Tas. 5235. 
JECHMEA Metinonu. 
Copious-flowered Aichmea. 
Nat. Ord. BRoMELIACEZ.—HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Gen. Char. (Vide supra, Tas. 4293.) 
AicuMEA Melinonii ; foliis ligulatis depresso-striatis unicoloribus viridibus (efas- 
ciatis) marginibus spinuloso-dentatis apice spinoso-mucronatis, _bracteis 
inferioribus lanceolato-acuminatis membranaceis marcescentibus, floribus 
subsessilibus in paniculam densam ovatam multifloram congestis, bracteolis 
caducis, calycibus ovario adherentibus oblongo-cylindraceis, lobis. pallidiori- 
bus brevi-mucronatis, petalis calyce brevioribus roseis. 
Alcumea Melinonii. Hort. Makoy. 
* 
American _Zchmea, received 
from Mr. Makoy, in 1857, u the appellation we have here 
adopted, but the origin of the specific name we do not know. 
_ It will be seen to be nearly allied to our #ehmea discolor, figured 
at Tab. 4293 of this work, differing however from it in several 
essential points. ‘The leaves are here quite uniform in colour. 
The thyrsus is more densely crowded with flowers. The ovary 
is much more elongated, the lobes of the calyx are clearly mu- 
cronated, and the scales of the petals are more deeply fringed at 
the apex. Although the present is a very handsome species, and 
the flowers much more numerous, it lacks the rich coral-red of 
the rachis and calycine tubes of #. discolor, and the fine contrast 
occasioned by the black-purple tips to the flowers, which led us 
to compare the unexpanded buds of that species to the well- 
known beads called “ crads’ eyes,” the seeds of Abrus precato- 
rius. 
Descr. Leaves all radical, one to two feet long, ligulate, firm- 
coriaceous, dark-green, striated and somewhat furrowed at the 
strie, the margin spinuloso-serrate, the apex spinoso-mucronate, 
the base, as is usual in the genus, dilated and convoluted almost 
into a tube. Scape a foot high, dirty-brown. Vowers nume- 
rous, sessile or subpedicellate, arranged in a dense, thyrsoid pa- 
MARCH lst, 1861. 
We here figure another 
