ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. CALYX 5-phyllus: foliolis duobus alæformibus, coloratis. Legumen obcordatura, biloculare. CUP 5-leaved, with two of the leaves like wings, coloured. Pod inverse heart-shaped, two-celled. SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &C. Polygala. Floribus imberbibus lateralibus, caule suffruticoso, foliis ternis linearibus acutis. _Willd._ _Sp. pl. 892._ Polygala. With beardless lateral flowers, a shrubby stem, and ternate, linear, acute leaves. DESCRIPTIO. _Suffrutex_, ramulis subdivaricatis, filiformibus, elongatis, pubescentibus. _Folia_ fasciculata, linearia, obsolete mucronata, 3-6 in singulo fasciculo; infimo latiore, breviore, stipuliforme. _Flores_ P. Heisteriæ, at minores, axillares, solitarii, vel subinde binati; sessiles. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The Empalement. 2. The same magnified. 3. The Keel magnified. 4. One of the wings. 5. The same magnified. 6. The Chives. 7. The same magnified. 8. The Pointal magnified. A rare Cape species recently introduced to the Hibbertian Collection, where our drawing was taken last summer. It is a greenhouse shrub of the more delicate kind; and is propagated, but not very readily, by cuttings. In the structure of the flowers this species agrees exactly with the common Polygala Heisteria, which Linnæus originally made a distinct genus from Polygala; but afterwards united them. In keeping them distinct we think he did right; but wrong in uniting them. Our readers will have an opportunity of judging for themselves in our next number, in which will be figured a true Polygala, and another of the Heisteria family; with proper dissections of each. Heisteria was named by Linnæus in honour of the celebrated German surgeon Heister. [Illustration] PLATE CCCLXIV. IRIS PAVONIA. _The Peacock-Iris._ CLASS III. ORDER I. _TRIANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Three Chives. One Pointal. ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. COROLLA 6-partita: laciniis alternis reflexis. Stigmata petaliformia. COROLLA 6-parted: with the alternate segments reflexed. The stigmas petal-shaped. SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &C. Iris. Imberbis, folio lineari glabro, scapo sub-unifloro. Iris. Beardless, with a linear smooth leaf, and a usually one-flowered stem. IRIS _Pavonia_ Willd. Sp. Pl. I. 238. _Jacq. Coll. Sup. p. 8, Descriptione optimâ._ REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The outer Sheath of the Flower. 2. The inner one. 3 The Seed-bud, Chives and Pointal as they stand in the Flower. 4. The Chives spread open. 5. The Pointal. This splendid but fugitive plant, is strikingly emblematic of the short duration of superior beauty: its flower is but the transient object of a day; and its whole life in Europe seldom exceeds a single year!