81 



On a Ne^w Acanthaceous Plant 

 fkom arnheim land, n.a. 



[Read September 5, 1882.] 

 By Bakox Sir I\ vox Mueller, P.E.S., Hon. Member. 



Strobilanthes Tatei, spec. nov. 



All over densely short-downy ; leaves on exceedingly sliort 

 stalks, or almost sessile, rhomboid- or roundish- or lanceolar- 

 ovate, flat, quite entire at the margin, or scantily indented ; 

 peduncles bearing one to three flowers ; bracteoles minute ; 

 calyces about as long as the pedicels, cleft to the middle into 

 ovate, or narrow semi-lanceolar lobes, the two upper somewhat 

 or scarcely smaller ; corolla scantily pubescent outside, its 

 lobes all oblong-ovate, in length about equal to the entirely 

 cylindrical tube, the latter bearded inside towards the orifice ; 

 stamens four, equally fertile; filaments free from near the 

 summit of the corolla-tube, conspicuously emerging ; anthers, 

 blunt; ovary quadrate-roundish, as well as the style glabrous. 



At the Twelve Mile, Mackinlay liiver; Frof. Tate (Herb. 

 Univ. of Adelaide). 



Leaves two-thirds to one and one-third of an inch long, of con- 

 formity in each pair. Peduncles not much longer than the leaves, 

 or shorter, with terminale pedicels. Imbricate bracts, none. 

 Bracteoles exceedingly short and narrow. Calyces about four 

 lines long. Corolla measuring half to three-quarters of an inch 

 in leno;th, colour purple, the narrow tube passing suddenly into 

 the lobes. Anther-cells free up to the middle, scantily hairy. 

 Stigma not much broader than the style, acute and slightly cleft 

 at the upper end. Fruit not obtained. 



This species belongs to the aberrant forms of Strohilantlies, 

 its connection therewith being formed by S. tristis and >S'. 

 Walkeri, so far as the conspicuous development of pedicels is 

 concerned. In habit it comes nearer to some species of Cello- 

 phanes, notably C. varans; indeed, it could be removed to that 

 genus should the spurred anthers of the latter no longer be in- 

 sisted on as essential characteristics. Again, the paucity of 

 the ovules and the elongation of the pedicels almost solely re- 

 move this new plant from Ruellia, unless the fruit should yet 

 offer further remarks for discrimination. 



