There are few species of this genus but furnish beautiful flowers; this is certainly among the most handsome, from the softness of its colour, and the regularity of the spike: what adds considerably to its merit, is, that the blossoms remain a considerable time before they fall, which unfortunately, is seldom the case with the flowers of this genus. It was received from the Cape of Good Hope in bulbs, sent by J. Pringle, Esq. of Madeira, in 1794, to Messrs. Lee and Kennedy of Hammersmith; the drawing was made in the month of June 1797 at their nursery. Not being easily injured by damp, there is no necessity for removing it from its pot, as is necessary for most bulbs, but to increase it; one, or two young bulbs being annually produced, in addition from the old one. The best soil is a sandy peat, with a small proportion of loam. [Illustration] PLATE LVII. MESEMBRYANTHEMUM GLABRUM. _Smooth-leaved annual Fig Marygold._ CLASS XII. ORDER IV. _ICOSANDRIA PENTAGYNIA._ Twenty Chives. Five Pointals. GENERIC CHARACTER. CALYX. Perianthium monophyllum, semiquinquesidum, superum, patens, persistens. COROLLA. Monopetala; petala lanceolato-linearia, numerosissima, serie multiplici nata, calyce longiora, unguibus læviter connatis in unum. STAMINA. Filamenta numerosa, capillaria, longitudine calycis. Antheræ incumbentes. PISTILLUM. Germen inferum, angulis quinque, obtusis. Styli quinque sæpius, subulati, erecto-reflexi. Stigmata simplicia. PERICARPIUM. Capsula carnosa, subrotunda, loculamentis numero stylorum respondentibus. SEMINA plurima, subrotunda. EMPALEMENT. Cup one leaf, cut nearly half way down into five divisions, above, spreading, and remaining. BLOSSOM. One petal; petals linearly lance-shaped, very numerous, rising in a number of rows, longer than the cup, slightly joined together by their claws. CHIVES. Threads numerous, hair-like, the length of the cup. Tips laying on the threads. POINTAL. Seed-bud beneath, with five obtuse angles. Shafts mostly five, awl-shaped, upright, and a little bent outwards. Summits simple. SEED-VESSEL. A fleshy capsule, nearly round, the cells answering to the number of the chives. SEEDS many, nearly round. SPECIFIC CHARACTER. Mesembryanthemum foliis amplexicaulibus, glaberrimis, spathulatis; pedunculis longitudine foliorum; calycibus hemisphæricis; corollis luteis. Fig Marygold with leaves embracing the stem, very smooth, and spatula-shaped; the foot-stalks the length of the leaves; cups hemispherical; blossoms yellow. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. A Seed-bud; the Blossom, Cup and Chives, cut off, the Pointals remaining. 2. The same, with the Cup and Chives.