son to our own, for an unufual reluclance to enliven the 

 gardens, on this fide the Alps and Pyrenees, with its gay 

 fragrant bloflbms : or if by chance a fingle root has been 

 found to reward fo far the affiduity of a cultivator, it has 

 been but for once, and then frefhly imported ; when, moil 

 probably, the flower-bud had been formed in the country from 

 which it was brought ; this either rots immediately after the 

 effort, or waftes itfelf in the producing an offspring that 

 here continues flerile. Thus much is afcertained as to the 

 Levant plant, and we fear, the fame will be found to be true 

 in regard to that from Madeira, whence our fpecimen was 

 brought by Captain Grey of the Navy. As yet no difference 

 has been deteBed between the individuals of this fpecies from 

 thefe mutually remote regions ; though the whole habit is fo very 

 peculiar, that, did any really exift, it would not be difficult 

 to be difcovered. But we are the more inclined to believe 

 them perfeQly fimilar, fince we know, beyond a doubt, that 

 thefe countries do poffefs feveral other fpecies of vegetables 

 in common. 



Bulb tunicate, white, about the fize of a walnut. Leaves 

 attenuately thong-fhaped, lax, convex outwards, about an inch 

 or more broad, mining, minutely ciliate, more or lefs caudate, 

 in native fpecimens 1—2 feet in length. The beauty of the 

 flowers is Angularly increafed by the contrad of their large, 

 umbonate, black-green germen ; whence Renealme, who 

 found it growing fpontaneoufly in Egypt, near the town of 

 Alexandria, named the plant Melanomphale. Outer feg- 

 ments generally bearing a corniform mucro that iffues from 

 beneath the teeth. Filaments upright, flightly patent, twice 

 fliorter than the corolla. Germen turbinate-fphzeroid, flightly 

 fixiulcate ; ftyle ftraight, filiform-trigonal. Stigma capitate, 

 trilobate, fubpubefcent. 



Clusius tells us that the bulbs were ufed to be brought 

 from Conftaminople to Vienna, and called by the Turks I.nnbul 

 Arabi or ) Arabian bulbs. In Italy it was named the Alexan- 

 drian Lily cr Jacintho del Paternofter. 



Lamarck met with the plant in great abundance on the 

 fandy plains of Barbary, efpecially in the country of the 

 Zulmis, where it blooms in April. Desfontaines fays, it 

 grows in the fields round Algiers. The Levant plant was cul- 

 tivated m this country by old Parkinson, who feems to have 

 made it flower, at leaft once, though Miller never could. 

 The Madeira plant was firft introduced into Kew Gardens by 

 Mr. Masson. 



Our drawing was taken at Mr. Colville's Nurfery, 

 v^neiica. 0. 



