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DOMESTIC BOTANY. 



The genus Vellozia consists of some remarkable plants, na- 

 tives of Brazil, being stiff, much branched, screwpine-like 

 plants, generally 2 — 3, and some even as much as 10 feet 

 in height. They grow mostly in dry places, and when 

 abundant give a peculiar feature to the locality. 



The family is represented in the greenhouses of this country 

 by several species of Anigosantlius and JBarhacenia, the first 

 natives of West Australia, and the latter of Brazil. Species 

 of Vellozia have also been introduced, but their culture has 

 not been very successful. 



Allied to the preceding in general habit is the family 

 Hypoxidacece, which are in general permanent phyllocorms, 

 and consist of about 50 species, all widely distributed 

 throughout tropical and subtropical regions. At the Cape 

 of Good Hope they are strongly represented by the genus 

 Hypoxis, and in India and the Mauritius by Curculigo. 

 Their principle is bitter. Several species of the two latter 

 genera are known in botanic gardens, all having pretty yellow 

 flowers. 



The Iris Family. 



(Iridace^.) 



Small branched palmids, or rhizo, or bulbo-corni herbs. 

 Leaves grass-like, or sword-shaped, sheathing edgeways in 

 two rows. Flowers solitary in spikes, racemes, or panicles, 

 at first enclosed in a spath, or sheath-like bract, and generally 

 highly coloured. Sepals and petals 3 each, equal or unequal, 

 sometimes oblique, or two-lipped. Stamens 3, their bases 

 more or less united. Pistil 1, the apex 3 -parted, the lobes 

 (stigmas) sometimes broad, petal-like. Fruit consisting of a 

 3-celled, 3-valved, many-seeded capsule. 



About 500 species belong to this interesting family, their 

 head-quarters being South Africa. In Europe they are re- 

 presented by Iris and Crocus ; in North America and China 

 by Sisyrinchium ; in tropical and South America by Morcea ; 



