DEIMIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



EICHHORNIA 



DRIMIA {drimys, acrid ; referring 

 to the intlarnmatory juice of the 

 bulbs). Nat. Ord. Liliacese.— A genus 

 containing about a score of species 

 of bulbous, Scilla-like plants, natives 

 of Southern and Tropical Africa. 

 The bell-shaped flowers are borne on 

 simple scapes in racemes well above 

 the narrow lance-shaped or strap- 

 shaped leaves. 



These little plants are not well 

 known outside botanic gardens. They 

 are best gro^mi in pots or pans in a 

 greenhouse, and like a mixture of 

 sandy loam and leaf-mould or peat. 

 "When in growth, water must be given 

 when necessary ; but in winter when 

 the bulbs are dormant no water is 

 required. Propagation is eflfected by 

 detaching the offsets from the old 

 bulbs when repotting in spring. 



The following are the best-known 

 species: — D. ciliaris, li ft., purple, 

 white ; D. anomala {Ref. Bot. t. 

 178); D. elata, 2 ft., green, red {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 822); D. haworthioides, 6 

 ins., white, green ; D. longipeduncu- 

 lata, green, purple ; D. media, white ; 

 D. piirpurascens, purple ; D. pusilla, 

 green ; D. robiista, 2 ft., green ; and 

 vlUosa, green {Bot. Reg. t. 1346). 



DRIMIOPSIS (from Dnmia, and 

 ojjsis, resemblance, owing to likeness 

 to that genus). Nat. Ord. Liliacete. 

 — A genus closely related to Scilla, 

 Eucomis, Hyacinth, and Chionodoxa, 

 containing half a dozen species, 

 natives of Southern and Tropical 

 Africa. They have rather small 

 tunicated bulbs, usually with two 

 or rarely three to four oblong leaves, 

 sometimes distinctly stalked and often 

 spotted. The small flowers are borne 

 in spikes or dense racemes. The 

 following are the only species of any 

 note : — 



D. Kirkil.— A curious-looking plant 

 from Zanzibar. It has white-coated, 



round bulbs, about \\ ins. in diameter, 

 and lance-shaped leaves about 1 ft. 

 long, the pale green upper surface 

 being irregularly blotched with dark 

 green. The white flowers, each about 

 ] in. long, appear in July and 

 August, on a scape 9 to 1 2 ins. high, 

 the upper blossoms being crowded. 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 6276.) 



D. maculata.— Introduced from 

 Natal in 1851— twenty years before 

 D. Kirl-ii. This is a more ornamental 

 plant, with heart-shaped, ovate-acute, 

 Heshy leaves, the bright green upper 

 surface being blotched with deeper 

 green. The flowers, at first milky 

 white, but changing to greenish- 

 white with age, are borne on scapes 

 9 to 12 ins. high. {Ref. Bot. iii. 191.) 



These plants may be grown easily 

 in a warm and well-ventilated green- 

 house in the same way as the 

 Drimias. 



Other species occasionally met with 

 in botanic gardens are D. botryoides 

 and D. perfoliata, both natives of 

 Zanzibar, with greenish-white flowers 

 on scapes about 6 ins. high ; and 

 D. minor, a native of Natal, with 

 pink blossoms {Ref. Bot. t. 192). 



BICHHORNIA (after J. A. F. 

 Eichhorn, a learned Prussian), Nat. 

 Ord. Pontederiacese. — A genus of 

 curious - looking and interesting 

 aquatic herbs closely related to 

 PoNTBDEKiA, natives of S. America 

 and Tropical Africa. The thickish 

 stems or rhizomes float on the water, 

 chiefly through the agency of the 

 short leaf-stalks, which are more or 

 less inflated and full of air. They 

 are not difficult to grow, provided 

 they are placed in pots or tubs of 

 rich soil and immersed in water with 

 a temperature of 75° to 85° F. They 

 are easily propagated by cutting the 

 root-stocks into pieces each contain- 

 ing a bud. 



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