ACANTHACEAE. 



89 



the entire undergrowth below large forest trees. There are about 

 sixty species in Southern India and Ceylon alone ; all or nearly all 

 of these have been figured in Wight's " Icones "or in my "Icones." 

 They are mostly rather large shrubs, many have very beautiful 

 flowers, others very curious ones, all are interesting, and I think 

 I may say it is the most exciting genus in the order to the 

 botanist in India. Most of these forest species do not flower 

 till they reach maturity, at seven or eight years of age ; they 

 then die down and leave acres of bare dead stems ; the next 

 rainy season they come up again thickly from seed. Dying 

 immediately after flowering, and probably not seeding in this 

 country, they would never become popular plants here, but it 

 would be a most interesting genus for botanical gardens to take 

 up and experiment on. They all grow most readily from cuttings, 

 which would travel well in damp moss (now the communication 

 with India is so rapid) ; they also grow readily from seed. Some 

 few of the forest species flower annually and do not die after 

 flowering. The species found on the open grasslands at the 

 higher elevations also flower more or less every year and are 

 perennial. 



S. amabilis, Clarke, "Fl. Brit. India," vol. iv. p. 476; figured 

 in Wight's "Icones," t. 1507, as Leptacanthus Walkeri — a species 

 found about Sispara on the Nilgiri Mountains — flowers annually 

 and does not die down after flowering ; it is, I think, the most 

 beautiful species in the order, being perfectly gorgeous when in 

 flower. It has never been introduced into this country, and efforts 

 should be made to procure it ; it would cause quite a sensation at 

 a flower show. S. pulcherrimus (Anderson, "PI. Brit. Ind." 

 iv. p. 475), a closely allied plant found at the higher elevations in 

 Ceylon, also flowers, I believe, annually, and is only second in 

 beauty to amabilis, and might also be introduced. S. rubi- 

 cundus, described in the same place (fig. Bedd. " Ic. PI. Ind. Or." 

 t. 199), found in Wynad and Coorg at 2,000-3,000 feet elevation, 

 also flowers annually. It, also, would well repay introduction as a 

 very beautiful plant. All three of these belong to the paniculate 

 section in the genus, and are quite smothered with flower when in 

 bloom. 



Dyerianus, isophyllus, coloratus, and flaceidifolius are 



the species most often met with in our stoves. The two former 

 should be grown in all hothouses ; the other species given below 

 are fairly common. I have seen them all in cultivation, and have 

 grown most of them. 



alatus, Nees, DC. "Prod." xi. 194; (fig. " Gartenfl." t. 1243, as 

 S. attenuatus). — Himalayas, Kashmir, &c, 6,000-10,000 feet eleva- 

 tion. Leaves petioled, ovate, acute ; spikes in terminal panicles ; 

 bracts caducous, narrow-oblong ; flowers all distant, 1 J inch long, 

 purple, tube ventricose from a short constricted base. Syn. 

 Strobilanthes attenuatus, " Gartenfl." t. 1243 ; S. reflcxus, Nees. 



anisophyllus, Nees in " Wall. PI. As. Rar." iii. 88 ; (fig. "Bot. Mag." 

 t. 3404).— Khasia Hills, 1,000-4,000 feet elevation. Leaves very 



