Mr. Ellis observes, in his letter to us, grow in the same waters, 
and he did not fail to note, on his last visit to Madagascar, that 
“one of the two had longer and narrower and less fenestrate _ 
leaves than the O. fenestralis,” though, not seeing this in flower, 
he did not at once recognize it as distinct. 
Descor. Leaves all radical, tufted, submerged, from one and 
a half to two feet long, including the petiole (from four to six 
inches), oblong-ligulate, very slightly tapering at the base, obtuse 
at the point, formed of longitudinal and transverse fibres, which 
constitute a beautiful network on each side the costa; the areoles 
sometimes closed with parenchyme, more generally partially 
closed, leaving four-angled openings in the centre, of which the 
larger are next the midrib, and square, becoming smaller and 
forming transverse lines only near the margin. ‘The colour is 
a brighter green than is exhibited by Ouvirandra fenestrals. 
- Petioles subtriangular, channelled. Peduncle, or rather, scape, 
radical, swollen above the middle, and contracted again just 
below the inflorescence. Spikes three to five, forming a kind of - 
umbel or fascicle of slender rachises, rather sparingly beset 
with flowers. Bracts two, sometimes three, oblong-spathulate, 
subtending each flower. Perianth proper, none. Stamens six ; 
filaments stout, subulate. Anthers subglobose, two-celled. Ova- 
ries three, apparently connected at the base, tapering into short, 
thick styles ; stigma a depressed point. 
_Fig. 1. Portion of a leaf in its usual-state. 2. Portion of a spike of flowers, 
with bracts. 3. Pistil :—magnified. 
