THE CORNFLAG TRIBE. 221 



in fact, so much heavier than the power of the style 

 can support, that in the Saffron Crocus, in which they 

 constitute the substance called Saffron, they hang 

 down on the outside of the flower like an orange 

 tassel. 



It is to this natural order that belong those count- 

 less species of Ixia, Gladiolus, Watsonia, Babiana, &c. 

 which spring up at the Cape of Good Hope upon 

 the commencement of the rains, and soon cover the 

 parched and half naked karroos with a robe of the 

 deepest green, adorned with all manner of gay and 

 sparkling colours. 



Having studied these plants in the order I have 

 mentioned, compare them in your mind with the 

 numerous Dicotyledonous tribes you have already be- 

 come acquainted with, and see whether you can 

 anticipate any difficulty in recognising other tribes of 

 Monocotyledonous plants, by the external characters 

 I have pointed out ; without the slightest necessity 

 for havino- recourse to the examination of their stems 

 or seeds. 



EXPLANATION OF PLATE XVIIL 



L The Narcissus Tribe. — 1. A shoot oi iXxc sharp-leavedJIstro- 

 meria (A. acutifolia); a the inferior ovary. — 2. An ovary deprived of 

 calyx and corolla, but with the stamens in their place. — 3. An ovaiy 

 without even the stamens; shewing the style and stigmas. — 4. A ripe 

 fruit of Alstromeria psittacina (the Parrot Alstromeria), just before 

 it separates into valves; a the scar whence the stamens, calyx, and 



