ALASSIO AND ITS FLORA 
41 
exceed if the sheep who graze on Cape 
Mele as on our mountains did not injure 
the plants. It has a greenish white appear- 
ance very like bushes of wild olives, with 
young twigs tetragonal, white-tomentose. 
Leaves opposite, entire, oblong, lanceo- 
late, sessile, white-tomentose beneath, with 
small prominent nervures; above they are 
of bright green covered with dust. Those 
of the young shoots reach 3 centim. in 
length by 8 millim. in width, but those 
of the remainder of the plant are much 
smaller, their average length beii^g 1 cent, 
or a little more. 
Flowers axillary opposite each other 
like the leaves, of a fine violet with reti- 
culated veins of a more intense colour. The 
lower lip is very long, rather concave, 
horizontal, with two small lateral laciniae 
turned forwards, and the centre one obovate 
or elliptic, of more than one cent, in length. 
The upper lip is of a slighter colour, mi- 
nutely reticulated, with tiny veins, and 
split to the bottom. 
The stamens are 4 in number, rising 
with the style in one mass, arched with 
