The plant is smaller and the inflorescence less showy 
than in Costus speciosus, lately published in this volume. 
The corolla is white without any mixture of red, and the 
calyx and bractes are uniformly green. 
Several plants were raised, of which some had the foli- 
age roughishly furred underneath, ciliate petioles, and a long 
soft fringe round the rim of the ocrea; others, among 
which was the subject of this article, a foliage quite smooth 
throughout. In all other respects the two were so com- 
pletely alike, that we do not believe in their difference as 
species, and have consequently given them for mutual ya- 
rieties. ‘The native sample in Mr. Brown’s Herbarium is 
of the smooth variety. 
Afer differs from speciosus, not only in general stature 
and colour of inflorescence, but more essentially by its 
oboyately or turbinately contracted spike, obtuse unmucro- 
nated bractes, very shallowly trifid calyx with pointless 
herbaceous segments, and filament quite smooth at the 
back. The same remarkable protuberance (stamineous. 
rudiment ?), slightly modified, which we described as oc- 
cupying the back of the base of the stigma or rather sum- 
mit of the style in speciosus, is found in the same position 
in afer. ‘ 
