ae 
[ 269 j 
OrnitHocaLum Nurans. NEAPOLITAN 
Star or BETHLEHEM. 
iS SS eS : 
Cla/s and Order. 
HEXANDRIA MoNoOGYNIA. 
Generic Chara&er. “4 } 
Cor. 6 petala, ereéta, perfiftens, fupra medium patens, Filamenta 
alterna bafi dilatata. — 
; Specific Charaéer and Synonyms. oa 
ORNITHOGALUM uzutans floribus fecundis pendulis, nec- 
en ‘tario ftamineo campaniformi. Lina. + — 
_ Syft. Vegeta. ed. 14. Murr. p. 328. 
Ait. Kew. vv 1. P- 443- a 
ORNITHOGALUM exoticum magno flore minori innato. 
Bauh, Pin. p. 70. 2 ad 
ORNITHOGALUM Neopolitanum, the Starre-flower of 5. 
Sate g Naples. Park. Parad. p. 138. Pp» » 
137. f. 8. Cluf. app. alt.p. 9. fg. Jo 
Authors have given to this fpecies of Ornithogalum the oe 
name of Neapolitan, following Ciustus by whom the plant 1s — 
figured and defcribed, and who fo called it, merely on recelv- 
ing it from Naples; it may perhaps be doubted whether it be 
originally a native of Italy. Prof. Jacgurn has figured it in 
his Flora Aujtriaca, the plant being common about Vienna, in 
_ garden-walks, under hedges, and in meadows, he does not 
however, from that circumftance, regard it as an original 
native there. Casp. Bauurn informs us that Honorivs 
Bex fent it him from Crete under the name of Phalangium, 
~~ leaving its true habitat to be fettled more precifely hereafter, 
we fhall obferve, that it is one of thofe plants which fc 
accommodate themfelves to any country; producing a numerous 
progeny both from roots and feeds, and by no means nice a 
to foil or fituation ; it is not long before it becomes a weed I 
the garden, from whence it is apt like the Hyacinthus racemofu- 
already figured, to pafs into the field or meadow. ec. 
Its flowers, which if not beautiful are fingular and delicat 
_ make their appearance towards the end of April, they are of 
- long duration, feldom continuing above a fortnight, and are 
ceeded by feed-veffels which produce abundance of ripe feed, 
_. which, as well as by its bulbs, the plant may be increafed. 
_ In the Horius Kewenfis it is fet down as a Greenhoule p! 
one of the rare errors which occur in that moft ufeful we 
