Cl I 
in the bottom of the flower , fupportiiig a long /lender ftyle , 
crowned by a [mail trifid ftigma. The germen afterward 
'becomes an oval capfule with three cells , each containing 
one or two oval feeds. 
This genus of plants is ranged in the firft feflion of 
Linnaeus’s llxth clafs, intitled Hexandria Monogynia, 
the flower having fix ftamina and one ftyle. 
The Species are, 
1. Crinum ( Africanum ) foliis fublanceolatis planis, co- 
rollis obtufls. Lin. Sp. Plant. 292. Crinum with plain 
~ fpear-fhaped leaves , and obtufe petals. Hyacinthus Af- 
ricanus tuberofus, flore casruleo umbellato. Hort. 
Amft. 1. p.133. African tuberous Hyacinth, with a blue 
umbellated flower. 
2. Crinum {Afmticum) foliis carinatis. Flor, Zeyl. 127. 
Crinum with keel-Jhaped leaves. Lilium Zeylanicum, 
bulbiferum 8 c umbelliferum. H. L. 682. 
g. Crinum ( Americanum ) corollarum apicibus introrfum 
unguiculatiSi, Lin. Sp. Plant. 292. Crinum with the 
tops of the petals formed on the infide like the nails of a 
finger. Lilio-afphodelus Americanus fempervirens, 
maximus Polyanthus albus, Com. Rar. PI. 15. tab. 
* 5 - 
4. Crinum ( Latifolium ) foliis ovato-lanceolatis acumi- 
natis fefiilibus planis. Lin. Sp. 419. Crinum with oval , 
fpear-Jhaped, plain leaves , ending in acute points . Jo- 
vanna-pola-tali. Hort Mai. voi. 11. p. 77. 
The firft; fort grows naturally at the Cape of Good 
Hope, from whence it was brought to the gardens in 
Holland, and hath fince been fpread into moft of the 
curious gardens in Europe. The root of this plant 
is compofed of many thick flefhy fibres, diverging 
from the fame head, which ftirike deep into the 
ground, and put out many fmaller fibres, which are 
white and flefhy ; from the fame head arifes a duller 
of leaves furrounding each other with their bafe, fo 
as to form a kind of herbaceous ftalk, about three 
inches high, from which the leaves fpread only two 
ways, appearing flat the other two. The flower-ftalk 
arifes by the fide of thefe leaves, which is round, 
hollow, and near three feet high, terminated by 
a large head of flowers, included in a kind of fheath, 
which fplits into two parts, and is reflexed. The 
flowers Hand each upon a foot-ftalk about one inch 
long ; they are tubulous, have but one petal, which 
is cut almofl to the bottom, into fix oblong blunt 
fegments, which are waved on their edges ; in the 
center is fituated an oval three-cornered germen, fup- 
porting a long ftyle, which is attended by fix fta- 
mina, two of the fame length, two fomewhat fhorter, 
and the two which reft; upon the lower fegments are 
the fhorteft. The flowers are of a bright blue colour, 
and grow in large umbels, fo make a fine appearance. 
They begin to flower in September, and frequently 
continue in beauty till fpring, which renders them 
more valuable. 
This plant is propagated by offsets, which come out 
from the fide of the old plants, and may be taken off 
the latter end of June, at which time thefe plants are 
in their greateft ftate of reft ; when the plants fhould 
be turned out of the pots, and the earth carefully 
cleared away from the roots, that the fibres of the 
offsets may be better diftinguifhed, which fhould be 
feparated from thofe of the old roots, being careful 
not to break their heads. But where they adhere fo 
clofely to the old plant, as not to be fo feparated, they 
muft be cut off with a knife, taking great care not 
to wound or break the roots of either the offsets or 
the parent plant.. When thefe are parted, they fhould 
be planted each into a feparate pot, filled with light 
kitchen-garden earth, and placed in a fhadv fituation, 
where they may enjoy the morning fun, giving them 
a little water twice a week, if the weather proves 
dry ; but they muft not have too much wet, efpeci- 
ally at this feafon, when they are almoft inactive"; for 
as the roots are flefhy and fucculent, they are apt to 
rot with great moifture. In about five weeks" time 
the offsets will have put out new roots, when the pots 
may be removed to a more funny fituation, and then 
they may have a little more water, which will {Lengthen 
their flowering, blit it muft not be given them too li- 
berally for the reafons before given. In September 
they will put out their flower- (talks, and toward the 
end of that month the flowers will begin to open, 
when, if the weather fhould not be good, they fhould 
be removed under flicker, to prevent the flowers from 
being injured by froft or too much wet •, but they 
fhould have as much free air as poflible, otherwife 
the flowers will be pale-coloured and weak. Toward 
the end of OTobei* they fhould be removed into the 
green-houfe, and placed where they may enjoy as 
much free air as poflible, and not be over-hung by 
other plants *, and during the winter, they may have 
a little water once a week or oftener in mild weather,, 
but in froft they fhould be kept dry. This plant only 
requires protection from froft and moifture, fo fhould 
not have any artificial warmth in winter, and muft be 
placed in the open air in fummer. 
The fecond fort hath large bulbous roots, which 
fend out many large flefhy fibres, having bulbs formed 
at their ends ; the leaves are near three feet long, 
hollow on their upper fide, and clofely fold over each 
other at their bafe, fp reading out on every fide; the 
outer leaves generally turn downward at the top ; 
they are of a deep green, obtufe at their points, with 
a ridge on their under fide. The flower-ftalk arifes 
on one fide the leaves, which is thick, fucculent, 
hollow in the middle, and a little compreffed on two 
Tides ; this grows two feet high or more, and is of 
the fame colour with the leaves, and are terminated 
by large umbels of flowers, with a fheath or covert 
which fplits lengthways, and reflexed back to the 
ftalk, where it dries and remains •, the tubes of the 
flowers are narrow, near four inches long, and the 
upper part is deeply cut into fix long fegments, 
which are reflexed back almoft to the tube •, in the 
center arifes the ftyle, attended by fix long ftamina, 
which ftand out beyond the petal, and is terminated 
by oblong proftrate fummits of a yellow colour. 
After the flowers are paft, the germen, which is fi- 
tuated at the bottom of the tube, becomes a large, 
roundilh, three-cornered capfule, having three cells, 
two of which are generally abortive, and the third 
hath one or two irregular bulbs, which if planted 
produce young plants. 
The third fort hath broader leaves than the fecond, 
which are plain, and not hollowed on their upper 
fide, but they are fhorter and of a lighter green ; thefe 
embrace each other at their bafe ; by the fide of thefe 
arife the flower-ftalk, which is compreffed and hollow, 
rifling about two feet high, and terminated by large 
umbels of white flowers, like thofe of the former fort, 
but the fegments of the petal are broader and not fo 
much reflexed. 
The fourth fort hath roots like thofe of the fecond 
fort ; the leaves of this are narrower at their bafe, 
and are ftained with purple on their under fide ; the 
flower-ftalks are purple, and grow to the fame height 
as thofe of the fecond •, the flowers are in fnape like 
them, but the tube is purple, and the fegments have 
a purple ftripe running through them ; the ftamina 
alfo are purple, which renders this more beautiful 
than either of the other forts ; and thefe differences 
are conftant in all the plants which rife from feeds, 
fo there can be no doubt of its being a diftincl fort. 
Thefe three forts grow naturally in both Indies, fo 
are very tender, therefore muft be kept in a warm 
ftove, otherwife they will not thrive in England ; 
they are eafily propagated by offsets, which the roots 
put out in plenty ; or by the bulbs which fueceed 
the flowers, and ripen perfectly here. Thefe muft be 
planted in pots filled with rich earth, and if plunged 
into the tan-bed in the ftove, the plants will make 
greater progrefs and flower oftener, than when they 
are placed on (helves *, though in the latter way they 
will fucceed very well, provided they are kept in a 
good temperature of heat. The roots fhould be 
tranfplanted in the fpring, and all the offsets taken 
off, otherwife they will fill the pots and ftarve the 
old plants : they muft be frequently refreflied with 
4 L water. 
