LACHNAEA (from lachnaeos, downy; referring to the downy clothing of the flower-heads). ORD. Thymelaceae. A genus of eighteen species of greenhouse evergreen shrubs, natives of the Cape of Good Hope. Flowers in terminal heads, frequently surrounded by bracts; perianth coloured, tubular, four-cleft. Leaves opposite or scattered. Lachnaeas thrive in a sandy-peat soil, and require a somewhat sheltered and shady situation. Propagated, in spring, by cuttings of short young shoots, placed in sand, under a bell glass. LACHNAEA buxifolia (Box-leaved).* fl.-heads white, woolly. May to July. l. oval, sessile, very smooth. h. 2ft. 1800. (B. M. 1657). LACHNAEA buxifolia glauca (glaucous). fl.-heads white, woolly. May to July. l. scattered, elliptical, ovate. h. 2ft. 1800. (B. M. 1658.) LACHNAEA conglomerata (clustered). fl.-heads white, clustered. June and July. l. loose. h. 2ft. 1773. LACHNAEA eriocephala (woolly-headed). fl.-heads white, solitary, woolly, imbricated in four rows. June and July. h. 2ft. 1793. (B. M. 1295.) LACHNAEA purpurea (purple).* fl.-heads purple, smooth. June and July. l. opposite. h. 2ft. 1800. (B. M. 1594.)