Phrynium. monandria monogynia. 7 



long, by four to eight broad. Petioles longer than the leaves, 

 cylindric, smooth, the flowerbearing ones have a hairy joint 

 near the middle, and from the joint, up, a slit of between two 

 and three inches in length opens on one side for the spike, 

 its margins thin and hairy. Spike solitary, short-peduncled, 

 simple, linear-oblong-, three to four inches long-, imbricated. 

 Bractes; exterior oval, truncate, with the transverse apex 

 many-toothed, smooth, each embracing several small, pale, 

 pink flowers, which expand in succession. Inner bractes 

 small, and membranaceous. Calyx, corol, and stamen, as in 

 P. parvijlorum. Germ three-celled, with one ovulum in 

 each, attached to the bottom of its cell. Style, as in the other 

 species, it grows to, and is blended with the tube of the corol, 

 its apex free, thick and hooked. Stigma gaping, obliquely 

 toward the anther. Capsule oblong, size of a large field 

 bean, rugose, three-celled, three-valved, opening from the 

 apex. Seeds solitary, sitting on a partial aril, and attached 

 to the bottom of the cell ; external tunic hard, brown, and 

 polished. Perisperm conform to the seed. Embryo erect, 

 simple, the apex hooked. Radicle inferior, close to the um- 

 bilicus of the seed. 



Obs. The simple, short-peduncled, imbricated, linear- 

 oblong spike, bursting from the middle of the petiole, readi- 

 ly points it out. 



5. P. parvijlorum. R. 



Stemless. Leaves radical. Heads of flowers petiolary; 

 bractes acute. 



A native of the eastern parts of Bengal. With P. capita- 

 turn, it blossoms about the beginning of the rains. 



Root tuberous, horizontal, hairy, in other respects as in P. 

 capitatum, &c. Leaves long-petioled, elliptically-oval, po- 

 lished, entire, short, acute, pointed. Heads of flowers sub-glo- 

 bular, sessile, always bursting from the inner side of the pe- 

 tioles, near, or above their middle, composed of many, imbri- 

 cated sessile, distichous, compact, simple, or compound spikes. 



A4 



