THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 339 



I had long had the honour and advantage of being in communi- 

 cation with M. Durieu de Maissonneude, the learned Director of 

 the Botanic G-arden at Bordeaux, and I lost no time in acquaintino' 

 him of my discovery. " It is the most beautiful plant I have ever 

 seen," he said to me the year after, and he described it in detail. 

 He propagated it as I had done, and then asked my permission to 

 entrust a few of the conns to some amateur friends, correspondents, 

 and collectors, to which I readily gave consent. The first blossoms 

 detected by M. Prillieux showed to what tribe the species belonged ; 

 it was an Amorpliophalhis. As its general appearance, botanic 

 peculiarities, and hardihood distinguished it from other previously- 

 known species, a distinctive appellation became necessary ; after 

 some hesitation and delay, the name Amorphophallus Rivieri was 

 fixed upon. Under this name it has been known ever since, and we 

 have continued to raise it, upon a large scale, in our magnificent 

 garden at Hamma, in the neighbourhood of Algiers. 



The tuberous root of AmorpTiophallus Bivieri attains to a con- 

 siderable size. In the Botanic Gardens at Bordeaux, a specimen of 

 3 kilogs. (G'61bs.), and another of 4 kilogs. (8'81b?.), weight have 

 been seen. It is of a greyish-black colour, hemispherical, concave 

 on the upper raurface, having, in the centre of the depression, a 

 small conical protuberance of a pink or purplish colour. It is 

 nothing more nor less than a leaf-bud, from which proceeds the leaf. 

 If the corm be too immature to bear a flower, it produces a leaf 

 only. From this point should grow annually, but successively, the 

 flower and the leaf, the flower preceding the leaf, a peculiarity which 

 the Amorphophallus shares with other plants. 



When the corm has attained a certain size, as soon as vegetation 

 commences a sort of stem makes its appearance : this is the inflo- 

 rescence. A spike appears, with a few bractiform scales about the 

 base, which grows rapidly, attaining a height of 50 to 80 ceutimetrea 

 (18 to 30 in.), or more, in the course of a fortnight or three weeks. 

 The summit then diverges, opens, and forms a sort of cornet, con- 

 voluted about its own axis, sometimes from right to left, sometimes 

 from left to right, as I have noticed on the same individual in two 

 consecutive years : this is the spathe. The disk widens towards the 

 summit ; inside it is of a purple brown ; externally, of an intense 

 green, varied with light reddish or whitish spots. From the 

 centre of the spathe issues an elongated body (phallus), pointed, 

 depressed, or dilated, shining, and of the same colour as the interior 

 surface of the spathe itself, which it considerably exceeds in length : 

 this is the spadix. It is sterile throughout the greater part of its 

 length. The monoecious flowers are scarcely visible ; they are 

 arranged in a ring about the base of t\iQ spadix. The blossom is not 

 only insignificant in regard of appearance, but its duration is short 

 as well — happily so, I feel bound to add, as during its continuance 

 the plant emits a horribly nauseous, moi'ibund odour, which is found 

 in certain arads, und which, at first, quickly disenchanted me with 

 its culture under glass. Fortunately the smell had disappeared five 

 days later. Those who are not interested botanically in the bloseom 

 would do well to remove it, and so avoid the disagreeable odour that 



NoTember. 



