C 558 3 



Melanthium Junceum. Rush-Like 

 Melanthium. 



£ ft! ?E frfr 4'tM i 4 ♦ ♦ #♦ ♦ 



C/#/> <z#i Order, 

 Hexandria Trigynia. 



Generic Cbara&er, 

 Cor, 6*petala. Filamenta ex elongatis unguibus corollse. 



Specific Charatler and Synonyms, 



MELANTHIUM foliis fubulatis, radicali unica, fcapo ad 

 fummitatem diphyllo, floribus fpicatis. Jac%, 

 Icon. rar. 2. /. 451. Coll eel. Sup p. 105. 



MELANTHIUM junceum - foliis lineari-fubulatis : fuperio- 

 ribus bafi dilatatis, fpica flexuofa, petali* 

 unguiculatis. Willd. Spec. PL t. 2. p. 26$. 



PHALANGIUM. Houtt, Linn. pfi. Syji, t. 80. /. 3. 



MELANTHIUM triquetrum. Linn. Sup. 213. Thunk Prod, 



67. mud. sp. pi. 2. p. 26?. ? 



Desc. Bulb roundifh., Root-leaf folid at the bafe per- 

 fectly round and fmooth, burfting at a fmall diftance from the 

 ground for the exit of the fcape, from whence it becomes 

 femicylindrical, attenuate, grooved on the innerfide. Scape 

 round, one-leafed: leaf fiinilar to the root one but not 

 grooved. Spike lateral, involucred, fhorter than the cauline 

 leaf. Rachis fomewhat triangular with alternate feffile flowers. 

 Corolla fix-petaled, three of them outer, ovate with a fhort 

 grooved claw, whitifh with two dark crimfon fpots containing 

 clear drops of honied liquid when the flower firft opens. Fi- 

 l ments fix, a little longer than the claw, into the bafe of which 

 they are inferted, patent but rifing up one at a time to 

 •ifcharge the pollen over the ftyles, and then falling back to 



their 



