PHRYNIUM PARKERI. 
MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
SECT. I. CANNE. 
Gry. Cuar.—Anther single, attached to the margin of the filament; style revolute, truncate ; stigma a circular 
orifice, depressed ; capsule three-celled ; seeds three. 
Spec. Cuar—Leaves radical, on long foot-stalks, broad ovate, elliptic, inzequilateral, with long ganglions; 
scape radical, erect, lanuginose; spike fasciculated, imbricated; general bractes ovate, striate, 
muricate. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Leaves radical, broad-ovate, smooth on both sides, elliptic, unequally divided by the mid-rib, which, on its 
approaching the apex, suddenly turns obliquely towards the point; petioles long, round, smooth, terminating 
next the leaf in a dusky ganglion, cf about an inch in length; scape long, erect, round, intirely covered 
with dense wool or down; spike terminal; flowers numerous, in close, irregular, ascending fascicles; general 
bractes common to many fascicles, broad-oyate, mucronate at the apex; partial bractes biflorous, ovate, lanceolate, 
rigid, involute, acute, inclosing another membranous, foliaceous bracte or envelope, of a quadriform shape, 
directly opposed in situation to the former, and enclosing two flowers; calyx superior, of three lanceolate, 
unequal leaves, about half an inch in length ; corolla tubular, tube about an inch long, downy, expanding 
at the apex into two limbs; outer limb in three segments, nearly equal, ovate; inner limb in three segments, 
the two upper ones equal, erect, expanding, the lower one, or lip, somewhat larger, ovate, intire; flowers 
yellow ; filament an irregular, foliaceous petal-like process, from the margin of which rises a short pedicel, 
bearing an ovate-oblong anther; style connate with the filament, tubular, recurved and truncate at the apex ; 
stigma a compressed, membranous ring, terminating the truncated apex of the style ; capsule three cells, three 
seeds; the whole spike and flowers intirely covered with fine down. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
Although it is the object of this work to give only figures drawn from living plants, yet it is hoped, 
it will not be thought an unpardonable deviation from that plan, to exhibit the present figure, although 
drawn from a preserved specimen only. To this we have been induced, from the consideration, that this plant 
appears, as far as our researches have extended, to be intirely new to this country, not having been figured 
or described by any author; whilst at the same time it serves to extend our knowledge of this very singular 
genus, and enables us to mark more precisely the distinctive features between it and its nearly approaching 
genus Maranta. 
From its general habit and appearance, this may be considered as one of the numerous tribe of large 
reed-like plants which grow in the moist woods, marshes, and banks of rivers in the tropical climates of 
America. Although we have examined many specimens of the flowers, we have not discovered any that 
contained the ripened seed; but their glumaceous inflorescence, interior, quadriform, winged bracte, and truncate 
annular stigma, sufficiently characterize its genus; whilst its singular foliage and lanuginose habit, enable us 
to distinguish it, with a peculiar degree of certainty, from all the other species. 
