splendid shining panicles for months, it is seldom used for 
indoor decoration, and is rarely seen in the open border, 
where it resists an ordinary winter. In general habit it 
resembles the Gynerium argenteum, but is smaller and incom- 
parably more attractive, both from its elegant habit and the 
brilliant lustre of its pale straw-coloured silky spikelets. It 
was introduced into Kew about he year 1843, I believe by 
the late Dr. Sinclair, R.N., and holds its flowers almost 
throughout the year. 
Descr. Tufts three to five feet across, circular, the leaves 
drooping gracefully all round. Culms as thick as the thumb 
at the base. Leaves two to four feet long, very slender, 
involute, coriaceous, deeply closely channelled, upper surface 
margins and long slender point scabrid; sheath quite smooth 
and shining; ligule of very soft silky hairs. /lowering- 
culm three to eight feet high, strict, leafy, the leaves re- 
flexed. Panicle inclined, one to two feet long, drooping, with 
innumerable pendulous branches all hanging to one side; 
branches whorled, and branchlets very slender, smooth. 
Spikelets pedicelled, two-thirds of an inch long, slender, 
one to three-flowered, with sometimes a fourth imperfect 
flower, pale straw-coloured. Empty glumes nearly equal, mem- 
branous, narrow-lanceolate, ending in almost capillary awns. 
Flowering-glumes also narrow-lanceolate, ending in twisted 
capillary awns that equal those of the empty glumes, 
surrounded at the base by long silky hairs. Palea oblong, 
short.—J. D. H. : 
Fig. 1. Diminished view of a portion of a plant; 2, portion of leaf, and 3, of 
a panicle, of the natural size; 4, margin of leaf, magnified. 
