Tan. 6811. 
CHUSQUEA apntertrorta. 
Native of Jamaica. 
Nat. Ord. Graminem.—Tribe Bampusex. 
Genus Cuusqunra, Kunth ; (Benth. et Hook. f. Gen, Pl. vol. iii. p. 1209.) 
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CavsQuEa abietifolia ; culmis gracilibus alte scandentibus ramosis, ramulis foliosis 
subverticillatim fasciculatis, foliis parvis distichis rigidis lineari-lanceolatis 
acuminatis subtiliter serrulatis, vaginis ciliatis, ligula nulla, racemis brevibus 
paucifloris subsimplicibus nutantibus, rachi gracillima scaberula, spiculis 
lanceolatis, glumis 2 inferioribus parvis ovatis cuspidatis, gluma florente 
oblongo-lanceolata aristata 7-nervi, palea glume florenti «quilonga lineari- 
oblonga 6-nervi apice 4-cuspidata, lodiculis 3. 
C. abietifolia, Griseb. Fl. Brit. W. Ind., p. 529. 
Arvunpo, No. 5, P. Browne, Hist. Jamaic., p. 139. 
This very interesting and graceful little Bamboo is con- 
fined to the mountainous interior of the Island of Jamaica, 
where it climbs the loftiest trees, and its pendulous branches 
form feathery masses of great beauty. It is mentioned in 
Browne’s “ History of Jamaica,” but I can trace no allusion 
to it in Sloane’s great work. Plants of it have been intro- 
duced into Kew, first by Mr. Jenman, when in charge of 
the Castleton Botanical Gardens (in Jamaica), and again 
by Mr. Morris, the Director of Public Gardens in that 
island. The plants sent by the latter grew well, and 
promised to be a charming addition to the Tropical 
Garden, when they, in December last, suddenly burst into — 
flower, since which they have thrown off much of their 
foliage, causing me to fear that, after the manner of so 
many species of the most remarkable tribe of grasses to 
which it belongs, they may not survive the flowering 
period. A careful examination of the inflorescence shows 
that this differs both from the generic character attributed 
to the genus Chusquea, and to the specific character given 
by Grisebach. According to Kunth’s description of the 
genus, as drawn up from South American species, there 
should be within the two outer short empty glumes two 
_ other empty ones similar to the flowering and appressed 
APRIL Ist, 1885, 
