plant which is here figured. This species, P. Forgeti, 
was discovered in Venezuela by Mr. L. Forget in 1914, 
when collecting on behalf of Messrs. F. Sander and Sons, 
St. Albans, by whom it has been introduced to culti- 
vation. The dwarf habit with bright bronze foliage 
striped with green give it a pleasing appearance when 
out of flower. The sexes are distinct, and in the case of 
the female plant, in which the flowers are inconspicuous 
and hidden away in small dense clusters in the axils 
of the leaves, the general facies of the plant remains 
unchanged. In the case of the male, however, flowering 
adds to the charm of the plant owing to the develop- 
ment of pairs of dense clusters of small white flowers 
raised on long pink stalks well above the foliage. Like 
the few species already in cultivation, P. Forgeti is 
easily grown in a tropical house, and like them sets seeds 
in abundance. 
Description.—Herb, dioecious, 4-6 in. high, branching at the base. - Stems 
about } in. thick, sparingly adpressed-pubescent, red. Leaves opposite, equal 
or not; petiole }—$ in. long, sparingly adpressed-pubescent, red ; blade 3—4 in. 
long, 3-1} in. wide, from elliptic to elongated lanceolate, obtuse to slightly 
acute, base rounded to slightly cordate, margin crenately toothed, 3-nerved, 
glabrous above, bronze-coloured with 3 longitudinal green bands, beneath 
adpressed-pubescent on the nerves, glabrous elsewhere, purple with the 
venation green; stipules ovate-lanceolate, obtuse, 1-3 in. long, about } in. 
wide, glabrous, green with a red midrib, Cymes opposite; male densely 
capitate-corymbose, 14-1} in. across; peduncle 24-3 in. long, pink, laxly 
pubescent ; female inconspicuous, about as long as the petioles, }~2 in. across, 
dense; peduncle 4-3 in. long. Flowers small; male white; sepals 4, nearly 
equal, } in. long, ;4 in. wide or narrower, concave cucullate at the base, above 
and on the back wing-shaped; stamens 4, white; female greenish-tawny ; 
sepals 8, unequal, under ;); in. long, one wide, obovate-obtuse, two lanceolate, 
somewhat acute, membranous; ovary compressed-ellipsoid ; stigma sessile, 
capitate, papillate. 
Tas. 8699.—Fig. 1, male flower, seen from the side; 2, the same, showing 
stamens ; 3, female flower ; 4, pistil :—all enlarged. 
