PUYA. 



125 



on the back, armed with large brown spreading marginal spines. 

 Upper leaf-bracts crowded at the base of the spike, very acuminate. 

 Inflorescence a dense simple very woolly spike with a thick axis, 

 2^-3 in. diam. ; flower-bracts ovate, very acuminate, scariose, 

 1-1—2 in. long. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, acute, f in. long. Petals 

 twice as long as the calyx ; blade ^-^ in. broad. Stamens shorter 

 than the petals. 



Hab. Bolivia ; Ingenio del Oro, alt. 10000 ft., Rushy, 2849 I 



6. P. LANATA Schultes fil. Syst. Veg. vii. 1233. Pourretia 

 lavata H.B.K. Nov. Gen. i. 296. Pitcairnia lanata Dietr. Bromelia 

 lasiantha AVilld. — Whole plant 12-18 ft. high. Leaves ensiform- 

 acuminate, 3-4 ft. long, 1:^ in. broad low down, like those of 

 P. chilensLs in texture, tapering gradually to a long point, channelled 

 down the face, glaucescent on both sides, armed with large hooked 

 horny spines. Inflorescence a dense terminal spike 3-4 ft. long, 

 3 in. diam. ; flower-bracts ovate-acuminate, coriaceous, 1|- in. long, 

 densely white-woolly, as is the stout rachis. Calyx coriaceous, 

 densely woolly, l^-l|-in. long; sepals ovate-acuminate. Corolla 

 greenish-white, f in. longer than the calyx. Stamens scarcely ex- 

 serted. Capsule and seeds not seen. 



Hab. Andes of Northern Peru, between Caxamarca and the Kio Mag- 

 dalena, Humboldt 3713 I Described from the tyiDe-specimen in the Berlin 

 Herbarium. 



7. P. GiGAS Andre in Eev. Hort. 1881, 315, with woodcut. — 

 Acaulescent. Leaves numerous in a dense rosette, ensiform- 

 acuminate, 3 ft. long, an inch broad at the middle, tapering 

 gradually to a long point, flexible, recurving, bright green on the 

 face, densely persistently white-lepidote beneath, armed with 

 distant very strong deltoid-cuspidate hooked brown spines. Pe- 

 duncle with inflorescence 20-30 ft. long ; lower bract-leaves with 

 long points ; upper adpressed, scariose. Spike dense, much shorter 

 than the peduncle; flower-bracts ovate, acute, imbricated. Flowers 

 white, tinged with red and violet. 



Hab. New Granada, at Lake Cocha, the source of one of the tributaries of 

 the Amazon, alt. 6000—7000 ft. Discovered by M. Andre in May, 1876, and 

 introduced into cultivation by seed in 1880. We first had it at Kew in 1886. ,, -- 



8. P. ERYNGioiDES Andre Enum. 5. — Acaulescent. Leaves ensi- 

 form, channelled, recurved, 8-10 in. long, ^ in. broad, furfuraceous 

 above, finely striated and nearly glabrous beneath, margined with 

 fine brown ascending spines. Peduncle a foot long, slightly fur- 

 furaceous ; lower bract-leaves long-pointed. Inflorescence a dense 

 capitulum 2-3 in. long, composed of numerous clusters of flowers 

 in the axils of ovate-acuminate spine-edged bracts ; flower-bracts 

 ovate, shorter than the calyx. Sepals oblong-lanceolate, acute, 

 ■| in. long. Petals deep blue, obovate, under an inch long. 

 Stamens and style rather shorter than the petals. 



Hab. Andes of Ecuador ; lomas between Eiobamba and Loxa, alt. 9000 ft., 

 Andre 4542. This is the smallest plant of the group. 



9. P. VESTiTA Andre Enum. 5. — Leaves unknown. Inflores- 

 cence panicled, with densely spicate branches ; branch-bracts ovate- 



