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XXXI. An Account of the Species of Calochobtus ; a 

 Genus of American Plants. By Mr. David Douglas, 

 A.L.S. 



Read February 19, 1828. 



We derive our knowledge of this hitherto little known 

 Genus of Plants from Pursh, who describes it in his Flora 

 Americce Septentrionalis, vol. i. p. 240, from a solitary speci- 

 men found by Lewis and Clarke in their expedition across 

 the continent, during the years 1804, 5, and 6, in the recesses 

 of the rocky mountains, and west of them, towards the waters 

 of the Pacific Ocean. For a more copious account of it, 

 the same author refers to his communication made to the 

 Linnean Society, and quotes volume xi. of the Transactions ; 

 but it seems the Paper referred to, never was printed. As, 

 in the course of my late journey through the districts adjoin- 

 ing the River Columbia, I was fortunate enough to find the 

 species already described by Pursh, and two others, not be- 

 fore observed, I am enabled to give some additional infor- 

 mation respecting this interesting and highly ornamental 

 Genus. 



The species of Calochortus are bulbous rooted plants, with 

 striated stems, narrow sheathing leaves, and beautiful purple, 

 or white flowers, remarkably bearded in the inside. The 

 original species of Pursh, C. elegans, is so different from the 

 two others now about to be described, that, without a careful 

 analysis of the parts of fructification, it might be supposed 

 that they belong to distinct genera. That this however is 



