base. From the centre of this great mass of foliage, and when 
this latter has attained its fullest dimensions, the spadix, termi- 
nating the internal scape, as above described, makes its ap- 
pearance, and gradually droops. It is four feet long, densely 
clothed, for two feet of its apex, with numerous, large, ovate, 
greenish-brown spathas (generally bearing drops of fiuid from 
the floral nectaries). The upper spathas have male flowers, the 
lower, females. ‘These in the young state are not easily distin- 
guishable, but by the former having a less perfect style and stigma. 
Lower down, upon the syadiz, all the spathas seem to include 
perfect or fertile flowers, so that when the spathas fall away, the 
swelling ovaries lie in spiral circles, densely compacted, green, 
oblong, quite sessile, two inches long. This ovary is white, in- 
ferior, three-celled (rarely four), filled with many ovules in two 
rows, and supports a perianth of two very unequal, white, mem- 
branaceous sepals, the outer and larger one strap-shaped, concave 
at the base, three-cleft at the apex, the inner one ovate, very con- 
cave, three-toothed, the central tooth prolonged into a subulate 
point, each, no doubt, as indicated by the divisions at the apex, 
formed of three pieces. Stamens six, erect, one small and abor- 
tive, the rest twice as large. Anther as long as the filaments, 
two-celled. Fruit two and a half to nearly four inches long, ob- 
longo-subpyriform, bearing from one to four large, black, glossy 
seeds, shaped as represented in our figure. 
Tas. 5223 represents an Abyssinian scene, with Hnsetes, on a very reduced 
scale. 
Tas. 5224. Fig. 1. One of the spathas of the spadix, with male flowers,— 
natural size. 2. Male flower, with its abortive ovary and imperfect style. 3. 
Perfect flower. 4. Section of an ovary. 5. Scarcely mature fruit. 6. The 
same, cut through transversely. 7. Mature fruit. 8. Back view of a seed. 
9. Seed seen from the under side, with the hilum :—all natural size. 10. Seed, 
cut through transversely,—slightly magnified. 
