General Natural History Vol. 2 - A History of Plants

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• 366 rhe Hiflory of P L A N T S. 2• Narci.f!us Jcapo unifloro, neEiarii limbo campanulato, ereflr:,; , petala equante. . u'llt rl~ ![)af::: Tbe Jingle-flowered Narcijfus, with the limb of the 7teflart- fotnl. um campanulated, ereE!, and equal with the petals. The root is a moderately large, tunicated bu~b; the leav~s are a foot long, a third o f an w· c h b roa d , of a blut'lh -green colour ' flnated ' and nbbed· ohn eafc( h fide;• fofuj r or five of the{e rife with the fialk, and accompaqy i.t to the top, Wit _o,ut eparatwg rom it. The fialk is a foot high, green., hollow, finated, and has at 1t s top a fingle and very large flower, two inches long ; the petals of a pale yellow colour; and the neCl:a­rium or tube very large, and of a gold colour .. It is a native of England. Dodonreus calls It, Narciifus luteus fylvefiris; others, Pfeudo-N arci!rus An glicus. 3. Narcijfus fcapo multijloro, nefl~rio campanulato, foliis planis enjijormtbus. 'Ihe marty-flowered Narcijfus, with a campanulated ~anp:;;ftolbetcb lrDaffollil. neflarium, and plane enjiferm leaves. ,, The root is a large, tunicated, and fibrated bulb, .blackilh on the outfide, and white within: the leaves are ten inches long, half an mch broad, flat, fmoo~h, and edged like a fword: the ftalk is naked, hollow, green, ftriated,. and a foot h1gh ; at it's top fiand ten or twelve flowe:s, mode:ately large,. and of a dtfagre~able fmell : the petals are ufually white, fomettmes a httle yellow1ili ; the neetanum of a thong yellow. . . 11 . N ·~r. d' It is a native of the coafis of Spam and Italy. C. Bauhme ca s 1t, arc1uus me 10- luteus copiofiore flore adore gravi. 4· Narcijfus fcapo multij/oro, neflario campanulato, !Jrevi, foliis Jubulatis. The many-flowered Narcijfus, with a Jhort, campanulated neflarium, and Jubulated leaves. J!fjt 'jJOU;; quill e. The root is a tunicated bulb, brown on the outfide, white within, and fi brated : the leaves are a foot long; there ufually arife only_ two of t lel\1 from the 1 oat : they are of the thicknefs of a fmall packfhread at the bafe, and gradually fma~ler to the point; they look round, but are, when examined, furrowed along the ~uddle: the fialk is round, ilender, a foot high, and green : the flower fiands fomettmes .fingle; fometimes there are two on the ftalk, fomClimes more· the tube is long; the perals finall; the opening of the nectarium iinuated ; the whole fl?wer is of a beautiful yel-low, and a very fweet fmell. , . .. • .. . . . It is a native of Spain and Italy. C. Bauhme calls tt, Narclifus Jllil~tfohus luteus minor. The varieties of thefe four fpecies of N arciflus are almoft innumerable ; they are principally owing to culture, and confiil: in the mutiplicity ~f petals, and fize and co­lour of th~ corolla. TournefOit fills four or five pages, wHh the names of them, re­coun~ ing them as fpecies. ·r A N C R A T I U M. T HE calyx is an oblong, obtufe, compre!red fpatha, opening in the plane fide, and deciduous : the nectarium of the corolla is formed of a :fingle leaf,. ~f a cylindraceo-infundibuliform fbape, coloured at top, and with an open mouth dlvtded into ten fegments : the petals are fix, lanceolated and plane, and are inferted externally into the tube of the neCtarium above the bafe: the fiamina are fix fubulated filaments, affixed to the apex of the netl:arium; the antherre are oblong and incumbent; the germen is obtufely trigonal, and placed under the receptacle: the fiyle is filifo~m, a~d fomewhat longer than the fiamina; the fiigma is obtufe ; the fruit is a round1lh, tri-quetrous The Hijlory of P L A N T S. quetrous capfule, formed of three valves, and containing three cells : the feeds are nu­merous and globofe; the receptacle is columnar. It is figured by Dillenius, Hort. Elth. 2.ZI. AMARYLLIS. T HE calyx is an oblong, obtufe, comprelfed, emarginated fpatha, opening iil the plane fide, and deciduous : the corolla confifis of fix lanceolated petals ; the fl:amina are fix fubulated filaments : the antherre are oblong, incumbent, and af­furgent : the germen is roundifh, fulcated, and placed below the cup : the ftyle is .fi.lj .. form, of the length and fituation of the ftamina; the fiigma is trifid and flender: the fruit is an oval, or nearly o~al, capfule, formed of three valves, containing three cells : the feeds are numerous : the inflexion of the petals, flam ina, and pifiil, in this genus, is very different in the various fpecies. This genus comprehends the Lilionarcilfus of Tournefort and Dillenius. I. Amaryllis .fpatba multijlora, corollis revolutis, geni­talibus JtriElis. The many-flowered Amaryllis, with revolute flowers, and clofi fiamina. 3I:be <1Duernfep 1LtUp. This is by far the moil beautiful plant of it's genus, perhaps the moil: beautiful in the world. It's root is a large bulb; it's leaves are eight inches long, an inch broad, of a firong bluilh-green, and fmooth; eight or ten of them grow in a clufier, and they ufually droop their extremities toward the ground ; the fialk rifes not in the midft of thefe, but long before them, when the plant is of an age to flower: they only appear, after the il:alk is faded; this is tender, green, and fucculent, and is beautifully fpotted with purple at the bottom : at it's top fl:ands a clufter of ten or twelve flowers; they are very large> and of a fine bright red, fpangled, as it were, with gold~coloured {pots, which, in the fun, lbine like burnifhed gold. It is a native of Japan, but it thrives excellently wild in our iiland of Guernfey, where the roots were long fince fcattered by fame accident, and whence we have been plentifully fupp1ied ever fince. Cornutus and others call it, Narci!rus J aponicus rutilo fl. ore. 2. Amaryllis JPatha unijlora, corolla inequali, genitalibus declinatis. The fingle:flowered Amaryllis, with an unequal corolla, and declinated flamina. r The root is a bulb of the fize and figure of a fmall onion, but blackiil1 on the out-fide; the leaves are thick, oblong, and narrow ; the ilalk is a foot hjgh, ufually fingle; 1ometimes there are two from the fame root; it grows to a foot high, and is roundilh, fucculent, and of a reddilh colour : the fpatha, whil~ clofed, is of a beautiful red; when it burfis, a fingle flower appears. It is large, pendent, and of a bright red co­lour; the petals are difpofed three and three, and the middle one of the upper feries ftands more erect than the rell:. It is a native of Mexico. C. Bauhine calls it, Narci!rus Indicus totus ruber; others, Narcilfus Jacobreus flare fanguineo. The other fpecies of the Amaryllis are, r. The fmall-fl.owered, red Amaryllis. 2. The great, round-headed Amaryllis, with numerous red flowers. 3· The dwarf, many-flowered, Indian Amaryllis. 4· The Ja~aica Amaryllis, with red and yellow flowers. 5· The American, convallaria-leaved Am~ryllis. 6, The little, fingle-flow­ered, white Amaryllis. 7· The yellow, vernal Amaryllis. 8. The little, yellow, au­tumnal Amaryllis. Cultur.e makes many varieties of one or other of thefe fpecies, which are themfelves defcribed as fpecies by too many. PONTE ..