92 NEILGHERRY PLANTS. 
mouldy, or earthy smell—not very enticing, ane by description, and much less so in reality. The char- 
acteristic smell of Chinese or Indian Ink is owing to an admixture of this plant in its manufacture. In the 
vegetable world it is the most permanent of odours. The origin of its use is this. A few years ago, real 
Indian shawls bore an extravagant price, and purchasers could always distinguish them by their odour; 
in fact, they were perfumed with Patchouli. The French manufacturers at length discovered this secret, 
and used to import this plant to perfume articles of their make, and thus palm off home-spun shawls 
for real India!” 
Neither of the species here represented nor indeed any of those I recollect growing on the Hills quite 
accords with the true Putcha-pat but P. retundatum is that which comes nearest, and I think it probable 
that some one of the 4 or 5 species indigenous on the Neilgherries will be found, on trial, imbued with 
its peculiar fragrance. 
Of course it will be necessary to dry the plant, and I fancy by exposure to the sun, as hay is 
dried, to bring it out. 
OSTEMON ROTUNDATUM (Benth.), villous, stem 
ascending: leaves roundish, poten crenate, truncated 
or cordate at the base; the er floral ones shorter 
es a songs, ‘verticillasters equal, 
distinct (sub-remotis): bracts 
A low growing plant, somewhat spreading at the 
base, afterwards ascending, leaves softly villous, 
racemes 2 to 6 inches long, compact towards the apex, 
flowers small, white. 
Sac feeoroeee (Bentham), plo meen 5 
stem erect: s broad, ovate, cordat 
loosely approxi minute: teeth of 
pote nearly paoen side subulate: p> Rc 
eS about ie ae of woods, on the Neil- 
gherries, iacany Th soil, flowering during the 
rainy and cold Aran 
MICROMERIA. 
Calyx tubular, 13 or 15 striated, 5-dentate, teeth about equal, straight or scarcely 2-lipped, throat usually 
ube 
villous within. of the corolla equal, 
ight, naked within, usually shorter than the calyx; limb 
2-lipped, upper lip erect, entire, or ekiverpiniite ; lower one rst 3-lobed, lobes about equal, or the 
mid 
e one broader, entire, or emarginate. 
arcuato-connivent at t 
Stamens 4, didyna 
e apex, shorter than the corolla or rarely e 
nectivum often thickened, cells diverging or at length deyaricate, cditnectiv’ adnate. 
ie the inferior ones longer, votes 
serted: anthers 2-celled, the co 
Lobes af the style 
sometimes equal, subulate, sometimes the upper one shorter the lower elongated, recurved, flattened. Nuts 
‘dry, smooth. Under shrubs or ‘herbs ; 4 verticillasters axillary or spicate, rarely cyme-like or sub-panicled. 
Flowets usually small, purplish or w 
This is a large genus shee ddcbriitig to Mr. Bentham’s list, 59 species, only two of which are 
natives of India, the one here represented and another found by Dr. Falconer on the banks of the Hydaspes. 
Our 
one has a 
a very extensive geographical range, the Himalayas from Mussooree to Khas 
Felix, Abyssinia, Southern Africa, near the Cape, and the 
ya, Arabia 
probably Ceylon. The species is interesting to Europeans in India, from its striking resemblance to the 
‘wild thyme of Europe, a ati ane oe in the first instance, led to its being described under that 
name. It is very common on the Hill 
agen mit sems (Bentham), suffruticose, véry 
yamous, czs , branches ascending, ent or 
ilose: leaves adie: ovate, acute, flat or revolute on 
‘the ed. labrous, subcordate a t the base; the 
apes ones shorter than eaewerk verticillasters 
red: braits equalling the ic 
icately pubescent, 
ous within. 
wer common on the Neilgherries, and always in 
_ ow growing, very branchy plant, forming dense 
tufts of matted branches, from 4 to'6 or 8 —- 
long, the extremities thickly covered with its small, 
gr cosmetics oe leaves, from among which 
ddish, blue or pink flowers 
sae te, ss er s divaricated. Achznia Geited 
in 
a cupthsiped “thie 
