Tas. 7091, 
AMORPHOPHALLUS Etcutent. 
Native of Western Tropical Africa. 
Nat. Ord. Anomex.—Tribe PytHoniga. 
Genus Amonrruornaius, Blume; (Benth. et Hook.f. Gen. Pl. vel. iii. p. 970.) 
AmorPHoruaLtus (Hydrosme) Fichleri; folio 3-secto segmentis lateralibus 
2-partitis terminali 3-partito partitionibus pinnatifidis v. pinnatisectis, 
foliolis utrinque 2-3-oblongis ovatis obovatisve acuminatis basi cuneatis 
marginibus undulatis, rachibus late alatis, petiolo tereti levi viridi, 
pedunculo brevissimo vaginis latis iaxis membranaceis spatham ewquan- 
tibus, spatha tubo hemispherico subventricoso sordide albo ore obliquo, 
intus sanguineo-purpureo infra oram albo, margine dilatato recurvo 
irregulariter lobulato et undulato fusco-purpureo, spadice subsessili, 
parte feminea brevi, floribus parvis, parte mascula cylindracea lutea, 
appendice erecto 4-5-pollicari elongato conoideo basi angustato sub- 
rugoso pallide brunneo, ovariis depresso-globosis 2-3 locularibus, stigmate 
majusculo subgloboso sessili 2~3-lobulato, staminibus cuneiformibus. 
Hyprosme Hichleri, Eugler Aracee (No. 114), p. 285, t. 10. 
According to Engler’s monograph, A. Hichleri is a 
native of the Island First Bismarck, in the river Congo, 
whence living roots were sent in 1880 by Herr Teusz to 
the Royal Botanical Gardens of Berlin, where the plant 
first flowered in April, 1882. In 1888 a tuber was received 
at Kew from Berlin, which sent up a flowering stem in 
March of the present year, to be followed by a leaf which 
was fully developed at the end of May. Except in that 
the leaf is much more fully developed, the sheaths (cata- 
phylls) at the base of the flowering stem very much larger 
than in Engler’s excellent figure, and the stigmas distinctly 
lobulate, there is no difference between the Berlin and 
Kew specimen. Like its congeners, the plant emits a 
horrible stench when flowering. 
Descr. T'uber depressed globose, rose-coloured (Engler). 
Petiole eighteen inches high, cylindric, smooth, green; leaf- 
blade trisect, divisions shortly petiolulate, a span long, 
the lateral bisect, the middle one trisect ; segments pin- 
natifid, rachis broadly unequally winged from the base 
upwards; leaflets two to three pair, sessile by a broad 
DECEMBER Ist, 1889. 
