CHAP. III.] ASPHODELE^. 449 



ORDER CXCV.— ASPHODELEiE. 

 This order includes the Hyacinth {Hyacin- 

 thus), the squills (Scilla), the onions {Allium) ^ihe 

 Grape Hyacinth (Muscari), the Star of Bethlehem 

 (Omithoffalum), King's Spear (Asphodelus), An- 

 thericum^ Albuca, Gayea, Thysanotus^ Asparagus^ 

 the Dragon- wood (Draccena), and New Zealand 

 flax {Pliormium) . Many of these plants have 

 tunicated bulbs ; that is, bulbs which consist of 

 several fleshy tunics or coats, which may easily 

 be separated from each other, as may be seen 

 in the hyacinth and the onion. The leaves 

 are fleshy, and ligulate or strap-shaped ; and the 

 stems are frequently hollow. The flowers are 

 generally in upright racemes, or umbels ; they 

 are regular, and sometimes bell-shaped ; the 

 perianth is divided into six segments, which are 

 sometimes partly united into a tube, and recurved 

 at the tip. There are six stamens attached to 

 the perianth, and the fruit is either a fleshy or 

 dry three-celled capsule, generally with several 

 seeds, and opening into three valves, when ripe. 

 Dr. Lindley makes this a separate order in his 

 Ladies' Botany^ but he combines it with Liliaceag 

 in his Introduction to the Nat.Syst., and SirW. J. 

 Hooker includes in it Yucca and Aloe, the first 

 of which in the Hortus Britannicus is included in 

 Tulipacese, and the latter in HemerocaUidese. 



