156 



DOMESTIC BOTANY. 



about Bath, where the young flower-stalks are collected, and 

 eaten like asparagus. 



Quamash (Camassia esculenta). A bulbous-rooted plant 

 with blue or white flowers. It is a native of North America, 

 where it grows very abundantly, and its roots form a large 

 proportion of the vegetable food of the Indians. 



Squill [S cilia maritimd). A large bulbous-rooted plant 

 found on the coasts of the Mediterranean, and also abundant 

 at Malta, from whence it is imported. It is used in medicine, 

 being a powerful irritant, and is prescribed in dropsical 

 and other complaints. 



Tulip {Tulipa Gesnei^iand). The tulip is said to be a 

 native of the Levant, the specific name being given in honour 

 of a botanist named Gesner, who was the first to describe 

 and figure it in 1559. It appears to have been cultivated 

 in this country about 1577. The original or wild plants 

 have yellow flowers, but cultivation has produced hundreds 

 of beautiful varieties, varying greatly both in colour and size. 

 Formerly some of these varieties were so famous that high 

 prices were paid foy the bulbs, which in Holland became a 

 speculative mania, bulbs representing scrip to a large amount, 

 and even scrip circulated on ideal bulbs. For many years 

 they have been favourite objects of cultivation and competi- 

 tion amongst florists in this country. 



Crown Imperial (^Fritillaria imperialis). A native of the 

 South of Europe and Western Asia. It was introduced to 

 this country about the end of the sixteenth century. Besides 

 the brown flowered varieties there is one with pure yellow 

 flowers. Their bulbs contain starch equal in quantity to the 

 potato. F. meleagris is a rare British plant, being found 

 only in one or two localities, one of which is the meadows 

 between Kew and Mortlake. It has solitary nodding flowers 

 beautifully chequered with reddish-brown. 



Lilies. Many species of these beautiful plants are cultivated 

 in gardens, of which the following are the most admired. 

 Common White Lily {Lilium candidum)^ Orange Lily {L. hul- 

 hiferum)^ Martagon Lily (X. martagon), Chalcedonian Lily 



