L *94 ] 

 Fritillaria Imperialis. Crown Imperial. 



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C/#/> and Order. 



HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 



Generic Character. 



Cor. 6-petaIa, campanulata, fupra ungues cavitate ne&arifera. 

 Stam. longitudine corollae. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 



FRITILLARIA imperialis racemo comofo inferne nudo, 

 foliis integerrimis. Linn. Syfi. Vegetah. ed. 

 14. Murr. p. 324. Ait. Kew. v. 1. p. 432. 



LILIUM five Corona Imperialis. Bauh. Pin. p. 79. 



TUSAI five Lilium Perficum. Cluft. Hift. 1. p. 127. 



CORONA IMPERIALIS. The Crowne Imperiall. Park. 

 Par. p. 27. tab. 29. f. 1. 



The Crown Imperial, a native of the Eaft, mod probably 

 of Perfia, was introduced according to Dodon/eus, into 

 the gardens of the emperor and fome of the nobility at 

 Vienna in 1576 ; it appears to have been cultivated here as 

 early as 1596: both Gerard and Parkinson defcribe it 

 minutely, the latter on account of its " (lately beautifulnefs, 

 " gives it the firft place in his garden of delight/' 



It flowers ufually in the beginning of April ; the whole 

 plant fends forth a ftrong unpleafant fmell, compared by 

 molt writers to that of a fox, perceptible when you approach 

 it; to this effluvia Parkinson endeavours to reconcile us 

 by faying that it is not unwholefome ; it is fo difagreeable 

 however, that few choofe to have many of thefe plants, or 

 thofe in the moft frequented parts of their gardens, yet it 

 ought not to be profcribed, for independent of its beauty, 

 there is much in it to admire, and efpecially its fingular 

 Ne&aria, which in the form of a white glandular excavation 

 decorate the bafe of each petal ; in thefe ufually ftands a 

 drop of clear neftareous juice; the peduncle or flower-ftalk 

 which bends downwards when the plant is in flower, becomes 

 upright as the feed ripens. 



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