GARDEN FLOWERS. 169 



means of offsets. The bulbs should be planted in sandy, 

 loamy soil ; when taken up for transplanting, it should be 

 about August. All the species propagate by offsets, and 

 grow freely in the open ground, without protection. They 

 mostly flower in May, and are thus very useful in gardens as 

 spring flowers. The most stately species is the Crown Im- 

 perial, which bears a whorl of drooping flowers, surmounted 

 by a tuft, or crown, of leaves. The smaller species bear one 

 or two drooping cup-shaped flowers. The bulbs of the 

 Fritillarias are scaly, and of a soft texture, like those of 

 lilies, consequently they must not be dried by being left 

 long exposed at the period of replanting. 



F. alba (white) ; hardy bulb ; 9 inches ; flowers white, in 

 May ; North America. F. cuprea (coppery) ; half-hardy bulb ; 

 1 8 inches; flowers copper-colored, in July ; Mexico; 1834. F. 

 iinperialis (Crown-imperial) ; hardy bulb ; 4 feet ; flowers yellow 

 or red, in May; Persia; 1596. F. lanceolata (spear-leaved); 

 hardy bulb ; 9 inches ; flowers dark-purple, in May ; Kamts- 

 chatka ; 1759. F. latifolia (broad-leaved) ; hardy bulb; i foot ; 

 flowers reddish -purple, in May ; Caucasus; 1604. F.lencantha 

 (white-flowered) ; hardy bulb ; i foot ; flowers white, in May ; 

 Siberia; 1822. F. lutea (yellow); hardy bulb ; r foot; flowers 

 yellow, in May; Caucasus; 1812. F. meleagris (guinea-fowl- 

 like) ; hardy bulb ; i foot ; flowers purple- checkered or white, 

 in May ; England. F, minor (small) ; hardy bulb ; i foot ; 

 flowers dark-purple, in April ; Altai ; 1 830. F. nervosa (nerved- 

 leaved) ; hardy bulb ; 18 inches ; flowers dark-purple, in May ; 

 Caucasus; 1826. F. obliqua (oblique-leaved); hardy bulb; I 

 foot; flowers brown-purple, in April; Caucasus; 1596. F. 

 Persica (Persian) ; hardy bulb ; 2 feet ; flowers brown-purple, 

 in May; Persia; 1596. F. prcecox (early); hardy bulb; i 

 foot ; flowers white, in May ; Europe . F. pudica (chaste) ; 

 hardy bulb ; i foot ; flowers pale-yellow, in May ; North Amer- 

 ica ; 1824. F. Pyrenaica (Pyrenaean) ; hardy bulb ; 18 inches ; 

 flowers dark-purple, in June ; Spain ; 1605. F. Ruthenica 



