330 NEW BEOMELIADS, ETC., FKOM BRITISH GUIANA. 



broad. Lamina horny in texture, green and glabrous on both 

 surfaces, 1^ ft. long, 2 in. broad at the base, narrowed gradually 

 from the middle to a deltoid-cuspidate apex, margined with hooked 

 brown horny prickles, the lower ^ in. long, the upper growing 

 gradually smaller. Inflorescence a panicle, with deltoid nearly 

 sessile branches 3-4 in. long and broad, subtended by large scariose 

 lanceolate bracts wdiich are not at all brightly coloured ; branchlets 

 flexuose, the upper simple, the lower forked, angled, flexuose and 

 thinly lepidote, bearing each five or six spaced sessile erecto-patent 

 flowers. Flower-bracts oblate orbicular, not more than ^ in. long, 

 minutely cuspidate. Ovary cylindrical-trigonous, ^ in. long, thinly 

 lepidote ; sepals coriaceous, lanceolate-deltoid, shorter than the 

 ovary, minutely cuspidate. Petals with a claw as long as the 

 sepals and an oblong lamina ^ in. long. Stamens and style in- 

 cluded. — Essequebo Eiver, British Guiana, Jemnan 903. A near 

 ally of jE. lAatijnema, figured by Gaudichaud under the name of 

 Pirunneava platijncma in the ' Atlas ' accompanying the Botany of 

 the 'Bonite ' voyage, tab. 64. 



Brocchinia conh/lin aides, Baker (Cordyline micrantha, Baker in 

 Gard. Chron., xiv., 243, 1880). — Trunk simple, attaining a height 

 of 12-15 feet, and a diameter of 6-8 inches, furnished below the 

 rosette with the close ragged bases of the fallen leaves. Leaves 

 \J in a dense rosette at the top of the trunk, lorate, 3-4 feet long, 



rigid in texture, without any prickles on the margin, obtuse at the 

 tip, green and obscurely lepidote on both surfaces, the middle 6-8 

 in. and the dilated base 9-10 in. broad. Inflorescence 6-8 feet 

 long, a deltoid panicle with spreading peduncled copiously com- 

 pound branches, the central ones 1^-2 ft. long, subtended at the 

 base by large lanceolate bracts ; ultimate branchlets almost spicate, 

 laxly flowered, 2-5 in. long ; flowers all single, on very short 

 pedicels subtended by minute deltoid or lanceolate bracts. Flowers 

 ^ in. long, with a deltoid ovary, the sepals and petals yellowish, 

 equal in length and similar in texture, ^ in. long, the former oblong 

 and pale yellow, the latter orbicular-unguiculate and brighter 

 yellowy both obtuse. Stamens rather shorter than the petals, with 

 minute orbicular anthers and flattened filaments, the three inner 

 adhering half-way up to the claw of the petals, the three outer 

 springing from the very base of the sepals. Style entire ; stigma 

 minute, capitate, spirally twisted. Capsule triquetrous, ^-^ in. 

 long, crowmed by the persistent accrescent sepals and petals. Seeds 

 numerous, flat, ^ in. long, with an oblong nucleus and a lanceolate 

 stramineous tail at each end. — Kaicteur Savanna, Potaro River, 

 British Guiana ; abundant, forming thickets acres in extent, Jenman 

 1196 ! This remarkable plant was discovered by Mr. Everard Im 

 Thurn in 1878." He brought home a photograph, in which it was 

 a prominent object, which was reproduced in the ' Gardener's 

 Chronicle' (xiv., p. 241); but, as he had no leaves and the 

 flowers were only in young bud, Mr. Thiselton Dyer wrote 



*. [Specimens from the same locality are in the National Herbarium, British 

 Museum, collected by 4ppun prior to 1872. — Ed. Joukn. Bot.] 



