CRINUM 



THE BULB BOOK 



CEINUM 



large, and have reached the flowering 

 stage. By pollinating the stigmas 

 there is an excellent chance of pro- 

 ducing seeds in due course, and from 

 these it would be possible to raise an 

 acclimatised race of Crinums in a 

 comparatively short time. 



The following is a fairly good list 

 of Crinums to be met with in 

 cultivation : — 



C. abyssinicum. — A native of the 

 Abyssinian mountains, with ovoid 

 short-necked bulbs 3 ins. in diameter ; 

 leaves about 1 ft. long, i to 1 in. 

 broad, and rough on the edges. From 

 four to six flowers in an umbel on a 

 stoutish stalk 1 to 2 ft. high. The 

 perianth-tube is short, slender, and 

 curved, H to 2 ins. long, while the 

 limb is 2 to 3 ins. long, with oblong 

 acute segments. 



O. amabile (C superbuvi).— This 

 species is a native of Sumatra. It 

 has small bulbs with necks a foot or 

 more long, and clusters of bright 

 green, strap-shaped, tapering leaves, 

 3 to 4 ft. long and 3 to 4 ins. broad. 

 The two-edged peduncle, 2 to 3 ft. 

 long, bears from twenty to thirty 

 sweetly scented flowers during the 

 winter months. The erect cylindrical 

 perianth-tube is bright red, 3 to 4 ins. 

 long, and the segments are 4 to 5 ins. 

 long. (JJot. Mag. t. 1605.) 



C. americanum. — A native of the 

 S. United States, having short-necked 

 ovoid bulbs 3 to 4 ins. in diameter, 

 and strap-shaped arching leaves 2 to 

 3 ft. long, U to 2 ins. broad. The 

 stoutish peduncles carry three to six 

 flowers, having straight tubes 4 to 5 

 ins. long, and narrow pure white 

 segments 3 to 4 ins. long. {Bot. Ma<j. 

 t. 10.34.) 



C. amoenum. — This species grows 

 wild in the Eastern Himalayas and 

 the Khasia hills, and is found at an 

 elevation of 6000 ft. in Sikkim. The 

 short-necked roundish bulbs are 2 to 



3 ins. in diameter, the bright green 

 rough-edged leaves being ]^ to 2 ft. 

 long and 1 to 2 ins. broad. From 

 six to twelve flowers are borne on a 

 roundish peduncle 1 to 2 ft. high. 

 The greenish perianth-tube is 3 to 4 

 ins. long, the lance-shaped spreading 

 segments being 2 to 3 ins. long. The 

 variety caudiceum from Ceylon has a 

 bulb with a cylindrical neck ; and the 

 variety verecmulum has blunter, more 

 spreading and lacunose leaves than 

 the type. The variety Mearsi, from 

 Upper Burma, has white salver- 

 shaped flowers smaller than the type 

 {Gard. Chron. 1907, xlii. 62, f.). 



C. angustifolium (C. austral asicum ; 

 C. arenarium). — A native of N. 

 Australia, Avith roundish short-necked 

 bulbs 3 ins. in diameter, and rough- 

 edged leaves U to 2 ft. long, 1 to 1^ 

 ins. broad. The peduncle is about a 

 foot long, with few flowers, having 

 slender tubes 3 to 4 ins. long, and 

 lance-shaped segments 2h to 3 ins. 

 long and h in. broad {Bot. Mag. t. 

 2355). The variety confertum {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 2522) is distinguished by its 

 stalkless flowers and longer perianth 

 segments ; while the variety hlandum 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 2531) has broader leaves 

 and perianth segments than in the 

 type, the filaments also being whitish 

 instead of bright red. 



O. asiaticum (C. toxicariiim). — This 

 is known as the "Asiatic Poison 

 Bulb.'' It is widely distributed 

 throughout Tropical Asia, and was 

 introduced nearly 180 years ago. 

 The bulbs are 4 to 5 ins. through, 

 with necks 6 to 9 ins. long, beai'ing 

 masses of thin, bright green, tapering 

 leaves 3 to 4 ft. long and 3 to 4 ins. 

 broad. The thick two-edged peduncle, 

 1 J to 2 ft. high, carries from twenty 

 to fifty flowers, the tube of which is 

 tinted green, and 3 to 4 ins. long, the 

 linear segments being 2^^ to 3 ins. 

 long. {Bot. Mag. t. 1073.)" 



155 



