1891.] D. Prain — On an undescribed Oriental species of 'Ne-peta. 205 



subrugosis apice acutis basi truncatis, utrinque parce lanatis, inferioribus 

 breve petiolatis csetei^s subsessilibus rauiealibus ovato-Ianceolatis ; verti- 

 cillastris multifloris laxiusciilis remotis, hracteis membi^anaceis ovato- 

 lanceolatis acuminatis cncullatis calyces feqnantibus, calycis longe 

 hirsuti membranacei striati ore iatus piloso obliquo, dentibus e basi 

 augustiore subulatis summo tabum subaequante ceeteris eo brevioribus, 

 corolla extus puberula tubo calycis fere 2-plo longiore, staminibus 

 exserfcis, riuculis oblongis apice obtusis ruguloso-tiiberculatis areola ferri 

 equini calcaribus sursum direcfcis ad instar affixis. 



Afghania australe ; inter Kandabar et Kelat-i-Ghilzai, Bellew ! 



Rhizoraa de-est, caulis p. q. s. plus quam 40 cm. basi fere 1 cm. crassa, 

 foliis inferioribus 7 — 9 cm. longis bis 3 — 4 cm. latis petiolis I cm. longis, 

 ramealibus 2 — 2"5 cm. longis his 1 — 1"5 cm. latis sessilibus, spied 12 cm. 

 longa hac 2*5 cm. lata vsrticillastris (10 — 12) 12 — 16-floris imis 2 cm. 

 summis vix 1 cm. remotis, bracteis 12 mm. longis 4 — 7 mm. latis 3 — 5- 

 iiervis coloratis supra glabris subtus nervis sub lente puberulis margine 

 prope basin parce pilis albis divergentibus ornato prope apicem acumina- 

 tu.m et tandem subulatum sub lente puberulo, calyce tandem subinflato 

 pedicello 1 — 2 mm. longo tubo 6 mm. lougo dentibus summo 6 mm., 

 lateralibus 5 mm., imis 4*5 mm. longis extus sequabiliter pilis albis 

 divergentibus parce hirsuto intus tubi ore et dentium basibus pilis 

 simillimis densissime piloso, corolla tubo 11 mm. longo extus puberulo 

 colore forsan rosea, nucrdis 3 mm. longis bis 1'5 mm. latis brunneis 

 areola alba calcaribus 1 mm. longis excepta manifesto rugulosis. 



This very distinct species bears a considerable resemblance to the 

 European N. tuberosa but the whorls are much more lax, the calyx mouth 

 is oblique and no secondary reticulation of the membi-anous bracts is 

 visible. The nutlets of this species also closely resemble those of 

 N. tuberosa and iV^. Sibthorpii, but in these European species there is 

 a much smaller areola of the us ual type. Among Oriental species it 

 most resembles iV". glomerulosa, next to which it is now placed, but it 

 differs greatly in having much larger bi'acts, much longer spikes and 

 many-flowered lax w horls with longer corollas. The nutlets too are 

 different — the horse-shoe shaped areola of the nutlets being perhaps 

 the most remarkable character of this species ; its pilose calyx-mouth 

 also is a character which connects it with § Psilonepdtj; Benth. to 

 which group this feature has hithei-to been supposed to be confined. 

 Except for this character, however, it is much more obviously related 

 to the other Macrostegi^ than to any Psilonepeta. Perhaps a prefer- 

 able view would be to look on this species as the type of a new subsec- 

 tion intermediate between PsilonepetsB and Macrostegia^ though to be 

 27 



