about half an inch above the spathe; limb spreading; three
outer laciniee very broad, nearly as broad as long, nearly equal
in breadth throughout, notched at the point, a little crumpled,
faintly striated with numerous lines, and a strong fleshy nerve
underneath, imbricate from the base to about half their length,
shorter than the tube: the three inner laciniae very small, wedge-
shaped, sometimes scarcely perceptible without the aid of a lens. Stamens 3 , inserted in the mouth : filaments connected into a
tube, smooth, blue; anthers erect, yellciw. Ovarium triangular,
densely clothed with long white wool. Style capillary, smooth,
jointed, the first joint extending to the end of the stamineous tube;
the upper joint reaching beyond the anthers, thickened below the
stigmas, yellow. Stigmas 3, flat, dilated at the points, slightly
deflexed, hollow on the upper side, glandularly pubescent, the
margins slightly reflexed and densely ciliate.
This beautiful species is nearly related to P. sericea, but
differs in its scape, being about the length of the leaves, and clothed
with loose wool all its length, which in P. sericea is much
shorter, and clothed with a silky pubescence only above the middle
; the leaves of this are also broader, and the edges and keels are
thickly clothed with long white wool; the stripes on the leaves
are also equal, not every alternate one smaller, as in P. sericea.
The present plant was raised from seed, at the Nursery of Mr. J .
Mackay, at Clapton, where our drawing was made, in June last,
and it has continued to bloom successively ever since. The seeds
were collected by Mr. Henchman’s collector, Mr. W. Baxter, on
the south coast of New Holland, and flowered this Summer for the
first time; it is a desirable plant for the Greenhouse or Conservatory,
and would succeed well in a sheltered border, in the open
air, so as to be covered a little in severe frosty weather: it succeeds
well in a mixture of light sandy loam and peat, and is increased
by seeds, or dividing at the root.
The genus was named by Mr. Brown, in honour of his friend
the late Colonel William Paterson, a celebrated Botanist and Naturalist,
many years resident in New South Wales, and by whose
means numerous plants were introduced to this country.
1. Tube of the Perianthium. 2. The 3 small inner segments. connected into a tube, the anthers distinct* 4. The woolly Ovar3iu. mTh. e 5t.h Trehee S jotaimnte nins
thé Style, 6. The three broad Stigmas.