Botanical Magazine 106 - 1880.pdf - hibiscus.org

College, Dublin, in the middle of January this present
year.
DESCE. Bulb globose, half an inch in diameter ; outer
tunics fibrous, the fibres strong and anastomosing irregu-
larly. Leaves wrapped round at the base by a sheath two
or three inches long, which reaches to the surface of the
ground ; produced leaves four to six, narrow linear, gla-
brous, rounded and faintly keeled on the back, deeply
channelled down the face with a distinct white central
band like a Crocus, pale green, not glaucous, very short at
the flowering time, but growing much longer as the spring
advances. Scape very short, hypogseous, one-flowered.
Spathe cylindrical, pale green, about two inches long, two-
valved. Ovary cylindrical, pedicellate inside the spathe.
Perianth about four inches, the tube and the limb of equal
length, the former cylindrical, pale lilac, protruded con-
siderably above the top of the spathe ; outer segments with
a long erect claw and a spreading oblong-lanceolate acute
blade, which is deep violet-purple, with a beardless bright
yellow keel ; inner segments just the same length as the
outer, oblanceolate-unguiculate, erect, pale lilac, concolo-
rous. Styles the same colour as the inner segments, and
falling but little short of them ; crests lanceolate, a third
of an inch long. Anthers cream-white, under half an inch
long ; filaments free, as long as the anthers.•J. G. Baker.
Fig. 1, a bulb, natural size ; 2, section of a leaf; 3, an inner segment of the
perianth ; 4, style and anther -.•the tico latter about natural size.