696 PKOMELIACBvE. 



appressed, alternate, little shorter than the central : bractlets imbrieate-distlchous, polished, 

 oblong-lanceolate, acuminate, keeled, little exceeding the calyx, thrice as long as their in- 

 ternodes; sepals exceeding half the corolla, bluntish, all 3 distinct; petals "violet," erect, 

 convolnte, spathnlate-linear ; stigmas exserted, " blunt, ciliate ;" " capsule exserted." — 

 I'-lJ'high; spikes 3"-3", bractlets 10'", sepals 8"'-9"', petals 15'" long.— Hab. Jamaica!, 

 Wullschl., Pd., on trees, peculiar to the plains, Manchester, Westmoreland ;. [Cuba I], 



21. T. bulbosa, Hook, t Leaves convolute-filiform, minutely lepidote, greenish, the 

 rosulate abruptly dilated into the roundish sheaths of the bulbous stem-base, flexuose, upper- 

 most exceeding the spikes ; spikes 5-8 (-1), subequal, approximate, spreading : bractlets 

 imbricate 'distichous, <AAai\%, pointed, exceeding the calyx, 3-6 times as long as their inter- 

 nodes ; sepals shorter than halt the corolla, all 3 distinct; petals "violet, white at the 

 point," erect, recurved at the summit, convolute, spathulate-linear ; anthers exserted ; 

 stigmas spreading, " ciliate at the truncate, dilated summit ;" capsule half as long again as 

 the bractlet.—Bot. Mag. t. 4288.— Platystachys, Beer. P. ewthrffia. Beer.— ^"-12" high, 

 2" thick at the bulb; spikes 3"-2", bractlets 8"'-9"', sepals 6"'-7"', petals 15"', capsule 12'" 

 long. — Hab. Jamaica!, Pd., Wullschl., on trees, S. Mary's, Manchester; Trinidad !, Sch. ; 

 [Guiana! Brazil!]. 



22. T. laxa, 6r. [n. sp.). Leaves lanceolate-linear, from an ovate-oblong base, convo- 

 lute, straightish, snberect, as long as the stem, lepidote ; spi&e compound, (or simple) ; 

 branches lax, subdistant, alternate, about as long as the central spike : bractlets distichous, 

 twice as long as their internodes, oblong-laneeolate, shortly acuminate, membranaceous at 

 the margin, little exceeding the calyx ; sepals shorter than half the corolla, all 3 distinct ; 

 petals violet, erect, convolute, linear-lanceolate, pointed ; anthers exserted ; stigmas convo- 

 lute ; capsule as long as the bractlet. — 1^' high ; leaves 2" above the base 8'" broad ; 

 spikes 6"-3", bractlets 9"'-l]"', calyx 6"'-8'", coroUa 15"'-20"', capsule 10"' long.— Hab. 

 Jamaica!, Fm&cA/., Manchester; [Cuba!]. 



23. T. pruinosa, Sw. ! Wholly covered with spreading white scales ; leaves convo- 

 lute-filiform from a subulate base, recurved, as long as the low stem ; spike simple : bract- 

 lets distichous, approximate, ovate-oblong, pointed, almost twice as long as the calyx ; 

 sepals half as long as the corolla, all 3 distinct ; petals blue, convolute, spreading at the 

 summit, spathulate above the claw, shortly exserted from the bractlet ; stigmas convolute. — 

 4"-6" high, leafy ; spike 2"-3", bractlets 1", sepals 7"'-8"', petals 14"'-16"' long.— Hab. 

 Jamaica I, Sw., on trees ; [Cuba ! to Venezuela !]. 



*** Flowers distant : bractlets below their short thickish pedicel. 



24. T. iiexuosa, Sw. Leaves linear-acuminate, subulate at the base, recurved, shorter 

 than the stem, lepidote with minute scales, or greenish, transversely zonate beneath ; spike 

 few-branched, or simple : branches long, spreading : bractlets distichous, spreading, oblong- 

 lanceolate, bluntish, as long as or shorter than the channelled internodes, f-^ as long as the 

 calyx (its pedicel included) ; sepals 3, half as long as the corolla ; petals rosy, linear, 

 spreading at the summit ; anthers exserted ; capsule twice-thrice as long as the calyx. — 

 Jacg. Amer. Pict. t. 93. — T. tenuifolia, Jacq^. T. aloifolia. Hook. ! — 14'-3' high ; " bract- 

 lets and calyx rosy," the former 10"'-12'" (-9'"), the latter 12"' long ; ovary-base sunk into 

 the pedicel. — Hab. Jamaica !, Pd., on logwood-trees, in hot savannahs ; Trinidad ; [Vene- 

 zuela!, Gruianal]. 



25. T. utricnlata, L. Leaves linear-acuminate, gradually tapering from an ovate base, 

 spreading, recurved at the top, shorter than the stem, lepidote with minute scales, or green- 

 ish, " ezonate ;" spike compound : branches long, distant ; bractlets distichous, erect, oblong, 

 blunt, shorter than or as long as the internodes, half as long again as the calyx ; sepals 3, 

 half as long as the corolla ; petals greenish-white, spreading at the summit ; anthers ex- 

 serted ; • " stigmas convolute ;" capsule twice as long as the calyx. — Bot. Reg. t. 749. — T. 

 flexuosa, var. pallida, Imdl. — Nearly allied to the preceding, but stouter, more branched, 

 pedicels and bractlets shorter ; " bractlets and calyx green with a reddish margin," the former 

 6,'" the latter 12,'" capsule 2" leng, its valves broader than in the preceding. — Hab. An- 

 tigua !, Wullschl., S. Vincent!, Guild.; [Cuba! to French islands !, Venezuela!]. 



Sect. 3. Vriesisa, Lindl., Gaudich.-^Sjnke distichous. Filaments i/ol twisted. — Stem 



