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 HELENA  gracilis. 
 Slender Helena. 
 Linnean Class and Order.  H E X A N D R IA   M O N O G Y N IA .  
 Natural  Order.  AM  A R Y L L ID EÆ .  Brown  prodr. \ .  p . 296.  
 S e c t .V .  N a k c is s b æ .  Radix bulbosa.  Spatha monophylla  1-v. multiflora. 
   Perianthium  tubulosum,  petaloideum,  6-partitum,  corouatum. 
 H E L E N A .  Spatha  1-3-flora.  Perianthii  segmentis  in  stellam  expansis, 
   tubo multo brevioribus :  tubus grossus valde  compressas, angulis obtusis,  
 fere  ut  in Narcisso,  at  longior, magisque  compressus ;  filamenta  omnia fere  
 omnino toto tubo adnatæ :  antherce demum  spiraliter tortæ, tres superne pMte  
 tubi  inclusæ,  tres  tubi  semisuperantes.  /SfyZws  tubum  æquans  stigmatibus  
 tribus rotularibus.  Ovarium triloculare,  trivalve :  valvis biseptiferis ;  ovulce  
 numerosæ,  bifariam  insertæ,  obovato-spathulatæ,  cætera  ut  in  Narcisso.  
 Charactere  gracili  sumptus.—Habitus  in  omnibus  gracilior multo  quam m  
 ultimo,  vel  sequent! genere.  Eolia linearia fere plana,  lineam lata et viridia  
 seu  glauca. 
 *  Flavissima  floris,  foliis viridioribus. 
 H . gracilis, 1-3-floris, scapo gracili compresso superne ancipite læve, spatha  
 pedúnculo brevior  inferne  integra,  perianthium  flayissimum ;  segmentis  
 ovatis  acutis  valde  imbricatis horizontalibus  saturatiore  patula  a c e t^ u -  
 liformi,  ore  pìicatim  eroso-crenulata  marcescente  5-6-plo  longioribus,  
 Haworthin Stvt. brit, flo r. gar, series^, in en d o f volumel. edit, 2. ^ .1 2 0 .  
 Narcissus gracilis.  Bot.  ì'eg,  t,S 1 6 . 
 Narcissus lætus.  Redout,  liliac. 428. non  Salisb. 
 Root bulbmü,  clothecTwïth a glossy brown skin,  the outside  
 surrounded by numerous loose  scales, which  sheath the  
 stem  a good way up.  Leaves several, dark green,  the broadest  
 about 4  lines  in width,  deeply channelled on  the upper  
 side and  rounded below,  striated longitudinally with numerous  
 longitudinal slender lines, from 12 and a half to 14 inches  
 in  length,  elongated  linear,  nearly  of equal breadth from the  
 base to the  point.  Scape erect,  rather slenderish,  in  our specimens  
 about 16 inches in height, flattened or slightly rounded, 
   sharply but shortly 2-edged,  striated longitudinally^ with  
 innumerable slender lines, which extend to the spathe.  Spathe  
 rather more than an inch and a half in length, not very broad,  
 membranaceous, and extending along way up the tube, nearly  
 to its end.  Peduncles slender, sharply 3-angled, from an inch  
 and  a half to nearly 3 inches in length.  Ovarium below the  
 perianthium,  smooth,  dark  green,  triangular,  3-celled,  the  
 cells each  producing 2  septums,  on which the  seeds  are longitudinally  
 arranged,  one row on  each ;  ovula numerous,  tapering  
 to the base  and widening upwards,  of  an  obovate ly  
 spathulate  form :  tube  nearly double  the length  of  the  segii& 
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