FKITILLAKIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



FEITILLARIA 



and afterwards covered with about 

 in. of gritty mould ; or several seeds 

 may be sown in the same way, after- 

 wards thinning the seedlings out, to 

 leave only five or six plants in each 

 pot according to size. 



The best times for sowing Freesia 

 seeds is from January to March and 

 April and again in August ; but they 

 may be sown at other seasons if more 

 convenient. It is safer to place the 

 seed-pots in a greenhouse, and in a 

 temperature of 60 to 65 or even 70 

 F. germination takes place in five or 

 six weeks. Watering is attended to 

 carefully, and plenty of air and light 

 are given, although the tender seed- 

 lings must be shaded from strong 

 sunshine. If it becomes necessary to 

 repot Freesia seedlings, care should 

 be taken to handle the roots gently, 

 as they are extremely brittle and 

 easily injured. During the summer 

 months the seedlings may be stood 

 out of doors in an open, partially 

 shaded and sheltered spot. On the 

 approach of frost, however, they must 

 be transferred to the greenhouse with 

 a temperature of 55 to 65 F. and 

 placed on a shelf near the glass. 



FRlTliiliARiA (fritillas, a chess- 

 board ; referring to the chequered 

 flowers of some species), FRITILLAEY. 

 Nat. Ord. Liliaceae. A large genus 

 of bulbous plants having simple 

 leafy stems topped with nodding or 

 drooping tubular or bell-shaped 

 flowers. Perianth with six segments 

 nearly equal, each with a nectar- 

 bearing cavity at the base inside. 

 Stamens six, either hypogynous or 

 adhering slightly to base of the seg- 

 ments. 



All the Fritillarias are natives of 

 the north temperate zone, and may 

 therefore be regarded as mostly hardy 

 in the British Islands. Many species 

 are not particularly showy or con- 



Ispicuous in blossom, but they are all 

 very interesting from the botanical 

 standpoint. Some are rather dwarf 

 (not more than 6 or 9 ins. high), most 

 are between 1 and 2 ft. high, while 

 the Common Crown Imperial is the 

 tallest ot all, often attaining a height 

 of 4 ft. They all flourish in ordinary 

 good garden soil, especially if it has 

 been deeply dug, enriched with well- 

 decayed manure, and of a sandy 

 nature. The commoner kinds of 

 Fritillary may be grown in bold 

 clumps in the flower-border or rock- 

 garden, while others are more suitable 

 for the rock-garden or for naturalis- 

 ing in the grass, like the Snake's Head 

 Fritillary (F. Meleacjris). 



Fritillarias are most easily increased 

 by means of offsets early in autumn 

 when the bulbs are being disturbed 

 for replanting. When seeds ripen 

 they may be sown in a rich and gritty 

 compost of loam, leaf-soil, and sand ; 

 and after the first year they may be 

 moved annually to give a little more 

 space, and at the end of four, five, or 

 six years they will attain the flower- 

 ing size. 



The following species are worthy 

 of note : 



P. acmopetala. 1 ft. high. Flowers 

 bell-shaped, purple and greenish. 

 Spring. Asia Minor. (Bot. May. t. 

 6321.) 



P. alba. 1 ft. high. Flowers 

 white. May. N. America. 



P. armena. A pretty species, 6 ins. 

 high. Flowers bell-shaped, softish 

 yellow or dull purple. Armenia. 

 The variety fusco-lutea has coppery 

 brown blossoms with a bright yellow 

 interior. (Bot. Mag. t. 6365.) 



P. askabadensis. A noble-looking 

 Fritillary 3 to 4 ft. high, with whorls 

 of glossy green, lance-shaped, pointed 

 leaves 6 ins. long by 2 ins. broad, and 

 trusses of soft greenish-yellow bell- 

 shaped flowers drooping from the 



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