Patersonia. 



IRIDACEAE. 



113 



In addition to the well established aliens described here, there are several other species, 



belonging mostly to South African genera (Watsonia, Antholyza, Gladiolus, Sparaxis, 



Babiana, &c.) which have escaped from gardens, but are as yet too localised to be included 



in a national flora. They are dealt with in the " Naturalised Flora of South Australia." 



A. Inner perianth-segments shorter or narrower than the 



outer. 



Style-branches rounded, spreading Patersonia 1. 



Style -branches ending in an erect bifid wing Moraea 2. 



A. Perianth-segments all equal and spreading. 



B. Flowers solitary in spathe ; leaves narrow-linear Romulea 3. 



B. Flowers 2 or more in each spathe ; leaves broad-linear. 



Spathes ovoid-oblong, obtuse Orthrosanthus 4. 



Spathes cylindrical, acuminate Homeria 5. 



1. PATERSONIA, R. Br. 



(After Wm. Paterson, died 1810, an early botanical collector in Australia, and Lieut. - 

 Governor of New South Wales, 1800-1810.) 

 Perianth with a filiform tube and 3 outer broad and spreading lobes, the 3 inner very 

 small and erect ; filaments united in a tube almost to the top ; style filiform, with 3 broad 

 spreading or reflexed stigmatic lobes ; capsule opening loculicidally in 3 valves. Perennial 

 herbs, with equitant radical leaves and short rootstock ; flowers blue, few within a terminal 

 spathe of 2 rigid bracts, each flower subtended by a scarious bract. 



Scape longer than leaves P. longiscapa 1. 



Scape usually shorter than leaves P. glauca 2. 



1. P. longiscapa. Sweet. Leaves broad-linear, erect, rigid, glabrous; scape longer; 

 spathe brown, about 4 cm. long and almost as long as the perianth-tube ; perianth-lobes 

 2-2| cm. long. 



Mount Lofty Range ; South-East. Oct. -Jan. 



2. P. glauca, R. Br. Near the preceding, but the scape usually much shorter than the 

 leaves, the perianth-lobes shorter, and the stigmatic lobes ciliate. 



Mount Compass (Mount Lofty Range) ; Kangaroo Island; South-East. Nov. -Feb. 



2. MORAEA, L. 



(After Robert Moore, an English botanist of the 18th 

 century. ) 



*1. M. xerospatha, MacOwan var. monophylla, n. var. 

 Dwarf plant rising from a small corm covered with fibres ; 

 leaf 1, radical, spreading, narrow-linear, tough, 25-70 cm; 

 long ; stem short, bearing 3-5 hyaline nerved spathes. 

 each spathe containing 4-6 flowers like those of a minute 

 Iris ; perianth lilac, blotched with orange and purple, 

 the segments 15-18 mm. long, spreading, subequal in 

 length, but the inner ones much narrower ; filaments more 

 or less united in a tube ; style -branches terminating in 

 erect bifid petaloid lobes ; ovary cylindrical, tapering 

 into a beak 7-8 mm. long, which resembles a perianth- 

 tube and remains persistant on the membranous capsule. 



Southern districts and especially common near Adelaide. 

 Sept. -Nov. Differs in having constantly 1 leaf, whereas 

 the type, which grows near Capetown, has usually 3-4 

 leaves. 



Fig. 30. — Moraea xerospatha. 



3. ROMULEA, Maratti. 

 (After Romulus : several species grow in the Roman States.) 

 Perianth with a short tube and 6 spreading lanceolate segments or lobes ; filaments 

 hairy ; style slender, with 3 bifid subulate branches ; capsule oblong. Flowers solitary 

 in a terminal spathe ; leaves linear-filiform, usually curved, radical or around the base 

 of the short stem, which bears 1 or more flowers at the end of rather long stiff peduncles ; 

 corm covered by a glossy brown tunic. 



Flowers bright purple, twice as long as the spathe R. rosea 1. 



Flowers smaller, pale violet, slightly exceeding spathe P. parviflora 2. 



* 1. R. rosea (L.), Eckl Onion-grass. Leaves 5-10, 1-2 mm. broad, 10-30 cm. long, 

 doubly grooved on each face, so that a transverse section resembles a Maltese cross'; 

 flowers 2-4, on peduncles much shorter than leaves ; upper spathe -valve brown, dotted : 

 perianth 15-25 mm. long, the segments purple inside, with a yellow throat, purple and 

 greenish outside ; style and branches shorter than the stamens. 



