Spatbes about half tbe length of the corolla, much longer than 

 tube. Upper fegment broaden 1 , elliptic, recurved, lower ones 

 fubunguiculate. On the firit and fecond day of its expanfion, 

 the upper parts of the fegments, if clofelv obferved, will be 

 found to have a yellow ground, fo thickly be let with minute 

 blue dots, as to give the appearance of a uniform blue, of 

 which colour they really at laft become. Stigmas longer 

 than the anthers. It approaches very near to Gladiolus 

 gracilis in corolla, but differs eflentially in the leaf, as may 

 be feen by their Ipecific characters ; this laft is alfo fcent- 

 )efs, and wants the mottled root-fheath. The plant in the 

 Herbarium of the younger Linnaeus, and defcribed in the 

 Diffcrtation of Thunbkkg, under the name of Gladiolus 

 rccurvus, is the Ixia radiata of this number ; how it came to 

 be made a fynonym to fo very diftinci a fubjett as this we can- 

 not account. We fufpect, however, that the real Gladiolus 

 rccurvitSt as well as the Gladiolus undulatus of Linnaeus, 

 has never been known to any author that we have confulted, 

 if we may judge from the fynonyms and the different names 

 it has repeatedly received. Both fpecies are interefting, as 

 being of the very few of this family defcribed by Linnaeus 

 himlelf ; and notwithstanding the reafons adduced in No. 538 

 for continuing it to J acqu i n's plant, we now regret that we 

 did not preferve his name of undulatus for the plant to which 

 he had given it, which will appear in our next number. 

 Raifed by Miller from Cape feeds; flowered in the 

 Chelfca garden before the year 1760. Introduced into Kew 

 garden by Mr. Masson, in 1 774, where it received the name 

 of carinatus, from the appearance of the midrib of its leaves. 

 Miller's figure is, we believe, erroneous in reprefenting it as 

 branched, which, we are almoft certain, it never is ; very 

 probably two clofe-growing plants afforded that appearance to 

 the draughtfman. His defcription is correct and full. Thun- 

 bf.rg mentions a variety with corollas of a pinkifh or flefh- 

 colourcd hue. It is the moll fragrant of the genus ; fome- 

 vhat impatient of moifture when out of flower; never fails to 

 bloom when the bulb is of a proper a<xe. There is no fpe- 

 cimen of this or undulatus in the Herbarium of the elder Lin t - 

 N/tus. Our drawing was taken at the nurfery of Meffrs. 

 Grimwood and Wyres's, Kenfmgton, with whom it generally 

 flowers in April and May. G. 



