218 
TILLANDSIA nitida. 
Shining broad-leaved Tillandsia, 
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA._Nat. Ord. BROMELIACEJE. 
Gen. Char. — Cal. trifidus, persistens. Cor. trifida (v. tripartita), campa« 
nulata. Capsula trilocularis, polysperma. 
Tillandsia nitida ; foliis lingulatis nitidis integerrimis inferne in tubum 
basi ventricosum involutis, scapo paniculate, floribus remote spicatis 
undique insertis, calyce ovato bractea longiore (corolla alba). 
The root of this I have not seen. Whole plant glabrous. The leaves are 
few, in the present individual only four in number ; the outer one short, 
the longest 8 or 10 inches in length; all of them lingulate for the greater 
part of their length, convolute, forming below a hollow tube, which is 
swollen or ventricose at the very base : the texture of these leaves is 
thickly membranaceous, of a very dark green colour, shining, minutely 
striated when held up between the eye and the light, when the margin 
is seen to have a narrow pellucid border ; the extremities are obtuse, 
with a short acumen, and more or less recurved. 
From the hollow centre of the leaves, arises and reaches to about twice 
their length, a cylindrical scape, distantly furnished with sheathing 
bracteae, and paniculated at the extremity, the dichotomes bracteated. 
Fhwers remotely placed, in rather long, slender spikes, their bractea: 
ovate, appressed, green, much shorter than them. Calyx 3-partite, or 
they appear to constitute 3 distinct leaflets, rigid, green, closely convo- 
lute into an ovate form. Corolla deeply S-partite, or, as it appears to 
me, of 3 white, ovato-oblong petals, patent at their extremities. Sta- 
mens 6, included, 3 larger ones alternate with the petals, and inserted 
upon the receptacle : the 3 others much smaller, inserted below the 
middle of the corolla. Filaments pure white. Anthers subrotund, deep 
orange. Putil : germen oblong, 3-celled ; styles 3 ; stigmas obtuse. 
From the stove of the Liverpool Botanic Garden, to which 
valuable collection it was sent by Mr Wiles from the moun- 
tains of Jamaica. It is there said to be a plant of considerable 
rarity. 
VOL. III. 
