AMARYLLIS.—HIPPEASTRUM. 13 
is now rarely met. Propagation is effected by offsets, or 
from seed; the latter is too slow a process, excepting 
when the seed can be started without artificial heat. The 
name Amaryllis is supposed to have been taken from a 
famous shepherdess mentioned by Virgil, and distin- 
guished for her beauty. 
HIPPEASTRUM. 
This genus contains more than fifty species, all of 
which are popularly known as Amaryllis. All of them 
are ornamental plants, suited to the greenhouse and 
window garden, or open border, under certain condi- 
tions. But few plants are more attractive in winter and 
spring than most of the species, while the many beauti- 
ful hybrids, gorgeous in color and grand in form, add to 
their many charms. ‘Their flowers have a wide range of 
color, and the most remarkable shades and markings; 
the intensity of color in some of the species is rarely 
equalled by that of any other plant. Some of the flow- 
ers are of the deepest and richest crimson, and blood 
red; others are nearly pure white, striped, mottled and 
blended in the most striking and peculiar manner ; some 
are of a rich, deep orange, boldly marked with white, a 
most pleasing combination of color. Some of the species 
are evergreen. ‘I'he foliage and flowers appearing simul- 
taneously, mark the perfect plant. Some of the hybrid 
forms, as H. Williamsi, are almost constant bloomers, 
a most acceptable feature. See engraving, Page 11. 
No other bulbs hybridize and cross-fertilize more 
freely, and the work has been carried on until the spe- 
cies have become so mixed that plants grown from seed 
of any marked form are sure to produce varieties of 
special merit. Hach year adds to the already large 
number of seedling forms, many varieties so entirely 
different in form and markings, that it seems as if there 
was no limit to the possibilities of the plants for sur- 
