ORNITHOG'ALUM REFRAC'TUM. 
REFRACTED STAR OF BETHLEHEM. 
Class. 
HEXANDIUA. 
Order. 
MONOGYNIA. 
Natural Order. 
LILIACEJE. 
Native of 
Height. 
Flowers in Duration. 
Introduced 
Hungary. 
3 inches. 
May. & Jun. Perennial. 
in 1822. 
No. 854. 
The meaning of the word Ornithogalum, as far 
as known, will be found under No. 732. It may 
be asked, why is this plant called refracted P The 
term, undoubtedly, is better known in optics than in 
botany ; but is here used to mark the position of 
the peduncles. These will first be seen supporting 
the flower-buds in an erect position ; on the flower 
expanding, they assume the direction called patent, 
or spreading ; a term used to indicate the position 
between vertical and horizontal ; subsequently 
they assume a horizontal, or what, in botanical 
language, is called diverging, position. Then, as 
the peduncles still fall, they become divaricate; 
that is opposite to spreading, being as much below 
as that is above the horizontal line. At length 
they hang almost straight downwards; and by 
reason of this change from their original position, 
the peduncles may be said to be refracted, or 
turned from their first direction. 
It will here be seen that even to explain the 
mere position of a stem or flower, certain terms, 
the meanings of which have been fixed, are neces- 
sary to be known. Were not terms thus agreed 
