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permost 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, two-valved: 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 

 membranaceous and pellucid, patulous, whence the flower becomes 

 as it were lateral. It is inodorous, 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 

 variegated flowers. 



The second species has the scape round, fistulous, jointed, up- 

 right, simple at bottom, panicled-dichotomous or trichotomous at 

 top, smooth, almost the thickness of a finger, two feet high: the 

 leaves alternate, embracing, equitant, 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 pa- 

 nicle, in umbels, from three to seven, peduncled: peduncles striated, 

 one-flowered, an inch long: the spathe under the divisions and the 

 umbel, withered. 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 flowers are of a yellow colour within, and variegated 

 with dark red spots; the outside is of an orange colour: these appear 

 in July and August, and in warm seasons are succeeded by seeds. 

 It is a native of the East Indies, &c. 



The third has an ovate bulb, smooth, subtruncated : the scape 

 three (or four) cornered, sheathed at bottom, branched, few-flowered, 

 smooth, 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 after the other: 

 the outer spalhe ovate, green; inner lanceolate, acute, membrana- 

 ceous, sheathing the capsule. 



It varies with the three inner segments of the corolla yellow, and 



