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with glass, as in the greenhouse, in order to 

 admit light freely, and at the same time protect 

 the plants. 



The ground plan and elevation of an elegant 

 and very convenient house of this sort may be 

 seen in the annexed plate. 



CONVALLARIA, a genus containing plants 

 of the hardy herbaceous perennial flowery kind. 

 Lily of the Valley, and Solomon's Seal. 



It belongs to the class and order Hexandria 

 Momigynia, and ranks in the natural order of 

 Sarmmtacece. 



The characters are : that there is no calyx : 

 the corolla is monopetalous,bell-shaped, smooth : 

 border six-cleft, obtuse, open reflected : the sta- 

 mina consist of six subulate filaments, inserted 

 into the petal, shorter than the corolla : anthers 

 oblong erect: the pistillum is a globose germ: 

 style filiform, longer than the stamens : stigma 

 obtuse, three-cornered : the pericarpium is a 

 globose berry, three-celled, before maturity 

 spotted : the seeds are solitary or in pairs, and 

 roundish. 



The species cultivated are : 1 . C. maialis, 

 Sweet-scented Lily of the Valley ; 2. C. polygo- 

 natum, Single-flowered Solomon's Seal; 3. C. 

 multijiora, Many-flowered Solomon's Seal ; 

 4. C. verticillata, Narrow-leaved Solomon's 

 Seal; 5. C. racemosa, Cluster-flowered Solo- 

 mon's Seal. 



The first has a perennial root, with numerous 

 round fibres transversely wrinkled, creeping hori- 

 zontally just below the surface to a considerable 

 distance. The whole plant is smooth. Four or 

 five alternate, oblong, blunt, slightly nerved, 

 purplish scales surround and bind together the 

 base of the leaves and stalk. There are two 

 leaves, petioled, elliptic or lanceolate, pointed 

 at each end, from four to five inches long, and 

 near an inch and half broad in the middle, quite 

 entire, upright, smooth, nerved, one usually 

 larger, of a bright green colour ; petioles clasp- 

 ing, round, the outer dotted with red, and tubu- 

 lar, to receive the inner, which is solid. Scape 

 lateral, the length of the leaves, upright, smooth, 

 semicylindrical. The flowers from six to eight, 

 in a raceme, nodding, white, and fragrant. It is 

 a native of Europe ; flowering in May. Hence 

 it is termed May, and sometimes Conval Lily. 



There are varieties with narrower leaves, with 

 broader leaves, with double variegated flowers; 

 with double reddish or red flowers ; with double 

 white flowers. 



The second species has a twisted root, full of 

 knots : on a transverse section of it characters 

 appear that give it the resemblance of a seal, 

 whence the name of Solomon's Seal. The stem 

 is from a span to near a foot in height, of a 



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harder texture than the third species : the leaves 

 are simple, inclined, angular, twisted, sometimes 

 three-edged, four inches long and one broad, 

 oval-lanceolate, half embracing the stem, glau- 

 cous underneath, frequently bending down on 

 one side. The flowers sweet-scented, gene- 

 rally solitary, but sometimes two, on long axillary 

 peduncles, much larger than in the third sort. > 

 The berries are black. It is a native of the north 

 of Europe. 



It varies with double flowers, &c. 



The third has a round stem, from eighteen 

 inches to two or three feci high, erect and un- 

 branched : leaves usually bent upwards, and to 

 one side, underneath glaucous, five inches long 

 and two broad ; the lower ones oval, the upper 

 oval-lanceolate, half embracing the stem. The 

 flowers are several together (from two or three to 

 seven or eight), axillary, on branched compressed 

 peduncles. The berries round, of a blackish 

 blue colour, purple and red. 



This is a larger plant than the second sort. It 

 is a native of the North of Europe. 



There are varieties with double flowers. 



The fourth sort has a perennial root, toothed : 

 the stem is simple, angular, striated, erect, 

 eighteen inches high. The leaves narrower than 

 the other sorts, lanceolate, entire, smooth, three 

 or four in a whorl, three or four inches long, and 

 from half an inch to an inch in breadth, bright 

 green, and glaucous beneath. The peduncles 

 are axillary, solitary, branched, pendulous, and 

 from two to six-flowered. The flowers of a 

 greenish white colour. The berries violet or 

 deep red. It flowers in June ; and is a native 

 of the North of Europe, &c. 



The fifth species has the stems two feet high, 

 unbranched, with many oblong leaves embra- 

 cing them at the base, resembling the leaves of 

 Plantain. The flowers are small and white, and 

 are produced in single spikes at the top, and are 

 succeeded by small red berries, about the same 

 size as in the first sort. It flowers the begin- 

 ning of June, and is a native of Virginia, <kc. 



Culture. — In all these sorts of plants their 

 culture may be effected by parting their roots, 

 either in the autumn or spring months, but the 

 former is the better season, planting them out 

 where they are to remain. They afterwards only 

 require to be kept free from weeds, and removed 

 every three or four years, according as their roots 

 may be increased. 



As they succeed best in rather shady situations, 

 they are well suited for affording variety and or- 

 nament in shady places, such as the borders or 

 the sides of walks in woods and wilderness parts 

 of pleasure-grounds, producing considerable va- 

 riety by the singularity of their growth and the 



