Liliace«—Hyacinthus. 523 
fragrant flowers at first purplish, but changing toa pale yellow. 
They are all South European species. 
18. HYACINTHUS (including Bellevalia, ete.). 
This genus contains about 30 species, chiefly from the 
Mediterranean region and sy 
South Africa. Few: authors 
agree as to its limits, but fer 
our purpose it may be charac- 
terised as follows: Flowers 
drooping, variable in number, 
disposed in loose leafless 
spikes ; perianth-segments flat, 
united to about the middle 
and erect or recurved ; stamens 
6 ; filaments straight ; anthers 
versatile. Capsule 3-celled, 
many-seeded. It differs from 
Scilla in the perianth-seg- 
ments. being united to the 
middle, whereas in the latter 
and its allies they are free or 
nearly so. The name is of 
mythological origin. 
1. H. orientalis (fig. 255). 
—The species of paramount 
interest and the progenitor of 
all the beautiful varieties of 
our gardens and greenhouses. 
It. is, as its name implies, a 
native of the East, and was in- 
troduced into Europe three or 
four centuries ago; but no- 
where has it been cultivated 
with the same success as in 
Holland. Indeed, every gar- 
dener is familiar with the 
term ‘Dutch bulbs,’ of which 
the numerous varieties of the 
Hyacinth form a very im- 
portant part. Hyacinths are chiefly exported from Haarlem. 
Upwards of 100 acres of land in the neighbourhood of this 
Fig. 255. Hyacinthus orientalis. (3 nat. size.) 
