ANT 



ANT 



the flower-stem rises to the height of eighteen 

 inches, and the flowers are ringent. 



The third has a compressed bulbous root, co- 

 vered with a brown skin, and putting forth 

 fibres with little bulbs at the end ; from this arise 

 several narrow sword-shaped leaves, about nine 

 inches long, and a quarter of an inch broad in 

 the middle, terminating in acute points; these 

 have one longitudinal midrib which is promi- 

 nent, and two longitudinal veins running parallel 

 on each side : they are of a sea-green colour, and 

 appear in autumn, growing in length all the 

 winter ; in the spring the stalk arises from be- 

 tween the leaves, is round, strong and jointed; 

 at each joint is situated a single leaf, which al- 

 most embraces the stalk for near three inches 

 from the base, being then separated by the cur- 

 vature of the stalk, standing erect : the stalks 

 rise near a foot and a half in height, and are 

 generally curved two opposite ways ; the upper 

 part being terminated by a loose spike of flow- 

 ers, coming out of large spathes, composed of 

 two oblong concave leaves, terminating in acute 

 points : these are at their first appearance imbri- 

 cated, but as the stalk increases in length they 

 are separated ; from between these two leaves 

 come out the flowers, each having a slender 

 saffron-coloured tube near half an inch long, 

 which is then enlarged where the petal is di- 

 vided, and the upper segment is extended two 

 inches in length, being arched over the stamens 

 and style : this is narrow as far as to the extent 

 of the wings, but above them is enlarged and 

 spread open half an inch in length, and is con- 

 cave, covering the anthers and stigmas, which 

 are extended to that length ; the two wings are 

 also narrow at their base, but are enlarged up- 

 ward in the same manner, ending in concave 

 obtuse points, which are compressed together, 

 and cover the stamens and style : the flower is 

 of a beautiful scarlet colour, and appears about 

 the latter end of April or beginning of May. 



In the fourth species the corolla is tubulous 

 and of a scarlet colour ; upper lip very large, 

 lanceolate; lower five-parted, the lobes lanceo- 

 late, short, three alternately very short : the 

 leaves are long and of a deep green : the flower- 

 stem is round and a foot in height : it flowers in 

 May and June. 



In the fifth the root is bulbous, compressed, 

 and shaped like a kidney, covered with a fibrous 

 brown skin : the leaves sword-shaped, about a 

 foot long, and an inch broad, ending in points : 

 the two sides have sharp edges, but the middle 

 is thicker, and has a prominent mid-rib ; they 

 are of a dark green colour, and rise immediately 

 from the root : the stalk comes out from the 

 root between the leaves, and rises a foot and a 



half high : the flowers are produced from the 

 side, standing alternately at about an inch and a 

 half distance from each other ; they have each a 

 spathe composed of two leaves which are joined 

 at their base, where they are broad, but gra- 

 dually lessen to their points : before the flowers 

 appear, they are of the same green colour with 

 the stalk, and are divided but a small part of 

 their length, inclosing the flower, but are after- 

 wards split almost to the bottom, and wither 

 before the flowers decay, becoming dry round 

 the seed-vessel : the tube of the flower is an 

 inch and a half long, narrow at the base, and a 

 little curved, the upper half swelling much 

 larger : the rim is divided into six obtuse seg- 

 ments which spread open, and are nearly equal : 

 the flower is of a copper red colour on the out- 

 side, but of a deeper red within ; it has three 

 stamens a little longer than the petal ; they are 

 incurved, and terminated by oblong anthers of 

 a dark brown colour, which are fastened in the 

 middle to the apex of the stamens, lying pro- 

 strate : the flowers appear in April or May, and 

 the. seeds ripen in July. 



The sixth species has the root bulbous : the 

 culm a foot and half high, polished and colum- 

 nar : the leaves alternate, three or four, sheath- 

 ing, sword-shaped, streaked, pubescent, beyond 

 the sheaths short, rarely more than six inches 

 long : the flower-stalk rises between the leaves, 

 about nine inches in height : the flowers three, 

 alternate, in the same row, sessile : the glumes 

 bivalve and lanceolate : the corolla salver-shapedj: 

 the tube bent, purplish, longer than the border, 

 which is six-parted and equal : the divisions 

 ovate, acutish and yellow : the stamens rising, 

 the length of the corolla : the anthers linear and 

 incumbent : the style filiform: the stigmas three, 

 filiform : the flowers are large and pale red. 



Culture. — These plants are capable of being 

 raised with success, either by means of the di- 

 vided roots and oft'-sets, or the seeds. In the 

 latter method the seeds should be sown soon 

 after they are ripe, as when they are kept out of 

 the ground till the following spring they often 

 miscarry, or remain long in the ground before 

 they vegetate. If they be sown in pots of light 

 vegetable earth, and plunged into an old tan-bed 

 which has lost its heat, and shaded in the mid- 

 dle of the day in hot weather, they mostly come 

 up the following winter. They must of course 

 be kept covered with glasses to screen them irom 

 cold, otherwise the young plants will be de- 

 stroyed. These should remain in the pots two 

 years, if the plants be not too close, by which 

 time they will have attained sufficient strength 

 to be planted out into separate small pots rilled 

 with light vegetable earth. 



