the point, prickly ciliate, prickles very small, rather wide- 

 set, longer ones 7 or 8 inches long or more. Stem upright, 

 9 or 10 inches high or more, round, simple, spathaceously 

 sheathed: sheaths single, scattered, sphacelately mem- 

 branous, involutely lanceolate, acuminate or long pointed, 

 lower ones brownish, imbricately upright ; npper ones the 

 longest, divaricate, brightly crimsoned. Branchlets or pe- 

 duncles slightly angular, wideset, scattered, thick, spread- 

 ing, with the front edge slightly elongated into two shallow 

 broad hractes scarcely observable but when carefully looked 

 for, lower ones iji the axils of the upper spathes, upper ones 

 naked, all three times shorter than the flower or more. 

 Flowers tubular, about two inches long, of the diameter 

 nearly of a common pen, very pale pejir-green, blueish at the 

 tips, placed in pairs side by side at the ends of the branch- 

 lets, the uppermost or outer one in our sample always prov- 

 i[ig abortive, as shown in the present figure. Cali/x twice 

 shorter than the corolla, more substantial, nerved; segments 

 lanceplately long-pointed sitting close about the corolla. 

 Corolla nearly an inch and an half long, the orifice shortly 

 and subbilabiately spreading J segments ligulate, convolute, 

 overlapping each other at the sides, shortly pointed. Anthers 

 yellow, linear, vibrating. Germen cylindrical, oblong, 

 green, furrowed, 3 times shorter than the corolla. Sti/le 

 slightly protruded, green: stigmas dark deep green, halved 

 lanceolate, linear, twisted into one or else loose. The 

 small scaly crown at the bottom of the interior of the flower 

 resembles exactly that of Bromeua nudicaulis, the descrip- 

 tion of which may be seen in vol. 3, fol. 203, of the present 

 publication. 



