rulous nature of the entire lower surface of the leaves. 

 The hairs are not, as in some species of the genus, 

 restricted to the midrib or margins or both, but are 

 equally distributed over the whole under side and impart 

 a distinctive appearance readily recognisable by touch 

 as well as by inspection. The inflorescence is of the 

 racemose type, though the pedicels are so short that it 

 appears at first sight to be spicate. It seems probable, 

 indeed, that the pedicels are in reality lateral branches 

 reduced to a 1-flowered condition, and that the inflores- 

 cence is a reduced panicle. The subdivision of the 

 genus into subgenera and sections proposed by the late 

 Professor Schumann is based on the separation or con- 

 crescence of the flowering and the leafy stems, the form 

 and relative importance of the primary and the floral 

 bracts, and the size of the flower. In A. Elwesii the 

 flowers and leaves are borne on the same shoot, the 

 primary bracts are unimportant and the flowers are 

 moderately large. Its nearest ally is A. calcarata, Roscoe, 

 and it therefore is best placed in the Flos Paradisi section 

 of the subgenus Catimbium. In A. calcarata stages of 

 reduction from a manifestly paniculate to a racemose or 

 nearly spicate type of inflorescence are frequent, and it 

 is therefore to be anticipated that, though so far none 

 have been seen in A. Elwesii, instances of the converse 

 condition, where the reduced lateral branches bear more 

 than one floAver each, may yet be met with. 



Description.— Herb, perennial, up to 5 ft. high. 

 Leaves markedly sheathed; sheath puberulous outside, 

 longitudinally striate; blade linear-lanceolate, caudate- 

 acuminate, narrowed to the base, about 18 in. long, over 

 2 in wide glabrous above, densely puberulous beneath; 

 ligule 2-nd, £ m. long, puberulous outside. Inflorescence 

 racemose, from 4-5 in. long; rachis tomentose; pedicels 

 very short, tomentose ; floral bracts obovate, rounded, 

 - 2 - in. long, £-4 in. wide, pubescent outside, ciliate. Calyx 

 over j in long, usually shortly 2-lobed, split on one 

 side densely pubescent outside, ciliate, glabrous within. 

 Corolla white, tube over J in. long, | in. wide, glabrous ; 

 lateral lobes elliptic-lanceolate, somewhat acute, § in. 

 long, over \ in. wide, glabrous except for the ciliate 



