of the same size, 

 but in that species every part is less hairy, the coloured glan- 

 dular base of the bristles are not to be found ; the stipules 

 simply setaceous, and the flowers rose-coloiued ; consequent- 

 ly 1 must consider this a well marked distinct species, though 

 nearly allied in the shape of the leaves and exterior calyx. 

 Like many of the other plants of the natural order, Columni- 

 J'era of Linnaeus, or Malvacea of Jussieu, the bark of this spe- 

 cies of Hibiscus, yields abundance of strong-, white, flaxen 

 fibres; but the prickliness of the plant renders it very trou- 

 blesome to handle. 



27. H. Surattensis. Willd. iii. 824. 



Somewhat shrubby, weak and straggling, prickly. Leaves 

 from entire to palmate, serrate. Stipules ear-shaped. Exte- 

 rior calyx of from (en to twelve appendicled, permanent leaf- 



