Tas. 7560. 
CALATHEA RvFIBARBA. 
Native of Brazil ? 
Nat. Ord. ScitaMINE#.—Tribe MaRANTEA. 
Genns Canatuga, G. F. W. Mey.; (Benth. & Hook.f. Gen. Plant. vol. iii. 
p. 653.) 
CataTura (Eucalathea) rufibarba; acaulis, tota floribus exceptis pilis longis 
flaccidis pallide brunneis induta, foliis distichis longe petiolatis lineari-, 
lanceolatis acuminatis marginibus undulatis supra laete viridibus subtus 
pallidioribus violaceo tinctis, scapo brevi robusto petiolo multo breviore 
et robustiore, spica breviter oblonga, floribus congestis longe exsertis 
aureis, bracteis spica brevioribus ovatis acutis spiraliter convolutis hirsutis, 
sepalis angustis acuminatis pilosis, corolla tubo sepalis longiore fere 
unciali cylindraceo piloso, lobis subzquilongis lineari-oblongis obtusis 
dorsali ovato-oblongo, labello lobo dorsali subsimili apice 2-lobulato 
concavo lateribus incurvis, staminodio galeato, galea basi calcare subulato- 
lanceolato horizontali instructa, ovario glabro. 
C. rufibarba, Fenzl in Gartenfil. vol. xxviii. (1879) p. 294, Petersen in Mart. 
Fl, Bras. vol. iii. pars IT p. 91. oe, 
A very well marked member of a large tropical genus, 
containing nearly seventy known species, all, except a few 
African ones, natives of America, especially of Brazil. Of 
those figured in this work that which is most nearly allied 
to C. rufibarba is C. villosa, Lindl. (t. 4973), which differs 
a good deal in habit, having very large oblong leaves, a 
long scape, and flowers nearly two inches in diameter, but 
in which the hooded staminode bears a similar spur. 
C. rufibarba was established on specimens cultivated in 
the Imperial Garden of Vienna, by Professor Fenzl, and 
is supposed to be a native of Brazil. Specimens of it 
flowered by Messrs. Sander & Co. in 1894, are preserved 
in the Kew Herbarium, of which the leaves were purple 
beneath. The Royal Gardens, Kew, are indebted to the 
Imperial Gardens of St. Petersburg for the plant here 
figured, which was received in 1891. It forms tufts of 
leaves as grown in a pan in a stove, and flowers freely 
every few months. 
Descr.—Stemless, clothed everywhere but on the flowers, 
OctopeR Ist, 1897. 
