236 Plants Collected in Faragiiay. 



^Chmea liroilielisefolia (Rudge), Baker in Benth. and Hook. Gen. 

 PL, iii, 664. 



Caballero (523). January. 



Growing as an epiphyte upon trees in damp woods at Caballero 

 It is a very large plant, with a rosette of 12-20 silvery-green leaves 

 at the base, which with the stem reach a height of 1-lJ m. Leaves 

 3 dm. long and 5-8 cm. wide, the margins unarmed, bluntlj^ pointed 

 at the apex. Peduncle about 3 dm. long. Flowers purplish, in 

 a cylindrical or somewhat conical spike, 5-8 cm. long and 2^ cm. 

 thick, imbedded in a white cottony tomentum. The peduncle bears 

 5 or 6 foliaceous, acuminate bracts, 8 or 10 cm. long, which are 

 somewhat silvery woolly. A striking plant. 



jf^cliinea disticliantlia, Lem., Jard. Fleur., t. 269. 



Asuncion (141); Pilcomayo River (1556). February-May. 



Leaves 15-20, like those of no. 341 in a large rosette, about 4-5 

 dm. long and 3-5 cm. broad, armed with sharp, curved, black spines 

 on the margins and a large straight spine at the apex. Flowers in 

 a dense oblong panicle 10-18 cm. long, on a bright red peduncle 

 3-9 dm. high, the 3 sepals red and the 3 petals bright blue, longer 

 than the sepals. The peduncle is beset with leaves passing upwards 

 into foliaceous bracts. Fruit a dry, indehiscent, 3-celled berry, con- 

 taining many small seeds in each cell. This plant occurs abundantly 

 on porphyritic ledges 2 miles east of Asuncion, and also on the 

 banks of the Pilcomayo River. Though it is neither epiphytic 

 nor parasitic, yet it often grows high up on the trunks and limbs 

 of trees. Like the Bromelia and jEchmea already noted, the leaves 

 of this species furnish excellent material for textile fabrics and cord- 

 age. They show, however, none of the scarlet tint by which the 

 leaves of the former are made so conspicuous, 



Tiilandsia "bryoides, Griseb,, Symb. Flor, Arg., 334. 



Between Yilla Rica and Escoba (492); Pilcomayo River (1086). 

 January. = Balansa 617 a. 



A small epiphyte, with densely tufted leafy stems which have the 

 look of a moss. Leaves linear-subulate, densely scaly. Flowers 

 small, numerous, racemed, on short scapes, rose colored. 



Tillandsia diantlioidea, Rossi, Cat. Modoct,, 1825, 1. 1. 



La Plata, Arg. Republic (35). October. 



A small epiphyte with lilac flowers, occurring in the Argentine 

 Republic, but not found in Paraguay by me. 



