(Greek, curved seed). Araceae. A handsome warmhouse tuberous foliage plant, with large, hastate red-veined leaves resembling an alocasia, but easily distinguished by its spiny stems.

Herbs with tubers or long rhizomes: If. - and flower-stalks often spiny or warty: leaves hastate or sagittate; petioles long, sheathing at the base. - Cyrtosperma has 10-12 species, remarkably scattered in the tropics. Cult, presumably same as alocasia.

Johnstonii, N. E. Br. (Alocasia Johnstonii, Hort.). Tuberous: petiole 2-2 3/4 ft. long, olive-green, spotted rose, covered with fleshy, spine-like warts: leaves sagittate, depressed in the middle, 1 1/2-2 ft. long, olive-green, with prominent and beautiful red veins above. I.H. 27:395. G.W. 15, p. 340. - Intro, from the Solomon Isls. as Alocasia Johnstonii, but when it flowered it became evident that the plant is a Cyrtosperma.

C. ferox, Lind. & N. E. Br., is a second species of this genus, figured in I. H. 39:153, but not known to be in the American trade. It has narrow-sagittate leaves on slender, very prickly petioles: spathe rather large, reflexed, greenish white. Borneo.

George V. Nash.†