AKIS^MA 



THE BULB BOOK 



ARISTOLOCHIA 



leaflets, conspicuously edged with 

 red, and having stalks mottled with 

 white. Spadix deep glossy purple, 

 greenish and white, with a flexuose 

 appendage or tail about 20 ins. long. 

 The spathe is deep purple, broadly 

 striped with creamy yellow. (Gard 

 Chron. 1879, xii. 585; Gard. 1890, 

 758.) 



A. triphyllum (Arum triphyllum ; 

 A. zebrinum).A. North American 

 species 9 to 1 2 ins. high, with leaves cut 

 into three equal, oblong, lance-shaped 

 pointed segments. Spathe 4 to 6 ins. 

 long, striped with broad lines of 

 purple brown, with about 1 in. of 

 green in the middle. Spadix 3 ins. 

 long, spotted brown. (Bot. Mag. t. 

 950.) 



A. utile. A Sikkim species 12 to 18 

 ins. high, with pairs of three-foliolate 

 leaves. The flowers appear in May 

 and June, having brownish-red 

 spathes veined with green, and a 

 purple spadix. (Bot. Mag. t. 6474.) 



A. Wrayi. A native of Perak, 



FIG. 58. A riscema. Wrayi. (J.) 



about 18 ins. high, with green leaf- 

 stalks marbled with reddish-brown. 



The spathes are white and green, 

 and somewhat resemble those of 

 A. nepenthoides in shape. (Bot. Mag. 

 t. 7105.) 



This species should be grown in 

 the stove or a warm greenhouse. 



ABISARUM (aris, and aron, Greek 

 names for Arum). Nat. Ord. Aroi- 

 deae. A small genus of curious, 

 hardy, herbaceous perennials with 

 tuberous root-stocks and long-stalked 

 rounded hastate or sagittate leaves. 

 The only species of any note are 

 A. proboscideum (Bot. Mag. t. 6634), 

 which is a native of S. Italy, and has 

 greenish spathes; and A. vulgare 

 (Arum Arisarum) from S. Europe, 

 with livid-purple spathes (Bot. Mag. 

 t. 6023). They both grow in well- 

 drained peaty soil, and may be in- 

 creased by division or seeds. Only 

 fit for botanical collections. 



ARISTOLOCHIA (aristos, best ; 

 locheia, parturition ; in reference to 

 its supposed medicinal characters) 

 BIRTHWORT. Nat. Ord. Aristoloch- 

 iacese. This genus consists of 

 several species, some of which have 

 tuberous root-stocks. The flowers 

 are remarkable for their peculiar, 

 more or less triangular cup-shaped 

 forms and strange colourings some 

 blossoms being a foot and more 

 across, and 18 to 24 ins. long, while 

 others like those in the Dutchman's 

 Pipe (A. Sipho) are comparatively 

 very small. Some species like the 

 British A. Clematitis, and the N. 

 American A. Sipho, and A. tomentosa 

 are quite hardy; but most of them 

 require the protection of a warm 

 greenhouse or stove. The stems 

 are climbing, and in some kinds 

 attain great lengths. The leaves 

 are usually heart-shaped or lobed. 

 Most of them flourish in a compost 

 of sandy loam and peat, and may be 



