994. C onocarpus lattfolia (Roxo.:) leaves
without glands, elliptical or obovate, obtuse or
emarginate, glabrous: peduncles branched, bearing
several heads of flowers, or very short with the heads
densely aggregated.—u ; peduncles conspicuous.—
W. and A?Prod. p. 316.
A large and handsome tree frequent on the Eastern
slopes of the Neilg berries, also in most of the subal-
pine jungles, along the whole of that mountain range
from the Northern Circars to the southern extremity
of the Peninsula.
995. Sonbrila GRANDiFtoRA (R. Br.) erect ?,
glabrous: leaves elliptic, attenuated at both ends,
bristle-serrated, 3-nerved at the base: peduncle
terminal (always ?), about the length of the leaves,
flattened at the apex and there bearing a slightly
curved raceme of several unilateral large flowers:
petals ovate, pointed : style as long as the stamens :
Stigma simple : capsule glabrous, 3 sided, scarcely
the length of the pedicel.— W. and A. Prod. p. 322.
A beautiful plant, and, as compared with the other
species of the genus, well named. 1 have only met with
it in one station on the Neilgherries in Long Valley
about mid way between the Avalanche and Sisparah.
There it occurs in considerable abundance on the
banks of a stream by which the valley is intersected.
The flowers are of a deep pink, congregated on the
ends of the branches. It is an erect suffruteeose
plant, from 12 to 18 inches high, the leaves between
2 and 3 inches long and about 1 broad, three to five
nerved, the outer pair of nerves often very slender,
hut in luxuriant plants, such as the one represented,
distinctly 5-nerved.
995-2, Sonbrila speciosa (Zenker) stem erect,
subdichotomous at the base, somewhat foursided :
leaves petioled 5-nerved, broadly ovate, acute, mucro-
nately serrated,glabrous; petioles hairy near the apex :
peduncles terminal, dichotomus ; brauches afterwards
elongating ; flowers secund : calyx and mid rib of
the petals, below, covered with short rigid glanduli-
ferous hairs: petals ovate, obtuse, mucronate : style
and stamens about equal.
Kaitie Falls rare, on moist sides of ravines in the
woods above the Avalanche Bungalow,very abundant,
flowering in February. This when seen in perfection
is a very handsome species. Flowers pink, rarely
more than two or three open at once on each branch
of the cyme.
995-3. Sonbrila blegans (R. W.) herbaceous,
erect, ramous, hairy : leaves petioled, penninerved,
from ovate cordate to cordate, acuminated, serrulate :
peduncles terminal, cymosely dichotomous ; branches
afterwards elongating : flowers numerous, secund :
calyx pubescent : petals ovate pointed : anthers long
beaked : capsule hirsute, conical, 3-sided, crowned
with the limb of the calyx : seed hairy.
Sisparah, very abundant all along the road side, in
flower and ripe fruit in February. A most conspicuous
species, at first a few pale pink flowers open,
these are followed successively by others as the
bvanches elongate until at length each branch is several
inches long, covered along the upper edge with a
row of capsules and two or three flowers at the extremities
: the branches in the mean time tending horizontally
backwards ? and slightly approaching each
other, present somewhat the form of the letter V as
shown in the drawing.
996. Osbbekia Lbschehaultiasa (D.C.:) shrubby
: branches 4 angled, b e e t with stiff hairs : leaves
sessile, ovate, somewhat acute, approximate, 5-nerved
villous on both sides : flowers sessile, bract ealed,
about 3 together, capitate: calyx tube globose,
covered with palmately ciliated short scales; segments
4, lanceolate. (D. C.) petals obcordate, bluntly
mucronate : stamens 8 ; anthers clavate, truncated,
curved : ovary crowned with a tuft of bristles. (R. W.
MFrequent about Kotergherry, flowering during the
autumnal months. Flowers small, compared with those
of most of the other species of the genus, and m proportion
to the size of the plant, which often attains a
height of between two and three feet. They are nearly
white dashed with crimson spots. It associates
with O. truncata in its beakless anthers and small
flowers, but is in all other respects amply distinct.
The flowers in De Candolle’s specimens seem tohave
been imperfect, as he has not alluded to the petals or
stamens.
997. O sbbekia Garo n eria n a (R. W.) a large
erect ramous shrub, all the young parts clothed with
long bristly hairs : leaves sessile, ovate, 3-nerved,;
usually with two short slender lateral ones near the
base, pubescently hairy on both sides : flowers terminal
capitate : calyx tube short,campanulate, closely
covered with ligulate and towards the apex clavate
adpressed scales, furnished with numerous long dark
red or rusty coloured bristles ; limb 5-cleft, divisions
linear, lanceolate, obtuse, more than twice the length
of the appendages, both covered with bristles : petals
5, orbicular : stamens. 10, anthers recurved, correiga-
ted on the inner edge, shortly beaked.
This, which is the largest and most conspicuous
species found on the hills, is very abundant in the
woods about Ootacamund extending westwards as
far as Sisparah. In favourable situations it becomes
a large bush 8 or 10 feet high, though generally
about 4 or 5 ; flowering in profusion during February
and March. It is nearly allied to O. Wightiana
but is abundantly distinct in nature, though, as regards
technical characters, the difference is not so
clearly seen. I have dedicated it to my friend
George Gardner, Esq. Superintendant of the Royal
Botanical Garden of Ceylon, as a memorial of many
agreeable hours spent in his company while exploring
together the wilds of these Hills.
998. Osbeckia Wightiana (Benth.) shrubby:
branches herbaceous, scabrous with short bristles:
leaves nearly sessile, ovate, slightly acute, quite
entire, 5-7 nerved ; upper side covered with adpressed
somewhat shining hairs; under hirsute on the
nerves and shortly tomentose between them : flowers
(large) terminal, at first densely capitate and brac-
teated, afterwards often solitary : calyx campanulate,
densely covered with short adpressed capitate scales,
bearing, a tuft of long bristles at the apex ; segments 5
deciduous ; appendages deciduous, covered with bristles
: anthers 10, linear-oblong, scarcely beaked:
style clavate.— W. and A. Prod. p. 323.
This species is rare about Ootacamund but about
Coonoor and Kaitie Falls it is common. It is readily
distinguished from the preceding by the short ridged
shining adpressed hairs with which the 5-nerved
leaves are covered and by the calycine bristles being
nearly white, while in it they are a deep brownish
red.