51 
ALLIUM coeruleum. 
Blue Leer. 
HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 
Nat. ord. LiLIACER. 
ALLIUM. Botanical Register, vol. 9. fol. 758. 
A. ceruleum ; foliis linearibus triquetris, scapo tereti, umbellis globosis spa- 
tha multó longioribus, perianthii laciniis acutis filamenta simplicia 
aequalia subulata zequantibus. 
. eeruleum. Pallas. it. 2. 737. t. R. Link & Otto abbild. p. 39. t. 20. 
. azureum. Ledeb. ic. pl. fl. rossic. alt. illustr. t. 136. A. altaic. 2. 14. 
. ccerulescens. G. Don monogr. all. p. 34. Römer $ Schultes syst. veg. 
7. 1032. 
> > > 
Originally found by Pallas in abundance upon the salt 
plains of Asiatic Russia, near the Irtisch river; afterwards 
by Ledebour on the Altai mountains, near the fortress of 
Buchtarminsk, flowering in May and June. 
Although its colour varies in intensity, sometimes being 
a little paler, and sometimes much darker than in the an- 
nexed figure, yet the flowers are always bright blue. Why 
therefore Mr. George Don thought it desirable to substitute 
for Pallas’ very good name cwruleum his own very bad one of 
cerulescens, it 1s not easy to conjecture. 
Dr. Wallich's A. ceruleum, from Nepal and Kemaon, 
which I presume is the same as the Himalayan plant, so called 
by Dr. Royle, is a different species. . 
In gardens this is a pretty bulbous plant, quite hardy, 
growing about eighteen inches high in any rich soil, and 
flowering about the end of June. It may be increased 
freely, either by seeds or by offsets from the old roots. The 
seeds, like those of all bulbous plants, should be sown when 
ripe in pans, and should not be disturbed before the second 
season after sowing, during which time they require no care 
