wards, and ending in a short acumen, the margins rather ob- 
scurely spinuloso-serrate, the serratures pomting upwards; the 
bases are much dilated, concave, and sheathed, as is common to 
many Lromeliacee : the outer leaves are more or less recurved. 
Scape central, mostly concealed by the sheathing bases of the 
leaves ; the rest of it, bearing the flowers and highly-coloured 
bracts, is exserted and drooping, bent down suddenly towards 
the ground: the rachis stout, clothed with whitish dense wool. 
Universal dructeas, the lower ones flowerless, all of them large, 
at first imbricated, then more or less patent, two to three inches 
long, scarlet, sharply acuminated, obsoletely striated, entire. 
Flowers forming a thick thyrsoid spete, only the upper ones 
destitute of the large bracteas, and scarcely exserted beyond the 
bracteas of the inferior flowers. Calyx superior, of three, erect, 
membranaceous, white, oblong sepals, slightly tinged with red. 
Petals about half as long again as the sepals, erect, spathulate, 
the claw white, the /imé purple, moderately patent; within the 
claw are two longitudinal plicee, which meet over the filament, 
and are partly laciniated ; and there are besides two fimbriated 
scales at the very base of the claw. Stamens all free. 
Fig. 1. Petal, with the scales and stamen :—magnijied. 
