many narrowly cuneate lacinie. Unfortunately the native 
country of C. Capw Meduse is unknown, and there is no 
record at Kew of its receipt. Two specimens have been in 
cultivation for many years under the unpublished name of 
C. acaulis, which occurs in an MS. list of the species in 
cultivation at Kew drawn up nearly twenty years ago. 
Of the genus Carludovica upwards of forty species are 
described, all tropical American. Fourteen are now in 
cultivation at Kew, of which only three are figured in this 
work,—the present, C. latifolia, mentioned above, and C. 
ensiformis, Hook. f., t. 6418. No doubt many more are- 
in cultivation in continental gardens, and indeed there is 
one very curious species in England, a native of the United 
States of Columbia, which is still a desideratum at Kew, 
namely C. Drudei, Masters in the “ Gardeners’ Chronicle ” 
(1877, ii. 715, fig. 186, and 1879, ii. 278, f. 46). As it is 
almost impossible to name the Carludovice from descrip- 
tions alone, it is to be hoped that some of the other species 
ee aa flower, and I hope be secured for figuring-in this 
work. 
C. Caput Meduse flowered in the Palm House at Kew, 
where it was planted in the ground in December, 1887, it 
1s believed for the first time; it forms a dark-green stem- 
less plant, with the blade of the leaves three to four feet 
long, and the petiole of about the same length.—J. D. H. 
Plate 7118, figure of whole plant greatly reduced ; a young leaf reduced by 
two-thirds ; a spadix, peduncle, arid sheaths of the natural size; fig. 1, section ~ 
of petiole; 2, male flower; 3 and 4, stamens; 5, fem. flower; 6, transverse 
Section of ovary :—all enlarged, - 
