ROMULEA. 97 



minute. — Rootstock a tunicated corm. Leaves several, basal, multi- 

 farious. Spat/ies 1 -flowered, sessile in the centre of the rosette of 

 leaves. Flowers small, fugacious, lilac or yellow. 



1. G. ovATA Thunb. Diss. Nov. Gen. ii. 51, with figure ; Cav. 

 Diss. tab. 189, fig. 2 ; Jacq. Ic. tab. 291, upper figure; Andr. Bot. 

 Rep. t. 94. (t. ohtnsa Salisb. Lvio (Jahi.rin Linn. fil. — Corm 

 globose, -J- in. diam., thickly tunicated. Leaves firm, with several 

 distinct ribs and a tiiickened pale cartilaginous border, outer ovate- 

 or oblong-lanceolate, ^-1^ in. long, inner narrower. Spathe cylin- 

 drical, ^-1 in. long. Perianth-tube exserted from the spathe; 

 limb bright yellow, about 1 in. diam. ; segments obovate. Stigma 

 overtopping the anthers. 



Var. G. GRANDiFLOKA Salisb. (Andr. Bot. Rep. 1. 164; Bot. Mag. t. 

 1208). — Flower yellow, 1| in. diam. when expanded. 



Var. G. MucRONULATA Salisb. (.Jacq. Ic. t. 291, lower left hand 

 figure). — Flower lilac, with a yellow throat ; segments narrower 

 than in the type, obtuse, with a minute cusp. 



Var. G. VERSICOLOR Salisb. (Jacq. Ic. t. 291, lower right hand 

 figure). Flower smaller than in the type, dark lilac, with a yellow 

 throat ; segments obtuse, without a cusp. 



Var. EcKLONi Baker. G. versicolor Ecldon. — Flowers lilac, 1 in. 

 diam. Leaves more numerous than in the type, the inner linear. 



Hab. Cape Colony ; south-western provinces. 



2. G. GRAMiNEA Thunb. Diss. Nov. Gen. ii. 51, with figure ; Cav. 

 Diss. tab. 189, fig. 3 ; Ker. in Bot. Mag. t. 1292. Ixia Jw/acissima 

 Linn. fil. — Corm ovoid, ^-^ in. diam., thickly tunicated. Leaves 

 many, linear-convolute, 1-2 in. long, often furnished with bulbill® 

 in their axils. Spathe i in. long. Perianth-tube 1-2 in. long ; 

 limb lilac or yellow, 1-1^ in. diam. when expanded. 



Hab. Cape Colony ; south-western provinces. 



17. RoBiuLEA Maratt. 



Perianth with a short tube and a regular limb with six subequal 

 obovate imbricated segments. Stamens inserted at the throat of 

 the perianth-tube ; filaments short, filiform, except iu a single 

 species ; anthers lanceolate, sagittate at the base. Ovary oblong, 

 3-celled ; ovules many, superposed ; style filiform, with bifid 

 clavate branches. Capsule ellipsoid, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds 

 small, globose or angled by pressure. — Rootstock a corm with mem- 

 branous tunics. Leaves setaceous, multifarious. Peduncle pro- 

 duced, simple or branched. Spathe of two lanceolate valves, both 

 green and firm or the inner membranous. Flowers solitary in the 

 spathe, purple, yellow or whitish. All the species are nearly allied 

 to one another. 



Species of the Mediterranean region. 



Flowers large ...... Sp. 1-5. 



Flowers middle-sized .... Sp. 6-10. 



Flowers small ...... Sp. 11-12. 



