178 ENGLISH BOTANY. 
all oval or elliptical, submembranous, glabrous, glaucous beneath. Pe- 
duncles from the axils of most of the leaves, except the very lowest 
and a few of the uppermost, 2- to 6-flowered, branched in the upper 
half. Flowers pendulous, clavate-cylindrical, swollen at the base, 
contracted near the middle. Filaments pubescent. 
In woods. Rather rare, but widely distributed in England, though 
probably introduced in many of its stations. In Scotland it has no 
claims to be considered as more than a naturalised plant. In Ireland 
it is sparingly naturalised in a grove at Blarney. 
England, [Scotland, Ireland]. Perennial. Early Summer. 
Rootstock extensively creeping, about the thickness of a man’s 
finger, marked on the upper side with scars at the extremity of each 
annual growth, at the places where the stems have decayed, each 
branch with a single stem at the apex, with a bud beneath it. 
Stem 18 inches to 3 feet high, appearing in spring, at first en- 
closed in a cylindrical-clavate ‘spathelike sheath, which afterwards 
envelopes the base of the stem; lower half of the stem erect and bare 
of leaves, the upper part slightly arching and with numerous leaves. 
Leaves 3 to 6 inches long, placed alternately in two rows, those in 
each row obliquely ascending, and much longer than the internodes. 
Flowers in short subcory mbose racemes on recurved axillary ped- 
uncles which are shorter than the leaves; pedicels shorter than 
the flowers, usually without bracts at the base, though Reichenbach 
figures a form with foliaceous bracts. Perianth $ inch long, slightly 
swollen at the base, contracted above the ovary and again expanding 
vowards tle apex, which has six broadly-lanceolate teeth; the colour 
is greenish-white, green and bearded on the inside of the teeth. Fila- 
ments adnate to the perianth for the greater part of their length, 
clothed with minute hairs ; anthers yellow. Style about as long as 
the stamens. Lerry about the size of a red currant, bluish-black with 
a white bloom. Seeds 6 (or fewer by abortion), about the size of 
sago grains, pale, enclosed in dark green pulp. 
Common Solomon's Seal. 
French, Muguet Sceau de Salomon. German, Vielbliithige Weisswurz. 
SPECIES II—POLYGOINWATUM OFFICINALE. Ali. 
Piarve MDXII. 
Reich. Ic. Fl. Germ. et Helv. Vol. X. Tab. CCCCXXXIV. Fig. 364. 
P. vulgare, Desf. Kunth, Enum. Pl. Vol. V. p. 182. Gren. & Godr. Fl. de Fr. Vol. 
III. p. 228. 
Convallaria Polygonatum, Linn. Sm. Engl. Bot. ed. i. p. 280; and Eng. FI. Vol. III. 
p. 155. Fries, Summ. Veg. Scand. p. 64. Koch, Syn, Fl. Germ. et Helv. ed. i, 
p. 884. Reich. l.c. p. 5. 
