86 



MARICA CjERULEA. 



spring into larger sized pots, as the roots get matted round the pots and receive 

 a considerable supply of water when in flower. The soil should be loam, peat, 

 and sand, using plenty of drainers. They may be increased by dividing in spring, 

 or by seeds, which are very frequently perfected. 



As regards the station of our plant in the natural arrangement, the student 

 who has paid attention to our observations on this subject, in our former numbers,* 

 will have no difficulty in recognising it as a monocotyledon, the leaves having 

 parallel veins, and the flowers a ternary division. On referring to Dr. Lindley's 

 " Natural Ststem of Botany," such plants will be found divided into — 1st, 

 Flowers complete — 2nd, Flowers glumaceous or chaffy ; the former are subdivided 

 into " Flowers gynandrous " and " Flowers not gynandrous.' 1 '' The gynandrous sub- 

 division consists chiefly of the Orchidacese ;f the non-gynandrous subdivision 

 contains numerous orders, which are variously characterised : for instance, the 

 Marantacece, or Arrow-root tribe, have the veins of the leaves diverging from the 

 midrib to the margin, one anther, with one cell; the Zingiber acece, or Ginger 

 tribe, one anther with two cells ; the Musacece, or Banana tribe, five or six anthers. 

 The Iridacese have the veins of the leaves running from the base to the apex, that 

 is, parallel with the midrib, three stamens, with the anthers turned outwards, or in 

 other words, opening towards the petals, and not towards the axis. The dilated, 

 petaloid stigma of the Iris is characteristic of the whole order. 



They are principally found either at the Cape of Good Hope or in the middle 

 parts of North America and Europe, but much more abundantly in the former 

 country. In South America they are far from abundant. The genera Marica 

 and Morsea appear to occupy the same station in hot climates that Iris, a closely 

 related genus, does in cooler latitudes. Their properties are for the most part 

 unimportant. 



Fig. 1, a longitudinal section of the germ, with the style, and petaloid stigma ; 

 the short filaments of the stamens, and long anthers ; 2, horizontal section of the 

 germ, showing its three cells. 



* Vide fol. 36 and 55. 



f Vide fol. 31. 



