Mr. J. G. Baker (Handbook of the Bromeliaceae, p. 22) 
included V. imperialis, Morr., and V. geniculata, Wawra, 
under 7. regina (V. Glazioviana, Lem. in Il. Hort. 1867, 
t. 516); but Mez, with complete specimens before him, — 
restored them to specific rank (DC. Monogr. Phaner. vol. % 
ix. p. 615), and unravelled their very much involved 
synonymy. V. imperialis differs from the others in having 
secund, not distichous, white flowers, and in stature, some- 
times attaining a height of 16 to 18 ft. 7. regina, as 
known to us, has distichous, white bracts and flowers, only 
the lower bracts being tinged with red; and the flowers 
are given off at nearly right angles to the axis. But there 
is a drawing in the Morren collection at Kew of a Tillandsia 
having a red scape, green bracts, red inside, a green calyx and 
yellow petals, which Morren himself named Vriesta gigantea, 
a garden name for 7. regina. 
The history of 7. Blokii is obscure and its origin appar- 
ently unrecorded. A very fine plant of it was exhibited in 
flower at the Ghent quinquennial meeting in 1898, but the 
name of the exhibitor is not given in any of the contem- 
porary papers. In the Gardeners’ Chronicle report we “ 
read: “The giant of the family was a huge specimen of 
Tillandsia ( Vriesia) regina, shown as V. Bloku. It was as 
tall as a man and in flower.” And practically the same 
statement appeared in the Journal de la Société National 
@ Horticulture de France. Mr. ¥.W. Moore, to whom we are 
indebted for the specimen figured and for photographs of the 
entire plant, writes: “I purchased the plant in question 
from ]'Horticulture Colonial, Pare Leopold, Brussels, in 
April, 1903, under the name of Vriesia Blokii. It was a 
healthy little plant, about twelve inches high, and I was is 
given to understand that it was a seedling of the original, 
shown at Ghent, and quite distinct from 7. regina. It did 
not flower with me until last year. The whole plant is 
about 6 ft. high, and the diameter of the inflorescence from 
tip to tip of the branches is 2 ft. 3 inches. I think it is a 
finer plant than 7. regina, and the large bracts retain their — 
colour through the fruiting stage.” 
The seeds of many of the Bromeliaceae are very singular 
and beautiful objects. Those of Tillandsia Bloki: are 
exactly like those of Vriesia imperialis, Morr., as figured by __ 
Mez (FI. Bras. vol. iii, pars 3, t, 105). They are narrow, — 
