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ill the base of the laciniae, at the summit of the tube.
Style short. Stigmas 3, petal-like, linearly-oblong,
deeply bifid and toothed at the edges, keeled inwards.
We think there can scarcely be any doubt but the
present subject is the real I. verna, which has been
so long a desideratum in our collections; it is certainly
Mr. Nuttall’s plant, though he describes the roots as
tuberous, which ours scarcely is, but is more of a
creeping nature, I. verna of Pursh is probably a
different plant, though his description agrees pretty
well with the present, except in the capsule being
subrotund, which in ours is bluntly 3-sided; the
colour of the flowers is also said to be light blue,
striped with p urple; Mr. Colvill received plants of
the present species, last Autnmn, from North America,
with some others, one of which is said to
be the I. tridentata of Pursh, but it has not yet
flowered.
In our opinion, the present species is by far the most
beautiful of all the dwarf sorts, and appears to grow
as freely as any of them, when planted in a rich
light soil, flowering the beginning of May; it also
possesses a considerable degree of fragrance, and may
be increased by dividing at the root.
1. Peduncle. 2. Geimen. 3. Tube of tlie Peiianthiiim. 4. One of the
outer laciniae of ditto, showing the insertion of the stamen at its base. 5. The
3 Stamens. 6. Back view of the Stigma.