104 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS COLLECTIONS VOL. 126 



7. Apical half (as well as the remainder) of the floral bract imbricate 

 until after anthesis; keel of the floral bracts evenly convex; 

 inflorescence usually acute. (Fig. 42.) 

 9. Floral bracts densely lepidote with appressed cinereous scales, 

 45 mm. long, sharply carinate; flowers malodorous. 



54. V. vulpinoidea 

 9. Floral bracts glabrous or very sparsely and obscurely lepidote. 

 10. Margins of the floral bracts with a strong almost semicircular 

 curve; sepals broadly convex. 

 II. Inflorescence subterete; floral bracts slightly and obtusely 

 carinate near the apex, inflated, rose, to 42 mm. long. 



55. V. rhodostachys 

 II. Inflorescence strongly complanate; floral bracts sharply 

 carinate. 

 12. Floral bracts with obtusely angled margins, bright red 

 with broad yellow margins, 45-60 mm. long; inflores- 

 cence oblong to linear, 15-40 cm. long. 



56. V. incurvata 



12. Floral bracts with evenly curved margins, 40-50 mm. long; 



inflorescence usually lanceolate or elliptic. 



13. Inflorescence very dense; each floral bract more than 



half covered by the one below it, red with yellow or 



green margins, its keel slightly curved. 



57. V. inflata 



13. Inflorescence subdense; each floral bract less than half 



covered by the one below it, orange, its keel strongly 



curved 58. V. petropolitana 



ID. Margins of the floral bracts lightly curved. (Fig. 42.) 

 14. Floral bracts 6-8 cm. long, 2 to 3 times as long as the broadly 



convex sepals, wholly red or green 59. V. splendens 



14. Floral bracts not over 5 cm. long, about twice as long as 

 the carinate sepals at most, mostly bicolorous. 

 15. Inflorescence subquadrate, almost as broad as long; scape 



very slender. (Fig. 42.) 60. V. carinata 



15. Inflorescence much longer than broad; scape stouter. 

 16. The inflorescence much exceeding the leaves, 16-26 cm. 

 long, much more than 3 times as long as broad ; floral 

 bracts 45-50 mm. long; sepals narrowly elliptic, ob- 

 tuse or emarginate 61. V. duvaliana 



16. The inflorescence barely or not exceeding the leaves, 

 1 1 cm. long, much less than 3 times as long as broad ; 

 floral bracts 40 mm. long; sepals lance-ovate, acute. 



62. V. paralbica 



SUBKEY E 



I. Leaf -blades narrowly triangular, acuminate. 

 2. Rhachis less than 2 mm. in diameter; flowers slender, spreading; floral 

 bracts 18-25 nim. long, about equaling the sepals, membranaceous. 



7. V. lubbersii 



