Catesbaea
(founded by Linnaeus, in honour of his contemporary, Mark Catesby, author of "Natural History of Carolina"). Lily Thorn. ORD. Rubiaceae. Stove evergreen glabrous shrubs, bearing supra-axillary, simple spines. Flowers axillary, solitary; corolla funnel-shaped, with a very long tube, gradually widening and dilated to the throat, and a four-parted limb. Leaves small, oval, usually in fascicles. These are very ornamental plants while in flower. They grow best in a mixture of light turfy loam and peat. Cuttings will root in April, if planted in sand, and plunged in heat, with a bell glass placed over them. Insects often infest these plants and considerably impair their beauty; therefore, necessary precautions should be taken. C. latifolia (broad-leaved).* fl. pendulous; tube of corolla very long, obconical at the apex; pedicels one-flowered. June. l. obovate, shining, convex, rather shorter than the spines. h. 4ft. to 5ft. West Indies, 1823. (B. R. 858.) C. parviflora (small-flowered). fl. erect; corolla with a tetragonal tube, about four lines long, sessile among the leaves. June. l. ovate, stiff, with revolute margins, mucronate. h. 4ft. to 5ft. Jamaica, 1810. C. spinosa (spiny). fl. pendulous; corolla pale yellow, 3in. to 6in. long. May. l. ovate, acutish at both ends, rather longer than the spines. h. 10ft. to 14ft. Bahama Islands, 1726. (B. M. 131.)