PLATE CCLXXXV. 



FERRARIA VIRIDIFLORA. 



Green-flowered Ferraria. 



CLASS XVL ORDER L 

 MONADELPHIA TRIANDRIA. Threads united. Three Chives. 



MoNOGYNA. Spathae uniflone. 

 PETALi. iex, undulato-crifpata. Stigmata cu 

 cuUala. Capfula 3-locularis, intera. 



ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. 



One Pointal. Sheaths one-flowered. 

 Petals fix, waved and crifped. Summits 



cowled. Capfule three-celled beneath. 

 See Fere ARIA Pavonia,P1.CLXXVIII.Vo1.III. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



Ferraria foliis diftichis, vaginantibus, coftatis; 

 petalis lanceolatis aequalibus, interioribus 

 itmiiaculatis, anguftioribus, virefcentibus. 



Ferraria with leaves pointing oppofite ways 

 iheathing the ftem and ribbed ; petals lance- 

 fhaped, equal, the inner ones without fpots, 

 narrower and greenifh. 



REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 



1. The Seed bud. Chives and Pointal. 



2. One of the Chives, a little magnified, as feen from the infide. 



3. The fame feen from the outfide. 



4. The Seed-bud, Shaft and Summits, the Chives removed. 



5. One of the Summits magnified. 



Our figure reprefents the Morxa Ferrariola of Jacquin's Colledlanea 4. p. 141 > but, as we conceive 

 Ferraria a good, and diftinft genus, we have not followed either him, or Thunberg, who has like- 

 wife thrown thefe plants to Moraea. At firft fight we did not think this plant poffelfed of fufl5cient 

 diflindtive charafter to be treated as a difl^erent fpecies from the F. undulata; but upon clofer 

 infpeSion found it to vary nearly in every part ; in the fliape of the flower, the leaves and the root. 

 The fingular character of this, and the other Cape Ferrarias, of making but one growth in two, and 

 fometimes three years; is hardly to be traced in any other plants, but conftantly fo in thefe. They 

 produce their flowers about July, the feafon of their flowering; the flowers are as tranfitory as thofe 

 of the F. pavonia; that is to fay, the duration of about fix hours. Our figure was taken from a plant 

 in the Hibbertian Colleftion, which flowered in the month of July 1802. The Ferrarias all propagate 

 by the root; and fliould be planted Ln fandy peat mixed with a fmall portion of loam. 



