exploring the river Congo. There is however no sample of 
the species in the Herbarium of Dr. Smith, the botanist of that 
expedition, nor any seeds of it among the collection brought 
home for the Kew Gardens; nor have we indeed any direct 
notice where the seed that produced the plant was collected, 
nor if indigenous of the place where it was found. We have 
been unable to detect in it any difference whatever from the 
East Indian plant, under the name of which it is now given, 
except that the upper part of the calyx has rather a longer 
fur in the indigenous samples than in ours. In some 
samples of the species all the whorls of the inflorescence are 
separately subtended by a pair of opposite leaves below the 
involucre, in others only the lower whorls are so, in others 
none. Specimens having been formerly brought from Surinam, 
of which country however it seems to be ascertained that 
it is not an aboriginal plant, Hermann has been led to apply 
to it the epithet of “americana.” It is an annual species. 
Requires to be kept constantly in the hothouse, where it 
grows to the height of from 4 to 6 feet. It bears a great 
resemblance to the fine Cape species (L. Leonurus) well 
known in our gardens by the name of “ Lion’s Tail;” but 
the foliage is here much broader, and the corolla three or 
four times smaller. Introduced from the East Indies by Sir 
Joseph Banks in 1778. : 
Stem simple, upright, quadrangular, obtusely cornered, 
furred with a close white extremely short down, like that 
on the skin of a Peach, with 4 deep broad furrows. Leaves 
cordate, obtusely and deeply serrated, subtomentose, green. 
Petioles the length of the leaves. Whorls distant, many- 
flowered, towards the top-of the spike globular. Calyx 
slightly haired, 10-nerved, cucullately cylindrical, with a 
sharply toothed spiny border: the upper tooth being more 
than twice larger than the others, which are from 4 to 9, and 
small. Corolla villous, about an inch long, of a deep shining 
orange-scarlet, casque or upper lip. projecting far beyond the 
nether lip, shaggily and brightly bearded on the outside, 
notched, lower lip quite smooth, sharp pointed. Jnvolucre 
numerously leafletted, concealed by the flowers of.the whorl, 
reflectent, pubescent, leaflets lanceolately linear, prickly 
pointed. Anthers two-lobed, lobes vertically divaricated. 
- Not having had an opportunity of seeing the plant while 
fresh, we have added but little to the sketch given by 
Linnzeus. 
