LILIACE.JE. 195 



In fields and orchards. Rare, and not native, but naturalised in 

 several places. I have specimens from Bury St. Edmunds, and 

 Atchley, SuflPolk. Besides this, the counties of Surrey, Norfolk, 

 Bedford, Worcester, Hereford, Denbigh, Notts, Dei'by, York, and 

 Durham, are recorded as containing stations in which it is more or less 

 fully established. 



[England.] Perennial. Late Spring, early Summer. 



Bulb flowering when about the size of a nutmeg, with whitish coats. 

 Leaves appearins; very early m spring, about as long as the scape at 

 the time of flowering, decaying before the fruit is mature. Scape 

 9 to 18 inches high. Perianth leaves 1 to 1^- inch long, elliptical, 

 greenish white, with a very broad green stripe down the middle of 

 the back. Filaments very broad, white, about half as long as the peri- 

 anth leaves; anthers yellowish-white. Fruit pendulous, subglobular- 

 ovoid, with 6 furrows, about the size of a small nutmeg, green, fleshy. 

 Seeds about the size of No. 5 shot, globular, dark brown, papillose- 

 rugose even when fresh. 



Drooping Star of Bethlehem. 



French, Ornithogale d fleurs pendantes. German, Niclcende Vogelmilch. 



SPECIES n.— ORNITHOGALUM UMB ELLATUM. Linn. 



Plate MDXXIV. 



Eeich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. X. Tab. CCCCXVTI. Fig. 1019. 

 Bilhi, Fl. Gall, et Germ. Exsicc. No. 2918. 



Bulbs aggregated, producing a great number of oflfsets, which cause 

 the plant to grow in clumps; these offsets produce leaves and stems 

 while still attached to the parent. Leaves not decayed at the time of 

 flowering, linear, tapering from about the middle to the apex, widely 

 channelled above, bright green, with a rather broad white central 

 stripe, glabrous. Flowers rather few, erect, in a regular corymb or 

 corymbose raceme. Bracts ultimately much shorter than the pedicels. 

 Pedicels longer than the flowers, ascending-erect in flower and 

 spreading in fruit. Perianth leaves pure white, broadly green on the 

 back, especially the three outer ones. Filaments subulate, ascending, 

 entire at the apex. 



Var. a, genuinum. 

 Plate MDXXTV. 

 0. umbeUatnm, Bor. Fl. du Centre de la Fr. ed. iii. Vol. 11. p. G24. 



Leaves broadly linear, spreading-recurved when young. Flowers 5 

 to 12. 



c c 2 



