RENEALMIA NUTANS; 



OR, 



NODDING RENEALMIA. 



1 HIS lovely Tree rises by the banks of rivers to the height of near twenty feet. Its leaves are 

 alternate^ strongly veined in the midrib exteriorly ;, but channelled in the inside. Like the 

 Indian Canna they constitute a part of the stalk. In its first stage the buds are enveloped within 

 a leafy sheath^ in the centre^ supporting at its top a small leaf. The inside is of a beautiful 

 crimson. The flower then shoots out a real spatha consisting of two leaves of a light green^ 

 elegantly running into crimson. These drop, when the huds all appear regularly disposed like 

 the tiles of a house, of a beautiful white, tipt with crimson. They then appear glossy, and as if 

 formed of the most perfect wax. From an absolute depending position, the flower-stalk gra- 

 dually becomes nodding, the protecting leaf in the centre of the plant, withers, and from the 

 bottom upwards the flowers take a contrary direction, the buds each turning back as they open, 

 displaying a lovely assemblage of the most captivating flowers. To understand this flower well 

 we must have recourse to the dissection. The flowers are not single but in pairs. The first 

 envelope drops, when the advancing flower with a hud by its side appears. The second envelope 

 is permanent, and wrinkled at the edges, half the length of the calyx, of a single piece v/ith 

 a division through its whole length, throughout of a bright crimson. This is seen along with the 

 Pistillum^ and is seated above the germen. The Corolla consists of a single fleshy petal divided 

 into three segments, whereof the upper segment, resembles a hood, is twice the size of the two 

 under, strongly emarginate, and deeply marked with crimson, whereas the two under ones are only 

 half the size, less decidedly emarginate, with only a blush of red near their summits, divided by 

 a line of white in the centre. Under the upper segment and attached to its base is ihQ filament^ 

 ending in a twin or double ajither. Here we remark a singular contrivance of Nature not to fail 

 of her purpose, the filament is not only grooved, but there is an hollow in the centre of the 

 anther, through which the pistilluni passes, and growing longer than the stamen, the flower there- 

 fore depends. The germen beneath is slightly covered with down, and becomes an oblong beny, 

 filled with seeds, which is preserved by the natives of Surinam, and is accounted a great deli- 

 cacy. The Pistilluni is also further fixed within the tube of the Nectary, resembling in form 

 somewhat, that of the Limodoron, or the petal of our Digitalis, but this is of a beautiful 

 yellow, exquisitely streaked with red, and deeply tinged at its base, and this is continually distilling 

 honey into the water, which creates a plaintive sound. It comes under the first Class, and first 

 Order of Linn^us. We were favoured on this plant with the following exquisite lines, by a 

 lady, whose fine poetry, I am happy to announce, will again appear in the course of this work. 



Bright Renealmia! why in pensive grace 



Bend o'er th' enamour d stream thy lovely face? 



Still to the wave thus bow thy glowing head, 



And give thy image to its liquid bed. — 



Less beauteous forms might view with conscious pride 



Their hues reflected in the glassy tide; 



Whilst thou, fair plant ! but think'st thy fading near, 



Droop'st in thy bloom, and shedd'st a spicy tear. 



Cordelia Sheeles. 



