314 Acanthacece. \Strobilanthes. 



Forests of the montane zone ; common, especially at 6000-7000 ft., 

 gregarious. Var. /3, Dimbula; Maturata; Hakgala. Fl. Aug.-April, 

 especially October and November; bright bluish-purple. 



Also in the Nilgiri Mts. 



The largest and one of the commonest of the Nelus of the hill-forests, 

 attaining the dimensions of a small tree before flowering, the stems often 

 4 or 5 in. diam., and very handsome when in blossom (the flowers are 

 said to be white in the Nilgiris). Very variable. S. argiitiis, Nees, and 

 S. cerintlioides^ Nees, are distinguished as varieties in Fl. B. Ind., but 

 their characters are not constant. Has a strong, disagreeable resinous 

 scent. 



The name sexemiis is based on an observation of Walker's, that the 

 plant flowers in its sixth year; but Mr. T. Farr tells me that the great 

 flowering of this, as of several other species, occurs not sooner than the 

 eleventh or twelfth year. 



I gathered (first in 1882) at the foot of Totapella, about 7000 ft., a 

 Sirobila?it/ics in leaf only, which may be another variety, or perhaps is 

 S. auricnlatiis, Nees (Bedd. Ic. PL t. 210); or this may probably be the 

 plant alluded to in Fl. B. Ind. (under .S". sc.vc?7nis) as known to Colonel 

 Beddome in Ceylon, but 'of which the flower has not yet been observed.' 

 The leaves are very large, sessile, but with a long tapering base, and 

 densely softly hairy on both sides. 



26. S. helicoides, Aiid. in TJno. Eftujii. 229 (i860). 

 Leptacanilius helicoides, Nees, 1. c. 170. C. P. 1980. 

 Fl. B. Ind. iv. 475. Bedd. Ic. t. 220. 



Stems 3-5 ft., slender, quadrangular, glabrous ; 1. 2^,-4?^ in., 

 nearly sessile, oval or lanceolate, tapering to base, acuminate, 

 acute, distantly denticulate-serrate, glabrous, thin, pale 

 beneath ; fl. rather small, very numerous, on very slender 

 glabrous divaricate ped., in very lax helicoid cymes combined 

 to form very large lax spreading axillary and terminal 

 panicles, bracts in pairs at each bifurcation, leaflike, gradually 

 diminishing in size upwards, floral bracts none, bractlets 

 linear, shorter than sep., glabrous ; sep. nearly equal, about 

 \ in., linear, obtuse, glabrous ; cor. glabrous outside, tube 

 \-\ in., nearly straight, vcntricose, narrow base extremely 

 short, segm. short, rounded ; stam. included ; capsule f in., 

 pointed ; seeds 2, silky with adpressed hair. 



Montane zone from 3000- 6000 ft. ; rather common. Ambagamuwa; 

 Hantane; Hewaheta; Nuwara Eliya; near Hakgala. Fl. Nov.-March, 

 August; violet with a white tube. 



Endemic. 



A pretty delicate plant. The leaves are often a rich reddish-purple 

 beneath. 



27. S. paniculatus, And. in Journ. Linn. Soc. ix. 4S3 (1867). 

 S. ruHcundus^ in Thw. Fnum. 229 (.? And.). C. P. 3351. 



Fl. B. Ind. iv. 475. 



Stems 4-5 ft., slender, cylindrical, glabrous ; 1. 4-8 in., 

 lanceolate or linear-lanceolate, tapering to base, caudate- 



