218 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



to say something about the botanical position of the genus. 

 Baker in his monograph of Liliacese, in the Journal of the 

 Linnean Society, places it in the tribe Hyacinthus, of the order 

 Liliaceffi, between the genera Dipcadi and Veltheimia — other allied 

 genera, which may be more familiar to many, being Hyacinthus 

 and Muscari. 



The chief distinguishing characters of the genus lie in the 

 perianth, in which there are two distinct rows more or less 

 united into a cup at the base. The outer row consists of a series 

 of three segments, smaller than the inner, of a firmer texture, 

 and, as a rule, each having a well-marked protuberance or beak 

 near the point. The inner row also consists of three segments, 

 which are generally brighter in colour than the outer (except in 

 the bud state, when the outer are often brightest), longer, and 

 different in shape, so that in most of the species there is a well- 

 marked difference between these two rows. 



Lachenalia is further divided into four sections : 



1. Eidachenalia. — This includes the species best worth grow- 

 ing. They are characterised by having a very symmetrical 

 perianth, tubular in shape, about four times as long as broad, 

 the mouth rather open, the stamens included, and the flowers 

 arranged in racemes. 



2. Ccelanthus. — Having a ventricose perianth, and a spike 

 of erect, or partially erect, flowers, represented by L. reflexa, a 

 species which is also remarkable for its very large ovary. 



3. Orchiops. — Distinguished by having the tubular perianth 

 shorter than in the preceding section, but the stamens remain 

 included or almost so. There is much more irregularity in the 

 formation of the perianth. The flowers are borne in dense 

 spikes and racemes, and are patent or erect. 



4. Chloriza. — In this the perianth is almost as broad as long, 

 in shape campanulate, and the stamens are generally exserted. 



In Bentham and Hooker's " Genera Plantarum " the genus is 

 somewhat differently disposed of. It is placed in the tribe 

 Scillere ; in it is included the genus Brachyscypha of Baker, and 

 it is divided as follows : 



1. Eulachenalia, similar to Baker's. 



2. Orchiops, which includes Orchiops and Chloriza of Baker 

 with the exception of L. orthopctala. 



3. Brachyscypha. 



