ALOCASIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



ALPINIA 



A. Reginse. An elegant species 

 from Borneo, with ovate, heart- 

 shaped leaves, wavy on the margins, 

 the under-surface being of a sombre 

 brownish-purple, while the stalks are 

 spotted with chestnut-purple (III. 

 Hort. 1885, 544). 



A. reversa, from the Philippine 

 Islands, has ovate-sagittate leaves 

 of a grey-green colour, relieved by 

 deep green bands along the main 

 veins. A pretty plant about a foot 

 high. (fiot. Mag. t. 7498.) 



A. Sanderiana. A very ornamental 

 species from the Malayan Archi- 

 pelago, having drooping sagittate 

 leaves, with three lobes on each side. 

 The ground colour is soft green with 

 a bluish metallic sheen, while the 

 main veins and margins are con- 

 spicuously banded with ivory white. 

 The stalks are brownish-green, 

 streaked and mottled with purple. 

 (Rev. Hort. Belg. 1884, 181.) The 

 variety gandavensis has purplish 

 young leaves with vermilion veins. 

 This colouring remains constant on 

 the under-surface, but gradually 

 changes to green on the upper. (111. 

 Hort. 1896, t. 65.) 



A. scabriuscula. A noble-looking 

 Bornean plant, 4 to 5 ft. high, with 

 spreading sagittate leaves of a deep 

 shining green above, pale green 

 beneath, and often as much as 2 ft. 

 to 2^ ft. in length. 



A. Sedenl. A hybrid between A. 

 cuprea and A. Lowi, and somewhat 

 resembling the latter. Leaves oval, 

 heart-shaped, deflexed, bronzy green 

 above, with distinct ivory-white veins, 

 the under-surface being purple. 



A. sinuata. A species from the 

 Philippine Islands with sagittate 

 leaves having sinuate margins, and 

 of a deep green colour above, and 

 whitish or grey-green beneath. 



green leaves veined and laced with 

 grey, the under-surface being dark 

 purple. 



A. Thibautiana. A magnificent 

 Bornean plant, with ovate, acute, 

 deeply heart-shaped leaves, greyish 

 olive green above, with whitish midrib 

 and grey veinings, the under-surface 

 being purple in colour (Rev. Hort. 

 Belg. 1884, 37). 



A. Villeneuvei. A Bornean species 

 closely related to A. longiloba, with 

 irregularly shaped leaves, the stalks 

 of which are heavily spotted with 

 brown (III. Hort. 1887, t. 21). 



A. Watsoniana. A fine Sumatran 

 species with cordately lobed leaves, 

 wavy on the margins, and coloured 

 olive green and dark purple on the 

 upper surface, dark purple beneath 

 (Gard. Chron. 1893, xiii. 442, 569, 

 f. 83). 



A. Wavriniana. An ornamental 

 species 3 to 4 ft. high, the stem being 

 mottled with light and dark green 

 and suffused with bronze. The 

 lance-shaped, sinuate leaves are deep 

 green, beautifully feathered with 

 raised veins, which are still more 

 prominent beneath on a purple 

 ground. 



A. zebrina. A strong - growing 

 species 4 to 5 ft. high, from the 

 Philippine Islands, having erect, 

 broadly sagittate leaves of a rich 

 dark green, and pale green stalks 

 marbled with zigzag bands of dark 

 green (Fl. d. Ser. xv. 1541-1542). 



ALPINIA (after Prosper Alpini, an 

 Italian botanist). Nat. Ord. Scita- 

 mineae. A genus containing about 

 forty-five species of graceful peren- 

 nials, natives of Tropical and sub- 

 tropical Asia, Australia, and the 

 islands of the Pacific Ocean. They 

 have horizontal or creeping root- 



A. spectabilis. This is similar to stocks like the Ginger plant, erect 

 A. Putzeysi, having large metallic ornamental leaves, and flowers 



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