tipped with a short mucro. Pistil: Germen inferior, triangular, taper- 
ing downwards, containing S cells. Style about as long as the filaments, 
white, slender, but broadest in the middle, compressed, and triquetrous. 
Stigma obtuse. 
This fine plant was sent to me from the stove of the Liver- 
pool Botanic Garden by Messrs Shepherd, who received it 
from Mr Aiton, marked as a native of Brazil. The species 
to which, as far as I can judge from figures and descriptions, it 
is most nearly allied are H. carihcea (Plum. t. 59.), and the 
H. Bihai of Linn. Mant. : from the former, however, dif- 
fering in having the extremity of the leaves acute ; from the 
latter, in having the base obtuse, and even cordate, as well as 
in the colour of the universal spathas. 
Sir James Smith seems to me to have taken an excellent 
view of the structure of the flowers of this plant, in considering 
the smaller nectary of Jussieu an abortive stamen, and the 
larger one as an inner portion of the perianth. It is, however, 
evidently composed of 3 segments, united for nearly the whole 
length : thus, we have the ternary number, both in the floral 
covering and in the stamens, which is so common in the mono- 
cotyledonous plants. 
Fig. 1. Cluster of flowers removed from the universal spatha. Fig. 2. Inner 
segments of the perianth, with the 5 perfect stamens. Fig. 3. Flower 
from which the two smaller of the outer and the three inner segments 
have been removed, with the perfect stamens, the abortive squamiform 
stamen remaining. Fig. 4. The squamiform stamen. Fig. 5. Portion 
of the style. Fig. 7- Back view ; and Fig. 8. Front view of the anthers 
and flowers, the perianth being removed. — All more or less magnified. 
