EUGOlIPilOSTEMilA.
VAR. tiipica; foliis subtas, bracteis estiis, pctiolisque iequabiliter mollitcr tomen-
10SÌ8.—G. ovatiim Wall Cat. n. 2155 (1828); Benth., Wall. PI. As. Rar.
ii, 12 (1831), Lah. Gen. at Sp. 6i9 (1835) et DC. Prodr. 7:ii, 552 (1848);
mip., Rep. iii, 897 (1845); Hook, f . , Fior. Brit. Ind. iv, C99 (1885).
ILL HIMALAYA ceutrali efc orieatali; Nepal, in collo Clianduagbcu, WalUch! Sikkim,
a d Rishap 2,000 p. s. m., Clarice n. 12i9S ! ad ripas riv. Ryaog, G. Gammie ! LU ASSAM
superiore ; Masters.'
VAB. flaccida; foliis IfEte viridibusj fiaccidis, subtus bracteisque estus (acrvis
pubei'ulis excep'tis) glabris, petiolis parce puberulis.
I n HIMALAYA orientali; ad ripas fl. Raugiet, 2,500 p. s. m., Anderson! infra Darjiliiig,
2,500 p, s. m., Kiirz! ad Sittoug, 3,000 p. s. m., King ! la ASSAM iuferiore; ia collibiis
J a i u t e a , ¿"¿>«0«« I in moutibus Khasia, 4,000 p. s. m. , Mann !
Caulibus 15—30 cm. altis asceiideiitibus imo basi radicantibus, petiolis 2—1 cm. longis,
laruinis 14 — 16 cm. longis liis 10—12 cm. Litis, verticillastris 12—30-floris, bracteis
exterioribus 18 mm. longis his 12 mm. latis, reliquis 12 mm. longis his 3—4 mm. latis,
cali/ce VAK. typicm 10 mm. longo hoc 4 mra. Iato—tubo calycis 6 mm. longo, dentibus
4 mm. longis bis basi 2 mm. latis, calyce VAR« flaccidcc 12 mm* longo ^~tubo 7 mni lon^o
d e n t i b u s 5 mm. longis, corolla 40 mm longa—tubi parte iequali 30 mm. longa, limbo
10 mm. lato, labio postico integro 6 mm. longo hoc 12 mm. lato, labio antico 16 mm.
longo hoc 18 mm. lato, lobo medio ampHssinio, nuculis 6 mm. longis his 4 mm. latis.
PLATE GÌ). G-omphostemma ovatuin Wall. Specimen from Nepal, Wallich {Cat.
n. 2155J.
Most nearly allied to G. melksi/oUiim, from which it differs in having larger leaves, tha outer bracts
somewhat larger and all obtuse, the wliotls many-flowered and the «pper lip of corolla entire, not
emarginats. The habit also is usually different in G. ovatiim; the stems ate ascending and only rootmg
near the base, in G. melmifoUum prostrate or Bcandent and longer, often rooting below for half their length.
The varieties differ a good deal in appearancs, but there are no good diagnostic marks except absence
of pubescence in VAE. flaccida, which bears to the type precisely the relationship home to G. strabilimim
by its v.iR. firidis.
25. Gomphostemma melissifolium Wall. (1828).
Elongata, rarissime nana, caule gracili distiaete suluato scabro, foliis petiolatis mem-
Inanaceis supra glabris subtus nerris petiolisque scabride tomeatosis ceterum glabris,
laminis ellipticis basi cuneatis apice acutis margine minute deiitatis, verlicillastris
paucifloris densis, Iracteis exterioribus ovatis acutis margino iiitegris calycem pauIo
su p e r an ti bus, reliquis lanceolatis calyce brevioribus, bracteolis linearibus brevi bus, valijcis
r i r i d i s dentibus lanceolatis tubo aiquiloiigis, corolla flava vel piirpurasceme antico incurva,
extus puberula, calyce plus !l-plo longiore, slylo glabro, naculis rubris glabris, extus intusque
Iffivibus,—G-. melissifolium Wall, Cat. n. 2157 (1825); Btnth., Wall IH. As. Bar. ii,
12 pro parte et quoad syn. Prasium melissifolium Boxb.—Q;. melissifolium Benth.,
L'lb. Gen. et Sp. 649 (1835) et DC. Prodr. xii, 552 (1848); Wulp., Hep. iii, 897 (1845);
pro parie.—G. melissEefoliuai Uook. / , Fior. Brit. Ind. ir, (398 (IS85).—Prasium melissi
folium RozL, Hort. Bcng. 45 (1814), Fior. Ind. iii, 20 (1832) et Icon. ined. s, t. 119.
MELISSIFOLTA. 27 1
I n ASSALI inferiore; Khasia, apud Jbeiia, 250 p. s. m,, Clarhc nn. 44946! 44953!
Silhet, Roxlurgh, Ca cha r , Prascr ! In EORT. BOT. CALCDTTA, cult., Roxhirgh
( i c o n . ) l Falconcr!
Caulibus 50—250 cm. longis, gracilibus, scandentibus vel prorsus prostratis et a
medio deorsum radicantibus, rarissimo brevibus (10—30 cm. altis) suberectis, laminis 7—10
cm. longis his 3-5-5 cm. latis, vorticiliastris sub-6-fíoris, bracteis exterioribus imis
20 mm. longis bis 8 mm. latis, reliquis plurimis 10—12 mm. longis his 5—6 mm, latis
cahjee 10 mm. longo hoc 4-5 mm. lato—tubo calycis 5 mm, longo, dentibus 5 mm.'
longis his basi 2-5 mm. latis, corolla 35 mra, longa—tubi parte squali 20 mm. Jonga^
l imb o 8 mm. l a to, l abio pos t i co 7 mm. longo hoc 9'5 mm. l a to ma r gme ema r g i n a t o ,
labio antico 10 mm. longo hoc 14-5 mm. lato, íiuctilis 4 mm. iongis his 3 mm. latis.
PLATE 100. Gomphostemma melissifolium Wall. A—Specimen from Jheria Ghat.
C<ar^:e n. 44953. B—Ex Roxlurgh, Icon. ined. x, t. 119.
This species is distmguished from G. ovatum, to which it is most nearly allied, by its whorls being
fewer-flowered, its bracts acute, its upper lip of corolla emarginate, its leaves smaller and narrowed to
both extremities and perfectly glabrous above. From G. Masicrsii, with which it was distributed by
Dr. Wallich, it also differs in having smaller leaves, fewer-fiowered whorls, longer bracts, upper lip
of corolla emaa'ginate, and leaves quite glabrous above.
The plant figui'ed by Dr. Roxbm'gh (PLVTE lOOB—copied from Roxb., Icon. ined. x, t. 119)
grown in the Botanic Garden at Calcutta is dwarf and stunted, and though tlie plant has been long lost
to oulivatiou, there is preserved in the Calcutta Ilarbaiium a cultivated specimen collected subsequent to
the distribution of Dr. TVallich's East Indian Herbarium, which shows that after being in cultivation
during a quarter of a centuiy it continued to he erect in habit and dwarfed. In one Cachar gathering—
tliat by Prazer—tlie plant is described as having stems about S feet! long, lambUng over adjacent
bushes; some of the specimens communicated by this collector o.ro tops of stems 2—3 feet loug ^^th no
sign of rootlets. These specimens thus conoboiute Dr. Eoxburgh's statement that the species is scandent
—a habit which it shares wt h G. nutans. In Dr. "WaUich's gathering and in all subssquent gatherings
except that of Prazer, the stems are, as described by Sir Joseph Hooker, prostrate and rooting below for
half their length.
The flowers in Dr. Roxburgh's figui'e are yellow: this is the coloui' noted in most field gatherings;
Prazer's Cachai' gathering has, however, blucish corollas with purple lips and a white throat. Ou the
page bcaiing the original figure of Boxburgh's plant there is brick-red stain, whica n Dr. Eoxburgli's
handwi'itiug is noted as having been made by the fi-esh " bright red " nutlet; the ripe nutlets of a dried
specimen (Clarke n. 44946), noted as " orange bro^Ti," impart to paper a st-ain precisely the same as
the stain referred to, which wns mado in 1S13 !
Thero fti'e not at Calcutta any specimens from Sikkiiu, and there are no Assam ones from an
elevation of over 300 feet above sea-level.
! i :