54 



A Californian bulbous plant, sent to the Horticultural 

 Society by It. 13. Hindes, Esq. It has large oblong bulbs, 

 covered with coarse brown scales ; the leaves are very long, 

 undulated, narrow and channelled, of a dull grey colour, and, 

 being too weak to support their own weight, they lie prostrate. 

 The flowering stem is erect, about two feet high, panicled 

 from the base, with straggling branches bearing slender 

 racemes of distant flowers. The latter are white, with a green 

 stripe along the back of each division ; when they expand 

 they first adhere at the points and separate at the sides, so 

 as to give the flower the form of a balloon ; eventually they 

 spread flat ; and then in withering rise up again and cover 

 over the ovary. The habit is not that of Ornithogalum, and, 

 the fruit being unknown, it may not belong to the genus ; 

 especially as the ovary has only two ascending ovules in each 

 cell. Still there is hardly evidence enough to justify the 

 formation of a new genus. It is certainly not a Camassia or 

 Cyanotris. 



112. HELLEBORES orient alls. Willd. sp. pi. 2. 1337. 



At last this rare and interesting species, the genuine 

 eWefiopo? /xeXay of the ancients, has been obtained for our 

 gardens. It was received by the Horticultural Society from 

 Mr. Sandison, H. M. Consul at Brusa, through the good 

 offices of the Hon. W. F. Strangways. It proves very diffe- 

 rent from the Helleborus niger or Christmas rose, producing 

 large blush flowers upon a leafy stem. It flowered in a green- 

 house in February last, but is probably hardy; should it 

 prove so it will be a valuable herbaceous plant. 



113. HELLEBORUS olympicus; foliis radicalibus palmatisectis : segmentis 

 oblongo-linearibus serratis basi integris, caule bifloro, foliis floralibus 

 subsessilibus, sepalis ovatis obtusis berbaceis. 



This was received by the Horticultural Society with the 

 last, to which it bears some resemblance ; but the leaves are 

 much smaller and narrower, and not pedate ; moreover the 

 flowers are green. It is nearer to H. purpurascens, but the 

 segments of the leaves never appear to be lobed. 



