Botanical Magazine 106 - 1880.pdf - hibiscus.org

with a deep median groove, very coriaceous, bright green ;
petiole enclosed for half its length in a membranous brown
ribbed sheath ' with a truncate mouth. Racemes very
shortly peduncled, solitary from each leaf-sheath, two or
three times as long as the leaf, erect, very slender, clothed
at intervals with bracts from near the base to the summit ;
bracts one-tenth of an inch long, between cup- and funnel-
shaped, with a very oblique mouth, lowest smaller and
narrower without flowers, uppermost with an acute lip.
Flowers at intervals of one-sixth of an inch along the
rachis, about one-sixth of an inch in diameter, inserted all
round the rachis. Perianth subcampanulate, trigonous in
bud, yellowish purple without, pale purple w r ithin. Sepals
broadly ovate, acute, united at the base, three-nerved ;
clothed with long flexuous spreading hairs within. Petals
very minute, axe-shaped with an incurved edge. Lip
minute, peltately attached to a curved stipes, undivided,
cordate-oblong, obtuse, with a longitudinally rather
thickened disk. Column with a large spreading auricle on
each side at the top.•J. D. H.
Fig. 1, Side view of flower ; 2, front view of the same with the sepals removed,
showing the two petals, lip, and spreading auricles of the column ; 3, sepal ; 4, petal;
5, lip; 0, side view of column and lip ; 7, external, and, 8, internal view of anther-
case ; 9, pollen :•all greatly enlarged.