ROUPELLIA GRATA. 
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ROUPELLIA GRATA. 
Nat. Order , Apocynace.®. 
Generic Character. — Roupellia, Bentham .— Calyx five- 
parted, the lobes spatliulate, suddenly acuminated, keeled above, 
fleshy below, imbricated in aestivation. Corolla with a funnel- 
shaped tube and five orbicular, spreading lobes, convolute to¬ 
wards the left in aestivation; the throat bearing ten horn-like 
teeth, connivent in pairs opposite the lobes of the limb. Stamens 
five, the laments adherent half-way up the tube, projecting as 
ridges, free for a short space; anthers acutely sagittate, the 
divergent basal lobes without pollen; summits elongated, 
attenuated, without pollen, included. Ovary two-celled, with 
the inrolled placentiferous margins of the carpels presenting 
two scroll-like edges on the cross section; ovules minute, 
very numerous, orthotropous ?; style simple; stigma capitate, 
||ESCRIPTION. 
with a circular stigmatic surface, and five short, blunt terminal 
teeth. 
Roupellia grata, Wallich and Hooker. Cream-fruit.— A 
half-climbing, stout shrub, with opposite, shortly-stalked, 
oblong-elliptical, shortly-acuminated leaves, wedge-shaped at 
the base, coriaceous; the petioles a little dilated at the base, 
joined by a transverse line, with small, acute stipulaceous glands 
within; cymes terminal, sessile, densely 6-8 flowered, almost 
umbellate; bracts ovate-lanceolate, acute, acuminate, keeled at 
the back; pedicels longer than the bracts, shorter than the 
calyx. 
Synonymy. —Roupellia grata, Wallich and Hooker in Bot. 
Mag., t. 4466; Strophanthus Stanleyanus of gardens. 
A glabrous half-climbing shrub, with opposite, full-green, coriaceous leaves, 
on short stalks, oblong-elliptical, four to six inches long, shortly acuminate above, acute at 
the base ; petioles a little dilated at the base and bearing a pair of stipule-like glands within. 
Cymes terminal, sessile, composed of 6-8 closely crowded flowers, arranged somewhat umbel- 
lately. Bracts ovate-lanceolate, acute, keeled at the back. Pedicels longer than the bracts, 
shorter than the calyx. Lobes of the calyx fleshy. Corolla large, fleshy, white, tinged with 
pale rose ; tube an inch and a-half long, funnel-shaped, glabrous inside )and out; lobes of the 
limb orbicular or broadly ovate, spreading, somewhat crisped at the margins; the throat 
crowned by ten erect linear-lanceolate teeth of a bright rose colour, rather inclined together 
in pairs opposite each lobe. Stamens becoming free at the commencement of the enlarged 
part of the tube of the corolla; filaments free for a short space, slightly papillose; the points 
of the arrow-shaped anthers very acute, equalling or a little surpassing the throat of the 
corolla; the basal lobes not much diverging ; only the middle portion of the anthers polleni- 
ferous. Ovary inserted in a thickish disc, scarcely produced into a nectary. 
History. —A native of Sierra Leone, where it was first noticed by Afzelius, and was 
mentioned by Mr. Brown in the Appendix to Tuckey's Voyage under the name of “ Cream-fruit.” 
When first exhibited in this country it was called Strophanthus Stanleyanus, but it was sub¬ 
sequently figured and described under the present name in the Botanical Magazine (t. 4466). 
Our figure is from a plant exhibited in the garden of the Royal Botanic Society in June 1850, 
by H. Colyer, Esq., of Dartford.—H. 
The flowers which are at first white with rose-coloured teeth, change after being a few days 
expanded to cream colour, with the teeth reddish brown. It has been for some six or eight 
years cultivated in the gardens of this country, and appears to have been introduced by Mr. 
Whitfield. The flowers have a very agreeable fragrance. 
Culture. —Notwithstanding what has been said by a contemporary to the contrary, we 
have no doubt, under proper management, this will be found one of the finest stove climbers 
ever introduced, and also an excellent pot plant. Being a native of tropical Africa the secret 
of its management, is vigorous growth first, and a thorough maturation of the wood afterwards ; 
for unless the wood is thoroughly matured it is quite certain it will never produce flowers. 
The most likely method of procedure to insure success is the following :—Take a young 
strong plant early in the season, say the end of February, and if the roots are fresh and healthy, 
pot it immediately, using a compost consisting of good fibrous loam, peat, and leaf mould in 
proportions of one of the latter to two of the former, and secure the porosity of the mass by a 
liberal use of sand, potsherds, and charcoal. When the plants are potted, plunge the pots at 
once in a bottom heat of seventy-five degrees and increase it to eighty-five as the days increase 
in length and the plants get into full vigour. During the growing season up to the end of 
July, pot the plants as frequently as they require it, taking care that they sustain no check, 
and, to promote full vigour, water twice a week with liquid manure. The atmospheric 
temperature should range from 65 to 90 degrees, with the atmosphere saturated with 
moisture, and all the air that can be given consistently with the maintainence of the requisite 
YOL. II, F 
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