170 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1891. 



beautiful spotted Homalomenas [Curmeria), in the silvery Schisma- 

 toglottis, in the exquisitely marked aud manifoldly varied Dicffenba- 

 clrias, while it is of secondary merit in the many kinds of Alocasia, 

 which are principally effective by the grandeur of their foliage, 

 though some of the kinds, as Alocasia Lowii, A. Injbrida, A. longiloba, 

 'A. cuprea, A. Thibautiana, and the allied Gyrtosperma Johnstonii and 

 Xanthosoma violacoum, present beautiful contrasts of colour. The 

 luxuriant Schizocasia Portii is perhaps one of the most striking 

 objects in our Ferneries. The Anth.nriumz are distinguished by the 

 grandeur of their very variable foliage, often by pleasing contrast 

 of colour, as in the beautiful silver veined dark olive-green satiny 

 shining leaves of A. crystallimwi and a few other kinds, and not 

 unfrequently by beautiful flower wrappers, as in A. Ferrierense, with 

 magenta-red, A. Lindenianuvi with pale rose~coloui*ed and A. omatum 

 with pure white wrappers (spathes), the only kinds which have as 

 yet flowered regularly and successfully in Bombay; and finally 

 beautiful scarlet shining berries occasionally succeed the flowers, as 

 in A. digitatum. Spathiphyllums are equally effective by their large 

 leaves and by the beauty of their snow-white flower-wrappers, the 

 latter character being of secondary merit in the great number of 

 Philodendrons, which are principally effective on account of the 

 magnitude and elegant shape of their leaves, in which respect 

 Ph. Selloum is perhaps unsurpassed, though less common than 

 the attractive white- veined Ph. glorlosum. Several other Aroidecc 

 are occasionally met with, but are less common than those men- 

 tioned above. Curculigo recur vata, a representative of the curious 

 ground-flowering Hypoxidece, is remarkable for its compact habit 

 and folded palm-like leaves. Of" the large, almost exclusively tropical 

 order of Gingerworts (Scitaminece) the Plantain tribe is represented 

 by two magnificent Meliconias. H. aureo-slriata, of recent intro- 

 duction, with beautiful large aud broad dark green leaves, brilliantly 

 striped with golden-yellow, and if. vinosa, of tall but compact habit, 

 with dark olive-green pointed leaves, suffused with rich vinous 

 purple. Flowers of large size and striking beauty occur in the lately 

 introduced rose-flowered Kvmpferia [Cienkoiuskia) KirJdi, and in 

 the indigenous white flowered K. scaposa, while the smaller pale lilac 

 flowers of K. rotundasnid K. Galanga, appearing when the plants are 



