are bruised with the pestles, and thrown into these holes 
with water. Acetous fermentation commences in seven or 
eight days, which is a sign that the acrid poisonous principle 
is dissipated: the pulpy, sour, and fibrous mass is then 
boiled and eaten; its nutriment being the starch which 
exists in small quantities, and which they have not the skill 
to separate by grating and washing. This preparation only 
keeps a few days, and produces bowel complaints, and loss 
of the skin and hair, especially when insufficiently fermented. 
Besides this, the ‘ choklibi’ (Tovaria olevacea, tab. 6313), 
and many other esculents, abounded here; and we had 
great need of them before leaving this wild uninhabited 
region.” 
The drawing here published was made from a specimen 
sent to me by H. J. Hlwes, Esq., F.L.S., of Preston House, 
Cirencester, who himself introduced it from Sikkim; it 
flowered at the same time (June 14, 1879) in the Royal 
Gardens, from roots presented by Mr. Elwes. The species 
is common in the forests of Sikkim, at elevations of 8000 
to 12,000 feet, flowering in May and June. | 
Descr. Tubers as large as a walnut, or larger. Leaves in 
pairs from the roots; petiole a foot long, and as thick as 
the middle finger, cylindric, green; leaflets three, all very 
shortly stoutly petiolulate or sessile, bright green with 
yellowish wrinkled margins and purplish nerves which are 
very prominent beneath ; middle leaflets broader than long, 
five to eight inches in diameter, cuspidate, base cuneate ; 
lateral leaflets trapezoid-ovate, acute or cuspidate. Pedunele 
much shorter than the petiole, as stout, green. Tube of 
spathe three to four inches long, red-brown with greenish 
ribs; lamina decurved, rarely suberect, much dilated, three to 
four inches across, red-brown, diagonally barred with raised 
green broad veins, middle portion tumid with parallel ribs, 
apex deeply lobed or emarginate, with a cusp in the sinus. 
Male spadie ; flowering portion columnar, pale purple with 
scattered stipitate four-celled anthers; naked portion (or 
- appendix) dirty purple, elongate, conical, dilated and lobed 
at the base, the apex terminating in a purple filiform tail 
eight inches long, which in the young state of the plant is 
enclosed in one of the segments of the leaf. Female spadia 
with a much stouter conical flowering portion thickly covered 
with ovoid dvaries, ending in short thick styles.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, plant reduced; 2, male spadix of the natural size. © 
