382 GARDEN PLANTS. PART IT. 



leaves, each tipped with a needle-like thorn ; bears in the Eains 

 countless white flowers, hanging most beautifully, like little 

 bells, from its erect-growing flower-stem. The plant becomes 

 disposed to blossom sooner by having the lower leaves cut away. 

 The leaves, buried in damp earth till their soft parts decay, yield 

 a strong tenacious fibre, very useful for tying up plants with. 

 Propagated by offsets. There is a variegated variety of this 

 plant, having the edges of the leaves of a dull white colour, not 

 particularly ornamental. 



2. Y. gloriosa SPANISH BAYONET. Distinguished from the 

 last by its leaves being much narrower and spike-like ; grows to 

 very large dimensions before flowering, and is quite unsuited for 

 any but gardens of great extent. 



3. Y. stricta. A small plant in the Calcutta Botanical Gardens, 

 never flowering there, and making little or no growth. 



Allium. 



Comprises several species, bearing umbels of different-coloured 

 flowers with a strong smell of garlic ; most have been intro- 

 duced, but do not seem disposed to flower here. 



A. fragrans. A small bulbous plant; bears in April small 

 umbels of greenish-white flowers, like those of the common 

 Onion ; interesting for their heliotrope-like fragrance. 



Scilla. 



A genus of small bulbous plants, producing flowers somewhat 

 similar to the Hyacinth ; not found, I believe, to succeed in 

 Bengal. 



Ornithogalum. 



STAK OF BETHLEHEM. 



Of which there are several species ; not cultivated with success 

 here. 



0. caudatum. An uninteresting plant in the Calcutta Botanical 

 Gardens ; bears greenish-white flowers. 



Muscari. 



M. botryoides GRAPE HYACINTH. A pretty diminutive 

 bulbous plant, distributed abundantly in the North-West Pro- 



