Prof^r Balfour

Lacock Abbey
Chippenham
June 13 –66

My Dear Sir

Can you favour me with the name of the enclosed plant ^<1>? I think it is a Cape plant, it is nearly hardy – Resembles the Liliaceous order (flowers somewhat resembling the Triteleia uniflora) – but differs much in habit from that order, the foliage being remarkably stiff, persistent & perennial. – Flowers at first sight seem borne on long scapes, but this is a deception since they spring 3 or 4 in a spike, the stem of which is very short, & hidden in the leaves – Flowers at first delicate lilac, then white finally greenish, the corolla remains persistent & hardens –

I can send further specimens if you wish –

I also inclose a species of Euonymus with brown minute flowers – Can you give me the name? it is very hardy.

Yours Truly
H. Fox Talbot

Both these are in flower at present.

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Notes:

1. See Doc. No: 09168. Curtis’s Botanical Magazinelater published the plant as Vellozia elegans, Natal Vellozia, s. 3 v. 25, 1 November 1869, Tab. 5803. Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker observed, 'our first knowlege of this plant was derived from a specimen brought from his garden by the Hon. H. Fox Talbot, F.R.S., to the Kew Herbarium, in 1866, which was raised from seed procured either from the Cape or Madagascar, which Professor Oliver prounded to be a Vellozia (identical with a Natal plant, Hypoxis barbacenioides, Harv. MSS.), and the name V. elegans was proposed for it. A specimen, presented by Mr. Fox Talbot to the Edinburgh Botanical Gardens, was next exhibited to the Botanical Society of that city by my friend Professor Balfour, as Vellozia elegans (see Proc. Bot. Soc. Edinb., ix. p. 79, Jan. 1867). At a subsequent meeting (l.c. p. 1839, 13th June), Dr. Balfour again exhibited this plant as V. Talboti, or, if it should prove a new genus, Talbotia elegans. On a third occasion (l.c. p. 192, 11th July), he exhibited it as Talbotia elegans, without a generic character....'