148 HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA, AsphodeluS. 



at which period the plant is perfectly destitute of leaves, 

 nothin,^ but the straight very slender scape, and raceme 

 is to be seen. 



Root a round, tunicated, perennial, greenish-white 

 bulb, of about an inch and a half in diameter. Intasteitis 

 exceedingly nauseous, and bitter, and is in India some- 

 times used as a substitute for the officinal squill. Scilla 

 maritima. Xeayes linear, rather acute, smooth, deeply 

 channeled ; generally six or eight inches long, and less 

 than half an inch broad, even when spread flat. Scape 

 straight, erect, naked, smooth, and slender ; whole height, 

 raceme included, from twelve to eighteen inches; and not 

 thicker than a crow quill. Flowers from four to eight, re- 

 mote, long-pedicelled, drooping, colour a mixture of dull 

 green, and still duller white, with a slight purple tinge. 

 Bractes small, caducous. Petal oblong, and nearly of 

 the same size, the inner three with bearded apices. Fi- 

 laments six, equal, inserted on the base of the petals, 

 clavate. Germ ovate- oblong. Style a three-sided, in- 

 verted cone with a triangular opening at top, for the stig, 

 ma. 



ASPHODELUS. Schreb. gen. n. 569. 



Corol six-parted. Nectary six-valves covering the ge- 

 nitals- 



1. A- clavatus. R. 



Annual. Stem naked, ramous. Leaves erect, straight, 

 cylindric, fistulous. Filaments clavate above their nec- 

 tarial ciliate base. 



A native of the interior parts of Bengal, where it ap- 

 pears to blossom, and ripen its seed during the cold sea- 

 son. 



It seems, from the descriptions and figures in my pos- 

 session of A. fiUulosus to be very nearly allied to it. In 



