494 



LILIACE^ 



segments are not recurved. (Name from the Latin fritillus, a 

 dice-box, the common accompaniment of a chequer-hoard, which 

 the marking of the flowers of some species resembles.) 



I. F. Meledgris (P'ritillary, Snake's-head). — The only British 

 species, a beautiful plant, about a foot high, with a small hulb of 

 2 — 3 scales ; stem round, leafy, i — 2 flowered ; leaves linear-acute ; 

 -flower drooping, generally solitary, shaped like a Tulip, curiously 

 chequered with pink and dull red, rarely white. — Water meadows 

 in the south ; rare. — Fl. May. Perennial. 



14. TuLiPA (Tulip). — Bulbous plants with radical and cauline 

 leaves and usually large, solitary, erect flowers with bell-shaped, 

 deciduous perianth of 6 free segments, recurved at their tips, 

 without nectaries. (Name from the Persian tulipan, a turban.) 



I. T. sylvestris (Wild Tulip). — The only British species ; hulh 

 chestnut-brown ; stem about a foot high, round, smooth ; leaves 

 few, linear-lanceolate, glaucous ; flowers bright yellow, fragrant ; 

 perianth-leaves tipped with hairs. — Chalk pits ; rare. — Fl. April, 

 May. Perennial. 



15. Gagea (Yellow Star of Bethlehem). — Bulbous plants with 

 radical, linear leaves ; few, small, yellow flowers, arranged in an 

 umbellate manner ; perianth-leaves 6, free, without nectaries^ 

 spreading, persistent. (Named in honour of Sir Thomas Gage, an 

 English botanist.) 



I. G.lutea (Yellow Star of Bethlehem). — The only British 



species ; bidb small ; radical leaf commonly solitary, long and 



narrow ; scape shorter than the leaves, with 2 opposite bracts and 



. an umbel of yellow flowers. — Woods : local. — Fl. March — May. 



Perennial. 



16. Lloydia (Spidervvort). — Small bulbous plants with slender, 

 leafy stem ; thread-like leaves ; and i or 2 small, erect, white or 

 yellow flowers ; perianth-leaves 6, free, with transverse nectaries, 

 spreading, persistent. (Named in honour of Edward Lloyd, the 

 antiquary, who discovered it in North Wales.) 



I. L. serotina (Mountain Spiderwort). — A pretty little plant, 

 with 3-sided leaves, the radical ones longer than the 2 — 8 in. scape, 

 which bears one white flower with red veins. — Snowdon ; very rare. 

 — Fl. June, July. Perennial. 



17. C6LCHICUM (Meadow Saffron). — Underground stem a solid 

 corm ; leaves all radical, produced in spring ; flowers mostly 

 solitary, nearly sessile, erect, with a very long perianth -tube, 

 resembling those of Crocus, but stamens 6, extrorse ; ovary superior ; 



