132 



H. MlCHOLITZII, n. sp. A very large plant forming large tufts, sterns 

 2 feet or more tall 3 inches acros spale-green marbled with grey. Leaves 

 plain green, blade about three feet long, 11 inches across. Inflores- 

 cence 12 inches long, peduncle hairy about 6 inches long. Bracts 4 or 5 

 green edged with pink glabrous 6 inches long 1 inch wide lanceolate acu- 

 minate. Rachis yellow dotted with green h inch through. Flowers 14 or 

 more in each bract. Bracteoles long acuminate white. Pedicels long. 

 Sepals and petals lanceolate acute fuscous brown ; Base of sepal pubes- 

 cent, above glabrous. Stamens . slender, anthers linear. Staminode 

 ovate apiculate fuscous. Fruit pear-shaped bluntly 3 angled, apex 

 truncate, orange i inch long, pedicel i inch long flattened. 



New Ireland. Introduced by Micholitz (Distrib. number H. B. 

 S. 7,274). I thought at first this might be H. buccinata, Roxb, of 

 Amboina but that as much longer branched inflorescences, a hairy 

 rachis, and if Rumph's description of his Folium buccinatum asperum 

 is the same thing as Roxburgh states, it has the stems wrinkled and 

 rough like a shark's skin ; none of which characters the New Ireland 

 plant possesses. 



American Species in Cultivation Here. 



H. BIHAI, L. Is commonly cultivated here, and is very conspicuous 

 from its large smooth scarlet bracts and greenish white flowers. The 

 typical plant is said to be about 18 feet tall, and H. humilis, Jacq. 

 much smaller. There does not seem to be any other difference between 

 the two species, and Mr. Baker suggests that H. humilis is only a 

 variety of H. Bihai. The plant grown commonly in Singapore is about 

 6 feet tall and would therefore belong to the variety* humilis. 



H. AURANTIACA, Ghiesb. H. brevispatha, Hook. A dwarf species 

 with rather narrow green leaves and orange coloured flowers, has long 

 been in cultivation here but seldom flowers. It is a native of Mexico. 



H. METALLICA, Planch. Bot. Mag. 5315. A species ofHeliconia 

 which has very long been in cultivation here is I suppose this plant. 

 The leaves are dark shining green and purple beneath when young, leaves 

 of older plants losing this purple tint. The flowers are borne on a 

 long slender peduncle about 6 feet from the ground, and the rachis is 

 zigzag, the bracts are narrow and pale green, the flowers scarlet crim- 

 son with green tips. In the figure given of the plant in the Botanical 

 Magazine the rachis is given quite straight and erect and the bracts 

 dark green, otherwise the plant is quite similar, H. metaltica was 

 introduced from Sierra Nevada, Santa Martha by Planchon and 

 Linden in 1856. 



There are a good many more species of Heliconias in South 

 America which would be welcome additions to our gardens here, if 

 they were procurable. 



H. N. Ridley. 



