and according to the information of our scientific travellers, 
a truly refreshing beverage in the water that collects in the 
hollows formed by the inflated leaves, and which is eagerly 
sought after in times of drought by the natives of those hot 
countries. 
Our present plant will perhaps yield in beauty to few of 
its tribe. It is a native of Brazil, was introduced by that 
zealous cultivator, Mrs. ARNotp Harrison, and flowered for 
the first time, I believe, in this country, last year in the 
Liverpool Botanic Garden ; and again in November of the 
present year (1833), when the specimen here figured was 
kindly sent by Mr. Henry SHepuerp. 
Descr. - Leaves a foot and a half or more long, ligulate, 
with a short but very pungent acumination at the extremity, 
the base very concave, the margin armed with strong dark 
brown, spinous teeth pointing forward : a few outer leaves 
are shorter than the rest, subulate and channelled: the 
colour is a, dark green, exhibiting, however, exceedingly _ 
minute, farinaceous scales, when seen under the microscope, _ 
In the centre of these, from one to three scapes arise, which 
are longer than the leaves, of a reddish-purple colour, 
shaggy with white loose down, and bearing several oblong, 
membranaceous bracteas, of which, the lower ones are con- _ 
volute. Panicle, or compound raceme, eight to ten inches 
long, bearing numerons rose-coloured flowers ; the petals 
alone being purple. Each branch bears seven or eight 
flowers on its zigzag rachis, and is subtended by a lance- 
olate, membranaceous, withered bractea or spatha. Each 
flower too, has a convolute, obtuse bractea, rose-coloured, 
downy, striated and terminated by a sharp, black mucro. 
Germen and calyx downy, the latter of three ovate, seg- 
ments, tipped with a black mucro. Petals oblong-lanceo- 
late, very bright and deep purple, with a scale at the base 
within. Three of the stamens are free, the other three half 
way combined with the petal. 
Fig. 1. Outer Leaf: naé. size. 2. Flower. 
aa : 
ekiguited: etal and Stamens: 
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