12 MONOGRArH OF THE GENUS XIPIIION. 



/. spedaliUs (Spach, Hist. Plian. vol. xiii. p. 20; Ann. Sc. N;it. 

 3rd series, vol. v. p. 93) appears to be a garden hybrid between tliis 

 species and X vulgare. Judging from the description, /. serol'ma, Willk. 

 Prodr. Hisp. vol. i. p. 141, from the province of Jaen in Spain, is very 

 nearly the same plant, but I have not seen specimens. An excellent series 

 of uncoloured figures of this and the two following, the series thirteen in 

 number, will be found in the ' Hortus Eystettensis ' of Besler. 



2. X. Imitanicum, Alefeld ; bulbo ovoideo membranaceo-tunicato, caule 

 firrao pedali vel sesquipedali, uni- vel raro bi-floro, foliis 4-6 distichis 

 falcatis. angustissime linearibus, deorsum dorso semiteretibus, seorsum 

 filiformibus, spathae valvis lanceolatis ventricosis ad basin limbi attingen- 

 tibus, pedicello ovario subsequante, perianthii tubo subnnllo, limbo flaves- 

 cente, saepe fundo rubro-brunneo tincto, segmentis exterioribus 2|-2|-un- 

 cialibus, lamina rotuiidata ungue panduriformi duplo breviore, segmentis 

 interioribus oblanceolatis exterioribus fequilougis, stigmatibus cum cristis 

 limbo distincte brevioribus. — X. limtanicum, Alefeld, Bot. Zeit. 1863, 

 p. 297. X sordidnm, Salisb. Hort. Trans, vol. i. p. 303. Iris lusita- 

 nica, Gawl. Bot. Mag. t. 679 ; Spreng. Syst. Veg. vol. i. p. 159 ; Boiss. 

 Voy. vol. ii. p. 603 ; Spach, Ann. Sc. Nat. ser. 3. vol. v. p. 93. /. sor- 

 dida, Soland. in Herb. Mus. Brit. /. juncea, Brotero, Fl. Lusit. vol. i. 

 p. 51 ; Webb. It. Hisp. p. 9, non Desf. nee Willk. etLauge, Prodr. Hisp. 

 vol. i. p. 142, quoad descriptiouem. /. Xipkium, Ehrh. Beitr. vol. vii. 

 p. 139, ex parte. 



Bulb ovoid, 12-15 lines thick, with several brown membranous coats; 

 the rootlets fibrous. Stem 12-18 inches high, firm, erect, terete, usually 

 1-headed, with 3-4 falcate leaves laxly placed on each side, linear-filiform, 

 the lowest 8-12 inches long, 2-3 lines broad where they leave the stem, 

 seraiterete at the back, subglaucous, persistent. Valves of spathe 2-2 1^ 

 inches long, lanceolate, ^ inch broad, reaching up to the base of the limb 

 at the flowering time, considerably ventricose. Pedicel and ovary each 

 12-15 lines long. Tube of perianth scarcely any. Limb 2^-2| inches 

 long, pure yellow or tinged in the lower half with dull purple (Z. soi-di- 

 diim, Salisb.) ; outer divisions with a round lamina an inch broad, twice 

 as long as the pandnriform limb, which is half an inch broad in the 

 middle ; inner divisions oblanceolate, erect, as long as the outer ones, 5-6 

 lines broad. Stigmas, including the crest, distinctly shorter than the 

 divisions. 



Hab. Portugal; frequent in the neighbourhood of Lisbon, especially 

 at the foot of the Serra de Cintra and in other places, Brotero ; Wel- 

 witsch, 356 ! Webb! Sir W. C. Trevelyan ! etc. Flowers in March and 

 April. 



This comes extremely near X. vulgare in everything but the colour of 

 the flower, and some of the plates of Besler's ' Hortus Eystettensis,' quoted 

 by Ehrhart for his /. Xiphium evidently belong to it. 



3. X. lat/folium, 'Miller ; bulbo ovoideo magno membranaceo-tunicato, 

 caule firmo flexnoso saepe bipedali, uni- vel bi-floro, foliis caulinis 4-6 dis- 

 tichis falcatis, anguste linearibus dorso semiteretibus, spathaj valvis lan- 

 ceolatis, ventricosis ad vel ultra basin limbi attingentibus, pediceUo ovario 

 subaiquante, perianthii tubo subnullo, limbo violaceo segmentis exterioribus 

 2|-3-uncialibus intus flavo carinatis, lamina rotundata ungue cunealo ex- 

 cedente, segmentis interioribus erectis et stignuitibus (cum cristis) seg- 

 mentis exterioribus distincte brevioribus. — X. lutifoUum, Miller, Diet. 



