a thick grey layer of cork, that is deeply cleft into about 
six ribs that are triangular in section. Leaves three or 
four inches broad, long-petioled, broadly deltoidly or 
orbicularly ovate, or ovate-cordate, acuminate, palmately 
5-nerved from the base, bright green above, pale blue- 
green beneath, and there strongly reticulate between the 
main-nerves; petiole two to three inches long, terete. 
Racemes an inch long, from the axils of cauline leaves, or 
from close beneath the scars left by the fallen leaves, short, 
horizontal, green, with usually only one perfect flower, 
and several arrested buds; bracts an eighth of an inch 
long, lanceolate, green. lowers pendulous; peduncle with 
ovary nearly three inches long. Ultricle of perianth three 
inches long, clavate, gibbous, about ten-ribbed, glabrous 
and smooth within, except at the constricted mouth, which 
has a fringe of minute processes pointing downwards ; 
tube of perianth short, infundibular, dark purple and 
hairy within, rapidly dilating into a concave, nearly 
circular limb six to ten inches in diameter, bifid anteriorly 
to nearly half way down, with a narrow sinus, many-nerved 
and coarsely reticulate externally, internally quite smooth, 
pale yellowish, closely studded with dark red-purple, 
irregularly shaped spots; mouth with an anticous semi- 
circular belt of white, fleshy filaments. Column sessile; 
anthers six, linear, close together; stigma six-cleft, the 
lobes unequal, narrow, erect, with much thickened 
stigmatose margins that are confluent below.—J. D. H. 
_Fig. 1, Vertical section of the utricle and perianth-tube, of the natural 
size; 2, column, enlarged, 
