Refugium Botanicutn.] 
[June, 1871. 
TAB. 287. 
Natural Order BiiOMELiACEiE. 
Sub-order Bromelie^. 
Genus Ckyptanthus (Klotzsch in Otto et Dietr. Allg. Gartenzeit. iv. 
(1836) p. 299. Perianthium superum, segmentis exterioribus sepa- 
loideis siccis in tubum triquetrum supra ovarium longe connatis 
apice liberis deltoideis, interioribus petaloideis multo longioribus 
falcatis deorsum connatis, basi esquamosis. Stamina prope basin 
tubi inserta, filamentis filiformibus antberis parvis oblongis. Ova- 
rium inferum, triloculare, loculis multiovulatis ; stylus filiformis ; 
stigmata lanceolata, complanata, patula. Fructus subbaccatus, 
indehiscens, calyce persistente coronatus, seminibus multis borizon- 
talibus funiculo epapposo. — Endlich, Gen. p. 1361 ; Beer, Brom. 
p. 75. Pholidophyllim, Vis. in Otto et Dietr. Allg. Gartenzeit. xvi. 
p. 30. 
C. ACAULis, Beer, loc. cit. var. purpueeus, Baker. Foliis paucioribus, 
minoribus (maximis 2 — 3 poll, lougis deorsum B — 9 Hn. latis), satu- 
rate purpureo-viridibus. 
A native of tbe soutbern provinces of Brazil. 
Tufts subsessile, densely csespitose. Leaves about a dozen to 
a tuft, cartilaginous in texture, lanceolate, two to tbree inches 
long, eight to nine lines broad, narrowed gradually from near the 
base to a long point, falcately recurved, undulated towards the 
edge, purplish green, clothed on the back and less densely 
towards the base with fine gray lepidote scales, bordered with 
minute ascending concolorous teeth. Flowers as in the two 
other varieties, subsessile in a central cluster. Calyx horny, 
triquetrous, half an inch long. Petals white, lanceolate, falcate, 
twice the calyx. 
Figures of the typical form (Tillandsia acaulis, Lindley ; 
C. acaulis, Beer ; C. undulatus, Klotzsch) will be found in Bot. 
Reg. t. 1157, and an excellent recent one, with full dissections, 
in Wawra Reise Max. t. 87. This has less densely crowded 
tufts, with larger green leaves. The third variety (P. zonatum, 
Vis. loc. cit.) has leaves two inches broad, long in proportion, 
horizontally fasciated on the upper surface, on a lurid- green 
ground, with broad beach-mark-like bands of comparatively large 
gray lepidote scales, the base a very bright shining yellowish 
green. 
