DICHORISANDRA OVATA. 
(Ovate-leaved Dichorisandra.) 
Class. Order. 
HEXNDARIA. MONOGYiNIA. 
Natural Order. 
COMMELYNACEjE. 
(Spider-worts, Veg. King.) 
Generic Character. — Calyx of three leaves, con- 
cave. Petals three. Stamens six, two of which are 
separated from the rest. Anthers two-celled, turned 
inwards. Ovary three celled, cells few-seeded. Style 
one. Stigma one. Capsule three-sided and three- 
valved. 
Specific Character.— Plant, a herbaceous perennial, 
growing from three to four feet high. Leaves ovate- 
lanceolate, acute, entire, smooth, shining, with 
parallel longitudinal veins, which are prominent on 
the under side, bright green above and purple beneath, 
and clasping the stem at the base. Racemes terminal, 
erect. Calyx of three ovate, obtuse sepals. Petals 
three, obtuse, entire, larger than the sepals, of nearly 
equal size, intense blue, the base paler. Stamens six, 
three interior and three exterior, erect. Ovary three- 
sided. Style filiform, 
This very superior perennial herbaceous plant is a native of the Brazils, but we 
are unacquainted with the particulars as to the exact locality in which it was found, 
or by whom originally introduced. It probably found its way first into some of 
the continental nurseries through a botanical traveller, and from thence was intro- 
duced to our gardens. It requires the temperature of a stove where, during the 
period of growth and flowering, abundance of both heat and moisture can be sup- 
plied ; and where, at the season of repose, it can be accommodated with a rather cool 
temperature and a fair proportion of drought. 
The cultivation is easy, as the plant grows very freely in equal portions of 
sandy loam, peat, and leaf mould. Give good drainage and plenty of room in 
potting, place in a warm part of the stove, and in the season of growth give a liberal 
supply of water at the roots, and often sprinkle the leaves with a syringe. By 
these means abundance of racemes of deep rich blue flowers will continue to be 
produced and enliven the house during the whole of the autumn months. 
Increase is effected both by division of the roots and by cuttings of the ripened 
stems, which grow freely if planted singly in pots of light sandy soil, and placed in 
a warm moist temperature ; but it is better to allow the cut part to cauterise a little 
by exposure to the air before being planted, and water should be altogether withheld 
