30 D. Praiii — A review of the genus Colquhounia. [No. 1, 



Novicia? Indica? VI. A review of the genus Colquhounia. — By D. Pjjain. 



[Read May 3rd.] 



Writing in 1885 (Flora of British India, iv, 674) Sir Joseph 

 Hooker had to say of this genus : — " I am quite unable to distinguish 

 the first three species,* or to reconcile their specimens, descriptions 

 and published drawings with one another." And in 1890, when enga- 

 ged in arranging the Calcutta Herbarium material of the natural 

 order Labiate to which the genus belongs, f the writer, after consider- 

 able study came to the same conclusion. Since then, however, the open- 

 ing up of the hill-country to the east of the Irrawaday has enabled 

 the Calcutta Herbarium to send native collectors into hitherto unknown 

 portions of the Shan Hills. One result has been the communication 

 of suites of specimens that have helped to clear up some of the doubtful 

 points. Briefly stated, the result of a renewed study has been that there 

 seems to be no necessity for recognising more than two species in the 

 genus ; both these species are, however, very variable, and include be- 

 tween them seven more or less distinguishable and definable forms. 

 The present paper consists of a short bibliographical review of these 

 with diagnoses of all of them, and with an account of their distribution 

 appended. 



The genus CoLQunouxiA was founded by Wallich in 1822, % on 

 specimens collected by himself in Nepal, in honour of his friend Sir 

 Robert Colquhoun, Bart., of the H. C.'s service. His diagnosis, 

 and voluminous description of Colquhounia coccinea, the species then 

 proposed, he republished, practically unaltered, two years later,§ giving 

 al i lie same time a coloured plate which represents however, not the 

 typical plant originally described, but a variety with smaller flowers. 

 In a note at the end of this second description, Wallich distinguishes 

 by name and by a general diagnosis a second species, G. vestita. This, 

 lac says, comes from various localities in Nepal, at a higher elevation 

 than the stations for G. coccinea, and occurs also in Kamaon. He says 

 that G. vestita flowers in the height of the rains, 0. coccinea at the end 

 of the rains and in the cold weather ; the main distinction given, how- 

 ever, is one of tomentum ; this is described as being in G. coccinea scaly- 

 stellate, rusty, dense and friable, in G. vestita soft, white, thick and 

 sepai'able. || The flower-spikes and flowers are admitted to be similar; 

 plainly therefore the distinction is not a far-reaching one. 



* Colquhounia coccinea Wall., C. vestita, Wall., C, elegans Wall. 



t Jowrn. As. Soc. Bengal, 1 i x . 2, 294. 



% Trans. Linn. Soe., xiii, 008. 



§ Tent. Flor. Nap., i, 12 fc. 6, 



|| Tent. Flor Nov., i, 14. 



