I regret much to dissent so often from the celebrated lecturer just mentioned, especially respecting the affinity of plants. I place this with Allium in the Asphodeli on account of its genitalia, leaving Agapanthus with the Narcissi for its wide difference in the same parts. From the structure of these reproductive organs likewise, I should refer his genus Sowerbæa to the Asparagi, even if it had no other connexion, thinking that the reasons which he himself gives for keeping Apocinum in Pentandria, as clearly prove that Sowerbæa belongs to Triandria: for, I recollect no instance at this moment of an 1-locular anther except in Canna, and from its mode of insertion as well as the analogy of other scitamineous anthers, that seems to me rather half an anther, than a whole one: however, the radication, and stipulation fix Sowerbæa immovably near Dianella, as well as the country it comes from. I shall probably be laughed at, for affixing any value to this last character, and still more so for thinking that whole genera and orders of vegetables have been hurled away from the surface of our globe along with the strata upon which they grew, in that convulsion called the deluge; but I have no doubt that future generations will make discoveries to strengthen this conjecture, and that in studying the affinities of vegetables, their geographical connexion may be frequently inquired into with advantage.
Root bright brown, similar in external appearance to that of many Ensotæ, but certainly perennial and not annually reproduced as in them, its outer coats finely reticulated, with fibres issuing from the bottom. Leaves 5 in our plant, 2 of those were decayed about the middle, the other 3 quite fresh having already shot to some inches in length in the moss the root was packed in, sessile, spreading in every direction, linear-lanceolate, scarcely a quarter of an inch with in the broadest part, very entire, obtuse, smooth, hollow, the under surface slightly furrowed, all decayed by the month of August. Flowers from 4 to 7 in a fasciculus, succeeding each other slowly, erect, smelling agreeably. Peduncle not so long as the leaves, rather narrower and paler, erect, cylindrical, finely striated, quite smooth, fistular at least by the time the fruit ripens. Outer Bractes greenish brown and not withered when the first flower expanded, spreading, obtuse, interior one whitish and very narrow. Pedicel of the first flower as long as the corolla, the others gradually shorter, slender, cylindrical, smooth. Corolla rather more than an inch long. Tube dull green with a tinge of blue, and 6 deeper lines running down from the middle of each division of the limb, somewhat contracted at the top so as to be rather pitcher-shaped than funnel-shaped, smooth on both surfaces; Limb violet-blue, divided to the base; divisions recurved, almost elliptical, very entire, obtuse, the three outer ones narrower and at the top projecting internally in a little claw by which they are held together before they are expanded; withering upon the torus without falling. Filaments 6, inserted in the orifice of the tube, decurrent, yellowish green with white edges, erect, quite smooth; those 3 which are opposite to the inner divisions of the limb wedge-shaped and bearing anthers; the other 3 considerably larger, elliptic-wedge-shaped, hollow, barren. Anthers yellow with paler edges, 3 lines long, inserted at the base where they are 2-fid, quite erect, broad-linear, deeply emarginated at the top, 2-locular, 4-valved, splitting rather towards the inside. Pollen deep yellow. Torus or receptacle yellow, projecting into 3 melliferous lobes to which the corolla adheres. Pericarpium before impregnation yellowish green, not so long as the tube, 3-angular with rudiments of 3 intermediate angles, 3-locular, smooth. Style yellowish green, reaching to about the bottom of the anthers, erect, triangular, smooth. Stigma yellow, large in proportion to the style, somewhat funnel-shaped, divided into 3 thick recurved wedge-shaped lobes furrowed on their upper side. Seeds from 5 to 7 in each cell, inserted on the internal margin of the dissepiments in a double row: in our plant only two of them ripened imperfectly and were black, fully a line long, 3-angular with a large chalaza at the bottom.
________ REFERENCES TO THE PLATE.
1. The Corolla spread open with the Stamina, one of the barren ones having a rudiment of an Anther at the top. 2. Pistillum. 3. Lower half of the Pericarpium magnified, shewing the melliferous receptacle. 4. A Seed magnified.
