There is always a thick and fleshy scape, mostly short, often incurved, 

 about as long as the spike, in H. paludosa, Ii. alliacea and H . toment&sci 

 shorter, this is quite covered by the dense bifariate oblong-ovate scales 

 which are much taller than the internodes, semiamplexicaul and widely 

 fabricating, they increase in length from bottom to top and pass gradu- 

 ally into the outer bracts of the spike which they resemble in structure. 

 In a few species (H. elongata etc.), the scape is elongate, straight, and 

 tall from 200 mm. unto '/ 2 a metre. The internodes here are not abbreviate 

 and as long as or longer than the scale-bracts, which imbricate at their 

 top, leaving the higher internodes of the peduncle partly denudate. 



The superior bracts together form an involucrum, the flowering bracts 

 are included within. The number of the involucrating bracts varies-from 

 two (H. rubra) unto twenty (H. alliacea). 



2. Involucrum. This is either fusiform or cyathiform (urceolus-shaped). 

 In the latter type, which occurs in H. scyphifera and H. cyathifera, 

 the outer bracts are stiffly erect with outward bent tips, the interior bracts 

 become shorter gradually towards the center, they are of a (softer) con- 

 sistence and are appressed to the outer bracts; seen from above they re- 

 present a rosette, depressed in the center. 



In the fusiform type which occurs in the other species the outer bracts 

 converge at the top so as to form a narrow canal through which the limbs 

 of the flowers are projecting. In some species, H. mollis and H. minor, 

 the mouth is but small and only a few flowers can protrude at once, in 

 other ones, H. pininga, H. paludosa, the mouth is broader and a fascicle 

 of corolla-limbs are protruding, always however only one or two flowers 

 are opening at the same time and flowering during one day. 



in the rather abnormal species H. rubra {Doriacodes rubra BL.) the 

 inflorescence is clavate. It resembles in shape the scyphiform type but 

 the rachis is elongate and the inner bracts therefore though shorter than 

 the outer ones are projecting beyond them and form a hemispherical in- 

 stead of a hollow obconical roset. The true involucral bracts here are. only 

 two but the outmost floral bracts are of a thicker structure than the rest 

 and take part in the forming of the involucrum. The bracts here are densely 

 tomentose but not silky. 



3. Bracts. The outer, involucral, bracts are always, according to their 

 protecting function, of a rather rigid structure. Their protecting capacity is 

 acquired partly by a dense tomentum, partly by a much thickened and 

 reticulate dermal structure, 



In one species only (H. mollis BL.) the bracts are with exception of 

 me one or two lowest ones — still belonging to the peduncle, which are 

 hirsute,— wholly glabrous and smooth, in a dry state very thinly ribbed, dark 

 red. In Ii. paludosa they are densely silky tomentose white in the largest 

 lower part, above and along the edges they are smooth and red. 



In H. cyathifera and H. alliacea they are silvery-sericeous, quite smooth) 

 the hairs only visible by using a glass, the margins glabrous, red. In 



