18 
THE IXIA AND ALLIED PLANTS. 
soil, with a little more sand added, as that 
previously recommended. The pans may be 
set in a frame or pit, such as that described 
as being suited to their growth. They may 
remain here throughout the first year. The 
second year, they may be transplanted into 
other pans, in less sandy soil, and may be 
grown in these pits till they get large enough 
to bloom, when they may be treated as the 
blooming bulbs. This period may be two, 
three, or more years, just according to the 
free-growing nature of the kind or otherwise. 
There is no doubt if these plants were brought 
into that state of universal cultivation to 
which their beauty entitles them, a good deal 
would be effected by hybridizing in securing 
variety, at least, if not what might be con- 
sidered to be better flowers. 
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Ixia columellaris. 
Offsets from the old bulbs, which are pro- 
duced freely, should be managed in a precisely 
similar manner with the young seedling plants; 
and they will take about an equal time to 
attain a flowering state, depending of course 
a little on the strength of the offset when first 
planted* 
Of those genera which we have enumerated 
as allied to Ixia, the following summary notice 
will be sufficient as regards treatment. Ba- 
biana requires to be grown very similarly to 
Ixia ; they are generally lower-growing plants, 
and many of them are very pretty. Cypella 
requires to be grown in a warm greenhouse, 
and treated with care. Geissorluza, and 
Hesperantha, should have the greenhouse or 
pit treatment above detailed. Sparaxis, 
while it admits of being also thus grown, is a 
trifle more hardy in its nature, and therefore 
is so much better suited to be grown in shel- 
tered beds out of doors. Synnetia requires 
the treatment of Ixia. The hardy kinds of 
Trichonema may be planted in moderately 
sheltered places out-doors ; the others may be 
gi-own in the pit or in the greenhouse. Fi- 
nally, the Tritonias belong to the section 
requiring greenhouse treatment. 
All these plants, without exception, are of 
a gay and showy nature ; and a collection of 
them would possess great interest and beauty, 
if grown with moderate success. The whole 
tribe has been for many years neglected ; and 
possibly from this cause, some of the kinds 
enumerated below may not be at this moment 
in cultivation ; they are nevertheless conti- 
nually obtainable from the Cape. 
SELECT AND DESCRIPTIVE LIST. 
IXIA. 
These plants are all natives of the Cape of 
Good Hope. The name is derived from ixia, 
birdlime, because of the viscid nature of some 
of the species. 
Ixia amoena (pleasing Ixia). — Native of 
the Cape. It has pretty red, or rose-coloured 
flowers, and grows one foot high. Flowers in 
April and May. 
Ixia aristata (salver-flowered Ixia). — The 
leaves are broad ; the stem about one foot 
high ; the flowers large, pink, on a long 
slender tube ; blooms in May. There are 
varieties with white, pale pink, and purple 
rose-coloui*ed flowers. 
Ixia capillaris (hair-stemmed Ixia). — There 
are several varieties of this : — one called gra- 
cillima, has very narrow leaves, and slender 
stems one foot high, bearing one whitish cup- 
shaped flower, with six spreading petals ; 
another called strict a, has sword-shaped leaves, 
and a stem with five or six lilac blooms ; 
another, called incarnata, has flesh-coloured 
and larger blooms ; and another, called aulica, 
has still broader leaves, and red flowers. 
Flowers in April and May. 
Ixia capilata (headed Ixia). — This has 
cream-coloured flowers, spotted with blue, and 
grows about a foot high. Flowers in April 
and May. 
Ixia columellaris (variegated Ixia). — The 
leaves are long and narrowish; stem about 
a foot high ; the flowers spreading, purplish 
pink, with a dark nearly black centre, and a 
ring of orange colour around it. Blooms in 
August. The flowers are fragrant. 
Ixia conica (orange-coloured Ixia). — The 
leaves are medium sized ; the stem upwards 
