feet above sea-level. With us at Kew it flowered about the 
middle of May. The figures of the fruit and seeds are 
taken from Dr. Aitchison’s dried specimens. 
Desor. Bulb ovoid, under an inch in diameter; outer 
tunics brown, with close strong parallel fibres, anasto- 
mosing towards the top by a few cross-veinlets. Flower- 
ing-stems slender, stiffly erect, one or two feet long, 
sheathed for two or three inches at the base by a scariose 
rudimentary leaf. Produced leaves generally three, dis- 
tantly superposed, linear, glabrous, strongly ribbed, the 
central one the largest, half a foot long. lowers four to 
twelve, arranged in a lax secund spike; spathe-valves 
unequal, lanceolate. Perianth bright lilac-purple ; tube — 
funnel-shaped, half an inch long; segments narrowly 
obovate, an inch or an inch and a quarter long, the three 
lower ones keeled with darker lilac and more spreading 
and more distinctly unguiculate than the upper three. 
Stamens not reaching to the tip of the perianth-segments ; 
anthers linear, half an inch long. Style-branches reaching 
to the tip of the anthers. Capsule oblong, half an inch 
long. Seeds globose or slightly angled by pressure, not 
at all winged, pale brown.—J. G. Baker. 
Fig. 1, Front view of anther; 2, side view of anther; 3, pistil, all enlarged ; 
A, spike in fruiting stage, life-size. 
