PLATE XXIII. 



IXIA CAPITATA. Far. ovata. 



Bunch-flowering Ixia. Far. Egg-Jhaped purple Petals. 



CLASS III. ORDER I. 

 TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA. Three Chives. One Pointal. 



ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. 



Corolla 6 petala, patens, aequalis. Stigmata 

 3, erectiufculo-patula. 



Blossom fix petals, fpreading equal. Summits 



three, nearly upright, fpreading. 

 See Ixia reflexa, Plate XIV. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



Ixia, foliis radicalibus, enfiformibus; floribus 

 capitatis, confertis, purpureis, petalis bafi 

 obfcuris. 



Ixia with leaves growing from the root, and 

 fword-lliaped; blollbms in dole bunches, 

 purple, and dark at the bale. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1. The two {heaths of the Empalement. 



2. A flower cut open, to fhew the infertion of Chives. 



3. The Chives as attached to the tubular part of the blollbm, the border cut oft" 



(magnified). 



4. The Shaft, Summits, and Seed-bud (magnified). 



This fine fpecies of Ixia, a native of the Cape of Good Hope, was introduced to our collections about 

 the year 1795, by Meflrs. Lee and Kennedy, nurferymen; they having railed it from feeds received 

 by them, from the Royal Gardens at Vienna; is certainly amongtt the tenderer! of its tribe: the root, 

 being extremely fubject: to injury by wet, it mould be dried as foon as it has done flowering. It is 

 one of the earlieft Ixias in bloom, being in high perfection about the middle of April; is increafed 

 but flowly ty the root, thriving beft in very fandy peat, or fand only. The figure here given was 

 drawn from a plant which flowered at the nurfery, Hammerfmith, in 1/98, for the firft time. 



