112 
Caraguata plant, and of its fruit and inflorescence, which I ho 
will prove satisfactory for the purpose of determining its écientifig 
classification. 
I have, &c. 
(Signed) WILLIAM STEWART, M.D. 
The Hon. F. J. Pakenham. 
material obtained through the Foreign Office, as shown above, 
at Kew, who has furnished ec era account and description of the 
Caraguata plant as now know 
e have now received for a first thats, through the Foreign Office 
full material for the botanical determination of this plant, procured 
for us by Dr. W. Stewart, H.B.M. Consul at Asuncion. It proves 
to be a true Bromelia, nearly allied to Bromelia Pinguin. In the 
monograph of the Brazilian eee just publi shed by Dr. Mez 
which forms part of the great “ Flora Brasiliensis” of Endlicher and 
Martius, two Species which are iy allied to it are described for the 
t time, viz., B. Balanse, Mez, from Paraguay, and B. Regnellit, 
Mez, from Central Brazil. The latter, which comes nearest to it of 
the three species, is figured on Plate 53. The description of Rhodo- 
stachys argentina in my Handbook of the Bromeliacece, p. 29, so far as 
regards the inflorescence in a state of fruit, relates to the present plant ; 
but now that we have the flowers, th “show that the plant is not a 
sent with it do not ra belong to the same species as the flowers. e 
are therefore very much i ndebt ted to Dr. Stewart for enabling us to 
clear the matter up, ia I give now a full description of the plant under 
the name of Bromelia argentina, drawn up entirely from his latest 
specimens, received Feb. 10, 1892. 
Bromelia argentina, Baker, n. sp. Leaves like those of B. Pin 
guin, ensiform, rigidly coriaceous, 5 feet long, 14 inches broad ex- 
clusive of the prickles above the dilated base, ‘tapering very gradually 
to the point; prickles large, deltoid get ge uncinate, brown and 
horny in the upper half, about an inch apart in the centre 
the leaf. Peduncle stout, nearly a foot long, Torei by the closely 
imbricated ovate-lanceolate scariose bract-leaves, the lewer of which 
are about 3 inches long, and the upper 2 inches long. Inflorescence 
a se oblong head, whi i i 
ith ght re 
lanceolate point ; flowers many in each cluster, subtended tte a large 
ovate bract; flower-bracts oblong, acutely keeled, 1 inches long; ovary in 
the flowering state oblong, trigonous, tomentose, an inch long, 4 inch 
diam. Sepals oblong, obtuse, an inch long. Petals red, lingulate, a 
mcr se than the me tei Stamens and style shorter than the petals. 
ee 
t will be noticed that “Mr, Baker considers t eg ier? ee to 
be aaa allied to the Pinguin (Bromelia Pea L.) of the West 
Indies and Central America. It has also some pines So 2 pden 
leaf character alone, to Karatas Plumieri. The latter is a well-known 
and valuable fibre plant. It is said to be a by Indians in making the 
finest hammocks in Central America, Gui and Brazil. The fibre of the 
Pinguin, a already stated, was te Poe duvestignted by the Botanical 
Department in Jamaica in 1884. The plant covers hundreds of acres in 
the pind, on it would readily supporta large industry. Great difficulty 
