GRIGGS: SPECIES OF HELICONIA 649 
but it is very different from both. H. glauca has a red rachis, 
pedicels and fruit, combined with green bracts and flowers. H. 
pulverulenta belongs to Stenochlamys ; its peduncle is not droop- 
ing, the inflorescence is much smaller with fewer bracts, the rachis 
straighter and the bracts closer. The relationships of the present 
Species are more probably with 17. pendula. Donnell Smith’s xo. 
4635, which was doubtfully labelled as that species by Baker, is 
closely related to the present plant but has a very hairy inflores- 
cence and differs in other characters. It seems, however, to dif- 
fer from Hf. pendula also. The present species differs obviously 
from the latter in the glabrous inflorescence and the longer branch- 
bracts. 
2 Heliconia librata sp. nov. 
At the time of our visit this species had passed its season and, 
though many plants were observed, none were seen with fresh 
flowers ; the inflorescences of all were dead and dry like the type, 
which was in the same condition when collected as now. The 
habit of the plant is like that of H. /atispatha, which the present 
plant resembles much in all respects except the inflorescence. It 
is erect in all its parts. 
About 3 m. tall: stem 75 cm. long: petioles 90 cm. long ; 
blade 115 cm. x 25 cm., oblong-elliptical, rounded and abruptly 
short-acuminate at the base, acute or slightly acuminate at the tip, 
glabrous, glaucous below : inflorescence on a very long (75 cm.) 
erect peduncle, green according to the statement of the Indians, 
triangular in outline, almost as broad as long, composed of 12-16 
bracts about a centimeter apart, most of them extended at right 
angles to the straight rachis; type inflorescence glabrous except 
for a few hairs on the rachis; branch-bracts (except the upper) 
lanceolate, the lowest sterile, 20 cm. long, 4 cm. broad, with 
a small lamina at its tip ; largest of the fertile bracts about half 
as long but of the same width, the topmost only 3 cm. long : pedi- 
cels 10-15 cm. long. 
“Heliconia librata is a lowland form, abundant in the upper part 
of the Oxec valley, but does not occur in any other region we 
visited (20. 696, Cherujija Oxec). 
According to the artificial keys it belongs in Baker’s section 
Stenochlamys and would be nearest to H. glauca, which it scarcely 
resembles even in general appearance and differs from sufficiently, 
as far as characters go, in having the leaves more than twice as 
