Criccs: Species oF HELICONIA 643 
B. Leaves lanceolaye or ovate-lanceolate, rounded or subcordate at the base ; 
mostly petioled; ;eduncle at least as long as the rachis ; branch-bracts yellow 
with red cheeks, Lroad, often subovate. H. crassa. 
II. Leaves all borne from nearly the same point on the stem, as in //. Boringuena (fr 
3)3 mostly very large. 
A. Branch-bracts more or less spaced out on the rachis, not overlapping, except 
at the base (/7. Bihaz). Subgenus PLatycutamys Baker. 
a. Inflorescence pendulous from a long flexible peduncle, glabrous; rachis. 
very flexuose, internodes long, bracts narrow, red; leaves very glaucous 
beneath. Hf. Collinsiana, 
6, Inflorescence erect. 
1. Inflorescence long-peduncled. 
(2) Branch-bracts very close together, narrow, truly distichous, hori- 
zontally extended ; rachis very straight, H1. tibrata, 
(é) Branch-bracts distant, not strictly distichous; rachis very flex- 
a uose, 
(1) Inflorescence scarlet, hairy, below the bases of the leaves ; 
leaves green on both sides. H. tortuosa. 
(2). Inflorescence orange, glabrous, with a very long peduncle 
which raises it up among the leaves; leaves slightly glaucous 
below. ; f1, latispatha Benth, 
2. Inflorescence sessile ; rachis straight; branch-bracts narrow, distant, 
red and yellow, covered all over with short velvety pubescence. 
Hf, spissa. 
3- Inflorescence sessile or very short-peduncled; branch-bracts very 
* broad and close together, often clasping each other at the bases 
and concealing the stiff, straight rachis. 
(a) Branch-bracts green with red cheeks; leaves green on both 
sides when well developed, very long, long-cuneate at the base. 
H, elongata. 
(2) Branch-bracts bright orange; leaves glaucous below, at least 
: when young, shorter, not cuneate. 
(1) Stem upright; leaves turned in all directions, soon green 
beneath ; tips of the branch-bracts acute or bluntish, some- 
what incurved and involute ; Guatemalan. /7. Champnetana. 
(2) Stem inclined; leaves all spread out horizontally, very 
glaucous beneath; tips of the branch-bracts long-acuminate, 
recurved and revolute ; Porto Rican. ff. Boringuena. 
B. Branch-bracts very close together on the rachis so as to form a compact flat 
spike, somewhat resembling the rattle of a rattlesnake (7. iméricata). 
Subgenus TAENIOSTROBUS Kuntze. 
Inflorescence pendulous on a long peduncle ; plant very large. 
‘ #7, Mariae Hook. f. 
It will be noticed that in this key the species are arranged in a 
considerably different way from that used by former writers. 
Baker and Schumann divide the genus into two subgenera charac- 
terized by broad and narfow branch-bracts respectively. Under 
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