v.\ 



1915-16.] BOTANICAL SOCIETY OF EDINBURGH 83 



Branches virgately branched, hispid with long hairs in 

 the vicinity of the inflorescence and also on the young 

 branchlets. Leaves (which are not known in the mature 

 state) expanding after the flowers ; young leaves oblong 

 obovate, 15-25 ram. long, hirsute at the margin and on 

 the petiole; apex rounded and mucronulate, deep green 

 glabrous above, glaucous beneath and lepidote. Floral 

 buds separated from the foliar buds small (4-5 mm.) 

 glabrous. Flowers terminal, 3-5, loosely fasciculate ; 

 pedicels 10-12 mm. long lepidote. Calyx 4 mm. long 

 with lanceolate obtuse lepidote lobes ciliate at the margin 

 with fuscous hairs. Corolla yellow, 1 cm. long, 12 mm. 

 wide, shortly and widely tubular with obovate cup-shaped 

 lobes ; stamens 8-10 included, filaments lanate below. 

 Ovary closely lepidote, longer than the glabrous style. 



Mt. Sila in the Mekong Valley, between the Mekong and 

 the Salween. Soulie. 



The corolla is like that of Rh. brachyanthum, Franch., 

 but the calyx has a dift'erent form, and the presence of 

 hairs upon the branches and upon the leaves and the 

 precocity of the flowers in Rh. mekongense, Franch., 

 distinguish well the two species. 



So much Franchet I.e. 



I add the following comments : — 



This species, imperfectly known, is a difficult one. 

 Through the kindness of M. Lecomte I have seen a speci- 

 men of Soulie's collecting under No. 1004 from the locality 

 of the type. I have made a careful analysis of this 

 specimen and find no character by which I can separate it 

 from Rh. tricltodadum, Franch. Without doubt they are 

 the same species. In a note to his description of Rh. 

 7)iekongense, Franchet compares his species with Rh. 

 brachyanthum, Franch., and from that species Soulie's 

 plant is easily diagnosed on the lines marked out by 

 Franchet. But it is remarkable that Franchet says 



lepidota ; gemmae florales at foliaceis sejunctae, parvae (4-5 mm.), 

 glabrae ; flores terminales laxe fasciculatae, circiter 3-5, luteae ; pedun- 

 culi 10-12 mm. lepidoti ; calyx 4 mm., lobis lanceolatis, obtusis, lepidotis, 

 margins pilis fuscis ciliatis ; corolla 1 cent, longa, 12 mm. lata, breviter 

 et late tubulosa, lobis obovatis, poculiformibus ; stamina 8-10, inclusa. 

 filamentis inferne lanatis ; ovarium crebre lepidotum, stylo glabro 

 longius. 



