Descr. A low stemless green herb, with numerous 
densely tufted long cylindric roots. Leaves all radical, four 
to five inches long, by three-quarters of an inch broad, 
petioled, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate with acuminate re- 
curved points, narrowed into the petiole at the base, very 
coriaceous, smooth, with slightly recurved margins ; midrib 
stout, prominent beneath; nerves three to five pairs, very 
oblique; colour deep dark-green above, much paler beneath ; 
petiole from one-third to two-thirds as long as the blade, 
erect, grooved above, green in cultivated specimens (red in 
Mr. Burbidge’s drawing of native ones), Sheaths long, 
membranous, acuminate, brown. Peduncle stout, longer 
than the petioles, erect, red-brown, curved at the top. 
Spathe one to one and a quarter inch long, ellipsoid with 
an upturned acute beak, white suffused with rose; coriaceous, 
—convolute and closed except a small opening towards the 
point; after flowering the upper part of the spathe above 
the position of the female flowers on the spadix separates 
from the lower by a transverse rupture. Spadix wholly 
included, cylindric, stout, white, rounded at the end, 
wholly covered with flowers, the projecting tips of the 
anthers giving the upper part a thickened appearance. 
Neuter organs (imperfect females) forming a few rows at 
the very base of the spadix, clavate, or rounded at the - 
swollen tip, quite smooth. Male flowers without perianth, 
consisting of crowded stamens occupying the upper two- 
thirds of the spathe, the uppermost only imperfect; stamens — 
with a very short filament dilating into a broad cellular 
thick connective, which is produced beyond the anther-cells 
into a conical beak; cells ellipsoid, parallel, separated by 
the connective, discharging the pollen from the top of a 
vertical slit. Female flowers of crowded ovaries below the 
males, without perianth or staminodes ; ovary obpyramidal, 
obtusely five-angled; stigma sessile occupying the whole 
broad top of the ovary; cavity large; Ovules irregularly 
placed on several parietal placentas, long, erect, nearly 
orthotropous, the funicle being attached above the rounded 
base. Hruit not seen.—J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Spadix; 2, longitudinal .see 
ovaries ; 5, stumen; 6, longitudinal, 
all enlarged. 
tion of ditto; 3, imperfect ovaries ; 4, perfect 
and 7, transverse section of ovary ; 8, ovule:— 
rt 
