FRITILLARIA. 



THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN. 



FRITllXARIA. 579 



F. Karelini. — An interesting kind, 4 to 

 5 in. high, with two or three broad leaves 

 clasping its stem, and having a terminal 

 raceme of slightly-drooping bell-like 

 flowers. These flowers, about i in. 

 across, are of a pale purple, with darker 

 veins, a few darker spots, and a distinct 

 yellowish-green pit at the base of each 

 reflexed segment. It is a native of 

 Central Asia, and, flowering in late autumn 

 or early winter, is valuable for a collec- 

 tion of winter-flowering outdoor plants. 

 According to Dr. Kegel it must be kept 

 in dry sand until November, and should 

 not grow or show bloom before spring. 

 If planted in November, growth is re- 

 tarded, and it does not bloom in 

 spring, which it ought to do ; while 

 those flowering in autumn invariably 

 dwindle away, and do not produce any 

 new bulbs. It should be planted in light 

 soil in well-drained borders with a warm 

 exposure. 



F. latifolia. — A most variable species 

 as regards the colour of the flowers, 

 which are larger than those of our native 

 F. Meleagris. They are borne on stems 

 about I ft. high, are pendulous, and vary 

 in colour through various shades of purple, 

 black, lilac, and yellow. The principal 

 named varieties are — Black Knight, Cap- 

 tain Marryat, Caroline Chisholm, Cooper, 

 Dandy, Jerome, Maria Goldsmith, Mari- 

 anne, Mellina, Pharaoh, Kembrandt, 

 Shakespeare, Van Speyk, each represent- 

 ing a different shade of colour. They 

 grow freely in an open situation in any 

 soil, and are excellent for naturalising. 

 Caucasus. 



F. Meleagris {Snake's -head) is an 

 elegant native species, of which there are 

 numerous varieties. It is 9 to 18 in. high, 

 and in early summer bears a solitary 

 drooping flower, beautifully tesselated 

 with purple or purplish-maroon on a pale 

 ground. The chief varieties are — the 

 white {alba), which has scarcely any dark 

 markings ; nigra, a deep purplish-black ; 

 pallida, light purple ; a)igustifolia, with 

 long narrow leaves ; major, with flowers 

 larger than the type ; prcecox, which 

 flowers about a week earlier than the 

 other forms ; flavida yello\\ish ; and the 

 rare double variety. All forms of this 

 beautiful plant may be used with excellent 

 effect. It grows freely in grass not mown 

 early, and is therefore admirable for the 

 wild garden ; its various forms are among 

 the most beautiful inhabitants of the 

 hardy bulb garden, and tufts of the 

 chequered or white-flowered variety are 

 among the most graceful plants in cottage 

 gardens. 



F. Moggridgei {Golden Snakes-head). 

 — A beautiful plant with pendulous 

 blossoms, 2 in. long, which are of fine 

 golden-yellow, chequered with brownish- 

 crimson on the inner surface of the bell. 

 It may be seen on its native Alps, at an 

 elevation of five to seven thousand feet, 

 among the short stunted Grass, accom- 

 panied by alpine plants, and giving the 

 slopes the appearance of a sheet of golden 

 bloom. It is hardy, and flowers early in 

 spring. It is a lovely flower for planting 

 in the choice bulb portions of the rock- 

 garden, and, when plentiful, for dotting in 

 groups in Grass where it may escape the 

 mower. 



F. pudica is one of the most charming 

 of hardy bulbs, and takes a place among 

 yellow flowers similar to that of the Snow- 

 drop among white ones. It is a native 

 of the Kocky Mountains and the Sierra 

 Nevada of California, where it grows in a 

 dry barren soil. It is one of the principal 

 spring ornaments of the flora, being nearly 

 6 in. high, and having bright golden- 

 yellow flowers, graceful in form and 

 drooping like a Snowflake. It thrives in 

 warm sunny borders of loamy soil. 



F. recurva. — The showiest of the 

 Fritillaries, its red colour being as bright 

 as some Lilies, and mixed with bright 

 yellow especially on the inside of the 

 flower. It flowers early in May or 

 towards the end of April. The bulbs 

 consist of a slightly flattened tuberous 

 stock, covered by articulated scales, some- 

 what widely placed, which at first sight 

 resemble those of Liliuni -philadclphi- 

 cum. A tuft of bright green linear leaves 

 appears above the soil, and from this rises 

 a slender purplish stem, 6 in. to i\ ft. 

 high, with several pendent Lily - like 

 flowers. It is not robust, and has suc- 

 ceeded only under careful cultivation, 

 growing best in fibry loam, on a warm 

 sunny border, near a wall. In winter it is 

 advisable to cover the bulbs with some 

 protective material or with a hand-light. 

 California. 



F. Sewerzowi. — A singular - looking 

 plant, growing from i to \\ ft. high, 

 having broad glaucous leaves and nod- 

 ding flowers that are greenish outside 

 and vinous-purple within. A native of the 

 mountains of Turcomania, quite hardy in 

 our climate. Propagated by bulblets or 

 seed. 



Many others are in cultivation, but the 

 majority are unattractive, though some 

 are useful for naturalising among Grass 

 in the wild garden ; the most suitable 

 are — F. delphineiisis, a robust plant with 

 stems I ft. or more high, bearing brownish- 

 P P 2 



