and others. The genus bids fair to become as popular in 
gardens as the Hippeastrums, most of the species growing 
well under cultivation and flowering freely towards the end 
of the year, when their bright-coloured, elegant flowers 
are especially valuable. As is the case with many bulbous 
plants from South Africa, the Nerines are in active growth 
in winter, ripening in May or June, and resting till 
October, when they push up their flower-scapes, generally 
before the new leaves appear. 
For the introduction of N. Bowdeni we are indebted to 
Mrs. Cornish Bowden, of Oaklawn, Newton Abbot, who 
received it from her son in South Africa, and presented 
several bulbs to Kew in 1905. She wrote :—‘‘ Some years 
since my son Athelstan sent me some bulbs of a Nerine 
from Cape Colony. I have flowered them for three years, 
and they are very beautiful. Unlike the majority of 
Nerines, this never has a dormant stage, the leaves re- 
maining green until the flowers are well in bloom. I have 
one spike with twelve flowers upon it.” Shortly after- 
wards Mr. Gumbleton flowered it, the inflorescence here 
figured having been forwarded to Kew by him (see Gar- 
dener's Chronicle, 1904, vol. xxxv. p. 105; it also flowered in 
the nursery of Messrs. R. Veitch & Sons at Exeter. The 
Kew plants have flowered annually in November, but they 
have from the first lost their leaves after making their 
growth, as do all the Nerines and Brunsvigias. 
Descr.—Bulbs varying in size, producing offsets freely, 
the largest being bottle-shaped, the swollen portion ovoid, 
2 in long and 14 in. in diameter; the neck narrow and 
2 in. long, the outer tunic thin, smooth, shining, pale 
brown. Leaves 6 in. to a foot long, $ to 1 in. broad in 
the middle, gradually narrowing downwards and to the 
obtuse apex, slightly channelled, glossy green, deciduous. 
Scape nearly cylindrical, hollow, thick as a swan’s quill, 
12 to 18 in. long. Spathes scarious, about 2 in. long, 
green, changing to pink with age. Umbel loose, 9 in. 
across, coinposed of from 6 to 12 centripetal flowers; 
pedicels trigonous, 2 in. long, green tinged with brown, 
stouter than in other Nerines. Ovary sub-globose, 3- 
lobed, polished green, Perianth subborizontal, composed 
of six spreading recurved segments 2 to 3 in. long, 4 in. 
wide, slightly wavy in the recurved portion, rose pink, the 
