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— 
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Tas. 5315. 
HELICONTA METALLICA. 
Metallic-leaved Heliconia. 
Nat. Ord. Musace®.—PENTANDRIA MoNOGYNIA. 
Gen. Char, Perigonii epigyni foliola exteriora eequalia, basi inter se concres- 
centia, interiora lateralia subconformia approximata, genitalia amplectentia, pos- 
ticum nanum. Stamina 5, sexto postico abortiente, basi perigonii adnata. Ova- 
yium inferum, triloculare. Qvuda in loculis solitaria, e basi axeos adscendentia, 
anatropa. Stylus filiformis; stigma depressiusculum, obsolete trilobum. Capsu/a 
subdrupacea, tricocca ; coccis osseis, indehiscentibus. Semina in coccis solitaria, 
obovato-subglobosa, basifixa ; ¢es¢a ab endocarpio vix solubili. Hmryo ortho- 
tropus, linearis, in axi albuminis farinaceo-carnosi, extremitate radiculari umbi- 
licum attingente, infera.—Herbee Americane tropice ; foliis longe petiolatis ; pe- 
tiolis basi vaginantibus, scapum radicalem sepe velantibus ; spathis pluribus distichis, 
in axilla floriferis. Endl. 
HELIcontiA metallica ; elata gracilis 6-8-pedalis, foliis sesqui—bi-pedalibus ob- 
longis acuminatis supra velutino-viridibus subtus purpureo-metallicis, spica 
erecta, spathis remotiusculis uni-trifloris, floribus subcylindraceo-angulatis 
curvatis falcatis coccineis, sepalorum apicibus acuminatis albis erecto-paten- 
tibus, petalo nano ovato obtusiusculo. 
HELIconra metallica. Planch. and Linden, Cat. 1856, . 11 (name only, no de- 
scriptive character or remarks). : 
Roots of this fine species of Heliconia were. sent to us by Mr. 
Linden, and M. Schlim is recorded as the discoverer, in the wet 
shady gorges at the foot of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Martha. 
It is to be regretted that Messrs. Planchon and Linden, as far 
as we can find at least, have nowhere published any figure 
or description of this plant, and, though we feel ourselves by 
no means called upon to perpetuate such names, yet in the 
present case we think it better to do so than to create con- 
fusion by needlessly increasing the number of names and syno- 
nyms. It requires the heat of a warm stove to induce the flower- 
ing of this plant. 
Descr. This is perhaps the most graceful of all the species of 
Heliconia known to us. It resembles a very slender Musa in its 
foliage, and is six to eight feet high: the stem-portion, if it may be 
May Ist, 1862. 
