676 
Octob. others have, and indeed fcarce any other. Plant. 
The Writers all have named it; 
ral, under the fame generical Term. Crusrus 
calls it Ornithogalum Arabium, and from him moft 
others have taken it. Some call it, Arabicum 
majus, the greater Arabian Kind. C. Bauvnine 
Ornithogalum umbellatum maximum: the greatett 
umbellated Ornithogalum; and J. Bauuine, 
Lilium Alexandricum, five Ornithogalum magnum Sy- 
riacum: the Alexandrian Lilly or great’ Syrian 
Ornithogalum. : 
Linnvevs, more correct than all, adds to the 
generical Term, which he preferves unaltered, 
Floribus corymbofis pedunculis {capo humilioribus, F1- 
lamentis emarginatis: Corymbofe Ornithogalum, 
with the Side Footftalks fhorter than the Stalk, . 
and with emarginated Filaments. 
The Root is large and round, a regular Bulb 
compofed of numerous Coats, broad at the Bafe, 
and there furnifhed with many Fibres. The 
Colour whitifh, and the Juice thick. ‘The 
Leaves are numerous, long, and flender ; they 
are broadeit at the Bafe, fmaller to the Point, hol- 
lowed, and of frefh green ; ten or more of thefe 
rife together, and difplay themfelves. in various 
Direéctions, | 
The Stalk is round, upright, and fourteen 
Inches high, not very thick, of a frefh green 
Colour, and often whitifh toward the Bafe. 
_ The Flowers crown the Stalk in a great 
broad Head, and they are extremely elegant ; 
they are large, and their Colour is a perfeat 
white; and their Smell very fingular: this is 
principally perceived in an Evening. 
There are no Leaves upon the Stalk, but a 
few Fibres, which defend the Footftalks of the 
Flowers when 
with them afterwards one to each. 
The whole Head of Flowers is of a Form 
approaching to round; but the Flowers rifing 
from the Summit of the Stalk, though they 
_ have the fhorteft Footftalks, are higheft in the 
Clufter: the Footftalks of tho’ others the longer, 
not exceeding them in Height. — 
The Student will find fomething very fingu- 
lar in the internal Parts of this Flower; but 
the Clafs will be obvious at firft Sight. 
_ The Flowers rife naked from the Summits 
of the Footitalks, and each is compofed of 
fix broad Petals expanded, and fpecious ; in the 
Centré ftand fix Filaments, three of thefe are 
emarginated, the other three plain; and the But- 
tons large. 
angulated, and from this rifes the Style, which 
is fingle, fmaller. toward the Top, and. per- 
manent; crowned with an obtufe Head. The | 
Seed-veffel, when ripe, has three Ridges, and 
is compofed of three Valves, and. divided within 
into three Cells, in each of which are nume- 
rous roundifh Seeds with a columnar Recep- 
tacle. 
The different Structure of the Filaments is 
but 
their Number, which is fix, refers it plainly to 
the Hexandria, and the fingle Style to the Mo- 
‘a very fingular Incident in_ this Plant ; 
nogynia, the fixth Clafs, and its firft Section. 
2 
and in gene- | 
they firtt appear; and remain— 
The Rudiment of the Seed-veffel is 
A COMPLEAT ‘BODY 
The Culture of this ORNITHOGALUM. 
It is a Native of Egypt, and other Parts of the 
Eat; and flowers abundantly in the deep black 
Soils, about’ the Edges of Springs. With ud 
the Root. will live. in. the common Borders, 
and produces its Leaves, and multiply by Off-fets ; 
but very rarely flower. ’Tis not a Wonder that 
a Native of a Climate fo different from, and fo 
much warmer than our own, fhould not readily 
flower with us in this. rude Way of Culture; 
it fhould be allowed all. Advantages. . 
The Roots are brought ‘over annually by 
the Italians, and they fhould be treated as others 
from fuch Climates: when they are receiv’d, 
they fhould be cleaned; the dead’ Skins : peeled 
Roots wiped foftly with a Cloth. After this let 
them be Jaid in a cool Place in the open Air three 
ner. Let fome frefh black Mould, from un- 
der the Turf in a Meadow, - be mixed with 
equal Parts of rotted Cow Dung and Pond Mud; 
let fome loofe Pieces of Gravel be laid in the Bot- 
tom of a Pot, and this Compoft poured in to 
fill it half up. Let the Root be fet upright 
upon this, and more of: the Mould pour’d in 
till it is covered half an Inch. Refrefh and 
fettle the Mould by a very gentle Watering; 
and then fet the Pot in a warm and fhaded 
Place. | 
~ Once in four Days give a very little Wa- 
ter. It is neceflary to do this, but nothing 
requires fo much Caution: if the Mould be 
fuffered to become too dry, the Root will not fhoot 
its Fibres ; if it be made too wet it will rot: The 
Caution of the Gravel at the Bottom of the Pot 
was directed to preferve the free Paflage of the 
Water; and the Way to know whether the 
Temper of the Mould be right, is to open it 
a little Way at the Edge of the Pot to ex- 
amine. — 
If this Practice be followed during the Be- 
ginning of Summer, there will be a Shoot feen 
toward the middle of July. This muft be en- 
couraged by more Watering, and when the 
Evenings begin to be cool, the Plant muft 
be removed into “a warmer and opener Place; 
but ftill fheltered from cold Winds. It will 
be beft to fet it among the Greenhoufe Kinds. 
Toward the End of September let it be removed 
into the Stove, and fet in the Bark Bed; it 
muft be watered at Times and treated as the 
reft; and it will flower in its full Beauty. 
After this, every Spring and Autumn the 
Mould muft be taken off from the Surface, 
and frefh put in the Places; and once in two 
Years the Root muft be taken up, the Off 
fets cleared away, and planted in fepasate Pots ; 
and the old Roots in frefh Quantities of the 
fame Mould as at firft. Thus the Plant will 
flower in all its Perfection; and this is its 
rational Treatment. 
A EL 
Days, and then planted in the following Man-— 
but there is fo much Beauty in the Plant; that — 
off, the decayed Parts cleared away, and the © 
