Roxb., in which I entirely concur, though the plant 1s not 
nearly so glaucous as a smaller species which I found, also 
in the Khasia Mountains, and which is undescribed. I have 
not quoted the figure of the flower referred to by Roxburgh 
in his Coromandel plants (t. 251, right-hand corner), because 
it is so bad a representation, if indeed really belonging 
to this plant. 
H. gracile was introduced into England by Dr. Wallich » 
in 1820, who sent plants to Lord Milton, by whom it was 
communicated to Mr. Shepherd, of the Liverpool Botanical 
Gardens, where it flowered in 1822. It is a native of the 
Nepalese and Sikkim Himalaya and of the Khasia Moun- ~ 
tains, in both of which I have gathered it at elevations of 
3000 to 5000 feet. The specimen here figured flowered at 
Kew in September last from plants communicated by Mr. 
Elwes from Sikkim. 
Drscr. Whole plant a pale glaucous green colour, 
glabrous except the often pubescent rachis of the spike. 
Stem slender, two to three feet high. Leaves five to nme 
inches long by two to three inches broad, finely acuminate, 
base acute, narrowed into a petiole one-half to three-quarters 
of aninch long. Sheath long, compressed, auricles at the 
top short, rounded. Spike five to seven inches long, by 
one and a half to two and a half inches in diameter, ex- 
clusive of the stamens ; rachis pubescent or nearly glabrous; 
flowers suberect, white with the filament red. Bracts one- 
half to three-quarters of an inch: long, slender, cylindric, 
obtuse, glabrous; inner bract shorter, tubular, very mem- 
branous. Calyx tubular, membranous, shorter than the 
bracts, mouth obliquely truncate. Corolla-tube two-thirds 
to three-quarters of an inch long, about one-third longer 
than the outer bract; lobes three, filiform, longer than 
the tube. Staminodes (or inner petals) linear, acute, shorter 
than the petals. Lip linear oblong, cleft into two semi- 
lanceolar acute diverging lobes. Stamen projecting one 
to one and a half inch beyond the perianth-tube; filament 
convolute, red; anther linear. Stigma turbinate, truncate. 
Ovary hairy, subglobose.—.J. D. H. 
Fig. 1, Vertical section of 
of corolla; 3, stylode from top of ovary ; 4, top of style and stigma; 5, transverse 
section of ovary :—all enlarged. 
flower and inner bract (calyx omitted); 2, upper part 
