BOUSSINGAULTIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



B. Rauwolfi (or Leontice altaica, or L. 

 ckri/so'j'^nxni, as it used to be called), 

 is a pretty little tuberous - rooted 

 perennial about 6 ins. high, having 

 pinnately cut, glaucous leaves, with 

 thickish segments again twice or 

 thrice divided or toothed, and having 

 a purple blotch at the base of each 

 leaflet. The golden-yellow flowers 

 appear in May on branched pyramidal 

 panicles, each blossom being about 1 

 in. across, and drooping from a slender 

 stalklet or pedicel. Sepals three to 

 six, petaloid. Petals six, almost 

 similar. Stamens six, free. It is a 

 native of Syria and Persia, where it 

 is used as a pot herb. (JJot. Ma'j. t. 

 G244.) 



This plant flourishes in light sandy 

 soil with a little peat or leaf-mould 

 in warm, open positions in the rock- 

 garden or border. In Avinter the 

 plants should be protected from cold, 

 heavy rains by a flower-pot, bell-glass, 

 etc., otherwise the tuberous root- 

 stocks are apt to perish. The plants 

 may be increased by seeds sown in 

 cold frames when ripe, or by oflscts in 

 spring, or in early autumn and 

 wintered in a cold frame. 



BOUSSINGAULTIA (after a cele- 

 brated French chemist, Boussingault). 

 Nat. Ord. Chonopodiaceaj, — A small 

 and little-known genus belonging to 

 the Beetroot and Spinach family, 

 containing about ten species of herb- 

 aceous plants having fleshy rhizomes 

 emitting climbing stems furnished 

 with smooth, thickish leaves, and 

 having the small flowers in branching 

 sprays. The best-known species is — 



B. baselloides. — A native of S. 

 America. It is a quick-growing plant 

 with reddish twining stems, on which 

 arise tubercules (Fig. 7-1). The wavy 

 leaves are heart-shaped, fleshy, and 

 shining green, and the small, white, 

 sweet - scented flowers appear in 



BOUSSINGAULTIA 



branched sprays about September 

 and October. 



This plant is not quite hardy, but 

 might grow fairly well with winter 

 protection in the warmest parts of 

 the Kingdom. In other places it 

 should be grown in a greenhouse, and 

 as the stems often attain a length of 



Fi(i. 74. — LoussiiigauUialasdlMdcs, showing 

 tubers on stem. (|.) 



about 20 ft. in the course of a year, 

 the plants should be either trained 

 over walls, trellises, pillars, or rafters, 

 or on wire balloons if grown in pots. 

 They flourish in a compost of sandy 

 peat and loam, and may be increased 

 by seeds, division of the tuberous 

 roots, and by the tubercules pro- 

 duced on the stems. (JJot. Mmj. t. 

 3620.) 



Ill 



