V 



X 



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thcv have one beil-fh:-ipcd petai, cut almoil to the bot- j ribns 



ir.ajorlbus. 



xj liluCUS J'/'iJ ) 



■::'///? ck:'::r!/eJ ^zrl- 



torn into three Icgmenrs which are rolled backward, 

 and are hairy ; w:thin tney arc of a yellow colour, and 

 are lucceedcd by an oblong, oval, neflv/ fruit, fliaped 

 like a Plun>, incKiding a hard nuc of the tame form.^ 

 '{ r;e fecond fore g;r(nvs naturally in Egypt, where it j 4 

 becomes a tn;c ofmiddling Hzc. The llcm is large and 



Jhapcd lea-ves and larger fiG-ivers. Xiphion lacifoliun-i, 

 caule donatum, flore cxTuIeo. Tourn. Inih R. \\, 



363. Brcad-kavcd bullous In's, having ajlalk nndaHite 



fic-iver. 



i/^ 



^^ 



woodv 



ti^- branches are (lender and lliU'-, tlK^y have a fialk. Iris buiboia latitoha, fiore crcruleo. J 



1 il J^ 



d wich fcrono; 



o-reen bark wlidc young, and are 



Ipmes ; the leaves come out by pairs •, tlicy are 



than tliofe of rlic Box-tree, and end in points, but 



are larger 



are o 



f 



The flov/ers come 



■ve 



the like connflence and colour. 

 out on the Hde of the branches ; they are Hiaped lil 

 thole of the Hyacinth, bucarefmall, and of a white 

 colour ; thefe are fucceeded by oblong black berries 

 including an oval nut, having one kernel or feed. 

 Koth thefe ibrtsare propagated by feeds, which mud 



be procured from the couniries v;here they grow na- 

 turally ; thele llaould be fown in pots filled with light 

 earth, and plunged into a good hot-bed of tanners 

 bark. If the \ccd:s are frefli, the plants will appear in fix 

 weeks or two months. When thefe are about three 

 inches high, tliey mud be each carefully tranfplanted 

 into a feparate Imall pot filled with light earth, and 

 plunged mto a good hot-bed of tanners bark, where 

 they^muft be Shaded from the fun till they have 

 taken new root ; then they mull; be treated in the 

 fame manner as other tender plants from the Warm 

 countries. During the firilfummer they may be kept 

 in the tan-bed under frames, where they will thrive 

 better than in the ftove ^ but in autumn, when the 

 nights grow cool, they fiiould be removed into the 

 Hove, and plunged into the tan-bed ; and in this they 

 fhould always be kept, obferving to fhift them into 

 lar<>-er pots v/hen they require it \ and in fummer, 

 when the feafon is warm, they fhould have a large 

 fliare of free air admitted to them. With this ma- 

 nagement the plants will thrive well, but they cannot 

 be expefted to flower very foon in this country. 

 XIPH ION or XIPHIUM. Tourn, Inft. R. H. 362. 

 tab. 189. Iris. Lin. Gen.. Plant, p^y. Bulbous Iris, or 



Flower-de-luce. 



The Characters are, 

 ^he flowers have each a permanent fpatha or Jheath \ 

 they have fix petals^ the^ three outer broad^ ohtufe^ and 

 reflexedy the inner cre^^ pointed^ and joined to the other 

 at their hafe ; they have three awl-floaped Jlamina-y which 

 lie upon the refiexed petals^ and are terminated by oblong 

 deprejj'ed fummits^ and an cblong germcn ufider the flower ^ 

 fupporting a floort ftyle^ crowned by a tripartite ftigma. 

 'The germen afterward becomes an oblong angular capflule 

 with three cells ^ filled with roundijh feeds, . 

 This genus of plants is ranged in the fecond fciStion of 





V 



Tournefort's ninth clafs,;which includes the herbs with 

 a Lily flower cut into fix parts, whqfe empalement 

 becomes the fruit, .n He feparates this from Iris, be- 

 caufe the root is bulbous, to which we may add, that 

 the leaves are boat-fliaped, and the fl:igma of the flower 

 is long and narrow.- Dr. Linnaeus joins the plants of 

 this genus, as alfo" the Sifyrinchtum and Hermodac- 



tylus of Tournefort, to his genus of Iris, and places 



' . 



I 



it in the firTt fedion of his third clafs, which contains 



thofe plants whofe flowers have three firamma and one 

 ftyle. And although there is no material difliindtion 

 between the flowers of this genus and thofe of Iris, yet, 

 as there are many fpecies of the latter, it is better to fe- 

 parate thefe plants from themj as they difi^er greatly 

 in their external habit. 



\ * 



■ I - _ 



The Species are. 



B t. 



T. XiPHiuM. {Perficurn) fohis carinatis caulelongiori- 

 bus. Bulbous Iris^ with keel-fhaped leaves which are 

 longer than the flalk. ■ Xiphion Perficum praecox, flore 

 variegato. Tourn. Infl:. R. H. ^6-^. Early Ferfian bul- 

 lous Iris^ with a variegated flower, 



2. XiPHiuM ^Fwi^^r^) foliis fubulato-canaliculatis, caule 

 brevioribus. Bulbous Iris,, with channelled awl-fljaped 



The firll: fort grows naturally in Perfia, but has been 

 many years cultivated in tiic Englifli gardens for the 

 beauty of its flov/ers ^ it has an oval bulbous roor, 

 from which come out five or fix pale green leaves, 

 which are hollov/ed like the keel of a boat; they arc 

 about fix inches long, and one broad at the bafe, end- 

 ing in points. Between thefe the flowcr-flalk arifcs, 

 wliich is feldom above three inches high, fupportino- 

 one or two flowers, which are included in fpatha^ (or 

 flieaths) ; thefe have three ereft petals called ftan- 

 dards, which are of a pale fls:y blue colour, and three 

 reflexed petals called tails, which on their outfide are 

 of the fame colour ; but the lip has a yellow ftreak 

 running through the middle, and on each fide are many 

 dark fpots, with one large deep purple fpot at the bot- 

 tom. Thefe flowers have a very fragrant fcent, and 

 generally appear in February, which renders them 

 more valuable. 



The fecond fort grows naturally in the warm parts of 

 Europe. There are feveral varieties of this fpecies : 

 the mofl: common fort is blue, but there is one with 

 a yellow, and another with a white flower ; one with 

 a blue flower having white, falls, another with yellow 

 falls J one with a Violet-coloured flower having blue 

 falls, v/ith fome others ; but thefe are allfuppofed to 

 be varieties which have been produced by culture. 

 The root of this is bulbous ; the leaves are hollow or 

 channelled, ending in points, where their two fides 

 meet -, thefe are not fo long as the flower-fl:alk which 

 rifes between them, and is cnibraced by the bafe of 

 the leaves. This fupports tw^o or three flowers, which 

 are each inclcfed in a feparate flieath, at the top of 

 the fl:alk. The flowers are ftiaped like thofe of the 

 firfl: fort, but differ in their colour. This fort flowers 

 in May, and the feeds ripen m Augult. 

 The third fort has much larger bulbous roots than 

 either of the former. The leaves are fliaped like thofe 

 of the fecond fort, but are much larger \ the flower- 

 Italk is near twice the height of the fecond fort, and 

 the flowers are more than double their fize. This is 

 by fome fuppofed to be only a variety of the fecond 

 fort, but I think it a diftind fpecies, for I have many 

 years raifed a great number of the plants from feed,. 

 : and have never found a Angle one degenerated to the 

 .vfecond fort, and have raifed many of the fecond fort 

 vlfrom feeds, without one infl:ance of a plant improving 

 to the third fort, ■»:-.- 





> ri ■- 



' . ' ^ 



. There is a great variety of this fpecies, which differ 

 ;: in the colours of their flowers"^ Some are of a deep 

 ■I blue, others of a light or flcy blue, fome of a deep 

 i^purple, and others with fine variegated flowers, which 

 fi^makc a fine appearance during their continuance, 

 u which is not long, unlefs the feafon proves cold, or 



- tfie flowTrs arc fhaded from the fun. This fort flowers 

 . five'or fix weeks after the fecond fort, which is alfo an 

 ■.-argument for its being fpecifically different. 2 - ' 



- The fourth fort grows naturally in Spain and Portu- 

 -. gal. The root of this has a dark-coloured coat, but 

 ': is white within, and of a fweet tafte. The leaves are 



. eight or nine inches long, and more than an inch 



■ broad at their bafe ; they are almoft plain, but toward 



-.their bafe are hollowed like the keel of a boat, and. 



end jn points, being of a pale green on their upper 



, fide, and a little hoary on their under. The flowers 



fl:and upon naked foot-ftalks 'which arife from the 



-.. root, andgrov; five or fix inches high, fuftaining two 



' or three flowers at the top, which are each wrapped 



t 



kaves which are fl:orter than the ftalL Iris bulbofa, J up in a feparate fneath \ thefe arc fliaped like tnole^ot 

 flore c^ruleo violaceo. C.B.P.38. Bulbous Iris with \ the other forts, and'have a very agreeable odour v 



a blue Violet flower,: -^ 



■'*"• _ 



May 



3. XiPHiuM [Latifolium) foliis fubulato-canaliculatis, flo- 



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