Fritillaria meleagris. Common Fritillarv. 



FRITILLARIA Lin. Gen, PI. Hexandria Monogynia. 



Cor. 6. petala, campanulata, fupra ungues cavitate ne&arifera. Stam. 



longitudine corollas. 



Raii. Syn. Gen. 26. Herb^: radice bulbosa pr;edit;e, 



FRITILLARIA Meleagris foliis omnibus alternis, caule unifloro, Lin. Syfi. Vegetab. p, 269. Sp. PI, 



p. 436. PI. Sueeic. n. 283. 



FRITILLARIA caule paucifloro foliis caulinis gramineis alternis. Holler, lift. n. 122?, 



FRITILLARIA Meleagris. Scopoli PL Cam. n. 405. 



FRITILLARIA prsecox purpurea variegata. Bau/j. pin. 64. 



FRITILLARIA vulgaris. Parkin/on. Parad. 40. 



FRITILLARIA variegata. Gerard, emac. 149. Rail. hijl. p. 1106. Hudfon. PL Angl. ed, 2. p. 144. 



RADIX : Bulbus magnitudine nucis avellanae, lolidus, 

 albus, fubrotundus, in plures feparabilis, 

 bulbo precedentis anni, marcido, rugofo in 

 theca quaii inclufus. 



CAULIS fpithamseus et altior, erectus, teres, fimplex, 

 lasvis, glaucus, baud infrequenter purpuraf- 

 cens. 



FOLIA caulina quatuor, aut quinqne, alterna, femi- 

 amplexicaulia, fublinearia, inferne rotundata, 

 fuperne coneava, fubtortuofa, glauca. 



FLOS in fummitare caulis unicns, magnus, pendulus, 

 primum ovato-pyramidalis, turn campanula* 

 tus. 



CALYX nullus. 



COROLLA : Petala fex, ovato-oblonga, aequalia, al- 

 bo et purpureo pulchre tefielata, ban gibbofa. 



fig- l - 

 NECTARIUM: fovea fublinearis, virefcens, prope ba- 

 jSn cujufvis petali unde gibbi externi. fig. 1. 



STAMINA: Filamenta fex, fubulata, lasvia, albida, 

 germine duplo longiora ; Anthers oblongs, 

 fubcompreflae, quadrifulcata?, mucrone viref- 

 cente inftructae, demiflb polline duplo bre- 

 viores ; Pollen flavum. Jig .2. 3. 



PISTILLUM : Germen trigonum, viride ; Stylus J 



teres, pubefcens, fuperne paululum incrafia- t 



tus, trifidus, laciniis teretibus, divergentibus, | 



interne et externe ad lentem canaliculatis ; f 

 Stigmata fimplicia, villofa. fig. 4. 5. 



X 

 X 



ROOT : a bulb about the fize of a hazel nut, folid, 

 white, roundim, divifible into feveral, inclo- 

 fed by the withered, wrinkly bulb of the 

 preceding year as in a cafe. 



STALK from half a foot to a foot in height, upright, 

 round, fimple, glaucous, and not unfrequent- 

 ly purplifli. 



LEAVES oftheitalk about four or five in number, 

 alternate, half embracing the (talk, fome- 

 what linear, round on the under and hollow 

 on the upper fide, fomewhat twifted and 

 glaucous. 



FLOWER : a tingle bloffom on the top of the (Talk, 

 large, pendulous, firffc fomewhat pyramidal, 

 and afterwards bell-fhaped. 



CALYX wanting. 



COROLLA: fix Petals, of an oblong ovate fhape, 

 equal, beautifully checquer'd with purple and 

 white, and gibbous at the bafe fig 1. 



NECTARY a narrow cavity of a greenifh colour, near 

 the bafe of each petal, whence the external 

 protuberances, fig. 1. 



STAMINA :_ fix Filaments, tapering, fmooth, 

 whitiih, twice the length of the germen; 

 Anthers oblong, flattifti, with four groves^ 

 and a. greenifh point at the top of each, be- 

 coming fhorter by one half on the fliedding 

 of the Pollen, which is of a yellow colour. 

 fig- 2. 3. 



PISTILLUM : Germen fcarce manifestly three cor- 

 ner'd, of a green colour; Style round, 

 downy, a little thicken'd above, divided into 

 three fegments, which are round, diverging, 

 and mark'd both internally and externally 

 with a groove, vifible with a magnifier ; Stig- 

 mata fimple, villous, fig. 4. 5. 



THE Fritillaria Meleagris is one of thofe plants which have been difcovered to be indigenous to this country 

 fince the time of Mr. Ray ; Mr. Blackstone is I believe the firft who mentions it as growing in Mawde Fields 

 near Riflip Common Middle fex, plentifully, and in which place it had been obferved in his time for near fixty 

 years; Mr. Hudson defcribes it as growing in the Meadows betwixt Mortlake and K>w, alfo near Endfeld; Mr. 

 Cullum a very accurate and ingenious Botanift at hury St. Edmunds, has feot me plants which he found plen- 

 tifully in a wild ftate near that place, and this fpring I received information that it was found wild in a wood 

 belonging to Mrs. Wilson, of Bromley in Kent. 



With thefe feveral authorities we may, I think with propriety, conclude that it is a real native of this Ifland ■ 

 it is found in fimilar fituations abroad, mfvlvis et pahfiribus, via. Jacquin PL Auftr. V. j. Ap. p. 45. 



The bloflcms before they are fully expanded, bear lome refemblance to a fnake's head, whence thev are called 

 by the country people in fome places Snake's Heads, alfo checquer'd Daffodil and "Tulip. 



If the feafon be mild they flower in the begining of April, and are out of bloom in a fhort time. 



It is only regarded as an ornamental plant, and as fuch has long been cultivated in gardens, in which many 

 beautiful varieties are to be met with. 



