Hexandria. 
( 14 ) 
ME T AMORPHOSES of the NARCISSI. 
OWEVER fmgular it might appear, that purple Threads crept about 
like Worms among the Foot-ftalks of the Amaryllis ; or that from 
the Clufter of the profufe Ny 61 anthes rofe, one double Flower ; this 
Inftance, by a familiar Example, Ihews, that our Wonder, at one Objedf, is 
often owing to our Inattention to others : and that what appears moft ftrange 
in foreign Flowers, or foreign Transformations, is found familiarly, tho’ lefs 
confpicuouily in thofe of our own growth ; and is tranfa£l:ed daily in our Gar- 
dens. The fingle Narciffus, here figured, has the fame Kind of Threads, only 
white j and there is the Transformation made twice over. 
From the Seeds of the common fmgle Narciffus of our Country Gardens, rofe 
the Plant number’d i . in the prefent Plate, and from its Seeds which ripend in 
Perfection, was produc’d the other, of which there are two Views j and which, 
though rais’d thus from our own Seeds, is called Oriental. 
The common wild Narciffus, too mean a Plant, and too well known to need 
a Figure here, bears on the Summit of its weak Stalk, one large Flower. The 
two Parts of which, called the Nectarium or the Cup, and Petals, are both of 
the fame Yellow. We have other common Narciffiis’s which produce many Flow- 
ers upon ohe Stalk: thefe are altogether different: The Cup being naturally 
of one Colour, and the Petals of another j but the fingle flowered Kind is 
always uniform in TinCf. 
The Plant i. raifed from the Seeds of that Kind, produced Flowers in a 
Luxuriance unknown to the Species in its natural State, yet preferving their 
CharaCfer : Three grew upon one Stalk, with thofe fine Stipulse between them; 
but the Cup and Petals were as in the original Plant of one Colour. 
The Seeds of this Plant i. produced the other, 2. and here the Flowers a- 
gain, inftead of three, were only one upon each Stalk ; but vaftly large and 
delicately doubled. The Leaves differ’d alfo, for they were fhorter in the 
double Flower, and the Stalk was lower. We fee therefore, to bear one or 
many Flowers upon a Stalk, tho’ it has been efteemed a Mark of great Di- 
ftin^iion, may be the CharaCfer of a mere Variety ; and we are led by this 
toward believing the boldefl: Thing that ever was faid of Varieties, Linnaeus’s 
ReduCfion of the Primrofe and Cowflip to one Species 5 the Oxlip being a mid- 
dle Stage between them. 
The Manner in which the Doublenefs is produc’d in this Plant, is different 
make all the others which have been named j for the Structure of the Flower 
is alfo different. We have feen the Filaments produce the Doublenefs of the 
Tulip, Colchicum, and fuperb Lilly, all of this Clafs; and here they affift in 
the Change : but there is alfo a peculiar Part, the Nedlarium in the fingle Flow- 
er. This is naturally indented at the Edges j and in the double Flower it forms 
many of the inner Petals. Thofe Indentings are carry’d down to the Bafe, and 
make fo many diftindl Parts ; and the reft of the Addition is made from the Fi- 
laments, which, juft as in the Tulip, fpread into Breadth and fplit flatwife, 
each forming two or more Petals. 
The Change from a fingle Flower to a Clufter together, is not peculiar to 
the Garden in thefe Inftances, or to the fmgle field Plant we have nam’d j the 
Solomon’s Seal, in our Woods, has fometimes fingle, fometimes clufter’d 
Flowers, from each joint of the Stalk 5 and fo have many others. 
■ R H U- 
Nareiffi Yariantesv 
