AGAPANTHUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



ALBUCA 



Liliacese. A small genus of half- 

 hardy plants from S. Africa, having 

 shortish rhizomes with thick fleshy 

 roots, strap-shaped leaves, and um- 

 bels of funnel-shaped flowers on top 

 of a stoutish scape. Each flower 

 has almost equal segments, and 

 six stamens attached to the base 

 of the tube. Seed-pods are usually 

 produced in our climate, but seeds 

 are rarely ripened. 



A. umbellatus. This fine plant, 

 popularly known as the African Lily, 

 is an evergreen with fine masses of 

 leathery strap-shaped leaves li to 2 

 ft. long, and erect stout scapes 2 to 3 

 ft. high, on top of which are borne 

 numerous bright blue flowers during 

 the summer and autumn months, 

 in umbels 6 to 12 ins. in diameter 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 500). There are several 

 varieties, the best being : albidus 

 with white flowers, smaller than 

 the type ; Leichtlini, deep hyacinth- 

 blue ; maximus, large, bright blue ; 

 aureus, with yellow-striped leaves, 

 and flare pleno, a double-flowered 

 form, and argenteus, with silvery- 

 striped leaves, are rarely seen. Other 

 varieties are minor and Mooreanus, 

 both with smaller flowers than the 

 type, but decidedly compact and 

 handsome in growth, and with deep 

 blue colour. A plant called inter- 

 medius seems to be one of the larger 

 forms, with flower-stems about 5 ft. 

 high, having large heads of bright 

 blue flowers. A variety with blue 

 and white flowers, called bicolor, is 

 also attractive. St Pauli has pure 

 white flowers, and Weillighi has 

 lavender flowers, the petals of which 

 are centred and edged with indigo. 

 Globosus is a deciduous form with 

 globular heads of flower. 



The plant known as A. insignis is 

 no doubt a variety of A. umbellatus, 

 but is distinguished by the creamy 

 tint at the base of the leaves in the 



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centre, by the longer flower-stems, 

 and the more numerous but paler 

 flowers, each with longer pedicels 

 than in the type (Gard. 1903, Ixiii. 

 67, f.). 



A. caulescens is closely related to 

 A. umbellatus, but has dark violet-blue 

 flowers (Gartenfl. t. 1487). 



A. umbellatus and its varieties are 

 easily grown plants, and are very use- 

 ful for the decoration of the cool green- 

 house or conservatory either as pot 

 plants or when planted in borders. 

 They are not quite hardy, but in the 

 most favoured parts of the Kingdom 

 often pass an ordinary winter in the 

 open unscathed. In such places they 

 are easily protected in severe winters 

 by covering the crowns with straw, 

 litter, etc., and if grown by the 

 margins of lakes, streams, ponds, 

 etc., in such localities, make very 

 attractive masses of colour during 

 the summer months. They flourish 

 in any garden soil, but naturally do 

 best in a light one, having plenty 

 of well-decayed manure. When 

 grown in pots or tubs, as is often 

 the case, they like a compost of 

 sandy loam and leaf-soil made firm 

 round the fleshy roots. During 

 growth an abundance of water may 

 be given, and when danger from 

 frost is over the plants may be grown 

 in the open air till the approach of 

 winter. They may then be taken 

 into a cool greenhouse, or failing this 

 even into a cellar free from frost 

 until the following spring. The 

 easiest way to propagate the plants 

 is by dividing the clumps in spring 

 when repotting. It takes five or 

 six years to raise good flowering 

 plants from seed. 



ALBUCA (albicans or albus, white). 

 Nat. Ord. Liliacese. A genus closely 

 related to the Galtonias and Hya- 

 cinths, with about thirty species 



