Griccs: SpEclES OF HELICONIA 647 
inflorescence glabrous ; peduncle 5~30 cm. long, pointing in the 
same direction as the stem, not necessarily upright ; panicle about 
7 cm. long, of half a dozen horizontally divaricate bracts on a flex- 
uose vertical rachis, orange-yellow shading into orange-red on the 
cheeks of the bracts; the lowest bract often sterile, ascending 
and expanded into a greater or lesser blade, the others distant 
from each other by about their own depth, 3-6 cm. long, about 2 
cm. wide, mostly subovate: flowers about 15 to a branch-bract, 
yellow, as long as the upper bracts: flowet-bracts shorter than 
the flowers, 2—3.5 cm. long, nearly 1 cm. broad : pedicels about 1 
cm. long: berries § mm. in diameter in the dry specimen. 
Heliconia crassa is abundant on the mountains between Sepa- 
cuité and Secanquim (on the road from Cahabon to Senaju), but 
does not cross the divide into Sepacuité. It is oftenest found on 
the hot hills of the region, which are overgrown with bushes and 
small trees. It prefers the full glare of the sun. Nos. 356 and 
376 (type). 
It is close to H. subulata Ruiz & Pavon; it resembles their 
figure closely, but on examination of the description it is found to 
differ in several respects. It is only a third as large as 17. subudata 
sometimes grows; the leaves of that species reach a meter in 
length and the inflorescences 30 cm.; the panicle in 1. crassa is 
erect, not pendulous; the branch-bracts are much broader, not 
yellow, tipped with red and not turning red in fruit ; and the flowers 
are fewer toa bract. Its similarity to 7. swbu/ata suggests possible 
affinities with the other forms referred to 17. psittacorum L. as varie- 
ties. It has no resemblance to H. angusta Vell., which has been 
considered a synonym of A. sudulata ; beside differences in the in- 
florescence, that species has leaves more than eight times as long 
as broad. AHeliconia Andrewsit K\., which has been considered 
another synonym of H. sudu/ata, is nearer, but it also has longer 
leaves ; its spathes are narrower, not channelled, and its flowers 
are very much larger, orange, and distinctly black-tipped. From 
fT. Schomburgkiana K\., which, however, is very inadequately de- 
scribed, it differs at least in the broader conduplicate branch-bracts. 
Eichler’s variety, spathacea, which has been considered identical 
With it, has, as shown by Petersen’s figure, long narrow leaves 
almost like the species. Petersen’s variety, gracilis, has not been 
_ taken up by recent writers because of insufficient description ; the 
