bile 
Tues ek CLA. | 
ARISTEA MAJOR. - 
Spike-flowered Arifica. 
Siento SEE akc a 
SS OLASS Tk DRDER I 
TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Three Chives. One Pointal. 
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER, 
PeTata 6. Stigma concavum. Capfula tri- Petras 6. Summit concave. Capfule three- 
loba, trilocularis, loculis compreflis. Semina lobed, three celled; cells flattened. Seeds 
in fingulo loculo bina, compreffa truncata. | two in each cell, flattened and appearing 
- | cut off at the end. ; 
See AristEA Cyanea, Pl. X. Vol. L 
SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 
Ariftea foliis enfiformibus longiffimis; floribus | Ariftea with very long leaves; flowers grow in 
fpicatis, caruleis, fpikes, and blue. 
‘ ——— ie __ 
os 
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 
1, The two fheaths of the Empalement. 
2. A Bloffom with the Seed-bud, both cut open and remaining attached, the Shaft removed. -- 
3. The Pointal natural fize, with the fummit detached magnified. 
A. A ripe feed-veffel, natural fize. 
5. The fame with the cells laid open to thew the fituation of the feeds. 
TE 
Tue Genus Ariftea, having certainly been formed from a dried fpecimen of the plant, the alterations 
we have made in our Generic and Effential characters, will, upon infpecting the diffeCions, appear 
abfolutely neceflary ; as the thaft is not bent, in either fpecies we have examined, whilft the flower 
is perfe&t; but'affumes that appearance on its decay, as it becomes involved with the petals, which 
twift up in the manner of Morera, Iris, &c. The Summit likewife, is not funnel-fhaped, but merely 
a little concave, with a border: other fmall variations have been made, in the character of the feed- 
veffel and feed. In the year 1794, this fine plant was raifed by Mefirs, Lee and Kennedy, from feeds 
. received by them from the Cape of Good Hope, where it is native. It is one of the very hardieft 
inhabitants of the greenhoufe, and is propagated, either from the feed, which ripens with us; or by 
the offsets made from the root. The plant is perfiftent, but does not acquire a ftem; the leaves 
growing to the length of from two, to three feet, the flower-ftem fometimes to the height of four feet; 
which was nearly that of the plant in the Colle@tion of G. Hibbert, Efq. Clapham, from which our 
drawing was taken in the month of July 1800.’ It thould be planted in fandy peat, * 
a 
