NATURAL ORDER LILIACE. 
Tribe—Tuiezx. Section of genus Tulipa, having the filaments of the 
stamens smooth. 
PuaTE XXIV.—Tulipa clusiana. De Candolle. . Woods. 
Grenier and Godron. 
Generic.—Style wanting. Stigma 3-lobed. Stamens erect. Divi- 
sions of Perianth free, without nectaries. Seeds flat. ; 
Spxrciric.—Stamens longer than ovary. Divisions of Perianth, the 
outer lanceolate, the inner elliptic. obtuse. The colour as in the plate. 
Leaves glaucous, linear or linear-lanceolate. Bulb small, not woolly. 
EXPLANATION OF Pirate XXIV.—Plate XXIV. represents Tulipa 
clusiana. 
Remarxs.—It was not until I had seen flowers fully expanded in 
their wild state, that’ I ventured to draw the original sketch for the 
present plate, as I am perfectly aware that it is the exception to find 
them advanced beyond the apparent condition of buds. I found that 
the blossoms of Tulipa clusiana were quickly affected by the increase 
or diminution of direct sun-light, and I was only able to make the 
present drawing by sitting in the full blaze of a bright sun, under the 
influence of which the flowers rapidly expanded, assuming on with- 
drawal the more familiar appearance represented in the upper part of 
the plate. It is possible to make this Tulip open and shut its blossoms 
many times by subjecting it to the above conditions, and I am quite at 
a loss to conjecture what advantage is gained by the plant from this 
most curious sensibility. 
Tulipa clusiana is found in the Olive and Lemon terraces near 
Mentone, both in eastern and western bays, but it is more especially 
abundant in the Latte valley between Mentone and Ventimiglia, where 
the fine specimens figured in this plate were gathered. The one other 
Tulip (T. preecox) known as growing at Mentone is scarlet and black, 
besides being otherwise amply distinguished from the present plant. The 
time of flowering is from the end of March to the middle of April. 
