The Peacock-Iris, notwithstanding its attractions, is but imperfectly understood by the Botanists and Horticulturists of this country; for while the latter have been unsuccessful in cultivating it: some of the former have privately considered it as a new Genus: some have referred it to Iris, Morea, or Ferraria; others with more propriety to De la Roche’s Genus Vieusseuxia; and the usually accurate Curtis mistook and figured the widely-different Iris tricuspis for it. The English Gardens have several times possessed this charming species, but we are afraid it is at present entirely lost to them. Our figure therefore, taken from the Hibbertian collection some time since, cannot fail to be highly acceptable to all lovers of plants. In root Iris Pavonia resembles other Cape Irides; but the varying lustres of its brilliant flowers are seldom equalled; and not much excelled by any plant we ever saw. It is a native of the Cape, flowers early in Spring; and must be treated like the other bulbous species from that country. [Illustration] PLATE CCCLXV. SCILLA SIBERICA. _Siberian Squill._ CLASS VI. ORDER I. _HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA._ Six Chives. One Pointal. ESSENTIAL GENERIC CHARACTER. COROLLA 6-petala, patens, decidua. Filamenta filiformia. COROLLA 6 petaled, expanding, deciduous. Filaments thread-shaped. SPECIFIC CHARACTER, &C. Scilla, tetraphylla, scapis plurimis semiteretibus, striatis, bifloris, post florescentiam decumbentibus. Scilla, four-leaved, with many semicylindrical, scored, two-flowered stalks, which after flowering are decumbent. DESCRIPTIO. _Radix_ bulbosus, magnus pro ratione magnitudinis plantæ. _Folia_ in bulbis senectis, sæpius 4, latiuscula, aliquo striatula, parum recurvata, apice obcuneata et subinvoluta. _Scapi_ 3-5: 1-2, vel rarissime 3-flori, inæquales, semicylindrici, valde striati, lucidi, vix palmares, superne atro-cærulescentes. _Pedunculi_ alterni, remoti, difformes, 1-6 lineares, basi bibracteati, erecti, apice nutantes, vel cernui, uniflori, atro-cærulescentes. _Bracteæ_ difformes, parvulæ, inferne purpurascentes, superne albæ et membranaceæ. _Corolla_ hexapetala, nutans, vel cernua, campanulata. _Petala_ sublanceolata, obtusa, concavo-incurva, lætissime cærulea; intus pallidiora, basi albicantia, costâ utrinque saturatiore. _Filamenta_ 6, filiformia, compressa, alba, superne profunde cærulea, petalis duplo breviora. _Antheræ_ majusculæ æruginosa. _Germen_ pallidum, subrotundum, 6-sulcatum, sulcis alternis profundioribus. _Stylus_ antheris superans, decumbens, basi albus, superne azureus. _Stigma_ obsoletissimum. REFERENCE TO THE PLATE. 1. The Flower spread open, with one Chive magnified. 2. The Pointal and Seed-bud, the Summit magnified.