the crown of this root arise two flowers, surrounded at the 
base by large, membranaceous sheathing bracteas, and the 
incipient leaves. These flowers have so singular an ap- 
pearance, that, at first sight, they might rather be taken 
for an artificial production, or even for a shell of the Genus 
Cypraa, than for any thing of a vegetable nature, were it 
not for their powerfully fetid smell: A short peduncle, much 
shorter than the bractez, bears a broadly ovate, acuminated, 
involuted both at the sides and at the extremity, spatha, of 
which the ground colour is yellow, but so spotted and 
blotched with dark purple, as sometimes nearly to obliterate 
the original tint, within it is wholly blackish purple. This 
surrounds a subglobose, purple, shortly pedunculated spa- 
dix, not above an inch in length, and not much bigger than 
a good-sized nutmeg, its circumference entirely formed by | 
the flowers. These, considered according to the artificial 
system, consist of a perianth of four erect scales or pieces, | 
remarkably concave and depressed at the top, where they 
are purple, while their sides are yellow, and they are s0- 
placed and so shaped, that their edges meet, and they forma 
square flower, through the centre of which, the tips of the 
bright yellow stamens, and purplish style are only slightly 
protruded. Stamens four, each lodged in the cavity of @ : 
scale of the perianth. Filament very short. Anther broadly 
ovate, two-celled, cells opening longitudinally, and facing 
the scale, while the back is directed to the pistil or centre of 
the flower. Germen small, almost entirely sunk in the 
receptacle, Style lineari-pyramidal, four-sided at the base, 
terete above, where it is terminated by the small stigma, a 
mere discoloured point. “ After the spatha decays, the 
spadix continues to grow, and with it every part of the 
flower except the anthers. When the fruit is ripe, the 
spadix has attained to many times its original dimensions, 
while the calyx, filaments, and style are larger, very Pro- 
minent, and separated from each other. Within the spadix, 
at the base of each style, is a round fleshy seed, as large as 
a pea, white, tinged with green and purple, invested with a 
_ Separate membranous coat, and with a prominent corcu- 
lum, situated in a depression at the top.” (Bigel.) The 
leaves do not appear till some time after the flowers, and — 
they have not attained their full size till the spatha has 
decayed. They are broadly cordate, petiolate, acute, with 
numerous and branching veins, which are prominent be- 
neath, the mid-rib very broad. Petiole also broad, hollow- 
ed in front, sheathing at the base. 
Perhaps 
