“other botanists; the chief difference between the plants con- 
sisting in the degree of pubescence, which is proved to de- 
pend upon circumstances not controlled by the nature of 
the species. Native of North America; where it is very 
common in swamps and on the banks of rivers. Flowers in 
July and August. 
An herbaceous perennial plant. Stem upright, purplish 
green, downy or tomentose, leafy oppositely branched, cy- 
lindrical and slightly compressed, obscurely fluted or angu- 
lar, smooth and shining below, and about the thickness of 
the finger. Leaves opposite, distant, oblong, lanceolate, 
about half a foot long and more than an inch and half 
broad, varicosely nerved beneath and somewhat wrinkled, 
downy, with the pubescence more conspicuous’ at the 
nerves and veins, subovate or subcordate at the base; 
petioles short. Flowers terminating both stem and branches, 
of a purplish flesh colour, with a fragrance that seems to 
have some resemblance to that of the Peruvian Heliotrope: 
umbels numerous, repeatedly dichotomous, crowdedly fasti- 
giant, lower ones placed between two leaves, upper be- 
tween two bractes. Common peduncles reddish, longer than 
the pedicles, downy, from about two iiiches long to very 
short, thickish. Involucre small, purple, 3 times shorter 
than the pedicles of the rays, radiate, sometimes reflectent; 
downy; leaflets very narrow, subulate. Unmbels. many= 
rayed, nearly as convex as capitula; pedicles inserted round 
about the enlarged fleshy head of the peduncle, about three 
times as long as the segments of the corolla, downy, round; 
and tapered upwards. Calyx externally downy, teddish 
green, reflectent, more than twice shorter than the corolla, 
with ovately acuminate or lanceolate segments. Corolla 
smooth reflectent, segments lanceolately oblong acute: 
stamineous crown of a pale flesh colour, placed at ‘about 
two thirds below the top of the column, which in the space 
between that. and the plane of the corolla is round and 
fluted: the cucullated leaflets ovately oblong, with a slant- 
ing retuse orifice, putting out from their bottom small white 
slender horns that converge over the stigma. 
The drawing was taken at the nursery of Méssi's. Whit- 
ley, Brames, and. Milne, Fulham. 
a A leaflet of the stamineous crown. 4 Shows the pollen-masses ape 
pended to the stigma 
