ELTSENA 



THE nULB BOOK 



ERANTHEMUM 



B. aziirea. — A Brazilian aquatic, 

 with tliickish green, smooth and 

 tlexuose stems about an inch thick. 

 The leaves are from 3 to 8 ins. across, 

 roundish, heart-shaped, or rhomboidal, 



Fig. 122. — Eichhornia asurea. (^.) 



the blade being more or less twisted. 

 The clear, pale blue, funnel-shaped 

 blossoms appear during the summer 

 months, and are scattered or in pairs 

 along a stout hairy rachis or main 

 stem. (JM. Mag. t. 6487.) 



E. speciosa {Pontederia cr(is.$ij)es) is 

 .similar, but has no thickish root- 

 stocks, and produces fine spikes of 

 blue flowers {/Jot. Mag. t. 2932). 



ELISENA (after PHncess Flise, 

 sister of Xapoleon the Great). Nat. 

 Ord. Amaryllideai. — A genus closely 

 related to Hymenocallis, containing 

 three species of Peruvian i)lants with 

 tunicated bulbs, strap-shajied leaves. 



and broadly funnel-shaped flowers 

 having long linear segments. 



The species mentioned below are 

 all natives of the Andes of Peru and 

 Ecuador, and require to be grown in 

 a warm greenhouse. They flourish in 

 a compost of loam and sand in about 

 equal proportions, with a little well- 

 decayed cow-manure or leaf -soU added. 

 The simplest method of increase is by 

 offsets from the old bulbs. Seeds, 

 however, if obtainable, may be sown 

 in sandy loam and peat, or a little 

 leaf-soil. 



B. longipetala. — This is the best- 

 known species, having being intro- 

 duced about 1837. It grows at an 

 altitude of 6000 to 8000 ft. on the 

 Andes of Peru and Ecuador, and has 

 long-necked bulbs li to 2 ins. in 

 diameter, from which arise about six 

 strap-shaped, pale green leaves about 

 1 3 ft. long and 1 h ins. broad. About 

 May and June, from five to ten white 

 flowers, each with a funnel-shaped 

 staminal cup and linear segments 

 about 4 ins. long, are borne in a 

 nearly sessile umbel on top of a two- 

 edged scape 2 to 3 ft. high. (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 3873; lief. Bot. t. 264.) 

 This species crossed with Hymeno- 

 callis (Ismene) calathina has produced 

 a bigeneric hybrid (G'ard. Chron. 1905, 

 xxxvii. 344 ; xxxviii. 322). 



E. ringens. — This species has round 

 bulbs about li ins. through, narrow 

 strap-shaped leaves about H ft. long, 

 and about half a dozen flowers on a 

 two-edged scape. The flowers are 

 much smaller than in E. longipetala. 

 {Fl. Peruv. iii. 53, t. 283.) 



E. sublimls. — This is closely related 

 to E. ringens, but has a longer 

 staminal cup and longer segments. 



ERANTHEMUM (f>«H, ems, to love ; 

 aiifhdituii, a flower; referring to the 

 l)eautiful flowers). Xat Ord. Acan- 

 thaceai. — There are many beautiful 



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