The spatha is composed of two leaves, which standing up at a certain period of the plant's flowering like ears, give to the whole flower a fancied resemblance of a horse's head; whether Linnæus derived his name of equestris from this circumstance or not, he does not condescend to inform us.
Mr. Aiton regards it as a greenhouse plant; like those of many of the Ixias, however, the bulbs are of the more tender kind.
It is propagated by offsets, but not very readily.
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Othonna Pectinata. Wormwood-Leaved Othonna.
Class and Order.
Syngenesia Polygamia Necessaria.
Generic Character.
Recept. nudum. Pappus subnullus, Cal. 1-phyllus multifidus subcylindricus.