Botanical Magazine 106 - 1880.pdf - hibiscus.org

and lower branches, but under cultivation against a wall
at Kew it assumes an upright more twiggy habit, in which
respect it accords with the figure in the " Botanical
Register," made from greenhouse specimens grown at
South Lambeth. It was introduced into cultivation nearly
one hundred years ago, namely in 1787, by Mr. Thouin,
and flowers freely in late autumn (October), when from
the abundance of bloom it forms a very pretty object : it
is moreover very hardy, the specimen at Kew having sur-
vived the last hard winter with no other protection but some
cocoa-nut fibre on the ground around the base of the stem.
The leaves a good deal resemble those of the New Zealand
Veronica pinguifolia.
DESCR. A small erect or prostrate woody perfectly
glabrous shrub ; branches erect, leafy. Leaves very small
and uniform, one-third of an inch long, opposite, sessile,
ovate, acute, coriaceous, nerveless, keeled at the back,
concave in front. Flowers solitary on the ends of short
lateral branches, shortly pedicelled; pedicels two-bracteo-
late. Sepals oblong, obtuse, concave, eglandular. Petals
obovate-spathulate, subacute, pale golden-yellow, with a
tubercle on the face above the claw. Stamens in three
bundles, which alternate with as many two-lobed hypogy-
nous glands. Carpels three, with very short styles and
capitate stigmas.•/. D. H.
Fig. 1, flower cut longitudinally ; 2, bundle of stamens ; 3, carpels and uypogy-
nous glands :•all enlarged.