FAMILIAR GARDEN FLOWERS 



but), as remarked above, we have seen at least sixty m. one 

 garden in IJaarlem, and these varied so much that their 

 specific identity was a matter of question wth a party of ex- 

 perts, until Mr. H. Krelage himself gave the assurance that 

 they were veritable seedhngs of F. meleagris. Mr. Niven, 

 in his edition of " Maund," figures the muUijalex variety, 

 which has a perianth of many segments, the colour rosy 

 purple, with light and dark spots. 



A collection of fritillaries should include selections of 

 the varieties of F. meleagris and F. imjjerialis to begin 

 with, for these are eminently " useful," and worth growing 

 in quantities. Then, to add to these, there are some five- 

 and-twenty species known, but the question is, where shall 

 we find them ? The beautiful golden f ritillary [F. jjudica) , 

 the miniature f ritillary {F. parvljlora), and the slender 

 fritillary (F. lanceolata) are the only sorts we can readily 

 hear of through current catalogues of plants in commerce. 

 As for the rest, they are scattered about in botanic gardens, 

 whence they are obtainable by those who understand the 

 magic method by which rare plants are passed from hand 

 to hand. 



