o2. IRIDACE.E. 



149 



persistant beak, containing many lustreless, Inown, angular 

 seeds. 



This determination was made by Professor ^MacOwan 

 liim.self, on specimens forwarded to Capetown. The South 

 Australian plant does not. however, agree with Baker's 

 description (Fl. Cap. vi. 529), even as to the number of 

 leaves. "When the discrepancies were pointed out to the 

 authorities of the Cape Cirovernment Herbarium, they ex- 

 pressed the opinion that the errors arose from Baker having 

 lost MacOwan's description of the plant, and redesciibed it 

 fiom dried specimens. 



Numerous on roadsides and in 

 pasture, Adelaide Plains. — Sept.- 

 Nov. — South Afi;ica (environs of 

 Caijetown). 



2. M. Pavonia, Ker. Stem 

 tall, slender, with 1 long, linear 

 leaf ; flowers 2-3 in each spathe ; 

 spathes cylindrical, about 5 cm. 

 <2 in.) long, on a long peduncle, 

 with sheathing bract at base, 

 valves scarious at top and long- 

 pointed ; S outer perianth-seg- 

 ments pale-yellow, brown-streaked 

 and villous on claw (var. lutea, 

 Baker), nearly thrice as long as 

 the narrow-wedgeshaped inner 

 segments, which are 3-toothed at 

 summit, the middle tooth long- 

 est ; capsule brown, leather.v. club- 

 .shaped. 



above AVaterfall Gully 

 - Sept. - Nov. — S'outh 



Hill 

 Road. 

 Africa. 



Mor-aea Pavonia. 



7. HoMEKi.\, Ventenat. 



Perianth funnel-shaped with a very short tube and sub- 

 etjual .spreading segments: filaments completely united in 

 a tube round the style; anthers linear, appressed to the 

 style-branches, which are short, compressed, 2-lipped, and 

 .slit on the inner lip. truncate-papillose at summit : capsule 

 long, club.shaped. Flowers pedicellate, 2-4 in each spathe; 

 spathes cylindrical, on erect peduncles, which are terminal 

 or rise from short branches, enclo.sed in .sheathing bracts; 

 leaves few, radical ; corm globular, with thick, brown tunic. 



Leaf 1 



L<^avcs 2 



1. Homeria. 



Tidip. Stem stiff, 

 like, linear, stiffisli 



//. Cilllilll] 1 



.'. //. Ill I II id 111 2 



collina, Vent. One-leaved Cape 

 zigzag, angular, simple: leaf 1, grass- 

 ribbed, much longer than the .stem 

 and sometimes attaining 90 cm. (8 ft.): spathe-valves 



