yiU 



THE CORNFLAG TRIBE. 210 



only three stamens instead of six, and in the anthers 

 being- turned with their faces towards the sepals, in- 

 stead of towards the style ; a singular peculiarity, 

 which in this case is found to indicate a total absence 

 of poisonous properties ; so that while the Narcissus 

 tribe is dangerous, the natural order, called the 

 Cornjiag tribes to which the Crocus belongs, is per- 

 fectly harmless. 



These plants vary a great deal in their general ap- 

 pearance, owing to the different shapes of the calyx 

 and the corolla, and to the size of the stem, which is 

 sometimes round and subterranean, as in the Crocus, 

 and sometimes long, scarred, and creeping on the 

 surface of the ground, as in the Cornjiag or Iris ; of 

 which the Orris root which babies suck is a pre- 

 paration, and the name a corruption. They may, 

 however, be always known by their agreeing with 

 the Narcissus tribe in every thing except their three 

 stamens with the anthers turned away from the style. 

 and the want of bulbs. Their leaves are also very 

 unusually thin, and shaped like a straight sword- 

 blade, with the edge turned to the stem, on which 

 account they used to be called Mnsatce, or sword- 

 leaved plants (Plate XVIII. 2. jig. L). 



Along with the drawing of the Alstromeria you 

 have another, which represents a most singular plant, 

 the colour of whose flowers resembles a lizard's back. 

 It is a native of the Cape of Good Hope, and called 

 the Wavy Ferraria (Ferraria undulata). Its flowers 

 consists of three sepals and three petals, all of which 

 are so wavy and curly at their edges, and so much 



