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MUSCÀRI commutatum.
Dark-purple Grape Hyacinth.
Linnean Class and Order. HEXANDRIA MONOGYNIA.
Natural Order. ASPHODELEÆ. Brown prodr. p. 214.
MUSCARI. Perianthium urceolatum, coloratum, fauce contractum : limbo
brevissimo, 6-dentato. Stamina 6, inclusa. Filamenta brevissima, perianthio
adnata. Sii/Iüssubulatus. Siig-ma 3-gonum, indivisum. Capsula
3-o-ona, 3-loculans: loculis subdispermis, apice elevatis. Semina sub-
globosa.
Plantæ (europææ) bulbosæ, humiles, fo liis angustis, scapis indivisis, floribus
spicato-raeemosis.
M. commutatum, racemo abbreviato, perianthiis ovatis : limbo 6-dentato connivente,
foliis linearibus canalieulatis flaccidis.
Muscari commutatum. Ouss. pl. rar. p. 145. prodr.fi. sic. 1. p. 426. Schult,
fil. sijst. 7. p. 593.
Bulbs clustered, ovate, dark-brown. Scapes about half
the length of the leaves, cylindrical, pale green. Leaves
spreading, flaccid, ahout half a foot long, linear, paler and
channelled above, dark-green, striated, and convex beneath,
with the edges occasionally slightly ciliated. Flowers about
20, dark-purple, scentless, racemose. Raceme short. Pedicels
about a line in length, and together with the bractes, of
a deep blue. Perianthium ovate, urceolate, furrowed, about
2 lines long, angular at the ap e x ; mouth closed by the 6
connivent, blunt, lacinife. Stamens 6, very short, inclosed.
Style white, about as long as the ovarium. Capsule triangular,
obcordate, deeply notched.
This pretty little bulbous plant is frequent in open, grassy
meadows, in Italy and Sicily. It comes next to M . race-
mosum, but in that the leaves are nearly filiform, and the
perianthium longer, with the lacinise spreading, and the
mouth consequently open. Our specimens were communiRd.
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