Desce. Stems very short and branching, bearing an im- 

 mense rigid tuft of spreading and recurved foliage. Leaves 

 one to two feet long, narrow subulate, one inch broad at the 

 base, finely attenuated, spinous, spines remote, rigid, curved, 

 upper surface concave, green, lower somewhat silvery. Pe- 

 duncle three feet high, stout, erect, clothed with broadly- 

 oblong recurved bracts. Panicle pyramidal, much and 

 densely branched, branches ascending, densely clothed with 

 flowers and bracts. Flowers shortly pedicellcd, an inch 

 and a half long, campanulate. Sepals linear-oblong, ob- 

 tuse, green, convex, not keeled. Petals more than twice as 

 long, obovate-oblong, dull metallic blue shot with green, red 

 purple when withered. Anthers bright orange-yellow. Stig- 

 mas spirally twisted. — J. D. H. 



Fig 1. Reduced figure of plant. 2. Leaf; and 3, portion of panicle, 

 loth of the natural size. 4. Stamen and pistil. 5. Transverse section of 

 ovary. G. Pistil : — Figs. 4 to G magnified. 



