Tas. 6227. 
ALLIUM anceps. 
Native of California. 
Nat. Ord. Lintace2.—Tribe ALLIER. 
Genus ALLIUM, Linn. (Regel, Mon. Alliorum, 1875). 
ALLIUM anceps; bulbo solitario ovoideo tunicis membranaceis, scapo brevi lato 
acuto ancipite, foliis loratis glabris viridibus carnoso-herbaceis caule longiori- 
bus, spathz valvis 2-3 membranaceis brevibus deltoideis, umbellis densis 
30-100-floris, pedicellis flore longioribus, perianthii saturate ey, News 
mentis linearibus acutis flore expanso supra basin patulis, staminibus levi 
exsertis, capsulis globosis vix cristatis, 
A. anceps, Kellogg in Proc. Calif. Acad,, vol. ii., p. 109, t. 32 ; S. Wats. Bot., 40th 
Parall., p. 352 et 488, tab. 36, fig. 4-6; Regel, Mon. All., p. 251. 
This is a very curious species of Allium, remarkable for 
its dwarf habit, broad, flat, acutely-angular stems, and very 
dense umbels of bright purple flowers with acute segments. 
It inhabits the Sierra Nevada portion of the Rocky 
Mountains, both upon the Californian and Nevadan sides, at 
an elevation above sea-level of from four to five thousand 
feet ; and of course, like all the other known species of the 
genus—now, according to Dr. Regel’s estimate, above 250 in 
number—is quite hardy in England in the open air. The 
plate was drawn from specimens sent by Messrs. Veitch, with 
whom it flowered in May, 1875. Our single dried specimen 
at Kew was gathered at Visco by Dr. Bolander. There are 
two other species of similar habit in the same region, VizZ., 
A. faleifolium, Hook. & Arn., and A. Tolmiei, Baker MSS., 
the latter described as a variety of A. Douglasii in Hooker’s 
“ Flora Boreali-Americana,” vol. ii., p. 185. : 
Drscr. Bulb solitary, ovoid, with membranous tunics. 
Scape two to four inches high, flat, acutely edged, one-sixth 
to one-quarter of an inch broad. Leaves two, leaving the 
scape at the base, lorate, thick, fleshy, faleate, glabrous, - 
to nine inches long, one-half to three-quarters of an ine 
broad. Valves of the spathe two or three, membranous, 
deltoid, shorter than the umbel, tinged with red. Flowers 
APRIL Ist, 1876. 
