116 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [ FEBRUARY 
correctly. Plukenet even figures a small calyx besides a 6- 
leaved corolla, and he has also indicated the presence of small 
bulblets at the base of the main bulb, as in Gagea, but which do 
not occur in Hypoxis. Plukenet, no doubt, made his figure 
from a poorly preserved specimen of Hypoxis, and he changed 
certain parts in order to make the drawing fit into the genus 
Ornithogalum. Plukenet’s diagnosis in Almagestum botanict 
mantissa (p. 272) is given as follows: 
“Ornithogalum Vi a Secs luteis, atra macula insignitis, summo 
caule veluti in umbellam diffusis.’ 
No ‘‘atra macula,’’ however, is to be observed in the flowers 
of Hypoxis or Ornithogalum. We might note here, in order to 
give some idea of Plukenet’s comprehension of Ornithogalum, 
that this author in his Phytographia (pl. 102, fig. 3) figures 
another species of Ornithogalum : 
‘‘Ornithogalum affinis Virginiano, flore purpureo pentapetaloide. Banist. 
Cat. Msc.” 
This, however, represents Claytonia Virginica! These two 
figures, given by Plukenet and Petiver, seem to have been the 
only ones which at that time were known to Linnzus, although 
a third was then in existence in Dillenius’ Hort El 
, Linnzus does not seem to have known this figure 
( i. 220) until he published the second edition of Spectes plan-. 
tarum, wherein he gives the full quotation from  Dillenius: 
‘ Ornithogalum Virginici facie, herba tuberosa Carolinesis,”’ a 
plant which Linnzus named Hypoxis sessilis.” 
This plant does not differ, however, from A. erecta, excepting 
that the flowers are situated close to the ground. It is to be 
noted that in this figure the details of the flower are very well 
shown, and there is no doubt that if Linnaeus had seen this — 
figure when he first wrote the Species plantarum, he would have 
been able to discover the mistakes in Plukenet’s and Petiver's 
two figures, and he would perhaps at that time have referred our 
plant to Hypoxis instead of to Ornithogalum. 
The remaining Linnean quotation is that of Royen (p- 3 
which is too short and incomplete, however, to give any idea - 
