Botanical Magazine 106 - 1880.pdf - hibiscus.org

are, however, not sufficiently good to pronounce upon, and
the racemes from which the flowers have fallen are much
shorter and more fascicled.
This species was introduced into England many years
ago ; it has been cultivated for a quarter of a century at
Kew, to which it was, I believe, sent from Holland. Like
the rest of the half-shrubby species, it flowers very late in
the season, and is di•ceous.
DESCR. A tall glabrous bushy herb, six feet high, with
innumerable stout branching angular red-brown leafy stems
rising in a tuft from an underground root-stock which
sends out innumerable runners. Leaves three to four
inches long and sometimes almost as broad, usually broadly
ovate-cordate, and abruptly acuminate, sometimes almost
orbicular, often truncate at the base with rounded angles,
firm, reticulated, dark green, paler beneath ; petiole one
quarter to one inch long ; ochreae short, caducous. Racemes
puberulous, axillary, sessile or subsessile, shorter than the
leaves, usually paniculately branched at the base, the
branches spreading and given off so low clown that the
racemes appear fascicled; bracts small, obtuse; pedicels
slender, jointed below the middle. Flowers di•ceous,
white. Perianth one quarter of an inch in diameter;
segments broadly elliptic, obtuse, concave. Stamens six or
seven, imperfect in the female flower. Styles three, short,
cunéate. Fruiting perianth obcordate, three outer sepals
broadly winged, about one-third of an inch long, gradually
narrowed into the capillary pedicel. Nut small, trigonous,
shining.•J. D. H.
Fig. 1, Female flower; 2, longitudinal section of the same :•both enlarged.