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PYCNOSTACHYS ccerulea. 
Blue Pycnostachys. 
DIDYNAMIA GYMNOSPERMIA.— Nat. Ord. LABIATJE. 
Gen. Char, — Flores densissime spicati, inferiores bracteati. Calyx tubo 
brevi subangulato, dentibus spinosis, aequalibus, sinubus involutis oram 
tegentibus. Corolla bilabiata, declinata, tubo longiusculo, labio infe- 
riore longiore^ ovato-concavo, integerrimo ; superiore concaviusculo, tri- 
fido, lobo medio bifido. Semina (achenia) 4, rotundata compressa. 
Pycnostachys coerulea. 
Apparently annual or biennial. Stem erects obtusely quadrangular, gla- 
brous, with opposite branches. Leaves distant, lanceolate, attenuate at 
the base and the extremity, the upper and smaller ones entire, the rest 
deeply and coarsely serrated, except at the base, every where glabrous, 
nerved. 
Flowers in very dense, terminal spikes, bright blue, upright in bud, re- 
markably declined when expanded ; the lower ones having a few linear 
purplish bracteae, sessile. Calyx with a short, obtusely pentangular 
tube, ending in 5 at length very much spreading spinulose teeth, the 
sinuses of which form so many involute, membranous portions or valves. 
Corolla much longer than the calyx. Tube rather long, white ; upper 
lip (become so by the bending down of the flower), 3-lobed, the middle 
lobe bifid, the back slightly glandular : lower lip much the longest, 
bright blue, ovate, deeply concave, glandular on the under side, quite 
entire. Stamens inserted at the base of this lower lip, 4, didynamous, 
curved upwards. Anthers oval, 1-celled, bluish. Germen 4-lobed ; style 
as long as the stamens ; stigma bifid. Seeds, or Achenia, 4, oval, com- 
pressed, smooth, enclosed in the calyx, and concealed by the 5 valves, 
or inflexed margins of the sinuses of the calyx, at which time also the 
teeth of the calyx are very patent. 
In the month of April of this year, 1825, when I had the 
pleasure of looking over some dried specimens of Madagascar 
plants with Mr Barclay at Bury-hill, we selected some seeds 
of a cm-ious labiate species, which, under the skilful manage- 
ment of the gardener Mr Cameron, produced, in the montli 
VOL. III. 
