CEINUM 



THE BULB BOOK 



CRINUM 



large, and have reached the flowering 

 stage. By pollinating the stigmas 

 there is an excellent chance of pro- 

 ducing seeds in due course, and from 

 these it would be possible to raise an 

 acclimatised race of Crinums in a 

 comparatively short time. 



The following is a fairly good list 

 of Crinums to be met with in 

 cultivation : 



C. abyssinicum. A native of the 

 Abyssinian mountains, with ovoid 

 short-necked bulbs 3 ins. in diameter ; 

 leaves about 1 ft. long, to 1 in. 

 broad, and rough on the edges. From 

 four to six flowers in an umbel on a 

 stoutish stalk 1 to 2 ft. high. The 

 perianth-tube is short, slender, and 

 curved, Ij to 2 ins. long, while the 

 limb is 2 to 3 ins. long, with oblong 

 acute segments. 



C. amabile (C. sujxrbum). This 

 species is a native of Sumatra. It 

 has small bulbs with necks a foot or 

 more long, and clusters of bright 

 green, strap-shaped, tapering leaves, 

 3 to 4 ft. long and 3 to 4 ins. broad. 

 The two-edged peduncle, 2 to 3 ft. 

 long, bears from twenty to thirty 

 sweetly scented flowers during the 

 winter months. The erect cylindrical 

 perianth-tube is bright red, 3 to 4 ins. 

 long, and the segments are 4 to 5 ins. 

 long. (Bot. Mag. t. 1605.) 



O. americanum. A native of the 

 S. United States, having short-necked 

 ovoid bulbs 3 to 4 ins. in diameter, 

 and strap-shaped arching leaves 2 to 

 3 ft. long, 1^ to 2 ins. broad. The 

 stoutish peduncles carry three to six 

 flowers, having straight tubes 4 to 5 

 ins. long, and narrow pure white 

 segments 3 to 4 ins. long. (Bot. Mag. 

 t. 1034.) 



C. amoenum. This species grows 

 wild in the Eastern Himalayas and 

 the Khasia hills, and is found at an 

 elevation of 6000 ft. in Sikkim. The 

 short-necked roundish bulbs are 2 to 



3 ins. in diameter, the bright green 

 rough-edged leaves being H to 2 ft. 

 long and 1 to 2 ins. broad. From 

 six to twelve flowers are borne on a 

 roundish peduncle 1 to 2 ft. high. 

 The greenish perianth-tube is 3 to 4 

 ins. long, the lance-shaped spreading 

 segments being 2 to 3 ins. long. The 

 variety cavdiceum from Ceylon has a 

 bulb with a cylindrical neck ; and the 

 variety verecundum, has blunter, more 

 spreading and lacunose leaves than 

 the type. The variety Mearsi, from 

 Upper Burma, has white salver- 

 shaped flowers smaller than the type 

 (Gard. Chron. 1907, xliL 62, f.). 



C. angustifolium (C. australasicum ; 

 C. arenarium). A native of N. 

 Australia, with roundish short-necked 

 bulbs 3 ins. in diameter, and rough- 

 edged leaves l to 2 ft. long, 1 to l 

 ins. broad. The peduncle is about a 

 foot long, with few flowers, having 

 slender tubes 3 to 4 ins. long, and 

 lance-shaped segments 2^ to 3 ins. 

 long and | in. broad (Bot. Mag. t. 

 2355). The variety confertum (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 2522) is distinguished by its 

 stalkless flowers and longer perianth 

 segments ; while the variety blandum 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 2531) has broader leaves 

 and perianth segments than in the 

 type, the filaments also being whitish 

 instead of bright red. 



C. asiaticum (C. toxicarium). This 

 is known as the "Asiatic Poison 

 Bulb." It is widely distributed 

 throughout Tropical Asia, and was 

 introduced nearly 180 years ago. 

 The bulbs are 4 to 5 ins. through, 

 with necks 6 to 9 ins. long, bearing 

 masses of thin, bright green, tapering 

 leaves 3 to 4 ft. long and 3 to 4 ins. 

 broad. The thick two-edged peduncle, 

 1^ to 2 ft. high, carries from twenty 

 to fifty flowers, the tube of which is 

 tinted green, and 3 to 4 ins. long, the 

 linear segments being 2| to 3 ins. 

 long. (Bot. Mag. t. 1073.) 



155 



