172 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, 1891. 



frequently striped flowers, are beautifully set-off by being surrounded 

 by the graceful fronds of fprns, many kinds of Crinum, such as the 

 white flowered C. braeteatum, the rosy tinged C. lonyijlorum, 

 C. scabrum ;md 0. amabile, the pure white flowered Pancratium 

 zeylaniiewm, Eymenocallis rotata and H. speciosa, the broad-leaved 

 compact flowering Eurycles Australasica and E. Cunninrjhamii are, as 

 11 as the various kinds of Eu eh avis, all handsome flowering plants^ 

 well calculated to break the monotony of a collection of foliage plants. 

 The small order Hamadoracect is represented by a beautiful 

 Japanese plant with tufted linear leaves, striped and flaked with 

 creamy white, and sometimes producing beautiful blue berries, 

 Ophiopogon Taburan foi. var. The pine-apple order (Bromeliacece), 

 which contains so many interesting and beautiful flowering plants, 

 is far too scantily represented. The peculiar habit of these plants 

 is always attractive, and many of them possess when in flower a most 

 glorious beauty. JEchmea discolor and A. fitly ens, both with brilliant 

 scarlet flower-spikes, and the magnificent^, paniculviera, with lovely 

 rose coloured shield leaves (bracts)and purple flowers, are occasionally 

 met with. The incomparable Bilbergia zebrina, with its quaint 

 erect blotched leaves, and its large drooping flower-spike, wrapped 

 in delicately pink velvety shield-leaves, which add a peculiar charm 

 to the greenish flowers, and the white, mealy flower stalks and cups, 

 is of exquisite beauty. B. Moreli, B. Saundersii (chlorosticta) are 

 less conspicuous, but still valuable. The dwarf-growing Cryptan- 

 thus acaulis is interesting ' and attractive by its hierogryphically 

 marked leaves, while Kuratas spectahilis is another beautiful plant, 

 with bright scarlet crowded spikes of blood-red, white and bluish- 

 violet flowers, and is easily recognised, when out of flower, by the 

 blood red blotch on the tip of its leaves. 



Orchids are unfortunately not easy to cultivate in Bombay, ami 

 several attempts to grow the splendid Cattleyas, Odontoglossums, 

 Lcelias, Lycastes, Masdevallias, Maxillarias, Oncidiuvis, Stan- 

 hopeas, etc., which form the cream of Orchid collections at home, 

 have hitherto been unsuccessful, and it is even very rare to see 

 other less-conspicuous and almost indigenous forms of this magni- 

 ficeut order flowering regularly and profusely. Of the Aerides, several 

 grow at our hill-stations, as the beautiful Ae. crispum with large 



