F R I 
g 
h ritillaria ( Imperialis ) raceme comofo inferne nu- | 
do, foliis integerrimis. Lin. Hort. Upfai. 82. Fritillary 
with a tufted' bunch of leaves over the flowers, which is 
naked below , and entire leaves. Corona Imperialis. Dod. 
Pempt. 202. Crown Imperial. 
9. Fritillaria {Regia) racemo comofo inferne nudo, 
foliis crenatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 303. Fritillary with a 
tufted bunch of leaves over the flowers , which is naked 
below , and crenated leaves. Corona regalis lilii folio 
crenato. Hort. Elth. no. Royal Crown with a crenated 
Lily leaf. 
10. Fritillaria ( Autumnalis ) racemo inferne nudo, 
foliis oblongis mucronatis. Fritillary with a naked ftalk , 
mid oblong pointed leaves. 
The firlt fort grows naturally in Italy, and other 
warm parts of Europe ; and from the feeds of this 
there have been great varieties raifed in the gardens 
of the florifts, which differ in the fize and colour of 
their flowers ; and as there are frequently new va- 
rieties produced, fo it would be to little purpofe to 
enumerate thofe which are at prefent in the Englifh 
and Dutch gardens, which amount to a great number 
in the catalogues of the Dutch florifts, who are very 
fond of any little diftindlion, either in the colour or 
fhape,* to enlarge their lifts. 
The forts which are here enumerated, I think may 
be allowed as diftindt fpecies, notwithftanding Dr. 
Linnaeus has reduced them to five •, for I have raifed 
many of all the forts from feed, which have con- 
ftantiy produced the fame as the feeds w ere taken 
from, and have only differed in the colour or fize of 
the flowers ; for the fort with broad leaves produced 
the fame fort again, and the umbellatcd and fpiked 
forts produced the fame, though there are feveral va- 
riet.es in the colours of their flowers. 
The firft hath a round compreffed root, in fhape like 
that of Corn flag, but is of a yellowifh white colour ; 
the ftalk riles about fifteen inches high, having three 
or four narrow long leaves placed alternately, and 
the top is divided into two (lender foot-ftaiks which 
turn downward, each fuftaining one bell-fhaped in- 
verted flower, compofed of fix petals, which are che- 
quered with purple and white like a chefs-board ; and 
in the center is fituated a germen fupporting one 
ftyle, crowned by a trifid ftigma; the fix ftamina 
ftand about the ftyle, but are fhorter. At the bottom 
of each petal there is a cavity, in which is fituated a 
nedlarium, filled with a fweet liquor ; after the flower 
is fallen, the germen fwells to a pretty large three- 
cornered blunt capfule, and then the foot-ftalk is 
turned and (lands erebl ; when the feeds are ripe, the 
capfule opens in three parts and lets out the fiat feeds, 
which were ranged in a double order. The flowers 
of this appear the latter end of March or beginning 
of April, and the feeds are ripe in July. There is a 
variety of this with a double flower. 
The fecond fort grows naturally in France •, the leaves 
of this are broader, and of a deeper green than the 
former-, the lower leaves are placed oppofite, but 
thofe above are alternate the ftalk rifes a foot and a 
half high, and is terminated by two flowers of an ob- 
fcure yellow colour, which fpread more at the brim 
than thofe of the firft fort, but are turned downward 
in the fame manner. This flowers three weeks after 
the firft. There is a variety of this with greenifh 
flowers, which grows naturally in lame parts of 
England. 
The third fort feldom rifes more than a foot high, 
the leaves are narrow like thofe of the firft fort, but 
are fhorter ; each ftalk is terminated by three or four 
flowers, which arife above each other ; they are of a 
very dark purple, chequered with yellowifh fpots. 
This flowers in April, about the fame time with the 
fecond. 
The fourth' fort rifes about a foot high, the ftalk is 
garnifhed with fpear-fhaped leaves four inches long 
and one broad, of a grafs-green colour; theft are 
fometimes placed oppofite, but are generally alter- 
nate ; the ftalk is terminated by one large bell-fhaped 
flower of a yellowifh colour, chequered with light - 
F R I 
purple. This fort flowers about the fame time as the 
firft. There are two or three varieties of this, which 
differ in the fize and colour of their flowers and the 
breadth of their leaves, but retain their fpecific dif- 
ference, fo as to be eafily diftingtiifhed from the other 
forts. 
The fifth fort rifes a foot and a half high ; the ftalk 
is garnifhed with fhorter and broader leaves than the 
firft fort, which are of a gravifh colour ; the flowers 
are produced round the ftalks like thofe of the Crown 
Imperial ; they are of a dark purple colour, che- 
quered with a yellowifh green; This flowers about 
the fame time with the fecond fort. 
The fixth fort is commonly called the Perfian Lily, 
and is fuppoftd to grow naturally in Perfia, but has 
been long cultivated in the Englifh gardens ; the root 
of this fort is round and large, the ftalk rifes three 
feet high ; the lower part of it is deftly garni (lied 
with leaves which are three inches' long, and half an 
inch broad, of a gray colour, Handing on every fide 
of the ftalks, but are twitted obliquely ; the flowers 
grow in a loofe fpike at the top of the ftalk, forming 
a pyramid ; they are fhaped like thofe of the other 
fpecies, but are much fhorter, and fpread wider at 
their brims, and are not bent downward like thofe. 
They are of a dark purple colour, and appear in May, 
but are feldom fucceeded by feeds in England, fo are 
only propagated by offsets. 
The i eve nth fort hath a much fhorter ftalk than the 
laft, but is garnifhed with leaves like thofe, only they 
are fmailer ; the ftalks branch out at the top into fe- 
veral fmall foot-ftalks, each fuftaining one dark co- 
loured flower. This is commonly called the fmall 
Perfian Lily, from its refemblance to the former fort. 
Thefe plants are propagated either by feeds, or off- 
fets from the old roots ; by the firft of which methods 
new varieties will be obtained, as aifo a larger flock 
of roots in three years, than can be obtained in twenty 
or thirty years in the latter method : 1 (hall therefore 
firft treat of their propagation by feeds. 
Ha ving provided yourfelf with fome good feeds, 
faved from the faireft flowers, you muft procure fome 
(hallow pans or boxes, which muft have fome holes 
in their bottoms to let out the moifture ; thefe you 
fhould fill with light frefh earth, laying a few po.t- 
fheards over the holes, to prevent the earth from 
flopping them ; then, having laid the earth very level 
in the boxes, &c. you muft fow the feeds thereon 
pretty thick, covering it with fine fifted earth a 
quarter of an inch thick. The time for fowing the 
feed is about the beginning of Auguft, for if it be 
kept much longer out of the ground it will not grow; 
then place the boxes or pans where they may have 
the morning fun until eleven o’clock, obferving, if 
the feafon proves dry, to water them gently, as alio 
to pull up all weeds as foon as they appear ; for ■ if 
they are buffered to remain until they have taken deep 
root into the earth, they would draw the feeds out of 
the ground whenever they are pulled up. Toward 
the latter end of September you fhould remove ths 
boxes, &c. into a warmer flotation, placing them 
clofe to a hedge or wall expofed to the fouth ; if they 
are fown in pots, thefe fhould be plunged into the 
ground, but they are beft in tubs ; thefe fhoqld be 
covered in fevere froft. In this flotation they may . 
remain until the middle of March, by which time 
the plants will be come up an inch high ; you muft 
therefore remove the boxes, as the weather increafes 
hot, into a more fnady flotation ; for while the plants 
are young, they are liable to fuffer by being too much 
expofed to the fun : and in this fhady flotation they 
may remain during the heat of the fummer, obferving 
to keep them clear from weeds, and to refrefli them 
now and then with a little moifture ; but be careful 
not to give them much water after their leaves are 
decayed, which would rot their roots. About the 
beginning of Auguft, if the roots are very thick in 
the boxes, you fhould prepare a bed of good light 
frefh earth, which muft be levelled very even, upon 
which you fhould fpread the earth in the boxes in 
wh ich 
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