the point, prickly ciliate, prickles very small, rather wide- 
_set, longer ones 7 or 8 inches long or more. Stem upright, 
9 or 10 inches high or more, round, simple, spathaceously 
sheathed: sheaths single, scattered, sphacelately mem- 
branous, involutely lanceolate, acuminate or long pointed, 
lower ones brownish, imbricately upright ; wpper ones the 
longest, divaricate, brightly crimsoned. Branchlets or pe- 
duncles slightly angular, wideset, scattered, thick, spread- 
ing, with the front edge slightly elongated into two shallow 
broad bractes scarcely observable but when carefully looked 
for, lower ones in the axils of the upper spathes, upper ones 
naked, all three times shorter than the flower or more. 
Flowers tubular, about two inches long, of the diameter 
nearly of a common pen, very pale pea-green, blueish at the 
tips, placed in pairs side by side at the ends of the branch- 
lets, the uppermost or outer one in our sample always prov- 
ing abortive, as shown in the present figure. Calyx twice 
shorter than the corolla, more substantial, nerved; segments 
lanceolately long-pointed sitting close about the corolla. 
Corolla nearly an inch and an half long, the orifice shortly 
_and subbilabiately spreading; segments ligulate, convolute, 
_ overlapping each other at the sides, shortly pointed. dnthers 
yellow, linear, vibrating. . Germen cylindrical, oblong, 
green, furrowed, 3 times shorter than the corolla. Style 
slightly protruded, green: stigmas dark deep green, halved 
- lanceolate, linear, twisted into one or else loose. The 
small scaly crown at the bottom of the interior of the flower 
resembles exactly that of Bromexia nudicaulis, the descrip- 
tion of which may be seen in vol. 3, fol. 203, of the present 
publication. 
