MO HANDBOOK OF IRIDE.E. 



long ; outer valves rigid, lanceolate, green with a narrow white 

 edge; pedicel short; ovary cylindrical, ^ in. long Perianth blue; 

 segments oblong, twice as long as the cylindrical tube. Anthers 

 oblong, 1*2 in. long, half as long as the cylindrical column of fila- 

 ments. 



Hab. Ancles of Chili, Lechler 2966 ! Philippi I 



36. Aeistea Ker. 



Perianth with a short cylindrical tube and subequal oblong 

 spreading segments, twisting up spirally after flowering. Stamens 

 inserted at the throat of the perianth-tube; filaments short, free, 

 filiform; anthers erect, linear-obloug. Ovary oblong or cylindrical, 

 3-celled ; ovules many, superposed ; style fihform, with three small 

 obovate branches, stigmatose round the edge. Capsule oblong or 

 cylindrical, acutely or obtusely angled, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds 

 small, globose or angled by pressure. Herbs with leaves in a dis- 

 tichous basal rosette, rarely undershrubs, with alternate leaves on 

 a woody stem. Peduncles terete or flattened. F/uircrs clustered, 

 fugitive, usually blue ; spathe-valves small; clusters forming spikes, 

 racemes or corymbose panicles. 



Subgenus Aristea proper. — Herbaceous. Loaves condensed 

 into a radical rosette. 



Capsule oblong, with rounded sides. 



Peduncle flattened and winged . Sp. 1-9. 



Peduncle subterete. . . . Sp. 10-14. 



Capsule oblong, acutely angled. 



Leaves subterete .... Sp. 15-17. 



Leaves flat Sp. 18-22. 



Capsule cylindrical .... Sp. 23-25. 



Subgenus Nh-enia (Vent.). — Shrubs. Leaves 



not condensed into a rosette . . . Sp. 20-27. 



1. A. ANCEPs Ecklon ; Klatt in Linnaja, xxxiv. 353. — Leaves 

 many, rigid, hnear, 4-8 in. long. Peduncles ^~1 ft. long, leafless, 

 equally flattened throughout, ending in a single head, overtopped 

 by linear bract and formed by one or few clusters. Spathe-valves 

 entirely membranous, brown, ^-^ in. long, slightly lacerated. 

 Perianth-segments oblong, i in. long. Capsule oblong, obtusely 

 nearly sessile, torulose, ^ in. long. 



Hab. Cape Colony (eastern provinces), Natal, Transvaal and mountains of 

 Abyssinia. Dr. Pax in Engler's Hochgeb. Flora, Trop. Africa, p. 173, separates 

 the Abyssinian plant and calls it A. abynsinica. 



2. A. ALATA Baker in Journ. Linn. Soc. xxi. 405. — Leaves 

 above a foot long, i-i in. broad. Stem 1^2 ft. long, flattened 

 and broadly winged throughout, bearing 2 reduced leaves and a 

 stalked side cluster beside the end one. Outer valves of spathe 

 1-2 in. long, green with a membranous edge; inner not lacerated. 

 Perianth-segments small. Capsule oblong, obtusely angled, J in. 

 lung ; pedicel as long as capsule. 



