LILIACE.-E. 203 



of its subspecies, and his M. botiyoidcs is M. racemosum, B.C.; but 

 jNIiller's specific nauies (arising from his misuuderstanding Hyacinthus 

 raccmosus and H. botryoides of Linuajus) have uot been adopted 

 by subsequent writers. 



Starch Hyacinth. 



French, Muscari d grappe. German, Tratibige Blsamhjaciuthe. 



This plant is often called the Hyacinth erroneonslj, but may be easily distin- 

 guished from it, although flowering about the same time. The original Hyacinth 

 was a name given by the ancient Greeks to the flower which was said to have sprung 

 from the blood of the beloved of Apollo, when slain by the rival Zephyrus. The 

 Starch Hyacinth has a cluster of small dark blue flowers, almost like little grapes ; 

 hence it is sometimes called the Grape Hyacinth. It smells of wet starch ; hence the 

 English name. The roots of this plant, and also those of the Hyacinth, are poisonous. 



GENUS XF.— ALLIUM. Lm7i. 



Perianth coloured, widely funnelshaped or cupshaped or connivent 

 or bellshaped; perianth leaves 6, free or combined at the base, sub- 

 persistent, spreading or comiivent, without a nectariferous pore at 

 the base, the outer leaves not herbaceous on the back. Stamens 

 6, adhering to the base of the perianth leaves ; filaments frequently 

 monadelphous, or the three inner ones 3-cuspidate; anthers affixed 

 by their back to the filaments, extrorse. Style filiform; stigma 

 minute, entire, very rarely 3-lobod. Capsule trigonous or triquetrous, 

 often depressed at the apex, loculicidally 3-valved, 3-celled or 1 -celled, 

 sometimes adhering to the perianth at the base. Seeds 1 or 2 in each 

 cell of the capsule, triquetrous or compressed-triquetrous, more rarely 

 subglobose ; testa hard, black, usually rugose when dry. 



Herbs with tunicated bulbs, and radical leaves which sometimes 

 sheath the scape so as to be pseudo-cauline : the upper and under 

 surfaces of the leaves often more or less separated, so that they are 

 fistulous or subfistulous. Scape terminated by an umbel of flowers 

 of various colours; flower buds enclosed in a 1- or 2-valved more or 

 less membranous spathe. Bulbs free or adhermg to a creeping 

 tliickened rhizome. 



The name of this genus comes from the Greek word d\tu), to avoid, because of its 

 ofleusive smell. 



Section I.— PORRUM. Don. 



Destitute of a creeping rhizome. Stem apparently leafy, from 

 the leafsheaths surrounding it. Stamens free ; filaments of the 3 

 interior stamens flattened, split at the apex into 3 subulate cusps, of 



