GALANTHUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



CtALAXIA 



leaves are broader and the flowers 

 larger. The forms called Atkimi and 

 MelviUei are improvements in size 

 and vigour. There is also a double- 

 flowered form worth growing. 



G. latifolius. — A distinct Caucasian 

 Snowdrop flowering in its native home 

 in May, but in British gardens in 

 February and March. The bright 

 gi-een strap-shaped leaves are | to 1 

 in. broad, and the small white flowers 

 have a delicate beauty, the three 

 inner segments having a green blotch 

 round the sinus both inside and out. 

 {Gartenfl. 1863, t. 578 ; Gard. Chron. 

 1879, fig. 32 ; 1881, 404, fig. 80.) 



G. Perryi is the name given to a 

 form intermediate between this 

 species and G. caucasicus. 



G. nivalis.— This is the well-known 

 Common Snowdrop found in various 

 parts of the British Islands and 

 throughout Europe. It has a smaU 

 roundish or ovoid bulb, ^ to 1 in. 

 thick, from which spring two linear 

 blue-green leaves 6 to 9 ins. long 

 when fully developed. The white 

 solitary drooping flowers appear from 

 January to March on a flattened 

 scape 3 to 12 ins. long, the three 

 inner segments having a green patch 

 round the notch or sinus. 



There are many forms, among 

 which may be mentioned corcyrensis 

 {or jircBcox) from Corfu, which flowers 

 in December ; formosus, gracilis, 

 macxdatm ; hitescens, which has a 

 yellowish ovary and the inner seg- 

 ments tipped with yellow instead of 

 green ; octohrensis from the Albanian 

 mountains, a rather delicate variety 

 flowering in October ; G. Rachehf is 

 similar but has slightly larger flowers 

 and broader leaves, and flowers later ; 

 grandiflorus (or maximvs) is a large 

 form, the leaves of which are recurved 

 at the edges and very glaucous be- 

 neath ; pocidifoi^iis is remarkable for 

 having the inner segments plain white 



without green blotches, and almost 

 as long as the outer ones ; rejiexus, 

 with much smaller flowers than the 

 type, the inner segments being re- 

 flexed at the apex; and Scharloki, 

 which has two long spathc valves and 

 sometimes two flowers on a stalk, and 

 a green spot at the tip of each outer 

 segment. There is also a double- 

 flowered form of the Common Snow- 

 drop. 



G. Olgae. — A verj^ rare Grecian 

 Snowdrop, having channelled glau- 

 cous leaves 6 to 8 ins. long and j in. 

 broad when fully developed. It 

 flowers in September and October, 

 and is therefore earlier than the 

 octobrensis form of G. nivalis. The 

 inner perianth segments are fre- 

 quently without the green blotches 

 usual in Snowdrops. 



G. plicatus. — This has large bulbs 

 and very glaucous leaves, quite 1 ft. 

 long and 1 in. broad when fully 

 developed. They are channelled 

 down the face and reflexed at the 

 edges. The flowers appear rather 

 later than the other forms, and are 

 I to 1 in. long, the inner segments 

 being green in the upper half with a 

 white edge. There are several forms, 

 including maj.-imus, prcecox, and 

 Omega, all from the Caucasus region. 

 (Hot. Mag. t. 2162; Hot. Beg. t. 

 545.) 



GALAXIA (gala, galaktos, galak- 

 tido, abounding in milk ; referring 

 to the milky juice). Xat. Ord. Irideas. 

 — A small genus of pretty plants with 

 tunicated corms, natives of S. Africa. 

 The funnel-shaped flowers are small, 

 lilac or yellow in colour, and fleeting in 

 character. 



The species mentioned below should 

 be grown in a cool greenhouse, but 

 may possibly be fairly hardy in the 

 most favoured parts of the Kingdom, 

 at least during the summer months. 



237 



