PHRYNIUM ELLIPTICUM. 
MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
SECT. I. CANNE. 
Grn. 
Cuar.—Anther single, attached to the margin of the filament; style tubular, revolute, truncate ; stigma 
a circular orifice, depressed ; capsule three-celled; seeds three. 
Spec. Cuar.—Leaves on long foot-stalks, elliptical, ineequilateral, ganglionated, oblique at the apex; scape rising 
from the base of the leaves; spike terminal; flowers in a loose irregular panicle; floral bractes 
ovate, involute; spatulate bracte common to two flowers. 
Syy.—Maranta spicata, foliis oblongis, sub-falcatis caulenudo, floribus spicatis. Aublet Guian. 
Maranta spicata. Stith, in Rees’ Cyclop. 
Maranta spicata. Roémer & Schultes, i. 16. sp. 15. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Roots fibrous; leaves radical, ovate-oblong, unequally divided by the mid-rib, oblique at the apex, towards 
which the mid-rib makes a sudden turn; petioles long, round, with a_ pallid ganglion ; scape radical, simple, 
long, erect; spike terminal, in a loose panicle; inflorescence glumaceous; outer bractes ovate, involute, green, 
each containing two flowers, between which is found another bracte, erect, narrow, spatulate, coriaceous, 
upwards of an inch in length; interior bracte opposite to the exterior, quadriform, or angular, with a 
membranous wing at each angle; flowers in pairs, with a proper bracte to each flower; pedicels short ; 
germen ovate; calyx superior, of three green leaflets; corolla tubular, extending a little beyond the exterior 
involute bracte, expanding into a double limb; outer limb in three lanceolate sections, equal; inner limb 
bilabiate, the upper lip hooded, irregular, bearing on its incrassated margin the anther, attached by a short 
subulate filament; lower lip ovate, simple; flowers pale straw colour ; style tubular, revolute, truncate at the 
apex ; stigma a simple, circular orifice; seed a rugose, three-lobed, three-celled capsule, inclosing three oblong, 
angular, perforated seeds. 
OBSERVATIONS. 
The first account we have of this plant is by Aublet, who found it in a boggy forest in Guiana, 
and has described it under the name of Maranta spicata. From his herbarium, which came into the hands 
of Sir Joseph Banks, a leaf was given by Sir Joseph to the younger Linnzus, who has, in his herbarium, 
now in the possession of Sir J. EK. Smith, P.L.S. accompanied it with a rough drawing also of the spike 
of flowers, and a note in Swedish, saying, “ He had seen four leaves, all of the same strange shape.”— 
Sir J. E. Smith, in Rees’ Cyclop. The most striking particularity of this plant is found in its singularly formed 
leaf, which is accurately described by Sir J. E. Smith, as “ about a foot long, smooth and shining, with 
‘ numerous principal, as well as intermediate transverse veins; the base is rather unequal, and the two halves of the 
leaves upwards much more so; one margin being curved, the other straight, the mid-rib running up perfectly 
straight, till it reaches the former margin, when it turns suddenly into the very short lateral or oblique 
point.” Its long ligneous clavate bracte between every pair of flowers, noticed also by Sir J. E. Smith, it 
has in common with Phrynium Casupo, and perhaps with some other species. 
In withdrawing this plant from the genus Maranta, where it has hitherto remained, we feel ourselves 
fully justified by its glumaceous inflorescence, its angular winged bracte, peculiar to Phrynium, its simple 
