18 



petals, but all nearly of equal length. Labcllum three-lobed, 

 the two lateral lobes roundish and deeply fringed at the 

 edge, as well as the intermediate one, which is emarginate, 

 with a small point. Column about two-thirds the length of 

 the sepals, small, roundish-oblong, and concave, widening 

 towards the labellum, to which it is attached. 



19. BABIANA ringens. 



B. ringens; bulbo purpurascente ; caule purpurascente, tomentoso, foliis bre- 

 viore ; foliis acutis plicatis, glabris, obscure viridibus, rigidis, pedalibus ; 

 calyce bifolio, viridi, basi purpurascente, folio externo acuto, interne- breviore 

 bifido ; tubo 2j unciali, sursum curvato, yiridi luteo, infra cylindrico, 

 superne ampliato, compresso ; lacinia suprema coccinea suberecta, apice 

 recurvato, basi undulata genitalia complexa ; cseteris devexis, infra luteis, 

 superne coccineis, basi semunciam rutelliformiter coalescente; duabus supe- 

 rioribus brevioribus, angustis, acuminatis, reflexis ; ima angusta, acuta, 

 porrecta ; duabus intermediis latioribus, undulatis ; stylo filamentis limbum 

 sequantibus longiore ; genitalibus arcuatim suberectis, rubris, infra lutescen- 

 tibus ; stigmate purpureo, trifido ; antheris suberectis, polline obscure pur- 

 pureo ; capsula triloculari, ovata, rugosa, gibbosa, loculis hexaspermis ; 

 seminibus erectis, testa exteriore nigra, nitente, rugosa, angulate rotundata, 

 subalata, basi trigone columnari ; interiore rotunda, glaberrima, colore 

 badio. — Herbert Mss. 



I am indebted to the Hon. and Rev. William Herbert for 

 the account of this remarkable plant. 



" We apprehend that this singular plant is the one 

 alluded to incidentally by Mr. Ker, under the name Babiana 

 ringens in the Botanical Magazine. Its corolla is certainly 

 much more similar to that of Antholyza than of Babiana, 

 and we have great doubts whether it should not form a 

 genus by itself: but it accords so exactly with Babiana, in 

 bulb, foliage, and habit, and as it appears to us in the cap- 

 sule and seed also, that notwithstanding its extraordinary 

 corolla we cannot take upon ourselves to separate it. We 

 regret not having had an opportunity of trying whether it 

 would intermix with other species of Babiana, which we 

 are inclined to think it will be found capable of doing. Its 

 seed completely separates it from Antholyza. It is a native 

 of the Cape of Good Hope, and flowered at Spofforth in 

 July, and ripened its seeds standing out of doors, in a pot of 

 sandy loam, having been wintered in the greenhouse. We 

 had kept it many years in peat, under which treatment it 



