us 
BROMELIA NUDicAULis. 
Leafless-stalked Bromelia. 
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA— Nat. Oed. BROMELIA. 
Gen. Char. — Cal^x 3-fidus. Petala 3 ; Squama nectarifera ad basin petali. 
Bacca trilocularis. — W. 
Bromelia nitdicaulis ; foliis lato-linearUanceolatis obtusis mucronulatis 
spinuloso-serratis, scapo tomentoso infra squamoso, squamis lan- 
ceolatis convolutis integerrimis coloratis, spica elongata. 
B. nudicaulis. Linn. Sp. PL p. 409.— Willd. Sp. PL v. 2. p. 9, (not o£ Bot. 
Reg. t. 203. which is B. pyramidalis Bot. Mag.) 
Bromelia pyramidata aculeis nigris, Plum. Gen. t. 62. 
Stem none. Leaves often 2 feet long, numerous, ligulate, of a rather thick 
and remarkably coriaceous texture, their colour dark lurid green, nerve- 
less, edged with sharp black teeth pointing forwards, recurved up- 
wards, convolute at the base, there forming a tube, which is filled with 
water. 
Scape a foot and a half, or more, in length, rounded, whitish, covered with 
a thin, soft wool or down, and partly clothed, especially in the upper 
part, with broadly lanceolate, convolute, deep rose-coloured scales or 
bracteas, whitish on the lower part of the scape, aciuninated at the 
point. 
Spike terminal, subpyramidal, simple, destitute of leaves. Flowers rather 
distantly inserted, spreading, ovato-acuminate, with a small, red, closely 
appressed bractea at the base. The inferior part is occupied by the 
large, ovate, green, pubescent, S-ceUed, many-seeded germen. Ca/yo; 
superior, of 3 erect, rigid, oblong, yellow-green, glabrous leaflets, unci- 
nate at the point, their margins oblique and somewhat convolute. Co- 
rolla of 3 linear, oblong, yellow, upright petals, oblique at the extre- 
mity, scarcely unguiculate, each bearing a stamen, which is inserted 
near its base, and having, just above this point of insertion, a small 
fringed nectary or double scale. Stamens : 3 inserted upon the recep- 
tacle, and 3 upon the petals, shorter than the petals. Filament slender, 
white. Anthers connate over the stigma, oblong, 2-celled, pale yellow. 
Sti/k filiform, green. Stigmas 3, small, twisted, green. 
VOL. II. 
