THE BULB BOOK 



ALLIUM 



natives of Tropical and South Africa. 

 They have tunicated bulbs, linear 

 leaves, and flowers borne in loose, 

 erect racemes. The three outer seg- 

 ments of the perianth are more or 

 less spreading, the three inner and 

 somewhat shorter segments being con- 

 nivent, and enclosing the six stamens. 



A. Nelsoni is the best - known 

 species. It is a native of Natal, and 

 may be easily grown in a cool green- 

 house from which frost is excluded in 

 winter. The soft green leaves are 4 

 to 5 ft. long, and about 2 ins. broad in 

 the widest part. The flowers appear 

 during the early summer months, and 

 are pure white, sweet-scented, tinted 

 with red on the outside down the 

 centre of each segment. The bulbs 

 should be potted in a mixture of 

 sandy loam and a little peat, and 

 during growth require fair supplies 

 of water. In warm, sheltered parts 

 of the Kingdom the plants may be 

 gro\vn in the open air, but care must 

 be taken to protect them during the 

 winter months. Fresh plants are 

 secured by detaching offsets from the 

 older bulbs, and growing them on. 

 {Hot McKj.t. 6649.) 



A. Wakefieldi (or A. Blwesi) is a 

 native of East Tropical Africa, about 

 12 ins. high, with loose racemes of 

 pale green flowers. It requires to be 

 grown in a warm greenhouse or stove. 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 6429.) 



Closely related to this is A. 

 Buchanani, from Nyassaland, having 

 small ovoid bulbs, linear leaves, and 

 long thin scapes bearing racemes of 

 yellow flowers {Gard. Chron. 1892, 

 xii. 488). 



ALISMA (Celtic alis, water). Nat. 

 Ord. Alismacese. — A small genus of 

 water or marsh plants having parallel- 

 veined leaves, and whorls or umbels 

 of flowers having three petals and six 

 stamens. 



A. Plantago. — This is the common 

 British Water Plantain found in 

 ditches and on the edges of streams 

 in various parts of the Kingdom. It 

 is an ornamental plant with stems 

 swollen and fleshy at the base, and 

 bearing stalked, broadly lance-shaped 

 leaves 6 to 8 ins. long, the young ones 

 being submerged or floating. The 

 pink or rosy flowers arc borne from 

 June to August on scapes 1 to 3 ft. 

 high. The variety lanceolatum is 

 distinguished by its narrower lance- 

 shaped leaves. 



This plant being indigenous is 

 easily grown on the edges of ponds, 

 lakes, or streams, and looks orna- 

 mental in bold clumps. It is in- 

 creased by division, or may be allowed 

 to reproduce itself naturally from 

 seeds. 



ALLIUM (Celtic all, hot or burning ; 

 in reference to the qualities of the 

 Onions). Nat. Ord. Liliacea^.— A 

 large genus of i)lants with tunicated 

 bulbs, flatfish or roundish leaves, and 

 dense umbels of flowers on top of a 

 stoutish scape. The perianth consists 

 of six segments, free or slightly united 

 at the base, more or less spreading 

 or bell - shaped, each with a stamen 

 attached at the base. There are 

 about 250 species altogether dis- 

 tributed over Europe, N. Africa, 

 and Abyssinia, subtropical Asia, N. 

 America, and Mexico. Such well- 

 known esculents as the Onion, Leek, 

 Garlic, Chive, and Shallot belong to 

 this genus. Alliums are easily grown 

 in ordinary garden soil, and although 

 somewhat pungent in odour as a 

 rule, they keep this peculiarity to 

 themselves if not bruised or handled 

 too much. When planting in the 

 open, the bulbs should be covered 

 Avith two or three times their own 

 diameter of soil, and from 12 to 18 

 ins. apart. They arc excellent for 



61 



