NARCISSUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



NELUMBIUM 



by offsets, and also by sowing as 

 many seeds as possible when ripe. 



Jf. triandrus has been largely used 

 by the hybridist, and some very fine 

 forms have been raised by its means. 

 N. tridymus. Under this name 

 several fine hybrids from the large 

 and single-flowered trumpet, N, 

 Pseudo-narcissus, and the many- 

 flowered small JV. Tazetta are known, 

 most of them having more than one 

 flower on a stem. Some good ones 

 are : 



A. Raivson, large, bold, yellow. 

 Duchess of Albany, sulphur-yellow, 

 with yellow cup. Duke of Albany, 

 sulphur ; cup orange. S.A.de Graaf, 

 large, uniform yellow. Miss White, 

 silvery white; three to four flowers 

 on stem. 



N. viridiflorus. An interesting 

 species from Morocco and Gibraltar ; 

 remarkable for producing its flowers 

 usually in November and December 

 instead of in spring. The bulbs are 

 roundish, about 1 in. through, and the 

 roundish leaves are not produced 

 with the flowers. These are borne 

 two to four on a slender stalk 1 to l 

 ft high, and are of a green colour, 

 the lance-shaped acute segments 

 being reflexed. (Bot. Mag. t. 1687.) 



DISEASES. It often happens that 

 Narcissus bulbs are attacked with 

 the grub of the Narcissus Fly 

 (Merodon equestris), an insect like a 

 small and slender bumble-bee. The 

 grub eats its way into the bulbs 

 during the summer and autumn 

 months and destroys the tissues by 

 the end of November, when it be- 

 comes a chrysalis and buries itself in 

 the soil. They may be recognised 

 by their dull brown colour, egg-like 

 shape, and rough and wrinkled skin. 

 All badly injured bulbs should be 

 burned, and in July and August the 

 stock should be examined, and any 

 bulbs affected should be steeped in 



water for about a week, to drown the 

 maggots. The insects themselves 

 when on the wing in summer should 

 be enticed to drown themselves in 

 saucers of sugary solutions. 



NELUMBIUM (from nelumbo, the 

 Indian name), WATER BEAN. Nat. 

 Ord. Nymphaeaceae. This genus 

 contains only the two species 

 mentioned below. They are both 

 aquatic plants, having thick fleshy 

 root-stocks, from which arise long 

 stalks surmounted by a huge circular 

 peltate leaf depressed in the centre. 

 The large solitary flowers are thrown 

 up well above the leaves, and are 

 composed of numerous petals and 

 numerous stamens surrounding an 

 obconical or flat top-shaped ovary in 

 the centre. When ripe the ovary is 

 pierced with holes, and very much 

 resembles the coarse rose of a water- 

 ing can. 



N. luteum. This is the "Yellow 

 Lotus " of the S. United States and 

 Jamaica. It has blue-green leaves 

 1 to H ft. across, and pale yellow 

 sweet-scented flowers about a foot 

 across when fully expanded. (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 3753.) 



This species may be grown in rich 

 loam and well-rotted manure in tanks 

 of water, or in tubs or pots sunk in 

 water. Although hardier than N. 

 speciosum, it nevertheless requires 

 some attention to flower it success- 

 fully in the open air, and even under 



377 



N. speciosum (the Sacred Bean 

 of India). A charmingly beautiful 

 water plant, 6 to 8 ft. high, with 

 blue-green leaves often nearly 2 ft. 

 across, and large sweet-scented rose 

 and white blossoms 6 to 12 ins. 

 across (Bot. Mag. tt. 903, 3916, 3917 ; 

 Garden, 1893, i. 912). 



There are several varieties of N. 

 speciosum, not unnatural considering 



