THE NARCISS FAMILY. 



167 



scape, or in some herbs a leafy stem. The simple scapes 

 bear one or more flowers enclosed in a spathe, while in 

 Agaves the flower-stem is branched 30 — 40 feet high 

 Corolla straight, regular, or oblique, and partially bilabiate. 

 Fruit a 3-celled, many-seeded capsule ; or succulent, berry- 

 like, and few-seeded. This family is represented by plants 

 similar in habit and general character to those of the Lily 

 family, but differing in the ovary being inferior, the bulbo- 

 corms solid, and not coated as in Lilies. 



About 400 species constitute this Family ; they are 

 widely distributed in both temperate and tropical countries. 

 They vary much in habit, being bulbous rooted plants, re- 

 presented in Europe by the Snowdrop and Daffodil. At the 

 Cape of Good Hope and in Brazil and Peru, by numerous 

 species of Amaryllis. In Mexico and tropical America by 

 American Aloes, in tropical Asia by the genus Crinum^ 

 while Australia claims the splendid Doryanthes excelsa. 



Daffodil {^Narcissus pseudo-Narcissus). This species, toge- 

 ther with Jonquil and the "poet's Narciss," are well known 

 spring flowers. They are, however, not entirely harmless, as 

 they contain a degree of poisonous acridity. 



Polyanthus Narcissus (Narcissus Tazetta). A native of 

 Southern Europe and Western Asia, being abundant in 

 Palestine, and during the flowering season it is to be found 

 in nearly every house, especially in Damascus. By some 

 this is considered to be the "Rose of Sharon"* — the original 

 Hebrew word bulb being translated " rose ;" and indeed a 

 rosebud is something similar to the bulbs of this plant. 



Belladonna Lily (Amaryllis Belladonna). This, with 

 Nerine sarnienis, of the Cape of Good Hope, has become 

 naturalized in Guernsey, from whence bulbs are brought 

 yearly to the London markets under the name of " Guern- 

 sey Lilies." They are easy of cultivation, and flower in the 

 open air when planted in a warm, sheltered situation. Many 



* The Song of Solomon, chap. ii. ver. 1. 



