ii L
rower. Stamens half the length of the perianth ; filaments
filiform, very slender ; anthers erect, equal in length to the
filaments, yellow, elliptical; pollen granules yellow, minute,
subglobular. Pistil longer than the stamens, but shorter
than the perianth ; germen green, 3-sided, slightly contracted
at its origin ; style green, about as long as the germen,
trifid, with internal deeply grooved stigmatic surfaces.
This neat little species of Fritillaria was received by
Dr. Neill, under the name here adopted, from the Botanic
Garden at Berlin, in August, 1835, and flowered in his
Green-house at Canonmills, near Edinburgh, in the following
April. No doubt it will thrive as well in the open air
as any other species of the genus.
I refer to Wikstrom with doubt, because I have not an
opportunity of consulting his original observations, and the
definitions of the species by authors, who quote him, scarcely
apply to the plant before me. The MS. name of Fischer is
attached to a specimen in my Herbarium, from the southern
part of the Volga, which he, with his usual kindness, sent
to me. It differs in no essential degree, which I can perceive,
from Dr. Neill’s plant, and is not the Fritillaria verticillata
of Ledebour, which is Fritillaria leucantha (Bot. Mag. t.3083.)
and what I have from Dr. Fischer under the names of Impe-
rialis leucantha, and Corona leucantha.-—Graham.
We are indebted to our highly-valued friends Drs.
Graham and Neill for supplying us with the materials which
have enabled us to publish this curious species of Fritillaria.
We have nothing to add to the above account, except that a
comparison with the description and figure given by Wikstrom
of F . ruthenica leaves no doubt of the identity of the two
plants.
The generic name alludes to the checqnered flowers so
frequent in the genus, and is derived from fritillus, a dice-
box. D . Don.