ALLITERATION, in rhetoric, is a fi gure, or decoration in language, chiefly used in poetry, and consisting in the re petition of the same letter or letters at certain intervals, whence the name is de rived.
ALLIUM4arlle, in botany, a genus of the Hexandria Mohogynia class and or der ; the calyx is a common sheath, and many-flowered; the corolla consists of six oblong petals ; the stamina have six fila ments, generally of the length of the co rolla ; the anthers are oblong and upright ; the pistilltith has a germ, superior, short, blUntlY three-cornered; the pericarpium is a capsule, short, broad, three-celled and three-valved; the seeds arc many and round. There are 53 species, according to Willdenow, distributed into several divisioni. The common garlic has a large round white bulbous root, of an irregular form, with numerous fibres at the bottom, composed of Many smaller bulbs denomi nated' doves, which are included in a common membranous covering, each of which being planted, grows, and in one season attains the size and structure of theparent bulb; the leaves are cauline, or form a kind of stalk, which seldom spindles, except when the same roots re main in the grciund two 'or three years, when they run up and bear a flower and small bulbs at the top. It deserves to be cultivated in the garden for the sake of its which is in great estimation for culinary and other domestic purposes. Indeed, the roots, as well as all the other parts pf the plant, have a very acrid taste, with an highly offensive smell, which has rendered , its cultivation in gardens less desirable. It is a hardy plant, capable of growing in most sorts of soils and situa tions, and readily propagated either roots or seeds.
Rocambole has very small compound bulbs, which grow in clusters ; the stalk generally spindling two or three feet high, with many bulbs at its summit, which, as well as the root bulbs, are useful for the same purposes as garlic, though much in ferior. The latter, or the flowery kinds, have the flower-stems rising immediately from the root, growing erect, and attain ing different heights, from twelve to thir ty inches ; in some the leaves are radical, in others mane, or elevated with the stalk ; some are broad like those of a tu lip, others long- and narrow like a daffo dil, and some taper and rush-like ; but in all the sorts the stems are terminated by a sort of' sheath, from which is protruded an aggregate of many small flowers, form ing a kind of umbel. The flowers singly
are composed each of six petals, which, though separately_ small, from many be ing collected into large heads, are very conspicuous. Of the second division, or the onion kind, the characters, &c. of which are the same as those of earlic, the species are these: 1. Cepa, or com mon onion; the best garden varieties of which arc, the Strasburgh or common round onion, the oval or long-keeping common onion, the Spanish large flat onion, the Spanish silken-skinned onion, the Spanish red-skinned onion, and the Portugal great roundish oval onion. 2. Fistulosum, or the ciboule or Welsh on ion. 3. Schmnoprasum, cives.or chives. 4. Ascalonicum, eschalot or schallot. 5. Canadense, or Canada-tree onion. All the first species and varieties have large bul bous roots, and the plants are biennial, or, being sown in the spring, arrive at per fection in the root the same year, and next year shoot up into stalk, flower, and ripen seed, when the stalks quickly die, and the individuals are annihilated. But the second and third species never form any bulbs at bottom; they are, how ever, hardy and perennial, and may be continued many years. And the fourth and fifth species are bulbous rooted pe rennials, multiplying greatly by off-sets, as is evident from their culture.
Ciboule or Welsh onion. This is a pe rennial plant, which never forms any bulb at bottom; therefore deserves to be cul tivated only to be drawn as young green onions for salads, &c. in spring; but, on account of its strong taste, it is greatly inferior to those of the common onion. From the plants being so extremely har dy as to survive the severest winter, in which, though their blades be cut off; the roots remain sound, and shoot-forth with great vigour early in spring, furnishing seasonable supplies till May, when they generally run to seed. From this singu lar hardness they may be cultivated more or less as at winter standing crop, 'with advantage, for spring use.