PLATE CCXXI. 



WURMBEA CAPENSIS. ^ar. ^. 



Cape Wiirmbea. 2. Far.-. 



CLASS VL ORDER IIL 

 NEXJNDRLl 7RIGYNIA. Six Cliivcs. Three Pointals. 



GENERIC CHARACTEK. 



Calyx nullus. 



Corolla monopetala, fexfida, infera ; laciniis 



lanceolatis, acutis, eredis. 

 Stamina. Filaraenta lex, filiformia, eredla, fauci 



corollae inlertae. Antherae eredae, didymse. 



PiSTiLLA. Germen triqiietrum, apice triparti- 

 tuni, glabrum, fiiperum. Styli tres, triquetri, 

 fubulati, incurvi, loiigitudine ftaniiiium. Stig- 

 mata obfoleta. 



Pericarpium. Capfula oblonga, triquetra, tri- 

 lulca, trilocularis, a medio tripartita. 



Semina jilurima, rotunda. 



Empalemext none. 



Blossom one petal, (ix-cleft, beneath ; I'egmcnts 



lance-iliaped, pt)inted and upright. 

 Chives. Threads lix, thnad-lhaped, upright, in- 



lertcd into the month of the bloflom. Tips 



upright, double. 

 PoiNTALS. Seed-bud three-fided, three-divided 



at the top, fniouth and above. Shafts three, 



three-fided, awl-fhaped, turned inwards, the 



length of the Chives. Summits obfolete. 

 Seed-vessel. Caplule oblong, ihree-fided, thrre- 



furrowed, three-celled, tl'.ree-di\ided from the 



middle. 

 Sleds rnanv, round. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 

 Wurmbea foliis'cucuUatis, lanceolatis; fpicamul 



tiflora: floribus feflilibus, atro-purpureis. 



Wurmbea with hooded, lance-lliaped leaves; 

 fpike many-flowered; flowers fitting clofe to 

 the l^em and dark-purple. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1 . A Blollbm cut and fpread open, with the Chives in their place. 



2. The I'ointals, natural fize. 



3. The lame, magnified. 



This genus was firll formed by Thunberg as dillinft from Melanthium, in his l)iJ/erlatio IV<iru 

 Genera Plantiirum, under the title Wurmbea, from the conliruftion of the blolfom , which in this, is 

 formed of one petal, but in that, isconipofed of fix ; a diltinftion which has always been confidered as 

 momentous, in determining the liiniis uf the difterent genera of this clafs; fince wliieli, however, it 

 has been abandoned by him, and thrown to'Mfkiuthium ; although Schreber, in his Genera Plantaruni, 

 G. 617. p. 23y.N'ol. I. made no fcrnple in adopting it. Willdeiiow has, in his Species Planiarum, G. 703. 

 p. 265. T. 1 1 P. 1. we think with propiiety, renewed its claims to particular difiiniftion, under the firft 

 title ; but with this ditierence, that out of the four varieties given by Thunbcrg, all under the fpecific 

 name of capenfis, he has made three fpecies ; refcrving his opinion on the fourth, our prelcr.t plant, and 

 the fecoiid Var. of Thunberg, for wan'., as he obferves, of proper documents. Now, as our ideas run 

 not exactly with WiUdmow, in this alteration ; but thinking with Thunberg, who mull have feeu the 

 plants alive, and thence, of courfe, the befi judge; we have the railier followed him ; as we poffefs 

 drawings of two more of the varieties quoted by him, taken from living fpecimens, and whole trifling 

 ditference of character does not warrant them to be treated as Ipecificaliy different, but as mere va- 

 lieties of each other. 



The roots of tlii> fpe.-ies, with the others, of which we have drawings, were received by G. Hibbert, 

 Efq. in the year ISOO, from the Cape of Good Hope. The bulbs are folid like thole of Ixia, &c. but 

 of a molt lingular form, having an appendage at the bale like the pat of a mule. None of the varieties 

 we have feen produce more than three leaves, which iheath the flower-fieiu one above the other, and 

 are rather longer than it. It flourilhes in fandy peat eirtb, and flowers in May or June ; but has, cer- 

 tainly, more to recommend it to our notice trom its fingularity, as forming a feparate genus; than 

 from its beautx-. Our figure was taken from the Claoham colleftion. 



