OSTROWSKIA 



THE BULB 1}()()K 



OSTllOWSKIA 



ing white flowers, veined outside with 

 green, about April and May {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 269). The variety Bou- 

 cheanum lias larger and finer flowers 

 than the type. 



O. pyramidale, — A i)retty species 

 from S.W. Europe, having bright 

 green lance-shaped leaves, and pyra- 

 midal trusses of pure white flowers 

 striped outside Avith green {Jacq. Ic. 

 t. 425 ; Red. Lil. t. 422). Flourishes 

 almost anywhere. 



O. pyrenaicum. — A Pyrenean 

 species now naturalised in parts of 

 Britain. Its flowers vary in colour 

 from yellowish -green to greenish- 

 white, and are borne on stalks 2 ft. 

 or more high. {Red. Lil. t. 234.) 

 Like 0. 2'1/ramidale, this species 

 flourishes anywhere in shade or sun- 

 shine. 



O. Saundersise. — A native of the 

 Transvaal, related to 0. araUvvm. 

 The scapes are about 3 ft. high, bear- 

 ing umbels of about twenty flowers, 

 each an inch across, white tinged 

 outside with green, {(lard. Citron. 

 1891, X. 452.) 



O. umbellatum. — This is the 

 common " Star of Bethlehem," native 

 of 8. Europe, but now naturalised in 

 parts of Britain, in copses and 

 meadows. The narrow leaves, 6 to 

 12 ins. long, have a white stripe down 

 the centre, and the umbel-like or 

 corymbose clusters of white ■ flowers 

 striped l)ehind with green appear in 

 May and June. {Red. Lil. t. 143.) 

 Flourishes anywhere, but the flowers 

 are remarkalde for oi)ening an hour 

 or. so before midday and closing about 

 4 P.M. 



OSTROWSKIA (after Ostrov'ski, a 

 liussian botanist). Nat. Ord. Cam- 

 panulaceie. -The only representative 

 of the genus at present is— 



O. magniflca.— A splendid hardy 

 herbaceous perennial 4 to 5 ft. high, 



from the mountains of Eastern Bok- 

 hara, in Central Asia. It has large 

 tuberous roots about 2 ft. long when 

 fully grown, and the lance-shaped 

 acute leaves with toothed margins 

 are borne in whorls or circles on the 

 stems. The charming bell - shaped 



Fio. I'iQ.—Odroics'kia'marjnifica. {\.) 



flowers, 4 to G ins. across, and with 

 five to nine rounded lobes, a])pear 

 about July, and are ivory-white in 

 colour, washed and veined with lilac- 

 purple, but some come pure white. 

 In the centre of the flowers the club- 

 like stigma is very conspicuous. The 

 seed-pods are remarkable in appear- 

 ance : they are top-shaped, with si.K 

 to eight stiffish radiating projections 

 (the dried calyx tcctli), 1 to 1 ', ins. 

 long. 



This magnilicent ami gigantic Bell- 

 flower is quite hardy, and flourishes 

 in any good garden soil that is well 

 and dee])ly dug and enriched with a 

 little manure. It is obvious that 



388 



