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H. MICHOLITZII, n. sp. A very large plant forming large tufts, stems 
2 feet or more tall 3 inches acros spale-green marbled with grey. Leaves 
plain green, blade about three feet long, 11 inches across. Inflores- 
cence 12 inches long, peduncle hairy about 6 inches long. Bracts 4 or 5 
green edged with pink glabrous 6 inches long 1 inch wide lanceolate acu- 
minate. Rachis yellow dotted with green I inch through. Flowers 14 or 
more in each bract. Bracteoles long acuminate white. Pedicels long. 
Sepals and petals lanceolate acute fuscous brown ; Base of sepal pubes- 
cent, above glabrous. Stamens slender, anthers linear. Staminode 
ovate apieulate fuscous. Fruit pear-shaped bluntly 3 angled, apex 
truncate, orange 2 inch long, pedicel £ inch long flattened. 
New Ireland. Introduced by Micholitz (Distrib. number H. B. 
S. 7,274). I thought at first this might be H. buccinata, Roxb, of 
Amboina but that as much longer branched inflorescences, a hairy 
rachis, and if Rumph’s description of his Folium buccinatum asperum 
is the same thing as Roxburgh states, it has the stems wrinkled and 
rough like a shark’s skin ; none of which characters the New Ireland 
plant possesses. 
American Species in Cultivation Here. 
H. BIHAI, L. Is commonly cultivated here, and is very conspicuous 
from its large smooth scarlet bracts and greenish white flowers. The 
typical plant is said to be about 18 feet tall, and H. humilis, Jacq. 
much smaller. There does not seem to be any other difference between 
the two species, and Mr. Baker suggests that H. humilis is only a 
variety of H. Bihai. The plant grown commonly in Singapore is about 
6 feet tall and would therefore belong to the variety humilis, 
H. AURANTIACA, Gliiesb. II. brevispatha, Hook. A dwarf species 
with rather narrow green leaves and orange coloured flowers, has long 
been in cultivation here but seldom flowers. It is a native of Mexico. 
H. METALLICA, Plan6h. Bot. Mag. 5315. A species of Heliconia 
which has^ very long been in cultivation here is I suppose this plant. 
The leaves are dark shining green and purple beneath when young, leaves 
of older plants losing this purple tint. The flowers are borne on a 
long slender peduncle about 6 feet from the ground, and the rachis is 
zigzag, the bracts are narrow and pale green, the flowers scarlet crim- 
son with green tips. In the figure given of the plant in the Botanical 
Magazine the rachis is given quite straight and erect and the bracts 
dark green, otherwise the plant is quite similar, II. mctallica was 
introduced from Sierra Nevada, Santa Martha by Planchon and 
Linden in 1856. 
There are a good many more species of Heliconias in South 
America which would be welcome additions to our gardens here, if 
they were procurable. 
IT. N. Ridley. 
