50. LILIACE^. 



141 



Asphodelus fistulosus. 



triangular, wrinkled seeds, the 

 valves notched at top, wrinkled 

 transversely. 



A common weed in waste 

 places, roadsides, pastures. — 

 July - iSept. — Mediterranean re- 

 gion. 



2. Ornithog.\ltjm, L. 



(Greek oniifhos, a bird, and gtila, 



milk : application of name 



unknown.) 



1. Ornithogralutn thyr- 



SOides, Jacq. Bulb globular, 



with brown tunic; stem stout, 



stiff, erect, 15-30 cm. (J-l ft.) 



long ; leaves shorter, 4-5, all 



radical, linear - lanceolate, chan- 

 neled, fleshy, finely ciliate on 



edges ; flowers pure - white with 



brownish base, 6-25, in a 



corymbose raceme ; pedicels 1-3 



cm. long, spreading-erect, with 

 white - membranous, acuminate 

 bracts ; perianth campanulate, 

 segments oblong, 2 cm. (J in.) 

 long ; alternate stamens longer 

 than the others, with filaments 

 dilated and 2-toothed at base ; 

 seeds numerous, black, angular. 



Hillsides, Waterfall Gully.— 

 Oct. -Nov. — South Africa. 



3. MuscARi, Mill. 



(Latin imiscus, on account of the 



musky smell of M. moschdtum, 



an Asiatic species.) 



Perianth urnshaped, entire ex- 

 cept for the 6 small, spreading- 

 recurved teeth ; stamens enclosed 

 in the perianth and inserted in 

 the middle of the tube ; capsule 

 3-angled with compressed valves 

 each cell containing 

 Bulbous perennial 

 leaves and flowers 

 the uppermost barren. 



% 

 Ornithosalum 



thyrsoides. 



linear-channeled 



1-2 seeds, 

 herbs with 

 in terminal 



radical, 

 racemes, 



Raceme becoming long and loose ; upper 



flowers long-stalked, in a showy tuft ... M. coviosum 1 

 Raceme short and dense ; upper flowers 



short-stalked M. neglectum 2 



