580 AMARYLLACE,a. 



ORDER CCXXVIII.— AMARYLLACE^, (AMARYLLIDACE^, Lindl. 



Nat. Syst. p. 328.) 



THE NARCISSUS TRIBE. 



Bulbous, sometimes fibrous-rooted herbs, occasionally with a tall, cylin- 

 drical woody stem, by Lindl. referred to 67 genera. A very few are found 

 in N. Europe, or the same parallel. These are plants of the genera Nar- 

 cissus and Galanthus. As we proceed south, they increase. Pancratium ap- 

 pears on the shores of the Mediterranean ; Crinum, in the E. Indies ; 

 Hymenocallis in the W. Indies. Hsemanthus is found for the first time 

 with some Crinums on the Gold Coast. Hippeastra show themselves in 

 countless numbers in Brazil, and across the whole Continent of S. America ; 

 and finally, at the Cape of Good Hope the maximum of the order is beheld 

 in all the beauty of Haemanthus, Crinum, Clivia, Cyrtanthus, and Bruns- 

 wigia. A few are found in New Holland, the most remarkable of which 

 is Doryanthes {Lindl.) TheE. Indian AmaryUaceae amount, according to our 

 materials to 25 species, viz. 8 of of Curculigo ; 1 of Hypoxis ; 4 of Pancra- 

 tium ; 1 1 of Crinum ; and 1 of Eurycles. 



" One of the few monocotyledonous orders in which any poisonous pro- 

 perties are found. These are principally apparent in the viscid juice of 

 the bulbs of Heemanthus toxicarius, and some neighbouring species, in 

 which the Hottentots are said to dip their arrow-heads. The bulbs of 

 Narcissus poeticus have for ages been known as emetic ; and it has recent- 

 ly been shewn that a similar power exists in Narcissus Tazetta, odorus, 

 and Pseudonarcissua, as well as in Pancratium maritimum. DC. considers 

 the principle found in Amaryllidaceae analogous to that of the Squill." 

 {Lindl.) 



A. HypoxidejE, R. Br.; — Endl. gen.pl. I, p. 173. 

 Curculigo, Giirtn. {Spreng. syst. 2, p. 6, No. 1207 ; — Herb, amaryll. p. 

 83 ; — Endl. gen. pi. 1, p. 173. — Molineria, Herb. o. c. p. 84.) 

 1. orchioides, Giirtn. {fr. I, p. 63, t. 16, f. 11 ;—Roxb. Coram. 1, t. 13 ; 

 Jl. ind. 2, p. 144 ; — /. Grah. Cat. B. pi. p. 215 ; — Spreng. syst. 2, 

 p. 60 . — Herb. o. c. p. 83 i—B. M. 27, t. 1076 -—Hheed. 12, t. 59 ;— 

 Rumph. 6, t. 54, f. 1.) ^t«I ^1 ra/-/oora. 2f. Moluccas. Coromandel. 

 Concans. Bengal, (Serampore.) Silhet. Assam. Kemaon. Fl. smallish, 

 yellow, more or less throughout the year. 

 2.plicata, Dryand. {Spreng. I. c. ; — Herb. I. c. — Hypoxis plicata, Thunb. 

 — Gethyllis plicata, J acq. hort. schonbr. 1, t. 88) % C. G. H. 

 ^. glabra {B. Reg. 4, t. 345. — Forbesia plicata, Ecklon. topogr.) % 

 C. G. H. Fl. smallish, yellow. Introduced in 1841. 

 Z.recurvata, Dryand. {Spreng. I. c. ; — Roxb.fl. ind. 2, p. 145; — B. Reg. 

 9, t. 770. — Molineria recurvata. Herb. o. c. p. 83.) % Coromandel. 

 Silhet. Nepal. Fl. 9 lines in diameter, yellow, R. S. ; fr. C. S. 



