elevations, flowering in August. The cultivated plant has 
~ proader leaves, and produces its flowers in October. 
Leaves glaucous, striated, channelled, dilated, and 
purplish at the base, about two feet long, rather rough 
to the touch. Stem erect, longer than the leaves, glaucous, 
solid, slightly angular, 2-edged, one of the edges being 
acute, the other rounded. Umbel small, erect, contracted, 
many-flowered. Spatha one-leayed, ovate, membranous. 
Flowers deep purplish-brown. Perianthium spreading, with 
linear-lanceolate equal segments, not imbricating at the 
base, furrowed in the middle, alternately reflexed. Stamens 
spreading ; jilaments purple, subulate, simple, thickened 
and united at the base, round the ovarium. Ovarium 
roundish, bluntly 3-sided. Style subulate. Stigma gmnle: 
