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these have erect petals or stanJanls, of a pale 

 sky-blue colour, and three reflexed petals or talis, 

 which on their outside are ot the same colour, 

 but the lip has a yellow streak running through 

 the middle, and on each side are many dark spots, 

 with one large deep-purple spot at the bottom : 

 the leaves are striated and nerved, unequal, and a 

 span in length. It is a native of Persia. 



This is greatly esteemed for the beauty and 

 extreme sweetness of its flowers, as also for its 

 early appearance in the spring, being generally 

 in perfection in February or the beginning of 

 March, according to the season. 



Martvn observes, that " like the Hyacinth 

 and Narcissus, it will blow within doors in a 

 water-glass, but stronger in a small pot of sand 

 or sandy loam, and a few flowers will scent a 

 whole apartment." 



The twentieth species has narrow, flat, glass- 

 like leaves, about a foot long, of a light-green 

 colour ; between these arise the stalks about six 

 inches hio-h, havino- two narrow leaves much 

 longer than the stalks : the flowers two or three, 

 small : the petals have a broad yellow line with 

 purple stripes ; the three falls are of a light pur- 

 ple colour striped with blue, and have a convex 

 ridge running along them : the others are of a 

 reddish purple variegated with violet ; they have 

 a scent like fresh plums. It is a native of 

 Austria, flowering in June. 



The twenty-first has a knobbed root, blackish 

 on the outside, whitish within, with long pale 

 fibres : the stem round, very slightly compressed, 

 straight or a little flexuose, from two to three 

 feet in height, taller than the leaves : the flowers 

 commonly two, on short peduncles, each in- 

 volved in its spathe ; sometimes there are three ; 

 they have no scent : the colour blue-purple; but 

 under the stigmas the rel'ex petals are more in- 

 clined to red : upright petals f!at, and usually 

 quite entire. According to Miller, the flowers 

 have light blue standards, and purple variegated 

 falls, having a broad while line in the middle 

 instead of the beard. It is a native of Germany, 

 &c. flowering in Julv. 



The twenty-second species has a higher stem, 

 the scape a foot high or more, dividing at top, 

 three flowered ormanv-'lowered, longer than the 

 leaves; which arenerved and flat: theHowers blue, 

 in brown scariose spathes : the inner petals are 

 upright: the germ trigonal, not grooved at the 

 angles. It is a native of Siberia, Sec. flowering in 

 May and June. 



The twenty-third has a solid sub-bulbose root, 

 surrounded by whitish fibres, and throwing out 

 other tubers : the stem upright, roundish, two 

 feet high, simple: the root-leaves acuminate, 

 quite entire, somewhat rigid, distich, flat, keeled 



at the base, above simple, from upright spread- 

 ing, few : the flowers few, coming out succes- 

 sively from the same spathe, yellow, without 

 scent, peduncled : the petals have a black shin- 

 ing glandular hole or pit, like that which is com- 

 mon to several species of Ranunculus. It is a 

 native of Martinico ; flowering in November and 

 December. 



The twenty-fourth species has the scape round, 

 jointed, villose, simple, a foot high, sustaining 

 one or two flowers : the leaf somewhat channel- 

 led, striated, villose, the length of the scape : 

 the spathes acute, striated, smooth, two inches 

 long: the peduncles subancipital, one-flowered,, 

 smooth: all the petals united at the base : the 

 three outer several times bigger than the others, 

 ovate, obtuse, entire ; the three inner much nar- 

 rower and shorter by half, lanceolate, acute. 

 This beautiful flower is orange-coloured, with 

 black spots and dots at the base, and a hart- 

 shaped blue spot above the base, which at bot- 

 tom is tomentose and black. It is a native of 

 the Cape. 



The twenty-fifth has a tuberous root ; there 

 arise from it five or six long narrow four-cor- 

 nered leaves, and from between these the stalk, 

 supporting one small flower, of a dark purple 

 colour. It flowers in April, but does not pro- 

 duce seeds in tliis climate. It is a native of the 

 Levant. 



Culture. — Most of the sorts may be readily 

 increased, by parting the roots or separating the 

 off-sets from the bulbs, and planting them out 

 in the situations where they are to flower; the 

 first sort in the autumn, or very early in the 

 spring, and the latter in the close of summer, 

 when the leaves decay, managing them in the 

 same manner as other bulbs. As they in- 

 crease and spread rapidly in their roots, they 

 should be divided and taken ofi" every two or three 

 years. 



New varieties of the different sorts may be 

 raised from seed, by sowing it in the autumn ia 

 a bed of light sandy mould. The plants come 

 up in the following spring, and in the autumn 

 may be transplanted where they are to grow. 

 They flower a year or two afterwards. 



The bulbous - rooted sorts succeed best irk 



such soils as are of the light, sandy, loamy kind. 



The last sort answers most perfectly in such 



aspects as are towards the east, the roots being 



prevented from going too deep. 



As the second sort is liable to be injured by 

 severe winters, a few should be planted in pots 

 to have protection. This sort is well suited for 

 forcing. 



When planted in the open ground, it requires 

 a rather dry soil and situation. 



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