Ti/lipa.'] 



HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA. 135 



2d book of KInos. They are still much used as food in the 

 Levant. (See E.Lot. t. 130.) 



11. SciLLA. Perianth inferior, of 6 leaves, petaloid, spread- 

 ing and deciduous. Filaments filiform, glabrous, inserted at the 

 base of the perianth. (^Floivers racemed.) — Nat. Ord. Aspho- 

 DELE^, Br. — Named from ffzjXXw, to injtire : in Arabic also, 

 dsgyl. The root of S. marilima is said to be highly poisonous, 

 and it affords a valuable medicine. 



12. Hyacinthus. Perianth inferior, of 1 piece, petaloid, 6- 

 cleft or 6-partite, tubular, reflexed at the extremity. Stamens 

 included. — Nat. Ord. Asphodele^, Br. — Named from the 

 youth Hyacinthus, who, being killed by Apollo, was by him 

 changed into a plant, whose foliage bore in dark streaks the 

 initials of his name. Our only British species, having no mark 

 or figure on the leaf, was hence called non-scriptus. 



13. JVIuscari. Perianth inferior, of 1 piece, petaloid, ovate, 

 inflated, 6-toothed. Capsule trigonous, with prominent angles ; 

 cells 2-seeded. Duhy. — Nat. Ord. AsPHODELEiE, Br. — Named 

 from [j.oG'xog, mush, a smell yielded by one species. 



14. Anthericum. Perianth inferior, petaloid, of 6 equal, 

 spreading, elliptical pieces. Stam. filiform, mostly bearded. 

 Capsule roundish, 3-celIed ; seeds angular. — Nat. Ord. Aspho- 

 DELE^, Br. — Named from avh^ixog, applied by the Greeks to 

 the stem of the Asphodel. 



15. Asparagus. Perianth inferior, 6-partite, deciduous. 

 Stigmas 3. Berry globose, 3-celled. Seeds few. Embryo ex- 

 centric. — Nat. Ord. AsPHODELEiE, Br. — Name aa-rra^ayog, in 

 Greek, from ai-a^aasu, to tear ; many of the species being armed 

 with spines. 



16. Narthecium. Perianth inferior, petaloid, of 6 linear- 

 lanceolate, spreading pieces. Stam. Moolly. Gtrmeii pyramidal. 

 Caps. 3-celled, 3-valved. Seeds with an appendage at each ex- 

 tremity. — Nat. Ord. Junce^, Jmss. — Named from va^9r}^, a rod, 

 probably from the elongated straight raceme of flowers. It is 

 remarkable that this word is an anagram of Anthericum, a genus 

 ■with which Linnaeus had united it. 



17. Fritillaria. Pma/<</^, campanulate, inferior, of 6 pieces, 

 each with a nectariferous cavity. Stigmas 3. Capsule 3-celled, 

 3-valved, oblong. Seeds flat. — Nat. Ord. LiliacevE, Juss — 

 Name derived from fritillus, a dice-board. 



18. TuLiPA. Perianth campanulate, inferior, of 6 pieces. 

 Nectaries 0. Stigma sessile, 3-lobed. Capstde trigonous. Seeds 

 flat. — Nat. Ord. Liliace^, Juss. — Name from toliban, the Per- 

 sian name for a Turbatiy whose gay colours are similar to those 

 of the Tulip. ( Theis.) 



