CANARINA 



THE BULB BOOK 



CANARINA 



known as Scilla) ; and also one with 

 deeper blue flowers than the type, 

 known in gardens as atroccerulea ; 

 atroviolacea is similar, and prcecox is 

 an early-flowering form. (Bot. Beg. 

 t. 1486 ; Bot. Mag. t. 2774.) 



In its native country the inhabit- 

 ants eat the bulbs of this species, 

 which are floury and of a good flavour 

 when baked or roasted like potatoes. 



C. Fraseri (Scilla esculentd). A 

 native of the eastern United States, 

 with sharp - pointed, narrow leaves, 

 and flower-stems about 1^ ft. high, 

 bearing ten to thirty pale blue flowers, 

 each about 1 in. across, in loose 

 racemes in summer, often later than 

 C. escidenta (Bot. Mag. t. 1574). 



O. Leichtlini (Chlorogalum Leicht- 

 lini). This is a handsome species 

 from British Columbia and Cali- 

 fornia, and is a taller and more 

 vigorous grower than C. escidenta, of 

 which it is considered by some to be 

 only a variety. The flower-stems are 

 3 to 4 ft. high, and bear large racemes 

 of beautiful creamy -white flowers. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 6287.) The variety 

 atroviolacea has long spikes of deep 

 purple flowers. 



CANARINA (from the Canary 

 Islands, its native habitat). Nat. Ord. 

 Campanulaceae. There is only one 

 species in this genus, viz. 



O. Campanula (Campanula canar- 

 iensis) (Fig. 91). A very old but still 

 practically unknown garden plant 

 closely related to Codonopsis, having 

 been introduced from the Canary 

 Islands in 1696. It is a perennial 

 herb, having milky tuberculous roots 

 or rhizomes from which arise juicy, 

 succulent stems, 3 to 4 ft. high, on 

 which are borne opposite, triangularly 

 heart - shaped leaves, irregularly 

 toothed on the margins. The large 

 and beautiful bell-shaped blossoms 

 appear during the autumn and winter 



season, sometimes as early as October, 

 and sometimes as late as February 

 and March. They are drooping or 

 horizontal, fleshy in texture, red, 

 yellowish-purple, or orange in colour, 

 conspicuously veined with purple or 

 deep red. The calyx and the corolla 

 are both remarkable for having six 

 divisions, thus differing from most of 

 the Campanulaceae, which have five 

 divisions as a rule. There are also 

 six stamens free from the corolla, a 

 stigma with six linear lobes, and an 

 inferior ovary having six cells and 

 numerous ovules ; the fruit eventually 

 being a large, fleshy, roundish berry. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 444 ; Fl. d. Serr. 1. 1094.) 



FIG. 91. Canarina Campanula. (J.) 



This charming plant is rarely 

 seen outside botanical collections, 

 the reason probably being that its 

 cultural requirements are not yet 

 quite understood. It is treated as 

 a greenhouse plant, but being de- 

 ciduous in character, is somewhat 



