A dozen species of this fine genus are known to me; they 
are spread throughout Eastern and Southern Africa from 
Abyssinia to the Cape district; severval of them are said to 
grow in swamps, which is however not likely to be the case 
with the caulescent species. Col. Grant found one (when 
with Capt. Speke) in Tropical Africa, which he describes as 
a great ornament to the swamps and having a powerful 
honied smell, too sweet to be agreeable. 
Descr. Trunk, in garden specimens six to ten inches high, 
as thick as the thumb in our specimen, with short fleshy 
roots. Leaves rather soft, very glaucous, spreading and re- 
curved, two feet long, two and a half inches to two and three- 
quarters broad at the base, from which they are gradually 
narrowed to the fine triquetrous tip; keel acute, winged 
in the later produced leaves, margin and keel serrulate ; 
veins about fifty, obscure; upper surface concave. Scape six 
to ten inches high, stout, erect, green, with many scattered 
subulate bracts. Aaceme five to seven inches long, stout, 
spindle-shaped. Flowers pendulous, very dense and numerous, 
concealing the small subulate bracts ; pedicels one quarter inch 
long. Perianth nearly one inch long, straight, nearly equal, 
base rounded, deep blood-red when young, yellow after ex- 
pansion ; lobes small, obtuse. Stamens more than half as 
long again as the perianth, straight, nearly equal; anthers 
small, yellow. Ovary ovoid.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Whole plant :—reduced ; 2 and 3, base and tip of leaf; 4, top of scape 
and raceme :—o/' the natural size ; 5, flower; 6, ovary :—both magnified, 
