206 FLOWERING PLANTS OF THE RIVIERA 



of perianth segments ; filaments glabrous. Stigma trifid. Capsules within a 

 scaly involucre, trigonous. 



Dry, hilly places, especially on limestone, fairly common on the littoral hills 

 and descending to within 150 ft. above the sea at Carqueiranne. April-May. 



POLYQONATUM All. SOLOMON-SEAL. 



C. officinale All. Plant i-i ft. high, with horizontal fleshy rhizomes. 

 Stem simple, angular, leafy above. Leaves alternate, oval or oblong. Flowers 

 greenish-white, pendent, larger and thicker than in P. multiflorum, 1-2 in 

 each axil. Filaments glabrous. Berry as large as a pea, blue-black. 



Damp, shady woods. April-June. Common in the forest of Sainte-Baume 

 and elsewhere in the lower mountains, e.g. above Grasse and Menton. 



P. multiflorum All. (flowers 2-7) and P. verticillatun All. (leaves 

 narrow, in whorls) grow in the higher Maritime Alps outside of our district. 



CONVALLARIA L. 



Convallaria majalis L. (Lily of the Valley) is recorded from the foret de 

 Molieres and val Pesio in the Maritime Alps. May-June. 



PARIS L. 



Paris quadrifolia L. (Herb Paris) grows in mountain woods in Alpes- 

 Marit. and in Liguria. We have also seen it in the forest of Sainte-Baume at 

 about 800 metres. Leaves usually 4 in a whorl. Flower solitary. Berry black. 



RUSCUS L. BUTCHER'S BROOM. 



R. aculeatus L. Common Butcher's Broom. A stiff dark green, much- 

 branched plant 2-4 ft. high, with shrubby stems. Leaves (cladodes) ovate, small, 

 numerous, terminating in a prickly point ; the leaves, however, vary in size and 

 shape. Flowers small, greenish-white, almost sessile in the middle of the leaves, 

 but actually borne on a pedicel arising from the axil of the leaf and closely 

 adr.ate to the surface. Berries red, sometimes as large as small cherries. 



Common in woods and hill-sides. February-May. Fruit in winter. 



R. hypoglossum L. Leaves (cladodes) much larger, oblong-acuminate, 

 not prickly, sessile ; the lower ones opposite or in threes, the others alternate. 

 Flowers greenish-white, shortly pedicelled, 2-5 in a little cluster above the 

 middle of the leaf. 



Shady rocky places, very rare. February-March. Recorded from several 

 places near Hyeres, La Seyne, and Bormes, as well as from near Nice ; in the 

 opinion of the late M. Albert not truly native but well naturalized as an escape 

 from cultivation. 



Mr. Bicknell has found it on grassy and rocky banks in the Arma valley near 

 Ceriana (" Flora of Bordighera and San Remo "). 



ASPARAGUS L. 



A. scaber Brlgnoli. Closely allied to A. off icinalis ; stems 2-3 ft. high, 

 much branched ; branches somewhat scabrous. Cladodes thick, in whorls of 

 5-8. Flowers greenish-yellow, in pairs or singly. Anthers mucronate, half 

 length of the filaments. Berry red, as large as a big pea. 



Sea-sands. May-June. Below Hyeres and at Villepey near Saint 

 Aygulf. 



The Common Asparagus (C. officinalis) is often found as an escape from 

 gardens. 



C. acutifolius L. A ligneous and almost climbing plant 2-4 ft. high. 

 Stems and branches wiry and flexuose, downy, rough. Cladodes short (3-6 

 mm.) spreading, prickly, in star-shaped clusters of 5-12. Anthers oblong, much 

 shorter than the filaments. Berry black, as large as a small pea. The 

 young shoots are cut in early spring and eaten at table. 



Sandy places, hills, and woods ; very common throughout the littoral. July- 

 September. 



