THALIA DEALBATA. 
MONANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
SECT. I. CANNE. 
attached by a subulate process to the margin of the filament, or upper lip of 
the corolla; style tubular, revolute ; stigma appendiculate; seed single, perforate. 
Gey. Cuar.—Anther single, 
Spec. Cuar.—Scape radical, simple; spike compound ; floral bractes ovate, imbricate, biflorous; the stem and 
panicle covered with a farinaceous powder or meal. 
Syn.—Thalia dealbata. Sowerby, single plate, 1794. 
Thalia dealbata. Smith in Rees’ Cyclop. 
Peronia stricta. Redouté Liliac. tab. 342. 
Thalia dealbata. Bot. Mag. tab. 1690. 
Thalia dealbata. Brown Prod. Flor. Nov. Hol. 307. 
Thalia dealbata. Roemer § Schultes, v. i. p. 18. 
Peronia stricta. Idem. 
Thalia dealbata. Spreng. i. 8. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Root perennial, tuberous; stem radical, central, from 4 to 6 feet high, cylindrical, simple; spike bursting 
from a large foliaceous bracte, compound, each fascicle being inclosed in a secondary bracte; leaves broad- 
lanceolate-acute, from 12 to 18 inches long, strongly nerved, smooth on both sides, twisted or revolute at the 
apex; petioles long, round, terminating next the leaf with a ganglionated joint; floral bractes imbricate, cordate 
at the base, acute at the apex, with each an opposite, smaller, concave bracte, inclosing two flowers; 
calyx of three lanceolate, purple leaflets ; outer limb of corolla in three ovate sections, nearly equal, purple; inner 
limb in two lips, the upper one erect, of an irregular lunate shape, antheriferous, the lower one larger, deeply 
divided into two irregular mucronated lobes, of a dark purple colour; anther attached by a subulate process to 
the margin of the upper lip, ovate, grooved, yellow ; style cylindrical, tubular, revolute ; stigma ringent, with an 
appendage extending beyond the mouth, in a long membranous process or lip, slightly bifid at the apex; seed 
te b forated. 
a hard ovate berry, per’ OBSERVATIONS. 
A native of South Carolina, discovered by T. Millington, Esq. and introduced into this country by the late 
Mr. Fraser. The fine figure of it by the late excellent artist, Mr. Sowerby, delineated under the inspection of 
Sir J. E. Smith, first made this plant generally known. It has since been extensively cultivated as an aquatic E 
in our Conservatories, of which it forms one of the principal ornaments. This plant has given rise to some 
observations in Mr. Brown’s Prodromus Pl. Nov. Hol. p. 307, which will be found noticed in my preceding 
account of this genus. 
REFERENCES. 
j. Floral bracte. 
2. Flowers in pairs. 
3. Sections of exterior limb of corolla. 
4: & 5. Upper and lower lip of interior limb. 
G. Filament, anther, style and stigma, magnified. 
7. Style and stigma magnified. 
8. The same, more highly magnified. 
9. Anther, style and stigma, before expansion of the flowers, highly magnified. 
10, 11. Capsule. 
42. Transverse section of the seed, showing the interior cavities. 
