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Urginea (From the name of an Arab tribe)

(from the name of an Arab tribe, Ben Urgin, in Algeria). Including Squilla. ORD. Liliaceae. A genus comprising about two dozen species of stove, greenhouse, or hardy, bulbous plants, natives of Europe, the Mediterranean region, the East Indies, and tropical and South Africa. Flowers usually numerous, in a terminal raceme, rather small or mediocre, on articulated pedicels; perianth whitish or rarely pale yellowish or pink, at length deciduous; segments six, distinct, nearly equal, campanulate-connivent or spreading; stamens six; scape simple, leafless; bracts small, scarious. Leaves radical, sometimes very narrow-linear, sometimes broadly loriform or nearly oblong. The bulbs of U. maritime are well-known in medicine as Squills. The species best known in gardens are here described. With the exception of U. maritima, all are natives of South Africa, and require greenhouse heat. For culture, see Scilla.

U. altissima (very tall). fl., perianth nearly campanulate, three to four lines long, the segments whitish, with a purplish-green keel, ligulate; pedicels slightly spreading or ascending, the lower ones six to nine lines long; raceme cylindrical, dense, 1ft. to 2ft. long, 1 1/2in. to 2in. broad; scape 2ft. to 3ft. long, 1/2in. or more thick. May. l. five or six, lorate-lanceolate, glabrous, 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. long, 1 1/2in. to 2in. broad at base, acute at apex. Bulb globose, 4in. to 6in. thick. 1789. SYN. Drimia altissima (B. M. 1074).

U. exuviata (stripped). fl., perianth five to six lines long, the segments whitish, purple-keeled; pedicels ascending, the lower ones four to six lines long; raceme rather dense, ten to twenty-flowered, 2in. to 4in. long. June. l. two to four, hard, semi-terete, glabrous, flexuous, 1in. to 1 1/2in. long, half to three-quarters of a line broad. Bulb globose, 1in. to 1 3/4in. thick, the outer scales long-produced, transversely striped. 1795. "Jacquin applied the specific name of exuviata from some resemblance in the membranous tunics of the bulb to the sloughs annually cast by snakes." SYN. Albuca exuviata (B. M. 871).

U. filifolia (thread-leaved). fl., perianth three to four lines long, the segments whitish, purple-keeled, oblong; pedicels three to six lines long; raceme rather dense, six to twenty-flowered; scape erect, slender, 6in. to 15in. long. June. l. three to six, filiform, hard, glabrous, flexuous, 8in. to 12in. long, a quarter to half a line thick. Bulb globose, 1in. thick, fuscous-tunicated. 1820. SYN. Albuca filifolia (B. R. 557). U. fragrans (fragrant). fl. odorous; perianth five to six lines long, the segments whitish, purple-keeled, oblong; pedicels four to six lines long; raceme rather loose, twelve to twenty-flowered, 4in. to 6in. long; scape slender, terete, glaucous, 1ft. long. July. l. twelve to twenty, semi-terete, glabrous, persistent, 6in. to 8in. long, half a line broad. Bulb globose, 1 1/2in. to 2in. thick. 1791. SYN. Albuca fugax (B. R. 311). U. maritima (sea-loving).* Sea Onion; Squills. fl., perianth three to four lines long, the segments whitish, with a greenish-purple keel; pedicels six to nine lines long; raceme dense, 1ft. or more long; scape 1ft. to 3ft. long, terete, reddish. Autumn. l. appearing in spring, ten to twenty, lanceolate, fleshy-herbaceous, glaucous-green, glabrous, 1ft. to 1 1/2ft. long, 2in. to 4in. broad above the middle. Bulb ovoid, 4in. to 6in. thick. Mediterranean region, 1829. Half-hardy. SYNS. U. Scilla (B. M. Pl. 281), Ornithogalum Squilla (B. M. 918).

U. physodes (bladder-like). fl., perianth 1/4in. long, the segments whitish, purple-keeled; pedicels eight to ten lines long; raceme rather dense, thirty to sixty-flowered, 3in. to 5in. long, cylindrical; scape slender, 6in. long. June. l. five or six, lanceolate, fleshyherbaceous, glabrous, 6in. to 9in. long, 1in. to 1 1/2in. broad. Bulb purplish, 1 1/2in. to 1 3/4in. thick. 1804. SYN. Albuca physodes (B. M. 1046).

U. Scilla (Scilla). A synonym of U. maritima.