PLATE CCXCIII. 
LACHNEA PURPUREA. 
Purple-flowered Lachnea. 
CiASS. Vit. -ORDER*T. 
OCTANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Eight Chives. One Pointal. 
ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. 
Cur none. Bloffom four-cleft; border un- 
equal. One feed, like a berry. 
See Lacunza Erioceruara, Pl, CIV. Vol. IL 
Catyx nullus. Corolla quadrifida; limbo in- 
zquali. Semen unum, fub-baccatum. 
SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 
Lachnza capitulis folitariis; corollis glabris, 
purpureis; foliis trigonis, obtufis, quadri- 
fariam imbricatis. 
Lachnza with folitary heads of flowers; blof- 
foms fmooth, purple; leaves three-fided, 
obtufe, tiled in four-rows. 
— 
REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 
— 
. 
One of the floral Leaves, which furround the head of flowers at the bate. 
A Flower complete. 
wo 
- A Bloffom cut open, the lower part cut off, to thew the infertion of the 
Chives at the mouth, 
. The Pointal, natural fize. 
. The fame magnified. 
or 
— 
Turs moft fingular genus of plants, in external appearance fo refembling pafferina, yet fo perfectly 
diftin@ in the parts of fruétification, i tainly amongft the handfomeft of the natural order in which 
it ranks. The long flender chives which extend nearly to the Jength of the border of the bloffom, in- 
dependent of the fingular retrofra€tion of one of its fegments, give it a charafter, we think, decidedly 
fufficient on which to have formed the Genus. This is the third fpecies known; it was introduced 
to the Hibbertian collection, in 1800, by Mr. Niven, from the Cape of Good Hope. It is a very de- 
licate plant, 1ubject to be deftroyed by damps, flowers in July, and may be increafed by cuttings, It 
-thrives beft in a mixture of light fand and . 
Tbunberg, in his Prod, Plant. Cap. has referred the whole genus to Passerina. 
