Tas. 6554. 
HECHTIA CORDYLINOIDES. 
Native of Mexico. 
Nat. Ord. Brometiacex.—Tribe DycKrEx, 
Genus Hzcutta; (Klotzsch in Zuecar. Plant. Nov. Hort. Monae. fase. iv. p. 239, 
eo, 
Hecutta cordylinoides ; acaulis, foliis multis dense rosulatis linearibus bipedalibus 
strictis apice pungentibus facie nitidis obscure viridibus dorso albo-incanis — 
verticaliter lineatis margine aculeis corneis falcatis pungentibus armatis, pedun- 
culo valido bipedali foliis pluribus linearibus subscariosis preedito, floribus in 
paniculam amplam ramis multis patentibus superioribus simplicibus cylindricis 
subspicatis inferioribus parce ramosis dispositis, pedicellis brevissimis basi 
minute bracteatis, floribus parvis albis segregatis, sepalis oblongo-deltoideis 
Sead oblongis duplo brevioribus, staminibus in plantam masculam exsertis, 
lamentis subulatis. 
This fine new Bromeliad is just like the three Hechtias 
already known (H. glomerata, Gheisbreghtii, Bot. Mag. 
Tab. 5842, and argentea) in habit and leaf, but it differs 
from them entirely in inflorescence, its minute white flowers 
arranged in ample panicle, recalling Cordyline and Dasy- 
lirion more than any recognized Bromeliaceous type. The 
genus is exclusively Mexican, and represents in the northern 
half of the continent Dyckia of Brazil and the Argentine 
territory, from which it differs mainly by its polygamo- 
dioicous flowers. I believe that Hechtia is a perfectly good 
genus, and there is certainly no foundation, as a glance at 
Zuccarini’s Memoir will show, for the idea thrown out by 
Dr. Karl Koch (Ind. Sem. Hort. Berol, 1863, Appendix, 
page 3), that Hechtia of Klotzsch is a different thing from 
Hechtia of Zuccarini. Our drawing of H. cordylinoides 
was made from a plant that flowered in the Cactus house 
at Kew in the summer of 1880. We have had the plant 
Some time, and have no precise record of its history, but 
there is in the British Museum a dried specimen of the- 
Same or a closely-allied species gathered by Dr. Schott 
APRIL Ist, 1881, 
