Lobelia caudata (Griseb.) Urb.

Lobelia caudata (Griseb.) Urban, Symb. Ant. 1: 455. 1900
Tupa caudata Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind. 386. 1861. Uorlmannia caudata Kuntze, Rev. Gen. 972. 1891.
Stem erect, simple or with few subordinate branches, coarse, up to about 0.6 cm. in diameter at base, herbaceous, glabrous below the peduncle of the inflorescence, up to 1.2 m. high; cauline leaves 120 or fewer, crowded, sometimes in the upper 20 cm. of the stem, spreadingascending, membranous, glabrous and smooth above, pubescent along the rather prominent midvein beneath, the margin pectinately toothed, with 2-4 subulate spine-tipped teeth per cm., the teeth 1-5 mm. long, the blades 1-2 cm. broad by 15-25 cm. long, narrowly linear-lanceolate, the tip long caudate-acuminate, the base acute, narrowed into a pubescent petiole 0.5-2 cm. long (the lower leaves sometimes glabrous); inflorescence secimd (often strongly so), 8-25 cm. long, 25-60-flowered, pediuiculate 5-10 cm., the peduncle and raceme-axis short-bristlypubescent; pedicels spreading and abruptly bent as described for L. viridiflora, 15-18 mm. long, short-bristly-pubescent, each with a pair of filiform pubescent bracteoles 2-3 mm. long, decurrent at the middle of pedicel or above; flower-bracts narrowly linear, pubescent, pectinately toothed, 1-2 mm. wide, 50-60 mm. long, sometimes adnate to base of pedicel; flower about 20-23 mm. long, including hypanthium; corolla 15-16 mm. long, greenishwhite (according to Grisebach), pubescent without, the tube 5-10 mm. long, nearly straight, fenestrate shortly near base (always?), the lobes somewhat decurved, the two upper ones 9-10 mm. long, the three lower ones 5-8 mm. long; filament-tube 8.5-10 mm. long, sparsely pubescent, the filaments connate more than half their length; anther-tube 4.8-5.5 mm. long, the 2 smaller anthers densely white-tufted at tip; hypanthium in anthesis obliquely cup-shaped, sparsely short-pubescent, in fruit similar, 6-7 mm. across; capsule half inferior, 6-8 mm. long, the base of the free part overtopped about 1.5 mm. by the rim of the hypanthium; calyx-lobes narrowly triangular or nearly linear, about 1 mm. broad by 4 mm. long, dilated at base, pubescent, toothed; seeds ovoid, reticulate, light-brown, about 0.7 mm. long.
Type locality: Jamaica, Purdie. Distribution: Jamaica (Blue Mountains).