Tas. 7105. . 
ARISAIMA ~Wrayi. 
Native of the Malay Peninsula. 
Nat. Ord. ARoIpDEZ.—Tribe ARINER. 
Genus Arisama, Mart.; (Benth. et Hook.f. Gen. Pl. vol. iii. p. 965.) 
AnisaMa (Pedatisectee) Wrayi; gracile, petiolo scapoque elongatis marthora- 
tis, foliis 2-3 pedatisectis, foliolis, 5-9 petiolulatis anguste élliptico-lan- 
ceolatis acuminatis basi acutis 3-nerviis supra lete viridibus subtus 
pallidis nervis prominulis, foliolo intermedio ceteris majore longiusque 
petiolulato, extimis sepe multo minoribus  sessilibus, scapo folium 
superante, spathe erect viridis alb v. pallide lilacina tubo 2-3-pollicari 
subcylindraceo, lamina tubo equilonga suberecta ovato-cordata apice 
producta, marginibus tubum cingentibus late recurvis, spadice mascula 
gracillima, appendice décurva dein filiformi pendula spatha longiore, 
antherarum glomerulis sparsis subsessilibus. ' 
| A. Wrayi, Hemsl. in Journ. Bot. 1887, p. 205; N. E. Brown in Gard. Chron. 
| 1889, vol. ii, p. 136. 
The genus Arisema is a remarkable one amongst Aroids. 
_ for its wide range in latitude, from ‘the tropics to far.into 
the north temperate zone; and as might be expected from 
this, the elevation it attains is equally remarkable, from 
the low-lying equatorial regions of the Malayan Archi- 
pelago, to an elevation of 12,000 feet in the Himalaya. 
And what is very singular in a genus of so wide a dis- 
tribution, there are no sectional groups of it more. 
characteristic of the colder than of te hotter regions, or» 
vice versa. The nearest ally of A. Wrayi is the Javanese 
and Sumatran A. jiliforme, Blume (Rumph. vol. i. p. 102, 
t. 28). A. Wray? itself is a native of Perak, where it was 
discovered by Mr. L. Wray, who in 1884 sent herbarium 
specimens to Kew from Birch’s Hill, with the note that 
the flowers are pale lilac and white, whereas in the culti- 
vated plant they are pale green. In 1888 the same 
excellent correspondent sent living tubers to Kew, which 
flowered in January, 1889, and from one of these the 
accompanying figure was made. 
_Desor. Tubers as large as @ hazel-nut or larger, each 
giving off a flowering scape and one or three leaves. Sheaths 
one to two inches long, membranous. , Petiole twelve to 
Marcu Ist, 1890, ; E 
