GASTROCIIILUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



GEISSORHIZA 



a. princeps is very similar to G. 

 candiatns, but is scarcely so attractive. 

 It lias shorter and broader racemes of 



Fig. 167. — Galtonia candicans. (J.) 



smaller greenish-white flowers with 

 spreading segments. {Ref. Bot. 1. 1 75.) 



GASTROCHILUS ( gaster, belly ; 

 cheilos, lip ; in reference to the 

 inflated lip). Nat. Ord. Scitaminete. — 

 A small genus intermediate between 

 K^MPFERIA and Hedychium, having 

 clusters of thickish rhizomes or tuber- 

 cules, broad leaves, and long-tubed 

 flowers borne in leafy one - sided 

 spikes. 



Being natives of the East Indies, 

 Burma, etc., these plants require hot- 

 house treatment, and flourish in a 

 compost of sandy loam, peat and 

 leaf-soil in about equal proportions. 

 When growing, plenty of water and 

 frequent syringings are needed, as 

 well as a temperature of 65° to 75° F. 

 When at rest, however, a lower 

 temperature, and little or no water 



are advisable. The plants may be in- 

 creased by division of the root-stocks 

 in spring as growth is commencing. 



G. albo-luteus. — A native of the 

 Andamans, with oblong green leaves 

 about 9 ins. long, and spikes of 

 flowers having a white lip lined with 

 bright yellow {Gaixl. Chron. 1894, 

 xvi. 34). 



G-. Curtisi. — A Malayan species, 

 having stalked, oblong, lance-shaped 

 leaves about 2 ft. long, with a hairy 

 under-surface. The white flowers 

 with a red-edged yellow lip, are 

 about an inch across, and are borne 

 in clusters in the sheathing bases of 

 the leaves. {£ot. Mag. t. 7363.) 



Other species are — G. Jenkinsoni, 

 orange and crimson ; G. longiflorus, 

 yellow and red ; and G. pulcherrimus, 

 yellow and pink — all from the East 

 Indies. 



GEISSORHIZA {(jeisson, a tile; rhiza, 

 root ; referring to the dry coats which 

 cover the fleshy roots like tiles on a 

 roof). Nat. Ord. Iridete.— A genus 

 containing about thirty species of 

 little-known South African bulbs that 

 have been in cultivation for many 

 years. They are worth growing in 

 botanical collections. The flowers 

 are funnel-shaped, with six almost 

 equal perianth segments. The leaves 

 are narrow or sword-shaped, and the 

 bulbs are covered with the old imbri- 

 cating scale leaves at the base. The 

 plants should be grown in a cool 

 greenhouse or cold frame in most 

 parts of the Kingdom, but are 

 sufficiently hardy to be grown in 

 the open air in the most favoured 

 spots with protection in winter. A 

 compost of sandy peat and a little 

 loam suits them best. The simplest 

 method of propagation is by means 

 of offsets in spring. The following 

 species may be noted : — 



G. excisa (I.via cxcim), — This 



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