and fomewhat angular cone with a hypocraferiform bafe, in 

 which ftate this fpecies is very diftinguifhable from its con- 

 geners. It varies with deep orange and with ft raw-coloured 

 Mowers from one to two inches in diameter, ftain more or lefs 

 variegated by its (i x-rayed ftar. Leaves four or five, grafs- 

 like, about half the length of the fcape, which is from fix 

 inches to two feet high; fcentlefs; expands only when the 

 weather is clear, warm, and (till. Dried, it preferves its bril- 

 liancy unimpaired, and is a great ornament to the herbarium. 

 Flowers in May. 



This appears to be a very common plant at the Cape, as 

 every importation of bulbs from thence contains a confiderable 

 proportion of it, and fome arrivals have confifted of little elfe. 

 Perhaps it may be the plant firft defcribed by Linnaeus in the 

 Mantilla, by the name of Ixia macttlata ; but as that is (aid to 

 differ from Ixia ere Ha only in having a ftain at the bafis of 

 the corolla, we referve this name for the fpecies anfwering 

 belt to this defcription, efpeciaily as we cannot trace our plant 

 in any one of the thirty-eight varieties of maculala figured ffl 

 Hortus Schoenbrunnenfis, among which feveral diftinct fpecies 

 appear to us to have been blended. 



Mr. Salisbury gave it the name of conic 77, from the above- 

 mentioned peculiar appearance of the flower when clofed. 

 Profellor Martin, as we judge by his calling the colour a deep 

 red, did not underlland the fpecies this author was describing, 

 being milled probably by the word minuita, as we confefs our- 

 felves to have been, when we propofed this as a doubtful 

 iynonym of Ixia patois. 



It was cultivated from Cape feeds, by Miller, in 1757 ; 

 but his figure is full of botanical errors. 



Our acquaintance with that portion of the vegetable king- 

 dom included in Jltssiei/s natural order of hides (the Enfat<t 

 of Lin n.lus) has of late advanced with rapid flrides, and 

 new fubjecls continually offering themfelves for proper ar- 

 rangement, the neceffity of a reform in the prefent condiment 

 genera of this order is felt by everv Botanift. We had 

 entertained hopes of being no longer under the neceffity 

 of adopting an eflential characler fo vague and indeterminate 

 as 1 he one annexed ; but unfortunately this reform is attended 

 with much difficulty ; the regularity or irregularity, die cur- 

 vatmo or (traightnefs, the equality or inequality of the corolla 

 in this tribe, although hitherto ufed as the foundation of g e j 

 nera, being never to be depended upon for folid, eflential 

 (and fo.netimes fcarcely for . fpeeific) diftinftions : Co that, not- 

 withftauding the pains he has take:-,, our friend, Mr. Ga\vl eR » 



has not btv 11 as \ei able to reduce this genus to its prope r 



ftandard, 



