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LACHENALIA mutabilis.
Changeable-coloured Lachenalia.
Linnean Class and Order. H E X A N D R IA M O N O G Y N IA .
Natural Order. A S P H O D E L E A l. Brown p r o d r .\. p . 214.
Div. I I I . Flores spicati. Radix bulbosa. Perianthium basi tubulosum.
L A C H E N A L IA . Perianthium inferura, sexdivisum, oblato v. cylin-
drico-campanulatum : segmentis 3 exterioribus brevioribus oblongis calycino-
conniventibus carunculà externà infra apicem ; interioribus 3 alternis suprà
rotundato-dilatatis patulis. Filamenta basi laciniarum perianthii inserta,
subassurgentia : antherce incumbentes. Stylus subassurgenter porrectus.
Stigma simplex. Capsula membranosa, subtrilobo-trigona, 3-locularis, 3-
valvis : valvis medio septiferis. Semina biseriata, plura in loculo globosa.
— Bulbus tunicatùs ; folia 1-plurima, ambientia, subcarnosa, tenera, lineari
ad lato-ovata. Scapus carnosus. Flores erecto-spicati v. racemosi, undìquc
sparsi. Swt. brit. flor. gar. series 1. v. 2. 1 .179.
L. mutabilis, foliis oblongo-lanceolatis acutis canaliculatis glabris margine
undulatis, floribus subsessilibus horizontalibus urceolato-campanulatis,
bracteis minimis acuminatis basi dilatatis, staminibus sub-inclusis stylo
subaequantibus.
Lachenalia mutabilis. Swt. hort. brit. p . 420. n. 30. E d it. 2. p . 529. Lodd.
bot. cab. 1 .1076. Colv. catal. edit. 3. p . 20. col. 3.
Root a tunicated bulb, producing numerous small white
fibres at the base. Leaves generally two, sometimes only
one, at first erect or ascending, but becoming horizontally
spreading, with the points reflexed or revolute, about nine
inches in length, and nearly one in breadth at the base, con-
volutely sheathing the scape, oblongly lanceolate, acute,
channelled, rather succulent, smooth and glossy, the margins
more or less undulate, spotted with purple underneath
near the base. Scape about the length of, or scarcely so long
as the leaves, succulent, cylindrical at the base, and bluntly
angular in the flowering part, glaucous, the upper part of a
brilliant light blue. Flowers numerous, crowded, horizontally
spreading, sessile, or scarcely with a footstalk. Bractes
very small, taper-pointed, broader at the base. Ferianthium
between bell-shaped and pitcher-shaped, about one third of
an inch in length, 6-parted: 3 outer segments erect, calyx-like,
equal in size, about one third shorter than the inner ones,
V O L . I I . I
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