3pO LILIACE^. 



Iain-blue, and the ovary or seed-vessel is greenish white, and 

 furnishes an agreeable contrast to the blue of the corolla, as it 

 is conspicuous immediately the flower opens. Flowers in early 

 April. Native of the Tyrol and central Europe and the Le- 

 vant. 



S. bifolia {^Earliest Squill). — One of the most beautiful as 

 well as the earliest of our hardy Squills, It forms tufts of 

 spreading dark -green leaves 6 to 9 inches long, narrow, lance- 

 shaped, channeled throughout, and incurved near the point, 

 where the margins ultimately meet and form a thickened point. 

 The scapes are about the length of the leaves, slender, and ter- 

 minating in a one-sided raceme of deep-blue flowers. The 

 flowers open in February, March, and April. Native of southern 

 and central Europe, the Levant, and Russia. There are nu- 

 merous varieties in cultivation, and amongst the best are S. 

 bifolia p?'CBCox, syns. S. bifolia major and S. precox, in which the 

 colour is the same as the type, and the chief distinctions are in 

 its earlier-blooming quality, and the larger size of the flowers ; 

 S. bifolia rosea ^ syn. 6". rosea, a very beautiful form, with fine 

 rose-coloured flowers ; and 6". bifolia alba and S. bifolia Candida, 

 both with white flowers, but in the latter they are pure white, 

 and larger than those of the former. 



S. campanulata, syn. Endymion campanulata {Bdlfowered 

 Squill). — This approaches in character some of the varieties 

 of S. juctans, the Blue-bell. It is a large-growing species, pro- 

 ducing channeled, linear, dark-green leaves, about i foot long 

 and 1 inch wide, sharply pointed. The flower-scapes are about 

 I foot high, and stout, supporting a pyramidal raceme of open 

 bell-shaped flowers, deep blue in colour. It is a variable 

 species in cultivation as regards the colour, there being many 

 shades of blue, and pink, or rose, and an excellent pure-white 

 variety, named S. c. alba. It is a native of southern Europe. 

 Flowers in May and June. 



S, italica [Italian Squill). — A vigorous species, growing 

 about 9 inches high. The leaves are lance-shaped, bright 

 green, about 6 or 9 inches long. The flower-scapes are erect, 

 supporting an upright short conical raceme of small pale slaty- 

 blue flowers. Flowers in April, May, and June. Native of 

 central and southern Europe, and a free-growing species in any 

 soil. There is an excellent white variety, named S. i. alba. 



S. nutans, syns. Hyacinthus non-scriptus and Endymion 

 nutans (Blue-bell Squill). — This is the common Blue-bell Hya- 

 cinth so abundant in groves in many parts of England. There 

 is no good reason why it should not be made as abundant 

 in northern woods as it is in southern ones. It is indigenous 



