at the base of the petals, and in its calyx not becoming con- 

 volute after flowering ; but I have no doubt that the cha- 

 racter assigned to Puya in the above work is erroneous, and 

 requires emendation. The ovary is half inferior like that of 

 a Pitcairnia ; but the capsule is almost wholly superior, and 

 this is one of the more material characters of Puya. 



It is a showy half-hardy perennial, looking like a narrow- 

 leaved Pine-apple, and a few years since was common in 

 collections, but so many specimens were destroyed in the 

 severe winter of 1837-8, that most persons lost it, and it will 

 now be necessary to procure seeds again from Valparaiso, 

 where it is probably common. If not injured by frost, it will 

 grow in the poorest soil, and the driest situations, and would 

 form a most picturesque ornament of rough rocky banks in 

 the warmer parts of England and Ireland. 



I am not aware of the quality of the fibre contained in 

 its leaves, but from their toughness, and its relation to the 

 plants that yield Pita, and New Zealand flax, it is probable 

 that it would be worth examination in this respect. 



There seems no reason for preferring the generic name 

 Pourretia to the more ancient Puya of Molina. 



