﻿Griggs: Some new species of Bihai 327 



In every detail except its slightly inferior size and its heavily 

 farinose leaves B. pulverulenta corresponds precisely with B. 

 brasiliensis. Although recognizing that glaucescence was some- 

 times evanescent and variable in amount, I have heretofore sup- 

 posed that marked differences in this matter were sufficient 

 criteria of specific "distinctness. But the correspondence between 

 these two species is so exact in every other respect that one has 

 no other recourse than to throw them together. A specimen 

 brought back from Rio de Janeiro by the United States Exploring 

 expedition under Captain Wilkes is very interesting in this connec- 

 tion. It has the typical inflorescence of the two species; some of 

 the leaves are cordate but others are narrowed to the base ; some 

 of them were clearly green and glabrous but others show evident 

 signs of a heavy pulverulence which has been rubbed off except 

 in a few protected spots! The reason that the similarity of the 

 two plants was not recognized long ago is that glaucescence was 

 made a primary character in the key so that they were never 

 put close enough together to invite comparison. 



Bihai angusta (Vellozo) comb. nov. 

 Heliconia angusta Vellozo, Fl. Flum. Text 107. 1825. Plates 3: 



20. 1827. 

 Heliconia bicolor Benth. Maund's Botanist 3: pL loi. No date, 



1837-1840? Regel, Gartenflora 5: 289. pi. 172. 1856. 

 Heliconia angustifolia Hook. Bot. Mag. 75: pi. 4475. 1849. 



Bihai straminea sp. nov. 

 Plant rather small, erect, habit cannoid, leaves reaching 35 cm. 

 in length and 10 cm. in breadth, smaller in the type, the upper, at 

 least, sessile, elliptical, acuminate, round at the base, glabrous, 

 green on both sides; inflorescence erect, pale greenish yellow, 

 peduncle glabrous, about 18 cm. long in the material seen, 2-3 

 mm. thick, rachis somewhat zigzag, minutely puberulent, inter- 

 nodes 10-15 mm.; bracts half a dozen or less, ascending, glabrous 

 unless at the base, narrowly triangular, concave and boat-shaped, 

 straight sided, w^idest at the base, acute, 3-10 cm. long, the largest 

 about 12 mm. broad, tips of the lowest exceeding the uppermost: 

 flowers few, bracteoles about 15 mm. long, less than 5 mm. wide, 

 caducous after anthesis, glabrescent; pedicel, ovulary and calyx 

 thickly and softly pubescent, perianth about 3 cm. long, with a 



