28 



ORNITHOGALUM divaricatum. 



Straggling Star of Bethlehem 



HEXANDRIA MONOGTNIA. 



Nat. ord. Liliace.e. 



Aft 



ORNITHOGALUM. Bot. Reg. vol. 2./ol. 158. 



Sect. Chi-orogalum, Lind. in Bot. Reg. 1841. misc. Ill- Penan- 

 thium sub anthesi apice cohserens ad latera dehiscens, m6x stellato- 

 patens, demum supra ovarium connivens. Ovarium loculis dis- 

 permis ; ovulis collateralibus ascendentibus. 



O. divaricatum ; foliis glaucis longissimis canaliculars humifusis, panicula 



divaricata, perianthii laciniis linearibus undulatig apice cohacrentibus 

 uiox patentibus, filamentis subulatis apice incurvis, ovarii loculis dis- 

 permis. Lindl. I. c. 



In a large natural order of plants so extremely simple in 

 structure as the Liliaceous, the differences between the genera 

 are necessarily very slight; and hence we find that such 

 groupes as Scilla, Ornithogalum, Allium, Gagea, Urginea, 

 and many more, are distinguished as much by habit as 

 any absolute variations of structure. 



For this reason I greatly doubt the propriety of referring 

 the present plant to Ornithogalum, none of the genuine spe- 

 cies of which have a branched inflorescence ; and its singular 

 perianth, whose segments at first cohere by the points, while 

 they separate at the sides, thus acquiring a globose appear- 

 ance, increases the doubts that arise as to its being an Orni- 

 thogalum. Nevertheless, with the exception of the dispermous 

 cells of the ovary, nothing seems to warrant the separation of 

 the plant as a new genus. For the present therefore it seems 

 most prudent to regard it as a mere section of Ornithogalum, 

 to which the subgeneric name of Chlorogalum may be applied. 



From Camassia or Cyanotris it manifestly differs in the 

 regularity of the flowers and the style not being declinate. 



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