Curtis Botanical - Plate 265 - Ixia bulbocodium / Crocus-leav'd Ixia

Original hand-colored antique botanical print from Curtis's Botanical Magazine - Plate 265, Ixia bulbocodium (Crocus-leav'd Ixia).

• Plate: 265
• Latin name: Ixia bulbocodium
• Common name: Crocus-leav'd Ixia
• Native region: Spain and Italy
• Flowering: April
• Flower colour: Pale Blue
• Linnaean class / order: Triandria / Monogynia
• Publication: June 1 1794
• Medium: Original hand-colored engraving (physical print, not a reproduction)

Original Curtis text
Transcribed from the plate's accompanying description page:

[ 265 ]

IXIA BULBOCODIUM. CROCUS-LEAV'D IXIA.

. . .

Class and Order.
TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA.

Generic Character.
Cor. 1-petala, tubulosa; tubo recto, filiformi; limbo 6-partito, campanulato, æquali. Stigmata tria, simplicia. Thunb. Diff. de Ixia.

Specific Character and Synonyms.
IXIA Bulbocodium scapo uniifloro brevissimo, foliis angulatis caulinis, stigmatibus sextuplicibus. Linn. Syft. Nat. ed. 13. p. 76. IXIA Bulbocodium scapo ramofo, floribus folitariis, foliis fulcatis reflexis. Thunb. Diff. n. 3. CROCUS vernus angustifolius. 1. 11. Claf. Hist. 1. p. 207. violaceo flore, 208. ejusfd.

There are three plants cultivated in the gardens of the curious to which Bulbocodium is applied, either as a generic or a trivial name, viz. Narcissus Bulbocodium, Bulbocodium vernum, already figured, and the present plant: the Ixia Bulbocodium and Bulbocodium vernum are given in this work, not so much for their beauty as their rarity, not so much to gratify the eye, as to communicate a knowledge of two plants but little known, and liable to be confounded from a similarity of their names. This is one of the few hardy species of the genus, and grows wild in many parts of Spain and Italy; it is laid to have been found in Guernsey: it affects hilly and dry situations, will grow readily in almost any soil, especially if fresh, and not infested with vermin: it flowers about the middle of April, the blossoms do not expand fully unlefs exposed to the sun, and are not of long duration: authors describe the wild plants as varying greatly in colour, vid. Claf. they are most commonly pale blue. Like the Crocus, it increases readily by offsets. Was cultivated by Mr. MILLER, in 1739, Dit. Kew. Bulbocodium, 1. in the 6th edition of his Dictionary in 4to, is not this plant, but the Anthericum scrotinum, Jacq. Pl. Austr. v. 5. app. 1. 38.

This print comes from our Curtis archive (via the Royal Horticultural Society and Wheldon & Wesley). Sold as an original historic plate - please review photos for condition.