The very beautiful drawing of Mr. Andrews, will give an 
accurate idea of the extreme beauty of this plant, which may 
he considered as an addition to our late-blooming bulbs, and 
therefore doubly valuable ; so we gather from the following 
notice, kindly sent us by Mr. Backhouse :— 44 We planted the 
Schizostylis out in the open ground, and it has not been injured 
by the late frost, the thermometer being at 10° on the ground, 
and 6° at four feet above; the plant is a late flowerer in its 
own country, with us it decorates our greenhouse with its abun¬ 
dant blossoms from the middle of October to the middle of 
December; it does not appear disposed to form a corm or bulb- 
tube, and become dormant without foliage, as we expected, but 
to be evergreen, w r ith strong fibres from the somewhat thickened 
base or truncated stem, like some species of Sisyrinchium, and 
like them to increase laterally. Single stems of Schizostylis 
multiplied during the summer, so as to have four to six flower¬ 
ing stems in the autumn. There are also a few short racemes, 
putting up leaves from a thickened extremity, but not forming 
bulb-tubers, as in Tritonia aurea .” 
as likely to form a corm or bulb-tuber at the base of the stem, and at the ex¬ 
tremity of the runners (like Tritonia aurea), though at present there is no 
clear bulb formed. The plant attains the height of three feet, with long, 
sheathing, sword-shaped, carinated leaves, the lougest arising from the base. 
Upwards they gradually form bracts, and constitute a distichous spike, from 
which the flowers, ten to fourteen, gradually emerge, opening in succession 
from below upwards. Tube of the perianth shorter than the bracts ; limb 
measuring two inches across, of six spreading, uniform, ovate-oblong, very 
acute, bright crimson lobes. Stamens three, inserted at the summit of the 
tube. Anthers sagittate, yellow. Ovary inferior, subtriangular. Style fili¬ 
form, divided nearly halfway down into three slender branches. Stigmas 
obtuse.” 
