324 ENDOGENOUS PLANTS 



Obs. This foreigner has escaped from the gardens, in many 

 places, and although it perfects but few seeds, it multiplies its 

 bulbs so rapidly, as to be a great annoyance to the tidy farmer. 

 The bulbs of this species are said to be much used for food, in the 

 Levant; and LINNAEUS imagined them to be the "Dove's Dung," 

 which was sold so dear at the siege of Samaria, as mentioned in the 

 2nd book of Kings, Chap. VI. (See HOOKER & ABNOTT'S British 

 Flora). Some of our Agriculturists could furnish almost any quan- 

 tity, and, I imagine, would gladly part with them, at a very low 

 price! 



44*2. AI/UUM, L. 



[The ancient Latin name of Garlic.] 



Perianth-lobes entirely colored, 1 -nerved, becoming dry, more or 

 less persistent. Filaments subulate, dilated below, the inner or 

 alternate ones sometimes with a slender cusp, or short tooth, on 

 each side. Style filiform ; stigma simple, or trifid. Capsule mem- 

 branaceous, trigonous, or somewhat 3-lobed ; seeds few, roundish, 

 black, rough-dotted. Perennials ? strong-scented ; scape and leaves 

 from a coated bulb ; leaves flat, or terete and fistular, distichously 

 arranged ; flowers in a dense terminal umbel, or head (sometimes the 

 flowers changed to bulblets), embraced by a membranaceous 1- or 

 2-valved spathe. 



1. Umbel often densely bidbJiearing, with or without flowers. 

 f Leaves flat. * Inner filaments with long lateral cusps. 



1. A. SATI'VUM, L. Scape leafy to the middle; leaves lance-linear, 

 somewhat channelled ; spathe 1-valved, with a long acumination, 

 caducous. 



CULTIVATED ALLIUM. English Garlic. 



Growing in bunches. Radical bulbs compound, consisting of small bulbous 

 offsets, called cloves. Scape 1 to 2 feet high. Leaves 9 to 15 inches long. Umbel 

 bearing numerous small ovoid-oblong bulblets, each with a thin membranous cov- 

 ering. Perianth pale purple. 

 Hob. Gardens. Nat. of Europe. Fl. July. Fr. Sept. 



Obs. Often cultivated, as a domestic remedy for worms, in child- 

 ren. I suppose it to be the species so much esteemed by the 

 " garlic-eating Peasantry" of Spain. I incline to think these bulb- 

 ous herbs are all properly biennials, rather than perennials. 

 * * Filaments all simple. 



2. A. Canadense, Kalm. Scape leafy at base only ; leaves 

 linear, obtuse, a little convex beneath ; spathe 2-valved. 

 CANADIAN ALLIUM. Meadow Garlic. 



Bulb ovoid, small. Scape 12 to 18 inches high. Leaves 6 to 12 inches long. 

 Umbel bearing both bulblets and flowers, the latter on pedicels, or rays, % an inch 

 to 1% inches long. Perianth pale purple. 

 Hob. Moist meadows, and flats : frequent. FL May. Fr. August. 



ft Leaves terete and fistular. * Inner filaments with lateral cusps. 

 3t A. vineale, L. Scape slender and subcylindric, sparingly leafy 



