222 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
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Bulbine—continued. : 
B. alooides (Aloe-like).* /l. yellow, disposed in a terminal panicle. 
April. l. fleshy, tongue-shaped, lanceolate, flat on both sides. 
h. lft. Cape of Good Hope, 1782. SYN. Anthericum alooides. 
(B. M. 1317.) 
B. annua (annual). /l. yellow; scape racemose. May, June. l. 
fleshy, subulate, rounded. A. 9in. Cape of Good Hope, 1731. 
An annual species, the seeds of which should be sown in a gentle 
heat during spring, and the seedlings may be transplanted to the 
open when large enough to handle. SYN. Anthericum annuum. 
(B. M. 1451.) 
B. caulescens (caulescent).* fl. yellow. March. Z. fleshy, rounded. 
Stem shrubby, erect, branched. A. 2ft. Cape of Good Hope, 1702. 
A shrubby species, which should be propagated by cuttings, placed 
under a hand glass. SYN. B. frutescens. (B. M. 816.) 
B. frutescens (shrubby). Synonymous with B. caulescens. 
BULBOCODIUM (from bolbos, a bulb, and kodion, 
wool; referring to the woolly covering of the bulbs). ORD. 
Liliacee. TRIBE Colchicee. A very pretty little bulbous 
plant, much resembling the Crocus, from which it differs prin- 
cipally in having a superior ovary and six stamens. It is 
amongst the earliest of spring-flowering plants, the flowers 
preceding the foliage; and, like the majority of bulbs, 
delights in rich sandy loam. In such positions, they multiply 
rapidly from offsets. It is a good plan to take up the bulbs, 
divide, and replant them every second year, selecting in 
autumn, and renewing the soil or planting in new positions. 
Few plants prove more welcome in the garden, in February, 
than B. vernum, either in beds, patches, or masses. 
B. Aitchisoni (Aitchison’s). A synonym of Merendera Aitchisoni. 
B. Eichleri (Eichler’s). A synonym of Merendera caucasica. 
B. trigynum, A synonym of Merendera caucasica. 
à ’ 
Fic. 301. BULBOCODIUM VERNUM. 
B. vernum (spring).* jl. violet-purple, with a white spot on tl 
claw as long, tubular, funnel-shaped, two io hol rly rote aie: 
m ing the appearance of the leaves. Very early spring. 
- usually three in number, broadly strap-shaped, concave, and 
surrounded at the base by well-developed sheaths. Bulb black 
oblong. k. 4in. to 6in. Spain, 1649. See Fig. 301. is a 
is a variety with the leaves striped white, which is also desirable. 
BULBOPHYLLUM (from bulbos, a bulb, and phyllon, 
a leaf ; referring to the leaves issuing from the apex of the 
pseudo-bulbs), Syns. Anisopetalum, Bolbophyllum, Tri- 
brachium. ORD. Orchidew. Of this rather large genus of 
orchids but few are worth cultivating except as curiosities. 
Racemes long or spike-like, very rarely one-flowered or 
sub-umbellate ; sepals usually nearly equal and free; lip 
jointed to the foot of the column. ‘They are of easy cul- 
ture when grown on small blocks of wood with a little 
Pad 
Bulbophyllum—continued. 
moss, and suspended in a warm part of the house; the roots 
require a good supply of water. Propagated by dividing 
the pseudo-bulbs. 
The following comparative few of the aggregate number 
of species already introduced are really all that are worth 
the cultivator’s attention; what the botanist often regards 
as being very pretty, &c., does not always appear such in 
the eyes of the grower. 
B. barbigerum (bearded).* fl., sepals and petals greenish-brown ; 
lip covered with dark-coloured hair, and so loosely attached at 
the baseas to be moved with the slightest breath. Sierra Leone, 
1835. A curious dwarf-growing plant, with dark green leaves and 
pseudo-bulbs. (B. R. 1942.) 
B. Becearii (Beccari’s). fl. light brownish and painted with | 
violet; lip brown, with a violet hue, proceeding from reste | 
at the base of the leaf (just below the small pseudo-bulb), and 
once turning downwards; racemes dense, cylindrical, nodding. 
l. three, 25in. long, 18in. across, very thick. Rhizome 20in. long. 
Brazil, 1879, A remarkable and gigantic climbing species ; the 
odour of this plant is intolerably fcetid, and the leaves are larger. 
than those of any other known orchid. This species requires 
plenty of heat. (B. M. 6517.) 
B. Lobbi (Lobb’s).* fl. large ; sepals and petals yellow, the upper 
part spotted with ad hee solitary, on radical scapes. Summer. 
Java, 1845. (B. M. 4532.) 
B. maculatum (spotted). 
bright green. India. 
B. reticulatum (netted-leaved).* jl. in pairs, white, striped 
inside with purple ; lip spotted with the same colour. J. some- 
what heart-shaped, with the nerves of a deeper green than the 
rest of the leaf, giving it a beautifully reticulated appearance. 
Brazil, 1866. Perhaps the handsomest of the genus. (B. M. 5605.) 
B. saltatorum (dancing). fl. greenish-brown, lasting some time 
in perfection. Winter. %. 6in. Sierra Leone, 1835. (B. R. 1970.) 
B. siamense (Siamese).* fl. pale yellow, striped with purple ; lip 
yellow, streaked with purplish lines. A very pretty species, 
Carne! allied to B. Lobbi, but with longer an 
Pseudo-bulbs ovate. Siam, 1867. Sh 
peat and sphagnum. 
'TYLES (from bolbos, a bulb, and stylos, the 
style). ORD. Composite. 
green plants, now referred to Eupatorium. 
BULBS. A Bulb is formed upon or beneath the 
ground, and is a swollen stock, consisting, in the first place, 
of a more or less fleshy disk, which below gives rise to the 
roots; secondly, of more or less fleshy coats, or scales, 
borne on the disk; thirdly, of a more or less central shoot, 
equally borne by the disk, protected by. the coats or scales 
already mentioned, and formed of rudimentary leaves and 
flowers. In some instances, small Bulbs, called Cloves, are 
ñ. prettily spotted, l. long, obtuse, 
stouter leaves. 
be grown in a pot of 
formed at the base of the scales of the original Bulb; these . 
are destined to reproduce the plant. Shallot and Garlic are 
good examples. Bulbs are, in fact, storehouses, husbanding 
the strength and energy acquired by the plant during one 
season, for the exigencies of the next. They are classified 
under two sections—Scaly and Tunicated. In the former, 
the scales of the Bulb are imbricated, as in the Lily; in 
the latter, they form continuous coatings, one within the 
other, as in the Hyacinth, &c. In several Lilies, young 
Bulbs are found growing in the axils of the leaves, when 
they are known as Bulbils. Bulbs is also a popular term 
given to Dutch Flower Roots, mostly arriving here in the 
autumn for spring flowering. Crocus, Colchicum, Cyclamen, 
Gladiolus, and several others, are not Bulbs, but Corms. 
The flowering season varies according to the different sorts 
of Bulbs. The majority may be lifted and kept tolerably 
dry during the resting period ; but they wither and become 
exhausted if not replanted at the proper time, thereby 
causing many failures. Dutch Bulbs generally arrive in 
September, and the best results are obtained from those 
potted or planted at once, although some for succession 
may be kept in reserve up till the beginning of November. 
The failure in cultivating imported Liliums and other 
Bulbs may be often caused by their long-continued con- 
finement in a dry atmosphere, whereby their vitality 
is often almost lost. The roots of some Bulbs are nearly 
always, more or less, in action, and these, especially, should 
not be kept out of the ground for any length of time. 
A small genus of stove ever- 
