January 22, 1910 



HORTICULTURE. 



105 



Plant Novelties From China 



The genus Lilium holds a peculiar place in the affec- 

 tions of all sorts and conditions of people. The purity 

 of the coloring in their large, handsome, often delicately 

 fragrant flowers give them an air of distinction and a 

 decorative value not excelled by any other family. The 

 far East is the headquarters of the genus and the home 

 of the majority of its most esteemed members. Lilium 

 auratum, the noblest of all, is Japanese in origin and so 

 also is L. speciosum and its varieties. Lilium longiflor- 

 um (with its varieties now generally known as the Ber- 

 muda Lily) is of Chinese origin being botanically re- 

 garded as one of the forms of the polymorphic L. 

 Brownii. In all 32 species of Lilium are known from 

 China, 17 of which are peculiar. These include some of 

 the most useful and beautiful of the family and, what is 

 of tlie utmost importance, Lilies possessing a sound, 

 hardy constitution. 



It is well-known that many species of Lilium have an 

 unfortunate habit of dying out after once flowering to 

 the disappointment of the cultivator. This is an in- 

 herent failing with certain species under cultivation and 

 the only thing to do is to leave these severely alone. A 

 disease too frequently attacks certain species with fatal 

 results. But one of the most fruitful causes of failure 

 in out-door Lily culture is unsuitable soil. It has 

 become an accepted dogma that all Lilies require peat. 

 Not only is this gi'ossly erroneous but it is fatal to good 

 results in fully half the known species. Cultivators 

 should remember that Lilies like other plants have their 

 own individual likes and dislikes and that what is meat 

 to one i.s poison to his neighbor. If anyone wants an 

 object lesson in this let him plant L. auratum and L. 

 Henryi in a Rhododendron pjat-lsed and watch the 

 results over three or four seasons. The first-named Lily 

 ■will thrive, the Henry-i dwindle away. If a bed of loam 



be used the reverse will be 

 found to obtain. A good, 

 broad generalization as to soil 

 required can be based on the 

 habitat of the species. Those 

 found in swamps and moor- 

 lands require peat; those fre- 

 quenting precipitous and 

 rocky ground require loam. 

 There are, of course, excep- 

 tions. Of the twenty odd 

 Chinese Lilies known to the 

 writer only one (L. Duchar- 

 trei) requires peat. For all 

 the others good strong loam 

 and leaf-soil and a well- 

 drained situation are the 

 requisites. Fairly deep plant- 

 ing commensurate with the 

 size of the bulb is another im- 

 LiLiDM suTCHUENENSE portaut item, for the roots 

 A New .and Charming Lily, formed on the stem immc- 



Lilium leucanthum 



A new vigorous-growing, hardy lily. 



diately above the bulb are essential "feeders" nourishing 

 the flowering stems. 



The best known of recent Lilies from China is Lilium 

 Henryi, a native of the mountainous country around 

 Tehang. and more e.specially the conglomerate rocks: this 

 Lily is now appreciated one of the finest and hardiest. 

 An orange-colored L. speciosum growing 6 ft. tall, well 

 describes L. Henryi. It is very floriferous, strong plants 

 often bearing 20 to 40 flowers on a single stem. 



Lilium leucanthum and L. chloraster were originally 

 regarded as forms of L. Brownii, but are really distinct. 

 The first-named is a strong growing lily, 5 to 6 ft. or 

 more tall, well clothed with moderately broad leaves hav- 

 ing bulbils in their axils. The flowers vary in number 

 from five to ten and usually arise from a common level 

 but occasionally the floral axis elongates; in shape and 

 size they resemble the well-known L. Harris!, are green- 

 ish white with a suspicion of purple without and the 

 purest white within. Occasionally the purple tinge 

 reflects through on the inner surface of tube giving a 

 charming and delicate effect. The flower-stalks are 

 stout, 3 inches long, and the mouth of the tube is usually 

 at right angles with the stem. The bulb is large, flat- 

 tened, dark purple in color. 



L. chloraster is similar in habit of growth but produces 

 no bulbils and has flatter, more open flowers in sliape 

 midway between L. longiflorum and L. auratum. L. 

 myriophyllum is allied to the above but differs markedly 

 in general appearance. The stems are 3 to 4 ft. high 

 and densely crowded with very narrow, usually one- 

 nerved leaves bearing no bulbils. The flowers are in 

 terminal umbels of two to six or more, large, fragrant, 

 funnel-shaped, 5 to 6 inches long with apes of segments 

 folded back. On the outside a broad band of purple 

 reaches to the apex in each segment; the inside of the 

 tube is a rich canary-yellow, the rest of the flower purest 

 white. 5 



The above three Lilies are natives of the rocky, precip- 



