134 A SYNOPSIS OF THE GENUS iECHMEA. 



lei^idote and finely strii^ed, the edge-pricldes horny, pungent and 

 falcate, those near the base a Ime long. Sca^^e one foot to one foot 

 and a half long, with many adpressed large lanceolate bract- 

 leaves. Flowers in a dense thyrsoid bi^Dinnate panicle four to 

 seven inches long, two to two and a half inches diameter, with 

 crowded erecto-patent distichous branches, each flower subtended 

 on the outside by a j)ocket-like coriaceous bract a quarter of an 

 inch long, with a distinct cusp, the outer edge almost entii-ely 

 adnate to the rachis. Calyx with ovary half an inch long ; 

 sepals oblong, obtuse, with a distinct cusp, twice as long as the 

 ovary. Petals Ungulate, red-purple, a quarter to one-third of an 

 inch longer than the calyx. South Brazil in the Province of St. 

 Paulo, BurcheU, 455G ! 4654 ! Paraguay, Balansa, 610 ! Intro- 

 duced into English gardens in 1852, and in cultivation at Kew at 

 the present time. 



6. M. ExcAVATA, Baker, n. sp. — Leaves not seen. Scape fur- 

 nished with large lanceolate erect bract-leaves. Flowers in a 

 dense thyrsoid bi23innate x^anicle six to eight inches long, three to 

 four inches diameter, with crowded erecto-patent branches, sub- 

 tended at the base by small deltoid bracts, each flower placed in a 

 pocket formed by a square mucronate coriaceous navicular bract, 

 under half an inch long, entirely adnate to the rachis by its inner 

 edges. Calyx including ovary five-eighths to three-quarters of an 

 inch long ; sepals lanceolate cuspidate, twice as long as the glabrous 

 ovary. Petals Ungulate, red purple, a quarter to one-third of an 

 inch longer than the sepals. Paraguay near Assomption, Gibert, 

 62 ! (Herb. Kew.) 



7. M. vRiEsioiDEs, Baker, n. sp. — Leaves eight to ten, with a 

 dilated oblong entire base two to three inches long, one inch and a 

 half to two inches broad, contracting suddenly to a linear lamina, 

 two feet long, three-quarters to one inch broad low down, narrowed 

 gradually to the point, armed with copious brown spreading 

 lanceolate horny prickles half a line long. Peduncle a foot long, 

 floccose, the red denticulate upper bract-leaves about two inches 

 long. Panicle rhomboid, half a foot long, with five to six simply 

 spicate erecto-patent distichous branches two to three inches long, 

 three-quarters of an inch broad, the lower ones subtended by 

 lanceolate acute bracts one inch to two inches long. Eachises 

 one-sixth of an inch diameter, square, flexuose. Flower-bract 

 round-navicular, one-half to five-eighths of an inch long, not 

 mucronate, clasping tightly the calyx. Calyx with ovary five- 

 eighths of an inch long ; sepals lanceolate, one quarter of an inch 

 long, with minute brown cusps. Petals not seen. Mosquito Shore, 

 year 1774, Captain Miller! Kaieteur Falls, Demerara, 1872, 

 Appun I (Herb. Mus. Brit.) 



8. M. TiLLANDSioiDES, Bakcr. Billhergia tiUandsioides, Mart, 

 in Schultes fil., Syst. Veg., vii., 1269. — Leaves with a dilated oblong 

 base two to three inches long, and a lanceolate lamina under an 

 inch broad and about a foot long, narrowed gradually to the point 

 and armed with minute horny prickles half a line long. Scape 



