A L L 



ALL 



the ground ; those on the stem, broad, smooth, 

 and keeled. The flowers in an umbel, of a white 

 colour, and rather small. It is a native of Italy, 

 and flowers in May. 



In the fifth, the stems are glaucous, not 

 streaked, smooth, and round : the leaves flat 

 above, convex below, becoming semicylindrical 

 and channelled, as long or longer than the stem : 

 the spathes not tailed, one larger than the other, 

 and bifid : the head of a short conical form : the 

 peduncles lengthening towards the middle, and 

 forming a close imbricate umbel : the petals red 

 with a darker keel, permanent, and becoming 

 more convergent, ovate, the outer ones shorter 

 and narrower : not awned : the filaments purple 

 towards the top : the style is purple within, very 

 long, and the stigma yellowish : it bears capsules, 

 and is a native of Italy. 



The sixth has the leaves linear, scarcely so long 

 as the scape, which is cylindric. The spathe is 

 obtuse : the flowers larger than in any of the rest, 

 and of a dark purple colour : the stamens white 

 and very short. It grows naturally in the fields 

 aud olive-grounds about Montpellier and in 

 Piedmont. 



In the seventh, the stalk is leafy, round, and 

 glaucous. The leaves round, not angular, flattish 

 above the base : the sheath twice as long as the 

 umbel, one valve leaf)' : the umbel with pendulous 

 yellow pedicels : petals of a deep yellow colour, 

 obtuse concave, and erect : the stamens simple, 

 twice as long as the corolla: the style short. It 

 is a native of the South of France. 



The eighth has a weak, cylindric scape a foot 

 high, the root-leaves being broad, channelled, 

 and obtuse. It is cultivated in the gardens for 

 the sake of variety. 



In the ninth species, the wild plant has the 

 root-leaves half an inch broad ; but when trans- 

 planted into the garden, the leaves grow to four 

 inches in breadth, without becoming much lon- 

 ger. The stem is from a foot to eighteen inches 

 in height. The petals arc of a dirty white co- 

 lour, with a tincture of green. It grows on the 

 mountains of Switzerland. 



The tenth has two bulbs at the origin of the 

 ."•tern or stalk: the leaves are fistulous and chan- 

 nelled above : the stalk rises to two feet in height : 

 the sheath is quadrifid. It is a native of Italy, &c. 



Except the two first, most of the sorts are of 

 the flowering kind, having bulbous roots of dif- 

 ferent sizes ; some large, others not bigger than 

 peas. They are perennial in root, but annual 

 in leaf and stalk, and are all hardy, prospering 

 in almost any exposure and soil, being in gene- 

 ral very productive. Most of the sorts have a 

 strong scent, like that of common garlick, which 

 3 



renders them much less valuable as ornamental 

 plants. 



In the Common Garlick, each of the small 

 bulbs or cloves, on being planted, grows, and in 

 one season attains the size and structure of the 

 parent bulb. The leaves form a kind of stalk, 

 which seldom spindles, except when the same 

 roots remain in the ground two or three years ; 

 in which case they runup and bear a flower, and 

 small bulbs at top. It is mostly cultivated in the 

 garden for the sake of its root, which is in great 

 estimation for culinary and other domestic uses. 



In the Rocambole the bulbs are very small, 

 compound, growing in clusters; the stalk gene- 

 rally spindling two or three feet in height, with 

 many bulbs at its summit, which, as well as the 

 root-bulbs, are useful for the same purposes as 

 garlick, though much inferior in quality. 



In the flowery kinds, the flower-stetos risi im- 

 mediately from the root, growing erect and attain- 

 ing different heights, from twelve to thirty 

 inches. In some the leaves are radical; in others 

 they are elevated with the stalk ; some being 

 broad like those of the tulip, others long and 

 narrow like the daffodil, and some taper or rush- 

 like : but in all the sorts the stems are termi- 

 nated by a sort of sheath, from which is pro- 

 truded an aggregate of many small flowers, form- 

 ing a kind of umbel, which, from many being 

 collected into large heads, are very conspicuous 

 and showy. 



In the Onion kind, the species for cultivation 

 are: 1. A. Cepa, Common Onion; 2. A.Jistu- 

 lositm, Ciboule or Welsh Onion; 3. A. Schw- 

 hopraSwrn, Cives or Chives; 4. A. Ascalo- 

 nici/m, Eschalot or Shallot; 5. A. Canadensc, 

 Canada Tree Onion. 



The first species, or Common Onion, has a 

 large bulbous root : the leaves are fistular and 

 tapering, the flower-stem being naked, swelling 

 out towards the bottom into a sort of belly. 



It has several varieties; but those most com- 

 monly cultivated are : the Strasburgh or Common 

 Round Onion, — the Oval Long-keeping Com- 

 mon Onion, — the Spanish Large Flat Onion, — 

 the Spanish Silver-skinlidB Onion, — the Spa- 

 nish Red-skinned Onion, — the Portugal Great 

 Roundish Oval Onion, — and the Tripoli Onion. 



The second species, or Welsh Onion, is a 

 perennial plant, and does not form bulbs like 

 the Common Onion. The leaves are upright, 

 and swelling in their form. 



In the third, the bulbs are long, flat, oval, 

 very small, growing many together in small 

 close bunches, being connected by rectilinear 

 planes. Scapes fistulous, eight inches or a foot 

 high : leaves fistulous, awl-shaped, rising in grea 



