145. LILIACE.E. [12. URaiNBA. 



about half their length. Scape slender. Heads subglobose with a 

 long beaked involucre deciduous in one piece, and Avith numerous 

 bulbils. Fls. white, sepals lanceolate acuminate, inner filaments 

 3-toothed at apex, centre tooth with anther. 



Widely cultivated by tlie natives of India, not often by Europeans. The crop 

 is taken up at the commencement of the h.s.. and the " cloves " after being dried 

 stored away for use. 



2. A. ampeloprasum, L. Syn. A. porrum, L. ; The Leek. 



Bulbs cylindric. Scape with flat leaves 2-3 ft. high. Head almost 

 globose with very long-beaked spathe, without bulbils. The wild 

 plant (Mediterranean region) has reddish flowers. The commonly 

 cultivated (var. porrum) variety is distinguished by the almost 

 complete absence of subsidiary bulbs in the axils of the bulb scales 

 and the whitish or greenish flowers. It is cultivated chiefly in European 

 gardens in the c.s. 



3. A. schcEnoprasum, L. Chives. 



Bulbs weakly developed. The thin awl-shaped onion-flavoured 

 leaves are the parts eaten. Heads globose. Perianth red. St. 

 included with subulate anthers. Rarely cultivated. 



4. A. ascalonicum, L. Gundham, Vern. ; Shallot. 



Bulbs ovate-oblong fascicled, outer skin brown-yellow. Leaves 

 subulate fistular but compressed towards apex. Scape slightly 

 swollen below. Spathes shorter than umbel with 2-3 irregular 

 subovate segments. Fls. white or lilac but rarely flowering in culti- 

 vation. Anthers ovate, green {Roxb.). 



Much cultivated in Indian gardens in the c.s. 



5. A. cepa, L. Piyaj, Vern. ; Onion. 



Leaves subdistichous fistular. Head often with bulbils, pedicels 

 shorter than the stellate greenish-white flowers ; stamens exserted, 

 inner often 2 -toothed at the base. 



Largely cultivated in both Indian and European gardens. 



6. A. tuberosum, Roxb. Vern. Banga-gandina {fide Roxb.). 



Bulbs cylindric with white fleshy root-fibres on a rhizome. Leaves 

 narrow-linear compressed or 3-gonous. Head 1-1-5" diam. lax-fid. 

 Pedicels much longer than the small white or pink stellate fls. Fil. 

 simple linear included, connate below and perigynous. 



Roxburgh says he finds it cultivated about Calcutta. It will therefore be very 

 probably cultivated in Orissa. 



12. URGINEA, Steinh. 



Bulbous scapigerous herbs, scape naked, fiowers sometimes appear- 

 ing before the leaves, racemed, Avhite, green or brownish; bracts small. 

 Perianth campanulate or widely stellately spreading, of 6 subequal 

 segments. Stamens shorter than the perianth, inserted at the base 

 of the segments ; anthers versatile set on filament close to its base 



1095 



