F RITILLARIA MELEAGRIS. 
Common FRixiLLARy. 
FRITILLARIA Lm. Get,. PI, Hexandeia Monogvnia. 
Rail. Syn. Gen. 26. Herbie radice bulbosa pr^dit^. 
FRITILLARIA Mckagris foliis omnibus alternis, caule unifloro. Li„. Syjl. Fegetei. t. 260. S». PI. 
p. 436. FI. Sueeic. n. 283. ^ y f 
FRITILLARIA caule paucifloro foliis caulinis gramineis alternis. Haller, hifi. n. 1235. 
FRlTILLi\RIA Meleagrh. Scopoli FI. Cam. n. 405, 
FRITILLa'^RIA prjecox purpurea variegata. Bauh. pm. 64. 
FRITILLARIA vulgaris. Parkinfon. Farad. 40. 
FRITILLARIA variegata. GerarJ. emac. 149. Rail. MJt. p. 1106. Hadfin. FI. Angl. el 2. p. 144. 
RADIX : Bulbus magnitudine nucis avellanze, folidus, 
albus, fubrotundus, in plures feparabilis, 
bulbo precedcntis anni, marcido, rugofo in 
theca quafi inclufus. 
CAULIS fpithamaeus et altior, eredVus, teres, limplex, 
liEvis, glaucus, haud infrequenter purpural- 
cens. 
FOLIA caulina quatuor, aut quinque, alterna, femi- 
amplexicauiia, fublinearia, inferne rotundata, 
fuperiie concava, I'ubtortuofa, glauca. 
* 
FLOS in fummitate caulis unicus, magnus, pfendulus, 
primum ovato-pyramidalis, tum campanula- 
tus. 
CALYX nullus. 
COROLLA : Petala fex, ovato-oblnnga, aequalia, al- 
bo ct purpureo pulchre teflelata, bafi gibbofa. 
A- '• 
NECTARIUM: fovea fublinearis, virefcens, prope ba- 
fin cujufvis petali unde gibbi externi, fig. i. 
STAMINA: Filamenta fex, fubulata, IiEvla, albida, 
germine duplo longiora ; Anther.® oblong*, 
fubcomprefl*, quadrifulcat*, mucrone viref- 
cente inftrudl*, demiflb polline duplo bre- 
viores ; Pollen flavum. 3. 
PISTILLUM: Germen trigonum, viride; Stylus 
teres, pubefcens, fuperne paululum incrafla- 
tus, trifidus, laciniis teretibus, divergentibus, 
interne et externe ad lentem canaliculatis ; 
Stigmata fimplicia, villofa. 4. 5. 
ROOT: a bulb about the fize of a hazel nut, folid, 
white, roundifh, divifible into feveral, inclo- 
fed by the withered, wrinkly bulb of the 
preceding year as in a cafe. 
STALK from half a foot to a foot in height, upright, 
round, fimple, glaucous, and not unfrequent- 
ly purpiilli. ’ 
LEAVES ofthcRalk about four or five in number, 
alternate, half embracing the ftalk, fome- 
what linear, round on the under and hollow- 
on the upper fide, fomewhat twilled and 
gl.iucous. 
FLOWER : a fingle bloflom on the top of the flaik, 
pendulous, firll lomewhat pyramidal, 
and afterwards bell-lhaped. 
CALYX wanting. 
COROLLA: fix Petals, of an oblong ovate lhape, 
equal, beautifully checquer'd with purple and 
white, and gibbous atthebafe. fig. i. 
NECTAR Y a narrow cavity of a greenilh colour, near 
the bafe of each petal, whence the external 
protuberances, fig. i. 
STAMINA : fix Fieaments, tapering, fmooth, 
whirilh, twice the length of the germen; 
Anther® oblong, flattilh, with four groves^ 
and a greenilh point at the top of each, be- 
coming Ihorter by one half on the Ihcdding 
of the Pollen, which is of a yellow colour 
fig- 2* * > 
PISTILLUM: Germen fcarce manifcftly three cor- 
ner’d, of a green colour; Style round, 
downy, a little thicken’d above, divided into 
three fegments, which are round, diverging, 
and mark’d both internally and externally 
withagroove, vifible with a magnifier ; Stig- 
mata fimple, villous, fig. 4. 5. 
THE Fritlllarla Meleagrh is one of thofe plants which have been difeovered to be indigenous to this country 
fince the time of Mr. Ray ; Mr. Blackstone is I believe the firfl: who mentions it as growing in Fields 
near Rjjlip Common Middlefex, plentifully, and in which place it had been obferved in his time for near fixtv 
years ; Mr. Hudson deferibes it as growing in the Meadows betwixt Mortlake and Kew, alfo near Endfield- Mr 
CuLLUM a very accurate and ingenious Botanift at hury 5 /. Edmunds, has fent me plants which he found'plen- 
tifully in a wild flate near that place, and this fpring I received information that it was found wild in a wood 
belonging to Mrs. Wilson, of Bromley in Kent. 
With thefe feveral authorities we lay, I think with propriety, conclude that it is a real native of this Ifland • 
it is found in fimilar fituations abroad, xwfylvh et palujlr'ibus, vld. jAC<iUiN F/. Auflr. F. 5. Ap. p. 43 
The blofl'cms before they are fully expanded, bear lome refemblance to a fnnke’s head, whence thev are called 
by the country people in fome places Snake's Heads, alfo checquer’d Duffhdil and 'Tulip. 
If the feafon be mild they flower in the begining of April, and are out of bloom in a fhort time. 
It is only regarded as an ornamental plant, and as fuch has long been cultivated in gardens, in which manv 
beautiful varieties are to be met with. 
