198 HANDBOOK OF IRIDE^. 



by pressure. — Habit, leaves, and spathe-valves of Sparaxis, from 

 wliich it differs by its very irregular perianth-limb. 



1. S. BicoLOR Sweet, Hort. Brit. edit. 2, 501. -S'. rjahata Sweet. 

 Sparaxis bicolor Ker. Gladiolus hicolor Thunb. ; Jacq. Ic. t. 240. 

 6r. ijaleatus Jacq. Ic. t. 258. — Corm ovoid, h in. diam. ; tunics thick, 

 pale, strongly honeycombed. Basal leaves 6-6 in a distichous 

 rosette, thin, ensiform, 3-G in. long. Stems 1-1^ ft. long, simple 

 or branched. Flowers 2-6, laxly spicate ; spathe-valves ovate, 

 membranous, ^-f in. long, brown, deeply lacerated. Perianth with 

 a cylindrical tube ^ in. long, dilated into a broad funnel at the top; 

 limb f-1 in. loug, yellow, more or less flushed with violet. Stamens 

 half as long as the upper segment. 



Var. EoxBUKGHii Baker. — Bulb-tunics of fine threads. Flowers 

 all lilac-purple. 



Hab. Cape Colony ; south-western district. 



2. S. VAKiEGATA Sweet, Brit. Flow. Gard. t. 150. Simraxis 

 luteo-violacca Eckl. N. IVattii Harv. — Corm ovoid, ^ in. diam. ; 

 tunics coarsely houeycombed. Leaves, inflorescence, and spathe- 

 valves just like those of S. hicolor. Perianth dark violet, with a 

 cylindrical tube 1^-1^ in. long, curved and broadly funnel-shaped 

 at the top ; limb an inch long ; upper segment i in. broad ; lower 

 shorter and narrower, flushed with yellow. 



Hab. Cape Colony ; south-western provinces. 



56. Gladiolus Linn. 



Peria)ith-iube usually funnel-shaped ; segments of the limb 

 more or less unequal in shape and direction, oblong, spathulate or 

 unguiculate, the upper of the outer row generally the largest. 

 Stamens inserted at the tbroat of the perianth-tube, contiguous and 

 arching ; filaments short, free ; anthers linear, basifixed. Ovary 

 3-celled ; ovules many, superposed ; style long, arcuate ; stigmas 

 cuueate, entire. Capsule obloug, loculicidally 3-celled. Seeds 

 globose or discoid; sometimes distinctly winged. — Uootstock a tuni- 

 cated corm. Produced leaves distichous, superposed on the stem, 

 generally linear or ensiform. Inflorescence spicate ; flowers 1 to a 

 spathe, sessile ; spathe-valves linear or lanceolate. Floxvers very 

 various in size and colour. 



Stibgenus Eugladiolus. — Perianth-tube funnel-shaped; seg- 

 ments not distinctly unguiculate. 



Species of Europe and "Western Asia. 



Seeds flat, winged ..... Sp. 1-5. 



Seeds globose ...... Sp. 6-8. 



Seeds imknown ..... Sp. 9-15. 



Species of the Cape and Tropical Africa. 

 Leaves subterete or linear. 



Perianth-segments acute . . . Sp. 16-31. 



Perianth-segments obtuse . . . Sp. 32-72. 

 Leaves ensiform Sp. 73-109. 



