150 MILLA BIFLORA. 



such an addition to their charms superfluous. The whole subject of odours 

 in plants is involved in mystery ; why one flower should emit its perfume during 

 the whole of its brief existence, whilst in others it is withheld until the shades of 

 evening descend ; or to what causes are due the variations in their character, are 

 among the hitherto unsolved, though not perhaps unsolvable, problems of the 

 Natural World. "We may, however, be well content to suppress our curiosity on 

 these points, whilst our senses are so bountifully regaled with such sweet sights 

 and odours as are presented to us in the flowers of a Magnolia grandijlora, a 

 Mandevillea snaveolens, a Carnation, or a Milla liflora. 



Among our fragrant plants, several members of the Lily tribe occupy a con- 

 spicuous position ; and of their number, none perhaps are more remarkable for 

 their exquisite odour and purity of tint, than the flowers of the last named 

 bidb. The Milla liflora is one of those plants to which justice can scarcely 

 be done on paper, especially by a reduced figure ; to be appreciated it must be 

 seen, and we -can but hope that our notice may induce many of our readers to 

 obtain for themselves this charming gem. 



It is a half-hardy plant, produced from a small bulb rather more than an inch 

 in diameter. The leaves are from four to six in number, of a rush-like form, and 

 about a foot in length. They arc channelled on their inside to within about 

 a quarter of an inch of the tip, and are of a dark green, which near the base 

 is mingled with purple. The flowers terminate a scape which often rises con- 

 siderably higher than the leaves, and although only two occurred in our specimen, 

 they are not unfrequently three or even four in number ; a circumstance we may 

 suppose to have been unknown to the Botanist by whom its specific designation 

 of ' two-flowered ' was first applied. The peduncles bearing the blossoms are 

 usually much longer in proportion than those of our figure, where they are 

 shortened for the sake of convenience. The greenish colour of the bud almost 

 up to the moment of unfolding, would scarcely lead us to expect such an entire 

 absence of colour within ; and as expansion usually takes place during the night, 

 the contrast suddenly presented is very striking. The yellow anthers contribute 

 considerably to the effect ; at first sight they appear to be sessile, or nearly so, 

 but a closer examination will shew that the filaments are present, but enclosed 

 in the walls of the tube. The mode in which the segments of the flowers cohere 

 before expansion, in this and many other Lily worts, deserves a moment's attention. 

 On each side of the prominent rib or ridge occurring on the back of the three inner 

 divisions of the flowers, a channel or grove exists, into which the edge of the 

 outer segments fit closely, and in the Milla these are furnished with a hook- like 

 termination, by which the intermediate segments are held together. The green 

 colour of the ribs of the segments would greatly enhance the charms of the flower, 

 but that after expansion they are concealed by their position. The flowers are not 



