impressed veins, perfectly smooth, excepting a longitudinal row of 
hairs on each side of the midrib on the under side. FLOWERING STEM 
rising to the height of the leaves, terminated in a distichous spike of 
flowers, the lowest spathe or upper stem-leaf without any flowers, 
coloured at the base like the spathe, terminated in a green leaf like the 
lower ones, but smaller; the other spathe lanceolate, acute, clasping 
the stem at the base, hollow, but less so than in most species, rather 
longer than the flowers, and like the flower-stem the pedicels and 
evaria of a brilliant scarlet. The two lower spathes contain six, the 
two next four pedicels, and as many membranous whitish bracts, 
tinged with pink. FLOWERS inodorous. DIvisIONS OF THE PERIGON 
of a pure white tinged with green at the top, and of a firm wax-like 
_ consistence, the five upper ones adhering firmly nearly to the top; 
the lower one spreading, all of them narrow, linear-lanceolate. StTa- 
MENS five, fertile; filaments flattened, linear, terminated by a jlinear, 
oblong anther; sixth rudimentary stamen lanceolate, not half as long 
as the petal. . : 
PopuLaR aND GeocrapHicaL Notice. This splendid genus, 
allied to the Bananas or Plantain trees, is confined to the tropical 
parts of America and the West Indies; and although the growth of the 
plants is slow, and they therefore occupy a valuable place in the stove 
for many years before they flower, yet they fully repay the cultivator’s 
patience and care, by the great beauty and long duration of their spikes 
of flowers. The present species, a native of the Brazils, is peculiarly 
conspicuous by the contrast of the richly coloured flower-stem and 
spathe, with the white of the flower itself. It appears to come nearest 
to the Heliconia acuminata of Richard, but differs especially in the 
colourjof the flowers. G. B. 
{NTROpUCTION; WHERE GROWN; CULTURE. This new Heliconia 
was sent, ten or twelve years since, by Baron de Schach, from the 
Brazils, to the Botanic Garden at Liverpool. It has there- been 
grown in the stove, in a mixture of loam and peat with a little manure, 
and flowered in the months of February and March, when our drawing 
was made. ‘It may be propagated by offsets or by division. 
DERIVATION OF THE NaMEs. 
HEticonia: Spe is said that Linneus derived this name from Mount Helicon, sa- 
cred to uses, to indicate the affinity between Heliconia and Musa, an 
Uivinatony not strictly in accordance with the usual exactness of that great 
master, if it be true that Musa was dedicated toa Professor of that name and 
Muses. Brcotor, two-coloured, in 
the colour of the sp d that of the flowers, 
