488 LILlACE^ 



2 — 3, radical, ovate-lanceolate, with a sheathing petiole ; flowers 

 6 — 12, globular, pure white, in a terminal, drooping, loose, i-sided 

 raceme, with an angular peduncle ; berries red. — Woods on a light 

 soil ; not common. A universal favourite in gardens for the 

 beauty and fragrance of its blossoms. (Name from the Latin 

 convallis, a valley.) — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 



6. Sim£this, a genus represented by the one species S. 

 planifolia ( Variegated Simethis), a slender plant with fibrous roots ; 

 radical, grass-like, recurved leaves, 6 — 18 in. long, and a forked, 

 corymbose cyme, about the same height, of rather large, 6-merous 

 flowers, purple outside, white inside ; fruit a 3-chambered, 

 6-seeded capsule.— Formerly in fir-woods near Bournemouth and 

 in Kerry, very rare. — Fl. May, June. Perennial. 



7. Allium (Garlic). — Bulbous, strong-smelling plants, with 

 radical leaves and flowers in an umbel or head, with a membranous, 

 1 — 2-leaved spathe and a leafless peduncle ; perianth of 6 free, 

 spreading segments ; fruit a 3-chambered, 3 — 6-seeded capsule. 

 (Name, the Classical Latin name of some species of the genus.) 



1.* A. Ampeloprasum (Wild Leek). — The largest species, 3 — 4 

 feet high, with a large bulb with large, stalked, lateral "cloves" or 

 bulbils ; a stout, leafy stem ; distichous, flat, linear, folded, glaucous 

 leaves with cylindrical sheaths ; a globose umbel of greenish-white 

 flowers in a long pointed spathe, often with bulbils ; the 3 outer 

 filaments broader, 3-fid. — Rocky places ; rare, merely naturalised. 

 — Fl. July, August. Perennial. 



2. A. Scorodoprasum (Sand Leek). — A smaller plant, 2 — 3 feet 

 high, with a slender, leafy stem; flat, linear, keeled, glaucous 

 leaves with 2-edged sheaths ; a loose head of red flowers in 2 short, 

 pointed spathes, with red bulbils. — Sandy woods and fields in the 

 north ; rare. — Fl. May — July. Perennial. 



3. A. sphcerocephalttm (Small Round-headed Garlic). — A similar 

 but smaller species, with hollow leaves ; round, compact umbels of 

 red flowers without bulbils. — Bristol and Jersey ; very rare. — Fl. 

 June — August. Perennial. 



4. A. vinedle (Crow Garlic). — A similar plant with hollow, 

 smooth leaves round in section ; and dense, globose heads of red 

 flowers with greenish or red bulbils. — Waste ground ; common. — 

 Fl. June, July. Perennial. 



5. A. olerdceum (Field Garlic). — About a foot high, with fleshy, 

 solid leaves, semicircular in section, grooved above and ribbed 

 beneath ; and a loose head of pale greenish or brownish-pink 

 flowers in 2 spathes of unequal length, with bulbils ; stamens not 

 3 fid. — Borders of fields; uncommon. — Fl. July, Augusts Perennial. 



