Astrapaea
(from astrape, lightning; alluding to the brightness of the flowers). ORD. Sterculiaceae. Elegant stove evergreen trees. Peduncles axillary, long, bearing on their apex an umbel of large sessile flowers, enclosed in a leafy involucre. Leaves alternate, stalked, cordate, three to five-lobed. They thrive well in a mixture of loam and peat, and require a plentiful supply of water; but the best results accrue if the bottom of the pot can be stood in a saucer or tub of water. Propagated by cuttings of young wood, made in April, placed in a compost of loam and peat, or sand, under a bell glass, in heat.
A. tiliaeflora (Lime-tree flowered). fl. pink. h. 20ft. Isle of Bourbon, 1824. A. viscosa (clammy). fl. pink. h. 20ft. Madagascar, 1823. A. Wallichii (Wallich's).* fl. scarlet; umbels drooping. July. l. large, cordate, angularly lobed; stipulas leafy, ovate-acuminated; peduncles long, hairy. h. 30ft. Madagascar, 1820. This splendid species has often been described as being one of the finest plants ever introduced into this country; and, when in full flower, nothing can exceed it in beauty and grandeur.