1.The wild hyacinth is one of the most beautiful of the flowers of spring-time，and it is also one of the most abundant①.In April，May，and June，we may find its flowers in many parts of the woods in such numbers that at a distance they look like wreaths②of blue smoke resting upon the ground.
2.The flowers have a rich，sweet perfume③，and wecan often tell by the scent alone that we are coming near a bed of hyacinths.
3.Let us dig up a wild hyacinth，bulb，roots，and all，so that we may have the entire plant to examine.The roots are slender④and thread-like.They growout of a bulb about an inch in thickness.This bulb，like the bulb of the onion，is made of many thick and fleshy leaves.
WILD HYACINTH
（野生风信子）
4.Several narrow leaves grow up from the bulb to the height①Abundant，plentiful.
②Wreaths，circles.
③Perfume，scent；smell.
④Slender，very thin.
of about a foot.From the centre of the bulb rises the flower-stem，which carries near its top from six to twelve small blue flowers.Sometimes，but not often，we find the wild hyacinth bearing white flowers，and sometimes purple flowers.
5.Each flower looks like a little bell，and for this reason the children in England often call the wild hyacinth the “blue-bell.”But in Scotland and some other places the name “blue-bell”is given to the hare-bell，a very different plant.
6.Each hyacinth flower has a little stalk of its own，by which it hangs from the main①stem.The outside of the flower consists of six separate deep-blue leaves or petals，which turn back at theirtips.Looking inside the bell formed by these blue leaves，we findsix dust-spikes or stamens，one growing upon each petal.
7.In the centre of the flower is the green seed-vessel；and if we cut this across，we shall find that it is divided into three parts，each of which contains several young seeds.
8.After the flowers have been open for a few days，the seed-vessels swell and become hard.The rest of the flower then withers away.The seed-vessel turns brown as it ripens，and in autumn it splits open and scatters its little black seeds on theground.These seeds then take root，and produce②new hyacinthplants.
9.What is the use of its bulb to the hyacinth？The bulb is a kind of store-house③，in which the plant lays up food during the summer，so that it may be able to grow quickly，and to flower early in the next spring.As the leaves and flowers grow，they use up all the food contained in the bulb，and it slowly wastes away.
10.But after the flowers have ripened and formed their seeds，the plant sets to work to make a new bulb，either above or on①Main，chief；most important.
②Produce，yield；bear.
③Store-house，a house in which things are stored or kept for use.
SECTION OF HYACINTH FLOWER
（风信子花朵截面图）
one side of the old one.Thus the same hyacinth plant grows on in the ground year after year，forming a new bulb every year.
11.Did you ever buy hyacinth bulbs to grow in pots or glasses，or in your garden？Such hyacinths aresomewhat different from the wild ones.Their six petals are joined together，except at the tips.The flowers are crowded more closely together on the flower-stalk than they are in the wild hyacinth，and are of more varied①colours.I hope that you will one day tryto grow a hyacinth in a glass of water.
SUMMARY
The hyacinth grows from a bulb composed of thick and fleshy leaves.It is a spring flower，and has a very sweet perfume.The flower-stem carries from six to twelve small blue，bell-like flowers.The seed-vessel is divided into three parts.The bulb acts as a store-house for food.As the flower grows the bulb wastes away.When the flowers have ripened，a new bulb begins to form.The flowers of the hyacinths grown in pots or glasses are more crowded and are of more varied colours than the wild ones.
【中文阅读】
1．野生风信子是春天最为美丽、数量最为众多的花朵之一。到了四月、五月、六月，经常可以在树林中看到大片大片的风信子。从远处望去，它们就如同一个个蓝色烟圈那样平铺在地面之上①。
2．风信子散发着浓郁的甜美香气，闻到这种香气，就能够知道附近肯定有一片风信子花床。
①Varied，different.
3．让我们连同球茎和根挖起一株完整的野生风信子，仔细观察这种植物。它的须根非常纤细，生长在一个厚度约为一英寸的球茎之上。这个球茎跟洋葱的一样，由很多肥厚、多汁的叶片组成。
4．球茎上长出几片高度约为一英尺的狭窄叶子。花葶从球茎的中间向上生长，在其靠近顶部的位置上则开有6-12朵蓝色小花。有时候也能看到盛开白色与紫色花朵的风信子，但不常见。
5．每一个花朵看起来都像一个小铃铛，为此，英格兰的孩子们经常把野生的风信子称作“蓝铃花”。然而，在苏格兰及其他一些地方，“蓝铃花”指的是另外一种完全不同的植物--圆叶风铃②。
6．风信子的每一花朵都有一枝连接茎干的小花梗。花朵的外部由六片分开的深蓝色花瓣组成，在靠近顶部的位置向下弯曲。仔细观察这些蓝色叶片构成的“铃铛”内部，就会看到六个花瓣上分别长有一个粉穗或雄蕊。
7．位于花朵中间的就是绿色种皮，我们将其切开，就会发现，种皮分为三个部分，其中每一个都包含若干小种子。
8．风信子的花儿盛开几天之后，种皮便会膨胀，变硬，花朵的其他部分则逐渐枯萎。种皮成熟之后变成棕色，到了春天，种皮裂开，于是，里面的黑色种子落到了地上。随后，这些种子生根发芽，成长为新的风信子。
9．风信子的球茎有什么用呢？它就像是一个储藏室，可以让风信子在夏天的时候储备食物，从而让自己快速生长，在来年的春季早一些盛开花朵。随着叶子与花朵的生长，风信子会把球茎中储存的养分全部消耗完毕，球茎也就逐渐失去了作用。
10．然而，当花朵成熟，形成种子时，原有的球茎上方或者一边就会长出新的球茎。因此，年复一年，新的球茎总是能够在原地生长成为另外一株风信子。
11．你是否买过风信子球茎，种植在花盆、玻璃瓶或花园之中？这些风信子与野生的有所不同。六个花瓣除了顶部，其余部分全部连接在一起。与野生风信子相比，家养风信子花茎上的花朵彼此依靠得更加紧密，而且颜色更加丰富。希望有一天你们可以亲手在一杯水中栽种一株风信子。
译注
①风信子属于“风信子科-风信子属”（以前是百合科），原产西亚、南欧一带，花期4月-5月，是著名的观赏植物。要注意的是，风信子含有生物碱，有毒，而鳞茎是毒性最强的部分。请读者千万别以为“跟洋葱一样”就能当洋葱来吃！
②“圆叶风铃草”，别名蓝铃花，是桔梗科风铃草属的多年生草本植物，分布在欧亚大陆的北部和北美洲。
THE FINNY PLAICE
