I X I A. 



T. 2. Ju(F. 58. Lamarck. lUuftr. t. 31. — Clafs and order, 

 Tr'nindr'la Alonogynia. Nat. Ord. £n/a/<?, Linn. Ir!des,in^. 



Gen. Ch. Cal. Spatha inferior, fhorter than the corolla, 

 cjf two oblong permanent valves ; the outermoft enfolding 

 the inner one. Cor. of one petal, fiiperior ; tube tluead- 

 ihaped, flender, ereft, fcarcely dilated upw.irds ; limb regu- 

 lar, divided to its very bafe into fix, nearly equal, fpreading, 

 flattiih fegments. Stam. Filaments three, inferted into the 

 mouth of the tube, decurrent, much fhorter than the limb; 

 anthers oblong, fomewhat curved. Pljl. Germen roundift, 

 fomewhat triangular ; ftyle thread-fhaped, erect ; lligmas 

 three, linear, recurved, fpreading. Peric. Capfule roundilh- 

 ovate, membranous, tumid, of three cells and three valves, 

 Serds numerous, globofe. 



Eff. Ch. Spatha of two valves. Corolla with a flender 

 tube, and regular limb. Stigmas three, narrow, recurved. 

 Capfule ovate, fomewhat globofe. Seeds globofe. 



An extenfive genus of bulbous Cape plants in Linnxus, 

 Willdenow, and Vahl, from which Mr. Ker has, fjenerally 

 %ve think very happily, feparatcd feveral genera, all agree- 

 ing with it in the regular corolla, by which they are all in 

 common diitinguiHied from Gladiolus (fee that arUclc); 

 but differing from it, as well as among themfelves, in other 

 particulars. See Aristea, Geissorrhiza, and Hem'e- 



jt.\KTHA As we have given a view of all the certain fpecies 



of Gladiolus, we deem it neceffaiy to do the fame by I.xia, 

 of which Mr. Ker reckons up 15 fpecies. In its old ftate 

 the genus ftands in Willdenow with 47 fpecies, and m Vahl 

 ^vith 56, befides fix reckoned by the latter doubtfiJ, adopted 

 from Bunnann. 



Sedlion i. Ltmh hfs fpreading, tule JliorUr, fpatha larger; 

 as nvAl as more thin and membranous, thjn in the rejl. 



r. I. pendula. Thunb. Diff. n. 16. Linn, Suppl. 91 — 

 Flowers fomewhat bell-fiiapcd, pendulous. Branches of 

 the panicle capillary, drooping. Spatha longer than the 

 tube. — Gathered at the Cape o£ Good Hope, in watery 

 places, in November, by Thunberg, who defcribes it as the 

 tallelt and mod ornamental of its genus, with large, pendu- 

 lous, flefu-coloured jlowers, the fegments of which, in his 

 fpecimen given to Linn^us, are above an inch long, while 

 the tube is not half fo much. We know no figure of tliis 

 fpecies, nor is it in the gardens. 



I. I. capillaris. Thunb. n. I2.t. 2. f. 2. Linn. Suppl. 52. 

 Ker in Curt. Mag. t. 57^ i Flowers fomewhat bell-fhaped. 

 Spatha equal to the tube. Leaves linear.— Native, hke all 

 the reft, of the Cape of Good Hope, flowering in our 

 green-houfes chiefly in the fpring. Mr. Ker quotes under 

 this /. lancea, Jacq. Ic. Rar. t. 281. If this be right, 

 it varies in the breadth of its leaves, as well as in having 

 fometimes only one flower on a ilalk, fonietiuies feveral. 

 They are of a pale rofe or fiefh colour. The bulb is cu- 

 riouily reticulated. 



3. I. aulica. Ait. Hort. Kew. ed. i. v. 1. 57. cd. ;. 

 -ff. I. 86. (1. capillaris y ; Ker in Curt. Mag. t. 1013.) 

 — Flowers nearly falver-fliaped, crowded. Spatha half as 

 Jong as the tube. Leaves oblong, many-ribbed. — Sent by 

 Mr Maffon to Kew garden in 1774. Mr. Ker cftecms it 

 a variety of the preceding, but the charadlers we have given 

 ieem to'diiUnguilh it. The floiuers are much more expanded, 

 and larger, of a full rofc-colour, and the leaves very much 

 broader. 



SeAion 2 . Tube Jlender, conjiderahly longer than thefpatha ; 

 Ihnb tuidcly fpreading. 



4. I. ariJLita. Thunb. Diff. n. jj. Ker in Curt. Mag. 

 t. ySg —Spike fomewhat level-topped. Spatha about one- 

 fourth the length of the tube, ih.irply toothed. Limb fal- 

 yer-(haped. Stamens nearly equal to the ftyk. — The Icavu 



are broad and fword-diaped, with many ribj, and a cart ila- 

 ginous though narrow edge. Stem round, fometimes branchr 

 ed. Floiuers numerous, fomewhat coryniboie, rofe-colourixl 

 with a wliite orifice, inodorous, their Umb quite flat. The 

 fpaiha has much of the charafter of Mr. Kcr's genus Spa- 

 ra:!^is. This fpecies requires a conftant fupply of water, 

 efpecially when about flowering. 



5. I. patens. Ait. Hort. Kew, ed. i. v. i. 59, ed. 2. 

 V. 1.86. Kerin Curt. Mag. t. 522. Redout. Liliac. t. 140. 

 (I. filiformis ; Venten. j'ard. de Cels, t. 4S. Redout, 

 l^iliac. t. 30. I. ariftata; Schneev. Ic. t. 32.-)- Spik^ cy- 

 lindrical. Tube very {lender ; limb widely fpix-ading, fome- 

 what reflexed. Filaments erect and clofe together. — The 

 leaves of this very handfome fpecies are fword-lhaped. 

 £tcm flender, eredl and rigid. Flowers more or Ufa nu- 

 merous, in a cylindrical fpike, rarely branched, their co- 

 lour a vivid crimfon or carmine, fometimes varying to 9 

 lighter vermilion hue. The fegments of the liinb are often 

 much reflexed, and they v.iry in length, but are ufually el- 

 liptical, and each near an inch long. The eye, or orifice of 

 the tube, is often green bordered with white. 



6. \. pxuofa. Linn. Sp. PI. 51. Ker in Curt. Mag. 

 t. 624. (I. polyllachya ; Redout. Liliac. t. 126. L ca- 

 pitata, var. ftellata ; Andr. Repof. t. 232.)—^. I. flexu- 

 ofa; Cnrt. Mag. t. 1 27. — Stem branched, raccmofe. Ti'.be 

 flender, flightly dilated upward ; limb fomewhat coiit:-aae4, 

 its fegments elliptical, concave, fpreading. Filaments clofe 

 together. — The /faijfj are hnear, grafl'y. 5;^ffj flender, not 

 quite eie£t, branched for the mo!i part, each branch bear- 

 ing a fliortifli clufl;er of pale rofe-coloured, moflly ftriped, 

 frag-rant Jlowers, half the fize of the lail, their orifice moftjy 

 yellow, their fegments not expanded into a falver-fliapc, eacS 

 of them moreover being concave. Sometimes the flowers are 

 of a pale or dull violet-colour. 



7. I. conica. Salif. Hort. 36. Ker in Curt. Mag. t. 539. 

 Redout. Liliac. t. 138. (I- capitata, var. fl. auran- 

 tio ; Andr. Repof. t. 50. I. fufco-citriiia; Redout. Liliac. 

 t. 86.) -Stem ftmple. Clufter denfe. Limb fpr<-ading, 

 twice as long as the tube. Style longer than the filaments. 

 — Thc/MWj- are linear and graify. Floiuers in a thyrfts, 

 or denfe duller, as large as thofe of I. patens, byt lels ex- 

 panded, of a rich orange, fometimes a lemon-colour, with? 

 brown and yellow eye, inodorous. The JyJe continues un- 

 divided above the bafe of the anthers — This is one of the 

 moft fplendid of the genus. 



8. I. nionadelpha. Ait. Hort. Kew. cd. 2. v. i. 87. 

 Ker in Curt. Mag. t. 607. (I. columnaris ; Andr. Repof- 

 t. 203. 211. 2M- 'S°- Gafaxiie ixi^flora ; Redout. Li- 

 liac. t. 41.) — Clutter corymbofe. Flowers falver-ftiaped. 

 Filaments united into a tube. Remarkable for its perfedly 

 monadelphous f.amens. The leaves are fword-ihaped. 

 Flowers fcentlefs, rather large, not nnm.crous, in a fliort 

 corymbofe clufter ; their ti:be about equal in length to tl»e 

 limb, which is fiat, ufually light blue or purple, rarely yel- 

 low, always diftinguiftied by a broad browuilh, or greeniih, 

 central ftain, or eye. 



9. I. cohimellaris. Ait. Hnrt. Kew. ed. 2. v. 1 . "88. 

 Ker in Curt. Ma^'. t- C'S^- (!• columnaris, var. anguiti- 

 folia; Andr. Repof. t. 392.) Clufter corymbofe. 'Flowers 

 nearly falver-lhaped. Filaments united at their bafe. — 

 Differs from the lafl. mxheftamens being united at their bafe 

 only, the floiuers fccnted like woodruff or new hay, not quit« 

 fo horizontally expanded, opening in the morning and clofing 

 at noon, and produced in Anguft inftead of the fprmg. 

 Their colour is purplilh, the eye richly variegated witi* 

 broad circles of black and red. The Jcasia are graffy. 



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