oo 
AtLiuM Descenpens. PurpLe-HeApeD 
: : GaRLICkX. | : 
-  Clafs and Order. ‘ 
Hexanpria Monoeynia: 
: Generic CharaGer. a 
Cor. 6-pattita, patens. Spatba miiltiflora. Umbella congeftai 
Cap/. fupera. 
: . Specific Charader and Synonyms. 
ALLIUM defcendens caule fubteretifolio umbellifero, pedun- — 
~_ eulis exterioribus brevioribus, ftaminibus tricuf- — 
pidatis. Linn. Syft. Vegetab. ed. 14. Murr. p: 
Bee. Ase, A ©: 1. Pi 4a. 
ALLIUM ftaminibus alterne trifidis, foliis fiftulofis, capite 
_ fpheerico hon bulbifero atropurpureo. Hall. All. 
Yubs 2. f. p. Bes. vxs it. a 
Baron Haier in his moft admirable Monographia on the 
plants of this genus; publifhed in his Opu/cula Botanicay 
defcribes and figures this fpecies, a hardy perennial, being 4 
native of Switzerland, and cultivated according to Mr. A1TONs. 
in the garden at Oxford in 1766. : . ae 
It ufually grows to the height of three feet; thriving in 
almoft any foil or fituation, its flowers as in many other {pecies 
grow in a capitulum or little head; not an umbel, ftriGly 
{peaking, as Linn 2us defcribes it; this head is at firft covered 
with a whitifh membrane, wearing fome refemblancé to 4 — 
night-cap, on the falling off of which the whole of the capi- 
tulum is perceived to be of a green colour, fhortly the crown 
of it becomes of a fine reddifh purple, this colour extends 
itfelf gradually downwards, prefently we fee the upper half of 
the head purple, the lower half green, in this ftate it has@ 
moft pleafing appearance; the purple ftill extending downwards, 
the whole head finally becomes uniformly fo, and then its 
flowers begin to open, and emit an odour rather agreeable 
than otherwife; on diffe€ting a flower we find three of the 
ftamina in each longer than the others, arid bearing two littlé 
points, which proceed. not from the anthere, but from the top 
of the filaments, it is therefore one of thofe Alliums which 
Linn avs defcribes, as having Anthere bicornes. Z 
This fpecies increafes readily by offsets, which fhould be 
_ feparated and planted in Autumn. oe 
We know not why Linn-us fhould give it the name of 
defcendens, unlefs from its being one of thofe plants whe 
roots in procefs of time defcend deeply into the earth. 
int 
