188 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



inch across, varying in colour from dull purple to dull flesh-colour or 

 even white. Anthers maroon; the pollen reddish-maroon. Capsule 

 sliortly oblong-prismatic, a little more than 1 inch long, Avitli 6 rather 

 prominent angles. Seeds broAvn, about }j inch across, with a narrow 

 margin. 



Purple Martagon Lily. 



French, Lys Martagon. German, TilrlcenlnmcUIAlie, 



GENUS F///._FRI TILL ARIA. Toumef. 



Perianth coloured, bellshaped ; perianth leaves 6, caducous, free at 

 the base, erect, sometimes slightly recurved at the apex, with an 

 orbicular or furrowlike nectariferous pore in the concave base, not 

 papillose on the inside. Stamens 6, subadlierent to the base of the 

 perianth leaves; anthers affixed by their back to the filaments, ex- 

 trorse. Style elongate, cylmdrical ; stigma long, deeply 3-partite. 

 Capsule trigonous or hexagonal, with 3 or 6 furrows, 3-celled, locu- 

 licidally 3-valved. Seeds numerous, in two rows in each cell, hori- 

 zontal, discoid, flat on both sides, margined or winged ; testa somewhat 

 spongy, brown or yellowish-brown. 



Herbs with seal}' bulbs, the scales often few in number and very thick. 

 Stem leafy, the leaves sessile, alternate or verticillate. Flowers large, 

 showy, pendulous, solitary and terminal or racemose or verticillate. 



The name of this genus is said to come from fritilhis, a dice-box, which the form of 

 the blossoms is supposed to resemble ; while the specific name, fieXiaypiQ (also applied 

 to the Guinea-hen, Numida Meleagris), is descrijitive of its chequered appearance — 

 not unlike that of a chess-board. 



SPECIES I-PRITILLARIA MELEAGRIS. Linn. 

 Plate MDXIX. 



Bckl. Ic. Fl. Gei-m. et Helv. Vol. X. Tab. CCCCXLII. Fig. 974. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 1077. 



Bulb depressed-subglobular, with 2 large thick opposite exterior 

 scales. Stem slender. Leaves all alternate, rather distant, strap- 

 shaped, attenuated at both ends, dim and slightly glaucous above, 

 shining and dark green beneath. Flowers solitary, very rarely 2 or 3 

 in a raceme, pendulous, campanulate-cupshaped, tesselated with pale 

 and dark purple or maroon, about as long as wide. Perianth leaves 

 elliptical-oblong, not recurved at the apex; the three outer with a 

 blunt ridge at the base on the outside; nectarilerous pores narrow, 

 elongate. Capsule oblong-ovoid, bluntly trigonous. 



In damp meadows. Rare. It has occurred in the counties of 



