excepting at the base, or at its subdivision when this is low, where 
occasionally a single short leaf, or greatly enlarged bractea is produced. 
Leaves linear, numerous at the base of the stem, dark, green, or sub- 
glaucous, glabrous, channelled, equal to the stem, but from decaying 
at the apex in the specimen described appearing shorter. UmBe.s 
many-flowered, one or two upon each stem, approximated or remote, 
in the former case the lateral one sessile, in the latter supported upon 
a stalk, more or less elongated, at the origin of which there are gen- 
erally two flowers. BRacTE# ovato-subulate, herbaceous, with scariose 
edges. PerpiceELs articulated above the base, each springing from the 
axil of a bractea, the lower joint being longer than this in all the 
flowers except a few on the outside ; upper joint longer than the lower, 
and more glaucous. Sepat ovato-oblong, spreading wide, mucronate, 
on the outside glaucous, within purple, edges scariose. CoROLLA 
13 inch across, very handsome, of bright lilac colour ; petals oblong, 
having in the centre an opaque linear stripe, which is glaucous and 
3-ribbed externally, internally of deep lilac, sides of clear and paler 
lilac, and edges with Jong silky fringes of the same colour. STAMENS 
3, bent to one side of the flower; filaments short and colourless; 
anthers more than twice as long as the filaments, curved, having two 
slightly divaricated yellow lobes at the base, above of a deep purple 
colour; pollen white, granules very minute. Purists rather longer 
than the stamens, curved in the opposite direction from them ; stigma 
minute, terminal; style subulate, grooved on three sides; germen 
ovate, grooved ; ovules two in each cell. 
Poporar anp GrocrapnHicaL Notice. The beautiful genus Thy- 
sanotus has been found widely distributed round New Holland and in 
Van Diemen’s Land ; the species now figured, the finest in cultivation, 
is from Swan River. It begins to flower in May, but produces blos- 
soms in long succession for many weeks. Each flower expands be- 
tween eight and nine in the morning, and closes permanently about 
two, p.m. That the function of irritability, with whatever structure 
connected, is the same thing in animals and in vegetables, and that it 
is subject to the same laws, any one who will take the trouble to inves- 
tigate, or, to speak more appropriately, has heart and head enough to 
receive pleasure in the investigation of the phenomena, may very soon 
satisfy himself. Inrritability is elicited by the application of stimuli, 
exhausted by the continuance of their application, and recruited after 
