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PATERSONIA longiscapa.
Long-scaped Patersonia.
Litmean Class and Order. MONADELPHIA TRIANDRIA.
Natural Order. IRIDEÆ. Brown prodr. p. 303.
PATERSONIA. Supra fol. 15.
P. longiscapa, stigmate serrulato deflexo, stylo articnlato, spathis multifloris, peri-
anthii laciniis interioribus inconspicuis, scapo filiformi longissimo, foliis lineari-
bus eonvexiusculis striatis glaucis, marginibus carinâque baseos nudis.
Patersonia glauca. Aims Botan. magaz. 2677. excl. synon.
A tufted perennial herbaceous plant, producing numerous
offsets at the root, which are purple at the base, and smooth. Leaves distichous, very long and narrow, linear, acute, slightly
convex, striated, smooth and glaucous, the margins and keel
near the base • quite smooth, in our plants about lb inches in
length. Scape erect, a little compressed, smooth, nearly two
feet high. Spatha terminal-, 2 -valved, very rigid and cartilaginous,
of a brownish purple colour, not regularly striated
smooth, inside of a glossy purple, several flowered. Flowers
bright blue, tinged with purple, each surrounded at the base by
a membranaceous acute bracte. Perianthiwn petal-like, with
a long slender tube and a 6 -parted limb : tube nearly cylindrical,
pale flesh-coloured, the upper part white, hairy at the base
and smooth upwards, above an inch long: limb 6 -parted, the
3 outer lacinias roundly ovate, concave, with an inconspicuous
point, regularly spreading, with a dark vein up the centre of
each, and striated with numerous slender stripes, which are
scarcely darker than the other part: 3 inner lacinise erect, or
the points slightly reflexed, very small, hid by the large ones,
narrowly lanceolate, acute, broadest at the base. Stamens 3 ,
inserted in the mouth of the tube : filaments connected into a
tube about half their length, the upper part spreading, inserted
in the base of the anthers: pollen pale yellow. Ovarium