I X I 



i r i 



The species cultivated are: 1. 1. BiiUocodtum , 

 Crocus-leaved Ixia ; e. /. Chhunsis, Chinese 

 lxia ; 3. J. rosea, Rose-coloured Ixia; 4. /. 

 ' ra, Bulb-bearing Ixia; 6. /. ari<tata, 

 Bearded Ixia; 6.1. jlexuosa, Bending-stalkeJ Ixia; 

 ' . J. polyslac/tia, Manv-spiked Ixia; S. /. macu- 

 lata, Spotted lxia; 9. /. crocata, Crocus-flowered 

 Ixia. 



The first has a roundish bulb, placed on the 

 withered bulb, double the size of a pea, white, 

 covered with a bay-coloured skin: the leaves 

 three or four, in the flowering plant radical, in 

 the fruiting cauline, spreading horizontallv, half 

 a foot or thereabouts in length, smooth, sharp- 

 ish : the stem solitary, upright, two inches 

 high, above the uppermost leaf, convex on one 

 side, flat on the other ; in the fruiting plant a 

 little higher, in the cultivated one sometimes 

 half a foot in height : the spathe terminating, 

 uvo-valvc-d : leaflets narrow-lanceolate, acute, 

 concave, opposite; one upright, green, almost 

 the length of the corolla; the other a little 

 shorter, green on the back, but otherwise mem- 

 branaceous and pellucid, patulous, whence the 

 flower becomes as it were lateral. It is inodo- 

 rous, and a native of Italy, flowering about 

 the middle of April. 



It varies with white and yellow flowers, with 

 purplish and yellow flowers, with blue and 

 white flowers, with white flowers, and with 

 yariegated flowers. 



The second species has the scape round, 

 fistulous, jointed, upright, simple at bottom, 

 panicled-dichotomous or trichotomous at top, 

 smooth, almost the thickness of a finger, two 

 feet high : the leaves alternate, embracing, cqui- 

 tant, acute, entire, striated, smooth, the lower 

 a little longer, about half the length of the 

 stem, a span long and more : the flowers from 

 the tips of the branches of the panicle, in um- 

 bels, from three to seven, peduncled : pedun- 

 cles striated, one-flowered, an inch long : the 

 spathe under the divisions and the umbel, wi- 

 thered. In India, the stalks rise to the height 

 of five or six feet, but in this climate they are 

 seldom more than half that height. The flow- 

 ers are of a yellow colour within, and variegated 

 w'uh dark red spots ; the outside is of an orange 

 colour : these appear in July and August, and 

 in warm seasons are succeeded bv seeds. It is 

 a native of the East Indies, &c. 



The third has an ovate bulb, smooth, sub- 

 truncated : the scape three- (or four-) cornered, 

 sheathed at bottom, branched, few -flowered, 

 jmooth, from a hand to a span in height : the 

 leaves acute, grooved, smooth, the lowest, 

 which is the longest, frequently double the 

 length of the scape, or more, is lax and reflex; 



the two or three others are about the length of 

 the scape, and upright : the flowers at the ends 

 of the branches rather large, coming out one 

 alter the other: the outer spathe ovate, green ; 

 inner lanceolate, acute, membranaceous, sheath- 

 ing the- capsule. 



It varies with the three inner segments of the 

 corolla yellow, atid ;he three oute"? green ; with 

 the three inner white-yellow, ihe three outer 

 greenish ; with the three inner blue-white, the 

 three outer greenish; with the three inner white, 

 the three outer green ; with corollas wholly yel- 

 low; or wholly Glue, or rose-coloured with a yel- 

 low base ; also in the size of the flowers. 



The fourth species has the scape simple or 

 branched, somewhat compressed, striated, 

 smooth, sheathed at bottom with leaves, from a 

 hand to a foot in height : the leaves nerved and 

 striated, distich, upright, smooth, a span long: 

 the flowers three or more, large, with the rachis 

 between the flowers flexuose : the spathe nerv- 

 ed and netted, grav, with a dusky tip : tube of 

 the corolla only a line in length : border divided 

 beyond the middle, but not to the tube : seg- 

 ments large, ovate-oblong, very blunt, spreading. 



It varies with the corolla purple, red and 

 white, yellow; with the scape very short and 

 simple, higher and branched, and bulbiferous. 



The fifth has a netted bulb, the size of a hazel 

 nut : the scape simple, round, upright, smooth, 

 from a hand to a foot in height and more : the 

 leaves four or five, linear, five-nerved, the mid- 

 dle nerve and edges thicker, acute, upright, 

 shorter by half than the scape: the flowers 

 pointing one way (very seldom one onlv) on 

 two branches, often from five to nine on a 

 scarcely flexuose rachis : the spathes submem- 

 branaceous, awn-toothed : the corollas white 

 flesh-coloured. 



It varies with the segments of the borders of 

 the corolla of a deep and elegant purple-violet 

 colour within, three of them of the samp colour 

 on the outside, but the three others alternately 

 of a pale dirty violet ; one of these with two on 

 the side of it has a double band in the throat 

 meeting at one end; and, according to Mr. 

 Salisbury, with whitish corollas, having a purple 

 star, violet-coloured and yellow. In .Miller's 

 figures, with the corolla of a beautiful purple on 

 the outside, but white within, and the stem 

 terminated by two or three flowers ; with the 

 stalk terminated by two large flower.- ; the out- 

 side of a violet co'nur, edged with white, and 

 the inside pale blue; and with one flower, and 

 the corolla of a most beautiful purple colour 

 both within and without. 



The sixth specie- has a very small round bulb: 

 the leaves three or four, long, slender, 

 E 3 



