Refugium Botanicum.} (April, 1870. 
TAB. 212. 
Natural Order AMARYLLIDACE®. 
Tribe AMARYLLER. 
Genus ZEPHYRANTHES (Herbert, Amaryll. p. 72). Perigonium superum, 
corollinum, e tubo supra ovarium brevi infundibulare, segmentis 6 
subeequalibus oblongo-spathulatis. Stamina 6, ad basin seg- 
mentorum inserta, segmentis breviora, filamentis filiformibus 
erectis vel leviter declinatis, antheris linearibus  versatilibus. 
Ovarium inferum, triloculare; ovula in loculis crebra, angulo 
interiori inserta; stylus filiformis ; stigma trilobum. Capsula 
membranacea, loculicide trivalvis; semina in loculo singulo 
numerosa, planiuscula: testa nigra. Herb bulbose american. 
Z. sessiyis (Herb. Amaryll. p. 175). Foliis 5—6 erectis synanthiis 
anguste linearibus modice firmis viridibus, scapis 2—3 filiformibus 
erectis unifloris foliis paulo brevioribus, spathis bivalvis, haud ultra 
medium fissis, floribus in spathis sessilibus segmentis lanceolato- 
spathulatis albis precipue extus rubro-tinctis tubo longioribus, 
filamentis rectis antheris subzquantibus, staminibus et stylo fili- 
formi recto haud exsertis.—Kunth, Hnum. v. 487. 
A native of Mexico. 
Bulb oblong, tunicated. Leaves about half a dozen, con- 
temporaneous with the flowers, nearly flat upwards, narrow- 
linear, erect, eight to nine inches high when the plant is in 
flower, two to three lines broad, shining, not at all glaucous, 
moderately firm in texture, the veins not prominent. Scapes two 
or three from a root at once, always single-flowered, rather 
shorter than the leaves, pale green, slightly compressed. Llowers 
sessile in the closely-adpressed spathe, the two subequal lanceo- 
late divisions of which do not reach above half-way down. 
Perianth about two inches deep, at first more or less tinged with 
red especially externally, erect, the funnel-shaped tube eight to 
nine lines long above the oblong ovary, the lanceolate-spathulate 
divisions about an inch deep. Filaments quite erect, equalling 
the anthers. Style straight, falling short of the stamens, and 
both considerably shorter than the segments. Capsule roundish, 
trisulcate, membranous, the seeds eight to twelve in a cell, sub- 
discoid, with a shining black testa. 
There appears to be only one clearly-marked species of Zephy- 
ranthes with the flower sessile in the spathe. We give the plant 
