14 PREFACE. 



" It was a female plant and first fruited in 1883, and 

 produced its large heads of fruits about a foot long 

 almost every subsequent season. It was removed in 

 1891 and was then bearing five heads. Up to 1882 it 

 was grown in a tub, and there is a good figure of 

 it in that stage in the supplement to the Gardeners' 

 Chronicle for August 5th, 1876. In that year it was 

 lowered into a brick pit prepared for the purpose and 

 so gained an additional space in height of 5 ft. The 

 base of the stem with the striking mass of aerial roots 

 has been carefully preserved for future exhibition in 

 No. III. Museum. An illustration of the striking mass 

 was published in the Gardeners' Chronicle for Ja,nuary 

 5 th, 1895. P. odoratissimus, Roxb., is reduced in the 

 Flora of British India to P. fascicular is, Lam. 



" Pandanus refiexus. — This was a striking plant of 

 great size which stood at the end of the north wing 

 near the staircase. It immediately attracted attention 

 from its dense heads of enormous stifl^" sword-shaped 

 leaves. According to Smith (Records, p. 126) it was 

 introduced to Kew by Wallich in 1818. P. reflexus 

 is an obscure species said to be a native of Bourbon. 

 Whether the Kew plant was correctly referred to it 

 will perhaps never be known with certainty. It was a 

 male plant, and the correct determination of plants of 

 this sex presents great difficulties. 



" In July 1889 a large plant of Pandanus odoratissi- 

 mus was received from the Oxford Botanic Garden and 

 planted in the Palm House immediately opposite the 

 P. reflexus. It died in the following November, 

 apparently from the same disease as eventually also 

 killed the larger plant. In 1891 it was noticed that 



