198 ENGLISH BOTANY. 



GENUS XIIL—S C I L L A. Linn. 



Perianth coloured, blue or lilac, funnelshajDed- or cupshaped-rotate 

 or cylindrical or bellshaped ; perianth leaves 6, free, deciduous or sub- 

 persistent and marcescent, spreading or connivent, without a nectari- 

 ferous pore at the base, the outer leaves not herbaceous on the back. 

 Stamens (i, fi'ce, or the three outer ones adherent to the perianth 

 leaves ; anthers affixed by their back to the filaments, extrorse. Style 

 filiform or trigonous ; stigma minute, obtusely trigonous or entire. Cap- 

 sule obtusely ti-igonous, loculicidally 3-valved. Seeds few or several, 

 angular or subglobose ; testa hard, black or fuscous, nearly smooth. 



Herbs with tunicated or very rarely scaly bulbs, and linear or linear- 

 lorate radical leaves, or with rather broad channelled leaves. Flowers 

 small or large, on leafless scapes, racemose, normally blue or lilac, but 

 in many of the species varying to pink or white, open in all weather. 



The name of this genus comes from the Greek word ii-uXXw, to excite or disturb, 

 as an emetic does the stomach. 



Sub-Genus I. — EU-SCILLA. Coss. 



Perianth leaves free, spreading while in flower; filaments adnate 

 to the perianth leaves only at the base. Seeds angular, without a 

 strophiole at the base. 



SPECIES I.-SC ILL A AUTUMNALIS. Lirm. 



Plate MDXXVI. 



Eeich. Ic. Fl. Germ, et Helv. Vol. X. Tab. CCCCLXIII. Pig. 1012. 

 Billot, Fl. Gall, ct Germ. Exsicc. No. 6G4. 



Bulb coated. Leaves several, appearing in autumn after the 

 flowers, and remaining green through the winter, very narrowly 

 linear, semicylindrical, chamielled above. Flowers rather few, in an 

 oblong raceme, spreading on all sides. Pedicels spreading-ascend- 

 ing in flower, incurved-erect in fruit, longer than the flowers. 

 Bracts none. Perianth leaves spreading, pale purple with a darker 

 stripe down the middle of each. Filaments attached only by the base 

 to the perianth leaves. 



In sandy and gravelly pastures, and on commons. Rather local, 

 and confined to the south of England. It occurs in Cornwall, Devon, 

 Isle of Wight, Kent, Surrey, Middlesex, and Gloucester. 



England. Perennial. Late Summer, Autumn. 



