482 ALLIUM. tCLASS VI. ORDER 1. 



Hooker, British Flora, vol. i. p. 160. Lindley, Synopsis, p. 268. 

 Ornithogalum luteum, Linn. English Botany, t. 21. English Flora, 

 vol. ii. p. 142. 



Bulb ovate, solitary, clothed with several thick membranous brown 

 envelopes. Leaves radical, one or sometimes two, linear lanceolate, 

 tapering at the base, the point abruptly acuminated into a tapering 

 point, smooth yellowish green, flat above, acutely keeled, and striated 

 with several longitudinal ribs, two more prominent than the others, 

 from six to twelve inches long. Scape angular, smooth, striated, 

 shorter than the leaves, terminating in one sometimes two simple 

 sessile umbels, of several flowers, on smooth spreading peduncles of 

 unequal lengths, round, smooth, simple. Bractea two, leafy, lanceo- 

 late or linear lanceolate, longer than the umbels, and mostly of unequal 

 lengths. Flowers nearly half an inch long, spreading. Perianth of 

 six lanceolate obtusely pointed concave segments, yellow, tipped with 

 green internally, green on the outside, with a narrow yellow margin, 

 each with a mid-rib and several slender lateral ones. Stamens about 

 as long as the perianth, with slender awl-shaped equal filaments, and 

 yellow oblong two celled anthers, bursting laterally Style erect, an- 

 gular, as long as the stamens, with a gaping three-cleft stigma. 



Habitat. Groves and pastures ; in several parts of England and 

 lowlands of Scotland, though not very common. 



Perennial ; flowering in March and April. 



GENUS XIV. AL'LIUM. LINN. Onion. Garlic Chive. 

 Nat. Ord. ASPHO' DELETE. R. BROWN. 



GEN. CHAR. Perianth of six ovate pieces, campanulate, or spreading. 

 Stigma simple, obtuse. Fruit a three angled three celled capsule. 

 Seeds angular. Name from \fu, to avoid ; on account of the 

 strong smell of the plants, or, according to Th&s, from the Celtic 

 word all, which signifies acrid, burning. 



* Stem leafy ; leaves flat. 

 a. Filaments three-cleft. 



1. A. Ampelo'prasum, Linn. (Fig. 548.) Great Round headed 

 Garlic. Stem round, leafy to the middle ; leaves flat ; umbels glo- 

 bose, without bulbs ; keel of the external pieces of the perianth rough ; 

 the three internal filaments deeply three clefi ; bractea with a long 

 point. 



English Botany, t. 1657 English Flora, vol. ii. p. 133. Hooker, 

 British Flora, vol. i. p. 159. Lindley, Synopsis, p. 267. 



Bulb globose, white, greatly increasing by lateral offsets. Leaves 

 alternate, sheathing the stem to about the middle, linear, flat, flaccid, 

 about an inch broad, and nearly two feet long, sheathing at the base, 



