locality it extends eastward as far as Coldstream, near 
Grahamstown. Though the species has been repeatedly 
introduced to cultivation in this country, it is by no means 
easy to maintain in good condition, owing to its tendency 
to dwindle away after flowering. It thrives most satisfac- 
torily when grown as a greenhouse-plant in a cool, airy, 
sunny position in a mixture of equal parts of sand, peat, 
loam and charcoal. The growth of the tubers commences 
in autumn, and when the plants have become well established 
and are in full growth they require an abundance of water 
at the root. After the flowers have appeared the plant 
commences to die down. The supply of water should then 
be gradually reduced until growth ceases. Then the tubers 
should be kept quite dry for a period of from two to three 
months. 
Descriprion.— Herb, terrestrial, slender, 13-2 ft. high. 
Leaves few, radical, suberect, linear-elongate, grassy, rigid, 
subacute, channelled above and keeled on the under surface, 
8-20 in. long. Scape erect, strict or flexuose, 14-2 ft. long, 
clothed with membranous, closely clasping, distant, acumi- 
nate sheaths ; racemes laxly 5—15-flowered, 4-8 in. long; 
bracts ovate-lanceolate, acuminate, membranous, much 
shorter than the pedicels; pedicels 3-1 lin. lone. Flowers 
spreading, of moderate size. Sepals: posterior pale blue 
with greenish stripes, galeate, wide ovate, with an acute 
recurved tip, and prolonged behind in a conical acute and 
recurved spur 3-4 lin. long; lateral purple, spreading, 
oblong-lanceolate, acute, 5-7 lin. long. Petals resupinate, 
2-lobed, incurved, 3 lin, long ; posterior lobe oblong- 
lanceolate, denticulate on each side, anterior faleate-oblong, 
obtuse, entire. Lip deflexed or recurved, narrowly oblong 
and deeply multifid-lacerate, #-l in. long; segments often 
2-4-lobed towards the tip. Column short; anther very 
resupinate ; rostellum erect, 3-fid ; stigma pulvinate. 
Fig. 1, petal ; 2, part of lip; 8, column; 4, pollinia :—alz enlarged, 
