ISIS. 46 



152. I. PAL^STiNA Boiss. Fl. Orient, v. 122. Xiphion palcEstinum 

 Baker. Juno palastina Klatt, — Bulb ovoid, 1-1^ in. diam. ; tonics 

 membranous, brown. Leaves about 6, lanceolate-acuminate, falcate, 

 3-6 in. long at the flowering time. Stem very short, 1-headed. 

 Spathes 1 -flowered, 2-3 in. long; valves green, lanceolate. Perianth- 

 tube 2-3 in. long ; limb li~2 in. long, pale yellow or tinged with 

 lilac ; falls with a small orbicular blade ^ in. broad ; haft auricled 

 at the top ; standards small, spreading, oblanceolate. Style- 

 branches 1^ in. long; crests large, quadrate. 



Hab. Mountains of Palestine, flowering in winter. Intermediate between 

 alata and caucasica. Var. ccerulea Post is a form with blue flowers. 



153. I. ALATA Poir. Voy. Barb. ii. 86; Bot. Reg. t. 1876. 

 I. scorpioUes Bed. Fl. Atlaut. i. 40, t. 6; Red. Lil. t. 211. I. 

 transtagana and trialata Brot. I. microptera Vahl. Xiphion plani- 

 folium Miller. X. alatiim Baker. Thelysia (jrandiflora Salisb. — ■ 

 Bulb ovoid, l|-2 in. diam., with thick root-fibres and long-produced 

 brown membranous tunics. Leaves about 6, lanceolate-acuminate, 

 6-9 in. long at the flowering time. Stem very short, 1-headed. 

 Spathe 1-2-flowered; valves lanceolate, subscariose, 3-4 in. long. 

 Perianth-tube 3-6 in. long ; limb bright lilac, 3-4 in. long ; falls 

 obovate-cuneate, with a blade 1-1|- in. broad, shorter than the haft, 

 and a yellow keel ; standards spreading, obovate-unguiculate, an 

 inch long. Style-branches l|-2 in. long; crests large, subquadrate. 

 Capsule oblong-trigonous, 2 in. long. 



Hab. Portugal and Spain to Sicily and Algeria, flowering in winter. First 

 noticed by Clusius. 



154. I. CAUCASICA Hoffm. Comm. Soc. Physic. Med. Mosc. i. 40; 

 Sweet, Brit. Flow. Gard. t. 255. Xiphion caucasicum Baker. — Bulb 

 ovoid, 1 in. diam. ; tunics membranous, brown. Leaves about 6, 

 lanceolate, falcate, bright green, 3-6 in. long at the flowering time, 

 with a horny border. Stem short, 3-6 headed. Spathes 1 -flowered, 

 1^-2 in. long; valves lanceolate. Perianth-tube 1-^-2 in. long; 

 limb 1^-2 in. long, pale or bright yellow ; falls with a small ovate 

 blade and a very broad rhomboidal claw, with transparent auricles 

 and a toothed often ciliated crest ; standards small, oblanceolate, 

 toothed, spreading or deflexed. Style-branches an inch long; crests 

 lanceolate-deltoid. Capsule oblong-trigonous, 1^ in. long. 



Hab. Caucasus to Asia Minor, Persia, Kurdistan, and Turkestan, ascending 

 to 6000 ft. Flowers not fragrant, jDroduced in March and April. A form grown 

 by Prof. Foster from Kharput has stems nearly a foot long. 



155. I. oRCHioiDEs Carriere in Rev. Hort. 1880, 337, fig. 68 ; 

 Baker in Bot. Mag. t. 7111. — Bulb ovoid, l-li in. diam. ; tunics 

 brown, membranous. Leaves about 6, lanceolate-acuminate, 6-9 in. 

 long at the flowering time, the border not horny. Stem 3-6-headed, 

 often 12-15 in. long, with distinct internodes. Spathes adpressed, 

 1-flowered, 2 in. long; valves green, lanceolate; ovary stalked. 

 Perianth-tube 1^-2 in. long ; limb 2 in. long ; falls with an obovate 

 blade | in. broad, bright yellow in the type, with a blotch of purple 

 on each side of a crest which runs down the cuneate exauriculate 

 claw; standards oblanceolate, under au inch long, often sharply 



