Tas. 5114... 
BILBERGIA MacROCALYX. 
Long-calyxed Bilbergia. 
Nat. Ord. BRoMELIACE#.—HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, TaB. 4756.) 
BILBERGIA macrocalyz ; rhizomate crasso cylindraceo repente, foliis erecto-pa- 
tulis lato-lingulatis acutissimis coneavo-canaliculatis apice planiusculis re- 
curvis remote spinuloso-serratis viridibus pallide maculatis dorso subfastuosis, 
bracteis amplis ovato-oblongis brevi-acuminatissimis concavis intense roseis, 
bracteolis subnullis, spica simplici thyrsiformi, ovario infero calyceque biun- 
ciali farinosis, sepalis lineari-oblongis, petalis calyce 5 longioribus spatulatis 
apice patentibus pallide viridibus ad marginem purpureo-tinctis, squamis 
petalorum elongatis bidentatis ad basin squamula ciliata auctis. 
None of the described Bromeliacee, whether under Puya, 
Bilbergia, or Tillandsia (for the genera need a thorough revl- 
sion to render them intelligible), seem to correspond with this 
species, which our garden owes to the kindness of our friend 
J. Wetherell, Esq., when he was our Consul at Bahia, where it 
it is a native on the mossy branches of trees. Brazil indeed 
seema to abound in novelties of this family; and we save had 
more than once occasion to remark how well the species are 
worthy of cultivation, from the great beauty of the flowering © 
spikes: the beauty however is generally due more to the rich 
colouring of the large bracts, or spathes as they are sometimes 
called, than to that of the blossoms. ‘The present one may ¥) 
with any other in this particular, and will rank near to our 
B. Wetherelli (see our Tab. 4835), and still more neat perhaps 
Ms = thyrsoidea (Tab. Nostr. 4756); but is very distinct from 
oth. 
Dzscr. Rhizome thick, elongated, terete. Leaves a foot or a 
foot and a half long, broad-lingulate, erecto-patent, canaliculately 
concave, swollen and inflated, as it were, at the amplexicaul 
base, plane towards the apex, and recurved at the very acute or 
shortly acuminated point ; the margin 1s rather remotely spinu- 
MAY Ist, 1859. 
