Co7iophallus ? Titanum in the same Journal, p. 290, and 

 from the same sources, giving fuller details as to its 

 fruiting condition and foliage, together with a sketch of 

 the plant in its flowering state. Together with this infor- 

 mation Dr. Beccari sent both tubers and seeds to the 

 Marchese. As regards the tubers the result was unfor- 

 tunate ; for, according to the law of 1875, making pro- 

 vision against the introduction of the vine disease (Phyl- 

 lorera), the tubers were detained at Marseilles till they 

 rotted. The seeds, on the other hand, arrived in good 

 condition, and germinated in the Marchese's garden, 

 whence some very young plants were transmitted to Kew 

 by that nobleman, at Dr. Beccari's request. 



In 1878 the accounts received from Dr. Beccari were 

 communicated by Signor Fenzi to the " Gardener's 

 Chronicle," published in December of the same year (vol. 

 1878, ii. pp. 596 and 788), together with a copy of the 

 sketch of the flowering plant. 



In the following year a full botanical account of the 

 plant was drawn up from Dr. Beccari's notes by Prof. 

 Arcangeli, which appeared in the new Journal of the 

 Botanical Society of Italy (vol. xi. p. 217) under the title 

 of " L'Amorphophallus Titanum, Beccari, illustrato di G. 

 Arcangeli" {Gonophallus being regarded by botanists 

 as a section of the latter genus). Before proceeding 

 further with the history of this bulky vegetable I shall give 

 Dr. Beccari's account of its discovery, extracted from 

 his article in the Bulletin of the Royal Tuscan Society of 

 Horticulture, vol. iv. (1889), p. 250, with a figure copied 

 by permission of Dr. Hogg from the Journal of Horti- 

 culture. 



" It was on the 6th of August, 1878, at Ajer Mantcior, 

 in the Padang Province of Sumatra, that I found the 

 leaves of this extraordinary plant. Shortly afterwards, 

 being at Kaju Tanam, a place not far from Ajer Mantcior, 

 and there informed that the Amorphophallus was common 

 on the surrounding hills, I offered a large reward to any 

 one who would bring me a flower. This promise produced 

 a more speedy effect than I could have hoped for, for on 

 the 5th of September, towards midday, I had the satis- 

 faction of possessing a flower of this marvel. 



" The single flower (or more correctly inflorescence) with 



