HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



?73 



<ie Jaman, some 4000 feet above the sea. It has 

 two bulbs in the same envelope. The umbel of 

 about three flowers is supported by an involucrum of 

 broad leaves suddenly tapering to a point, two being 

 equally large, the third small ; all three distinctly 

 concave. The sepals are an intense golden yellow, 

 slightly marked outside with green veins, and ovate- 

 acuminate. It appears to me sufficiently distinct from 

 G. lutea, to enjoy the specific name. At the same 

 time the changes have probably resulted from the 

 difference in altitude. Grow the same bulbs in the 



f'g- iw-—Cagca Lio.'tar./i, tvo tliirJs natural si/e. 



valleys and the plant will gradually revert to the 

 normal type. 



Gagea (Salisb.), of the Liliaceous order, with single 

 bulb, or several in the same envelope. Flowers, 

 hermaphrodite ; perigone of six divisions, free ; 

 stamens six, adhering to the perianth, filiform ; 

 anthers bilocular, fixed at the base ; stigma undivided. 

 One ovary, free, three-celled ; capsule triangular ; 

 grains globular. Lsaves linear or filiform. 



a. Single bulbs. 



1. G. lutea (Schultz) ; single radical leaf, longer 

 than flower-stem, linear, attenuated and striated. 

 Involucrum of three unequal leaves, two much smaller 

 than the third ; flowers 3-9, yellow, strongly tinged 

 with green externally; sepals obtuse. April, May. 

 Moist meadows. 



2. G. minima (Schultz) ; bulb usually single, but 



occasionally having two in same envelope. Plant 

 not exceeding two inches in height — leaves filiform : 

 flowers 1-3 ; sepals lanceolate, bright yellow, veined 

 externally with green. May. Dry pastures among the 

 rocks at Sion. 



Var. G. saxatilis (Koch) ; appears a variety of the 

 above. Bouvier in his " Flore des Alpes " gives the 

 two as separate species, on somewhat slender distinc- 

 tions. Either way, the two grow together at Sion. 



18. Bulbs in envelope. 



3. G. arvensis (Schultz) ; several bulbs, proliferous, 

 stem short, with 3-4 flowers, having sepals linear, 

 lanceolate, dull yellow, green outside. Involucrum 

 of two almost equal leaves, opposite ; radical leaves 

 two, longer than stem, twisted back at the end. 

 April, May. Damp meadows in the Valley — foot of 

 the Salvan pass. 



4. G. pratensis (Schultz) ; appears very nearly 

 allied to the above. It has three bulbs, not covered ; 

 the one bulb supports the flowe: stem, the others 



fig. 148. -Gitgea minima, 

 two-;hirds nat. size. 



Fig. 149. — Bulb of 

 G. arvensis. 



send up leaves only, probably developing flowers in 

 succeeding year. To my mind the two species are 

 the same. 



5. G. Liottardi (Schultz) ; two bulbs in same 

 envelope. Radical leaf single, longer than flower 

 stem : flowers 2-5, brilliant golden yellow, ovate 

 acuminate, involucrum of three leaves, two large, one 

 small, but all distinctly concave. May, June. Col 

 de Jaman. 



DR. J. E. Taylor, editor of Science-Gossip, 

 gave the first of a series of lectures on popular 

 subjects at the Town Hall, Northampton, during 

 November: subject, " The Deep Sea Bed ; its Origin, 

 History, and Inhabitants," an 1 four lectures, in con- 

 nection with the Ipswich Museum, to large audience 7 , 

 on "The Romance of Our Common Wild Flowers." 



