21C 



The Flora of Wiltshin 



gravelly soil. Shrub Fl. March, April. Area, 1. * * * * 



South Division. 



1. South-east District. Coppices at Landford. A local plant in 

 Wilts, and confined to the eastern part of the county. Stem rigid, 

 branched. Leaves ovate, accuminate, very rigid and pungent, bearing 

 the solitary flower on the upper surface. Flowers minute, white, 

 arising from the disk of the evergreen leaves. Berry red. 



ORDER. LILIACEiE. (JUSS.) 

 Fejtillaeja, (Linn.) Fkitillary. 

 CI. vi. Ord. i. 



Name. From fritillus, (Lat.) a dice box, which they resemble in 

 shape, or perhaps to the chequered board on which the dice are thrown. 



1. F. Meleagris, (Linn.) common Fritillary. Meleagris is Latin 

 for a guinea-hen, which bird it somewhat resembles in colour, whence 

 the old name of Gerard, " Turkie or Ginny-hen Floure." It is also 

 named Chequered Daffodil, and Snake's-head. Engl. Dot. t. 622. 

 St. 18, 4. Reich Icones, x. 442. 



Locality. Moist pastures and meadows. P. Fl. May. Area, * 



-x- 4 * 



North Division. 



4. North-west District. Abundantly at Oaksey, near Malmesbury, 

 where it occurs over one hundred and twenty acres of meadow. One 

 piece of sixteen acres was entirely covered with this plant when I 

 visited the locality a year or two since. In this meadow a considerable 

 proportion of the flowers were pure white. The soil appears to be 

 a sandy loam, mixed with clay, and abundantly saturated with water. 

 In meadows near Bradford Wood, but it has not been observed in 

 this station of late years. Also in meadows near Stert, Devizes. A 

 local plant in the county, and truly wild. Stem single-flowered. 

 Leaves alternate, linear-lanceolate. Flow era dull red, rarely white, 

 chequered with darker lines and spots. 



[Tulipa sylvestris, (Linn.) wild Tulip. Engl. Bot. t. 63. St. 29, 

 11. Reich Icones, x. 446. Has been observed at Wootton Rivers, 

 and Langley Burrell, near Chippenham, but has no claim whatever 

 to a place in our Flora, being possibly an escape from the flower 

 garden.] 



