47 



Spofforth, a favorable opportunity occurs for examining them. 

 There is no visible difference between the plants of the two 

 former, excepting that the flower of Cunonius has the tube 

 yellow, the lower lip diminished, and yellow tipt with red, the 

 rest of the flower scarlet, the upper segment being concave 

 and prolonged, the laterals compressed ; splendcns has the 

 like form, the tube and lower lip dull green, the lower 

 edge of the upper laterals pale straw-colour, which is yellow 

 in Cunonius. On the same stem, in one flower, the two lower 

 laterals are prolonged 5-8ths of an inch, of a pale straw- 

 colour, the two upper laterals also prolonged, and the upper 

 segment shortened to their usual length. Another flower has 

 one of the upper laterals prolonged to the length of the upper 

 segment and entirely red, and one of the lower laterals pro- 

 longed 3 l6ths of an inch and straw-coloured with a little 

 red. Plant's mule has the upper segment scarlet, a little 

 speckled, largest, and concave ; upper laterals similar, ex- 

 panding, and sub-concave ; lower lip 7-8ths of an inch shorter, 

 sub-erect, and conniving, pale straw-colour marked within 

 with red having a straw-coloured middle stripe. The expan- 

 sion of the upper lip and the foliage shew that it was bred as 

 Mr. Plant asserts. G. abbreviatus, Bot. Rep. 166, or qua- 

 drangularis Bot. Mag. 567, (Anthol. quadrang. Burm.jl. C. 

 genus Petamenes, Sal.) has the upper segment large and con- 

 cave, all the rest abbreviated. All the three natural sorts 

 have the usual seed of the Cape Gladioli with foliaceous mar- 

 gins. I have bad many instances of seedlings amongst the 

 mixed produce from Cardinalis, blandus, and tristis, with the 

 lower lip abbreviated, sometimes only during an unfavourable 

 season. Cunonius and splendens which are closely akin, and 

 scarcely separable, are both stoloniferous, quadrangularis is 

 not, the latter having precisely the singular leaf of G. tristis 

 with four angles, the midrib being like the blade of the 

 leaf. It is evident that the genera Anisanthus and Peta- 

 menes cannot be supported, their distinctions depending upon 

 features which are variable. — W. H. 



62. PLEUROTHALLIS peduncularis. 



P. peduncularis (§ aggregate pubescentes) ; folio elongato lanceolato piano 

 basi et apice carinato, floribus aggregatis, pediccllis calycibus duplo lon- 

 gioribus, bractea et sepalorum basi pubescentibus, sepalis acuminatis 

 liberis, petalis ovatis setaceis sepalis brevioribus, labello ovato bicarinato 

 juxta apicem Hneari-cuneato. 



