114 THE STORY OF THE PLANTS. 



are large and pure white, and they enclose the 

 petals; the three petals are distinctly smaller, and 

 tipped with green in a very pretty fashion. The 

 summer snowflake, commonly cultivated in old- 

 fashioned gardens, is very like the snowdrop, only 

 here the difference between sepals and petals has 

 disappeared; all six pieces form one apparent row, 

 white, tipped with green, in a single perianth. 



In the daffodils and narcissuses we get a sec- 

 ond group of amaryllids more advanced and de- 

 veloped. Here the six perianth-pieces are almost 

 alike, though they may still be distinguished as 

 sepals and petals by a careful observer. But the 

 perianth, which is tubular below, divides above 

 into six lobes, beyond which it is prolonged again 

 into what is called a crown, whose real nature can 

 only be understood by comparison with such other 

 flowers as the campions, where scales are inserted 

 on the tip of the petals. This crown is compara- 

 tively little developed in the narcissus and the 

 jonquil ; but in the daffodil it has become by far 

 the largest and most conspicuous part of the en- 

 tire flower, so as completely to hide the bee who 

 visits it. Of course this large crown assists fer- 

 tilisation, and is a mark of advance in the daffodil 

 and the petticoat narcissus. I hope these few 

 remarks will induce you to examine many kinds 

 of narcissus in detail, in order to see of what 

 parts they are compounded. 



This seems a convenient place to interpose an- 

 other remark I have long wanted to make, name- 

 ly, that the threefold flowers are also for the most 

 part distinguished by having those narrow grass- 

 like or sword-shaped leaves, with parallel ribs or 

 veins, about which I told you when we were deal- 

 ing with the question of varieties of foliage. The 



