Sopubia
(said to be a native name in the East Indies). SYNS. Gerdaria, Raphidophyllum. ORD. Scrophularineae. A genus comprising eight or nine species of stove, erect, usually annual herbs, natives of tropical and Southern Africa, Madagascar, the East Indies, the Malayan Archipelago, and Australia. Flowers bracteate, spicate or racemose; calyx campanulate, five-toothed or five-lobed; corolla with a short tube and five broad, spreading lobes; stamens four, didynamous; pedicels bibracteolate. Leaves opposite, or the upper ones alternate, narrow, often laciniate. S. delphinifolia appears to be the only species introduced to our gardens. It is a handsome perennial, thriving in peaty soil; it may be increased by cuttings, inserted under a glass, or by seeds.
S. delphinifolia (Delphinium-leaved). fl. rose-coloured, subsessile; corolla sub-campanulate, 1in. to 1 1/2in. long, 1in. in diameter. July. l. 1in. long, pinnatisect; segments almost as long, few, filiform, flexuous. Stem erect, four-grooved, 3ft. to 4ft. high, spotted with purple. India, 1800. SYN. Gerardia delphinifolia.