Refugium Botanicum. | [ November, 1871. 
TAB. 310. 
Natural Order IRIDACE. 
Tribe IRIDEA. 
Genus Creura, Aublet. 
C. martinicensis (H. B. K. Nov. Gen. i. 820). Radice tuberoso 
vaginis exterioribus longe productis in fibros demum solutis, 
foliis circiter 6 radicalibus erectis subpedalibus anguste lineari- 
bus, caulibus flexuosis seepissime simplicibus foliis radicalibus 
subequilongis prope medium folio unico instructis, spathe 
valvis duobus lanceolatis pedicellis 4—6 arcte vaginantibus, 
limbi flavi corolle fugacis segmentis 8 exterioribus subpatulis 
obovato-oblongis, interioribus minoribus dimidio superiore 
abrupte persistenter incurvis, capsulis oblongo-clavatis obtuse 
angulatis. — Iris martinicensis, Linn. Sp. Plant. p. 58; Bot. 
Mag. t. 416. 
A native of the West Indies and Central America. 
foot a solid firm tuber, with copious fleshy rootlets, the pro- 
duced persistent outer sheaths splitting up into fibres. Radical 
leaves about half-a-dozen, erect, narrow-linear, reaching a foot 
long, three to four lines broad, narrowed gradually to a point, 
firm-reedy in texture, a pale rather glaucous-green on both sides, 
the midrib raised beneath, the other veins immersed. Stem about 
equalling the leaves, flexuose, terete, with a single reduced 
clasping leaf placed about the middle. Valves of the spathe two, 
lanceolate, acutely keeled on the back, clasping tightly the 
slightly exserted pedicels. Flowers four to six in a cluster. 
Ovary green, cylindrical; corolla-limb very fugacious, bright 
yellow ; three outer divisions subpatulous, obovate-oblong, blunt, 
with a small mucro, five-eighths to three-fourths of an inch long, 
mottled at the throat; three inner much smaller, the upper half 
persistently incurved against the petaloid stigma. Anthers basi- 
fixed on filiform filaments. Capsule oblong-clavate, nearly an 
inch long, obtusely angled, with a double row of numerous seeds 
in each of the three cells. 
Tas. 8310.—1, inner segment of perianth; 2, two stigmas; 8, 4, 
side and back views of inner segment of perianth; 5, fruit; 6, hori- 
zontal section of the same: all magnified.—J. G. D. 
