62 THE DICTIONARY 
OF GARDENING, 
Amaranthus— continued. 
A.s. aureus (golden). jf. of a fine brownish golden hue, very 
effective when grown in masses, 
A. tricolor (three-coloured),* l. of a fine transparent purplish 
red, or dark carmine, from the base to the middle ; a large spot of 
bright yellow occupies the greater part of the upper end of the 
leaf; point generally green; leafstalks yellow. h. lift. East 
Indies, 1548. 
requiring a somewhat warmer situation. See Fig. 74. 
AMARYLLIDACES. A large and important order 
of usually bulbous plants, sometimes with a stem. Flowers 
solitary, umbellate or paniculate; perianth superior, six- 
lobed, often with a corona at the top of«the tube. Leaves 
ensiform or linear. This order contains many very beauti- 
genera, including Agave, Amaryllis, Crinum, Haman- 
thus, Hippeastrum, Narcissus, Pancratiwm, and several 
others, ; 
AMARYLLIS (from Amaryllis, the name of a country- 
woman mentioned by Theocritus and Virgil). ORp. 
Amaryllidacee. Half-hardy or hardy deciduous bulbous 
plants. Flowers large, sweet-scented, pedicelled; scape 
tall, solid, compressed; spathe two-leaved; umbels few- 
flowered; perianth with a very short tube, funnel-shaped, 
six-parted, sub-regular or irregular ; segments many-nerved, 
broad, undulate, spreading sOmewhat at the apices; . 
stamens at the summit of the tube, unequal, declined ; * 
anthers fixed by the middle, incumbent, curved into a cir- 
cular arch after,bursting ; style declined ; stigma thickened, 
sub-three-lobed. Cap obovate; seeds globose, fleshy. 
Leaves appearing at a different season from the scapes, 
numerous, strap-shaped. The following genera are some- | 
times arranged hereunder, but we shall treat -them 
separately: Brunsvigia, Crinum, Hippeastrum; Nerine, 
Phycella, Sprekelia, Sternbergia, Vallota, Zephyranthes. 
Warm, dry, and well-drained positionsy 
houses, or at the base of south or south-west walls, are the 
most suitable sites for A. Belladonna and its-varieties. The 
soil should be sgppowed of good fibrous loam, leaf mould, 
and sand in equal parts. Place the bulbs 6n or Sin. deep, | 
and surround with sand, 3 
with the compost, which should» be pressed firmly about 
them; they should not be again disturbed for years, when 
they will ultimately establish themselves, and produce 
grand masses of bloom. The best time to plantia ra ke 
is June or July, when they commence root- n, before the | 
flower-stems are sent up. If thé surface when they are 
planted be covered with ‘Breen saxifrage or sedum, it’ will 
mie much neater appearance’ when the plants are in 
bloom. In their growing season, and in dry weather, an 
: . ak 
* 
j SS ee: 
Fic. 75. AMARYLLISYBELLADONNA, showi it ab 
G YELIS:B à, showing Habit ab Flowering 
occasional soaking òf clear water, or liquid manute, will be 
greatly beneficial. -The extremely ornamental plants now 
largely grown, and frequently >] sed as Amaryllis in 
nurserymen’s catalogues, belong tœthe genus Hippeastrum. 
There are several garden varieties of this species, ~ 
„front of hot- — 
after Egitichathey. may be co¥ered | 
„= A. eft, 
For pot culture of the Belladonna ‘Lily, see Hippeastrum. 
¥ 
Amaryllis—continued. 
A. Belladonna.* Belladonna Lily. This splendid species is 
very variable, both in the size and colour of the flowers, fre- 
quently producing variously shaded flowers, from almost white to 
a reddish or purplish hue, Autumn. West Indies, 1712. See 
Fig. 75. The leaves and flowers are not produced together, In 
Fig. 76 they are both shown in the same illustration for economy 
of space. 
‘4 
ibe 
Fig. 76. AMARYLLIS BELLADONNA, showing Bulb and Flower Sp! 
A. B. pallida (pale).* A pale-coloured variety of this species- 
AMATEUR. By this term it is usually meant to refer 
to-one who has a taste for a particular pursuit, and who is, 
in a pecuniary point of view, independent of it. An 
amateur ener is one who rears and grows his plants — 
and cultivates his garden for his own amusement, for mere 
_ love of it. 
SWEET. See Hypericum Androse- 
mum. A i 
AMBER-TREE. See Anthospermum. 
AMBROSINIA (commemorative of Professor Git 
cinti. Ambrosini, of Bologna). ORD. Aroidew. A curious, 
half-hardy, tuberous perennial, thriving in any light soil, 
with protection in winter. Increased by seeds and bY- 
divisions. The former should be sown, as soon as Tipe, — 
in a cool house; and the latter should bo made just 
previous to new growth in spring. me ok ; 
