HOMERIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



HYACINTHUS 



Flowers 7 to 10 ins. long, with a 

 greenish cylindrical tube 4 to 5 ins. 

 long, and greenish - white or pale 

 sulphur - coloured segments. (Hot. 

 Mag. tt. 2573, 3771 ; Lodd. Bot. Gab. 

 t. 1200.) 



H. styiosum (Amaryllis mara- 

 nensis). Introduced from Guiana and 

 N. Brazil in 1821. Flowers 4 ins. long, 

 bright flesh-red. (Eot. Mag. t. 2278 ; 

 Bot. Reg. t. 719.) In the variety 

 wudum the filaments are remarkably 

 exserted and the stamens spread out 

 as in //. calyptratum. 



H. teretifolium (Habranthus). 

 This species from Monte Video is re- 

 markable for having roundish leaves. 

 The rosy-pink flowers about 2 ins. 

 long are bell-shaped rather than 

 tubular. (Gard. Chron. 1900, xxviii. 

 142.) 



H. vittatum. Introduced from the 

 Andes of Peru in 1769. A variable 

 species with flower-stems 2 to 3 ft. 

 high, bearing from two to six flowers 

 4 to 6 ins. long, white towards the 

 margin and distinctly keeled with 

 white, striped with bright mauve- 

 red between the keel and margin. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 129; Red. Lil. t. 10.) 

 There is a white-flowered variety 

 called album. 



As most of the species mentioned 

 above were at one time called 

 Amaryllis, that name will be fre- 

 quently found in the works cited 

 instead of Hippeastrum. 



HOMERIA (homereo, to meet; in 

 reference to the filaments meeting in 

 a tube round the style). Nat. Ord. 

 Iridese. A small genus of South 

 African bulbous plants closely related 

 to Ferraria and Tigridia ; recognised 

 by their few long narrow leaves and 

 numerous long-stalked, bell-shaped 

 flowers having six subequal erect 

 or spreading entire segments and 

 filaments uniting in a tube. 



These little plants require the 

 protection of a greenhouse, but may 

 be tried in the open air in the mildest 



FIG. 182. Homena, corm and section. 



parts in warm sheltered spots in rich 

 and very gritty soil. The best-known 

 kinds are : 



H. collina, with bright red un- 

 spotted flowers (Bot. Mag. t. 1033). 

 The variety aurantiaca has orange- 

 red flowers with a yellow centre 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 1612), and ochroleuca 

 has pale yellow flowers (Bot. Mag. t. 

 113). 



H. elegans. Flowers bright yellow, 

 the outer segments having an orange- 

 brown or purplish spot in the centre 

 (Bot. Mag. 1. 1983). 



H. lineata. Flowers coppery-red 

 with a small yellow blotch on the 

 claw (Sw. Br. Fl. Gard. t. 178). 



H. macuiata, yellow with a greenish 

 blotch at base. 



H. miniata. Flowers brownish-red 

 with a yellow centre (Sw. Br. Fl. 

 Gard. t. 152; And. Bot. Rep. t. 

 404). 



H. pallida, pale yellow, unspotted. 



HYACINTHUS (ancient Greek 

 name applied by Homer to the Iris, 

 in honour of the youth Hyacinth, the 

 favourite of Apollo), THE HYACINTH. 

 Nat. Ord. Liliacese. A genus of well- 

 known plants with roundish tunicated 

 bulbs, linear or strap-shaped leaves, 

 and erect spreading or drooping 

 flowers in loose or dense racemes on 

 a leafless scape. Perianth bell-shaped 

 or funnel - shaped, with six erect, 

 spreading, or recurved lobes. 



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