VELTHEIMIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



VERATRUM 



VELTHEIMIA (after Count Aug. 

 Ferd. Veltheim (1741 to 1801), a 

 patron of botany). Nat. Ord. Liliacese. 

 —A small genus of S. African bulbous 

 plants having fleshy Avavy leaves, 

 and erect oblong-conical trusses of 

 drooping, cylindrical flowers. 



They are almost hardy in the 

 mildest parts of the Kingdom, and 

 may be grown in the open air at any 

 rate during the summer months. 

 They flourish in rich light sandy soil 

 with a little leaf - mould or well- 

 decayed manure, and may be easily 

 increased by offsets, or by well- 

 ripened leaves inserted in sandy soil 

 to produce new bulbs at the base. 



V. glauca. — A pretty plant with 

 grey-green wavy leaves, and trusses 

 of red or yellow spotted flowers borne 

 on scapes a foot or more high (r>ot. 

 Mag. tt. 1091, 3456). 



Fio. 3i7.—Vcltheimia viridiflora. (J.) 



V. viridiflora (V. cape7isis). — This 

 is the best-known species. It has 



tufts or rosettes of strap-shaped wavy 

 leaves 9 to 12 ins. long, and scapes 

 1 to li^ ft. high, bearing from forty to 

 sixty reddish-yellow spotted flowers 

 in summer. (Bot. Mag. t. 501 ; Bed. 

 Lil. t. 186.) 



VERATRUM {ve7'e, truly; ater, 

 atrum, black; in reference to the 

 colour of the roots). False or White 

 Hellebore. Nat. Ord. Liliacese.— A 

 genus of distinct herbaceous peren- 

 nials having thickish poisonous root- 

 stocks, strongly veined or plaited 

 leaves, and branched trusses of starry 

 six-parted flowers. 



The Veratrums are bold and orna- 

 mental-looking plants in the border 

 or rockery. They like a rich and 

 well-manured loamy soil, and more 

 or less shaded positions, and may 

 be increased by division of the root- 

 stocks in autumn or spring. They 

 may also be raised from seeds, but 

 this is a slow process, several years 

 often elapsing before flowering plants 

 are obtained. 



V. album {White Hellebore).— K 

 noble-looking perennial 3 to 5 ft. 

 high, from the Caucasus and Altai 

 Mountains. It has large stalkless, 

 broadly oval, plaited leaves a foot or 

 more long, and whitish flowers 

 tinged with green outside, borne in 

 dense trusses on stems 1 to 2 ft. high 

 in July. {Red. Lil. t. 447.) The 

 variety Loheliamim has wholly 

 greenish flowers; and the variety 

 viride (or Ilelonias viride\ from 

 N. America, also has greenish 

 flowers with lance-shaped petals {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 1096). 



V. calif ornicum, — A Calif ornian 

 species 5 to 6 ft. high, having branched 

 panicles of greenish - white flowers 

 {Gard. Chron. 1900, xxviii. 22). 



V. Maacki. — A Siberian species 

 about 2 ft. high, having lance-shaped 

 leaves about 6 ins. long, and dark 



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