18 NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 
this country than on the plains, though they are still to be met with, even down to the beach 
in the Carnatic. The few however that do seek the plains only come to perfection during 
the cool season and in wet or even marshy soils, being most frequently met with on the banks 
of Paddyfields. ‘Iwo extend far north into the arctic regions, one of which, LZ, Dortmanna, 
as if to shelter itself from the sudden variations of temperature to which the air in these 
regions is subject, grows under water, except the flower stalk, which rises above during the 
summer and autumn to flower and ripen its seed. The number of Indian species of the 
order is not considerable and mostly belong to the genus Lobelia, of which I have 7 species 
appertaining to the Peninsular flora. 
The properties of this family are most remarkable. I mentioned above, as one of 
the points of similarity between the Chicories‘and Lobelias, that they both abound in milky 
juice. The properties of these juices are however widly different, that of the Chicories 
being mildly narcotic and tonic, while that of the Lobelias is excessively acrid and poison- 
ous, destructive even to cattle arid horses that eat them, and the mere odour of one of the 
species is, it is said, so powerfully poisonous, as to cause sickness and vomiting. The econo- 
mical or medical properties and uses to which our Indian ones may be applied does not 
seem to have been investigated, as no notice is any where to be found of them. As orna- 
mental objects very many of the family are well worthy the attention of the gardener and 
1 cannot help feeling surprise at their rarity in the flower plots and borders on these Hills. 
LOBELIA. 
Calyx 5-lobed ; tube obconical ovoid or hemispherical. Corolla longitudinally split along the upper 
side, bilabiate ; tube cylindrical or funnel shaped straight; the superior lip often smaller and erect, the infe- 
rior usually spreading 3-lobed or rarely 3-toothed. Anthers the two lower ones, or sometimes all, bearded at 
the apex. Ovary inferior or half superior and sometimes even almost superior.—Herbs or rarely shrubs with 
alternate leaves usually ee spiked flowers, with axillary pedicels, the corolla being blue, or white, or 
violet, orred and yellow mixe 
This genus, as left,by Linneus, embracing the whole of the order, so far as known to him, only included 
27 species. There are now 27 genera, while the single genus Lobelia includes upwards of 200 published species 
and the family of Lobeliacee about 400. This family affords an interesting example of the rapid extension of our 
__ knowledge of the vegetable kingdom in recent times. In 1768 when Linneus published his 12th edition, the 
last edited by himself, of the Systema Natur 27 species were known, 80 years after in 1848, the number had 
inereased to 400, an average increase throughout that long period of nearly 5 per annum. Out of that vast 
number the Indian list scarcely amounts to 20 species, showing how little this family partakes of a tropical cha- 
racter. Five of these 20 are indigenous on the Neilgherries and one of them, Lobelia excelsa, perhaps the 
largest of the genus. There are several yet to be added ; my own collection contains 10 or 11 species, some 
of which are still unpublished. There is a small cespitose species much cultivated in pots, by amateurs, under 
the strange name of “ Neilgherry grass” I suspect the Lobelia succulenta of Blume, a Java plant, but of which 
{ cannot make myself certain, as I have not aspecimen to examine. It is procumbent, roots at the joints, and 
in a short time quite covers the pot witha rich green carpet, variegated with small blue flowers forming 
a great contrast to the tall ungainly Z. excelsa of the Hills. 
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