Plate 183 . 
SCHIZOSTYLIS COCCINEA. 
The enterprising and successful firm of Backhouse and Son, 
of York, to whom we are indebted for the introduction of Gas - 
tronema sanguineum , figured by us a short time since, have also 
been fortunate enough to introduce the very lovely bulbous 
plant which we now figure; one that is likely to form a very 
valuable addition to our South African bulbs. 
As it has appeared in the 4 Botanical Magazine,’ we think it 
well to give here Sir William Hooker’s account, premising that 
from this, its cultivation would seem to be easy, requiring at cer¬ 
tain seasons of its growth, a considerable amount of moisture. 
44 The specimen of this lovely Iridaceous plant was sent to us 
by Messrs. Backhouse and Son, from their Nursery at York, in 
November of the present year, 1863, with the information that 
it inhabits eastern rivers of South Africa, called Kabousie and 
Keiskamma, in Kaffirland. Subsequently Dr. Harvey has in¬ 
formed me that he possesses specimens of the same plant, ga¬ 
thered by Cooper (n. 1197 of his distributed collection) near 
Drakensburg Mountain; and also Mr. D’Urban (n. 110), who 
found it by the Kabousie river, in British Caffraria, in both 
cases growing very near water. Again, Dr. Harvey has detected 
it in Mr. Sanderson’s collections from Natal, and in Mr. Hut¬ 
ton’s, from the Katberg, altitude 3000 feet, who speaks of it as 
a beautiful pink Hesperantha , showing its affinity, in his eyes, 
to that genus, to which Mr. Backhouse also detected a resem¬ 
blance. These specimens, besides having paler flowers than our 
figure represents, have occasionally also the lobes of the peri¬ 
anth more obtuse.”* 
* The following is Sir W. Hooker’s botanical description:— 
“ Descb. The root, which I have not seen, is described by Mr. Backhouse 
