PHRYNIUM COMOSUM. 
MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
SECT. I. CANN. 
Gen. Cuar.—Anther single, attached to the margin of the filament; style tubular, revolute, truncate ; stigma 
a circular orifice, depressed; capsule three cells, three seeds. 
Spec. Cuar.—Leaves radical, on. long foot-stalks, equilateral; scape rising from the centre of the leaves; 
simple, smooth, erect; flower-spike capitate, terminal, globose, comose; floral bractes lanceolate, 
numerous, reflexed; flowers yellow. 
Syw.—Maranta comosa, acaulis, scapo nudo, spicato, comoso ; come foliolis reflexis. Lin. Suppl. p. 80. ap. Willd. i. 14. 
Maranta comosa (curcuma nova. Ameen. Acad. y. 8. 850.) Sir J. E. Smith, in Rees’ New Cyclop. 
Maranta comosa. Ev descriptione Cl. Swartzii, ap. Roemer & Schultes. v. i. p. 15. 
Myrosma comosa, scapo tereti, coma foliolis reflexis, bracteis trifloris. Surinam. Sprengel, Syst. Veg. 1. p. 9. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Leaves radical, broad-ovate, equally divided by the mid-rib, finely striated with regular parallel nerves, 
two feet long and a foot in breadth, on long petioles; scape radical, from the centre of the leaves, three 
feet high, round, simple, naked, smooth, somewhat incrassated towards the summit; flowers terminal, capitate, 
comose, expanding from numerous lanceolate carinated green bractes, each bracte containing two flowers; 
bractes reflexed towards the base, and forming a globular foliaceous tuft or head; opposite to the exterior 
bracte appears the angular winged bracte, characteristic of the genus; flowers in pairs, dividing from a 
common pedicel ; calyx superior, of three equal, green leaflets; corolla tubular, tube slender, and upwards of 
an inch in length, expanding into a double limb; outer limb in three equal, ovate segments; inner limb 
bilabiate ; upper lip in two irregular sections, one of them bearing on its margin the anther, on a_ short 
subulate process, the other hooded; lower lip deeply divided into two ovate lobes; flowers pale yellow; 
style connate with the upper lip, tubular, revolute, truncate ; stigma a simple, circular, membranous orifice ; 
capsule three-celled ; seeds three. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
It is not without great hesitation on the part of former writers, that this very singular plant has 
hitherto been generally referred to the genus Maranta. Fiven the younger Linneus, in assigning it to that 
station, expressed his doubts on the subject; the specific description in Roemer & Schultes, (v. i. 15.) is 
accompanied by the question, “ dn novum genus ?” And Sprengel has united it, under the name of Myrosma 
Comosa, as another species to Myrosma Canneefolia, which, it will appear from the present work, is itself a 
Phrynium. The opportunity new afforded us of examining the flowers, and of ascertaining with certainty their 
generic distinctions, has enabled us to place this subject beyond all doubt. 
The plant described by the younger Linneeus was sent by Dalberg from Surinam. That from which 
the present figure is given, was brought from the island of Trinidad by Charles S. Parker, Esq. who found 
it flowering there in a shady wood, near a plantation called Trafalgar, in June 1824, and to him we are 
indebted not only for the specimen of the plant here given, but for much information in drawing up our 
description, from which it indisputably appears to be a species of Phrynium. 
REFERENCES. 
1. Bractes opened, exhibiting two flowers, with germen, calyx and corolla. 
2. Anther, style and stigma, magnified. 
3. The stigma more highly magnified. 
4 & 5. Different views of exterior bractes of corolla. 
6. Different views of the opposite angular winged bracte. 
