Phygelius
(from phyga, flight, and helios, the sun; said to love shade). ORD. Scrophularineae. A genus comprising only a couple of species of erect, very glabrous, South African shrubs. Flowers scarlet, showy, on recurved pedicels; calyx of five imbricated segments; corolla with an incurved or slightly erect, elongated tube, and a limb of five round, spreading lobes; peduncles loosely cymose, three to seven-flowered, disposed in a terminal, secund panicle. Leaves opposite, stalked, crenulate; floral ones reduced to bracts; the uppermost ones alternate. P. capensis, the only species introduced, thrives in a light, rich, loamy soil. Seeds, which are abundantly produced, should be sown in a slight hotbed, in spring, and the seedlings afterwards transplanted to a warm, sunny border. The species may also be increased by cuttings. P. capensis (Cape).* Cape Figwort. fl. scarlet; corolla 1 1/2in. long; tube constricted at base above the ovary, slightly enlarged above; peduncles opposite, or the upper ones alternate. Summer. l. ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2in. to 3in. long. Branches rather thick, sub-tetragonal, smooth. h. 3ft. 1855. A showy plant.(B. M. 4881; F. d. S. 1111; R. G. 227.)