OSTKOWSKIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



OSTEOWSKIA 



ing white flowers, veined outside with 

 green, about April and May (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 269). The variety Uou- 

 cheanum has larger and finer flowers 

 than the type. 



O. pyramidale. A pretty species 

 from S.W. Europe, having bright 

 green lance-shaped leaves, and pyra- 

 midal trusses of pure white flowers 

 striped outside with green (Jacq. Ic. 

 t. 425 ; Red. Lil. t. 422). Flourishes 

 almost anywhere. 



O. pyrenaicum. A Pyrenean 

 species now naturalised in parts of 

 Britain. Its flowers vary in colour 

 from yellowish - green to greenish- 

 white, and are borne on stalks 2 ft. 

 or more high. (Red. Lil. t. 234.) 

 Like 0. j/ramidale, this species 

 flourishes anywhere in shade or sun- 

 shine. 



O. Saundersiae. A native of the 

 Transvaal, related to 0. arabicum. 

 The scapes are about 3 ft. high, bear- 

 ing umbels of about twenty flowers, 

 each an inch across, white tinged 

 outside with green. (Gard. Chron. 

 1891, x. 452.) 



O. umbellatum. This is the 

 common " Star of Bethlehem," native 

 of S. Europe, but now naturalised in 

 parts of Britain, in copses and 

 meadows. The narrow leaves, 6 to 

 12 ins. long, have a white stripe down 

 the centre, and the umbel -like or 

 corymbose clusters of white 'flowers 

 striped behind with green appear in 

 May and June. (Red. Lil. t. 143.) 

 Flourishes anywhere, but the flowers 

 are remarkable for opening an hour 

 or. so before midday and closing about 



4P.M. 



OSTROWSKIA (after Ostrowski, a 

 Russian botanist). Nat. Ord. Cam- 

 panulaceae. The only representative 

 of the genus at present is 



O. magniflca. A splendid hardy 

 herbaceous perennial 4 to 5 ft. high, 



from the mountains of Eastern Bok- 

 hara, in Central Asia. It has large 

 tuberous roots about 2 ft. long when 

 fully grown, and the lance-shaped 

 acute leaves with toothed margins 

 are borne in whorls or circles on the 

 stems. The charming bell - shaped 



FIG. 286. Ostrou-skia magnified. (A.) 



flowers, 4 to 6 ins. across, and with 

 five to nine rounded lobes, appear 

 about July, and are ivory-white in 

 colour, washed and veined with lilac- 

 purple, but some come pure white. 

 In the centre of the flowers the club- 

 like stigma is very conspicuous. The 

 seed-pods are remarkable in appear- 

 ance : they are top-shaped, with six 

 to eight stiffish radiating projections 

 (the dried calyx teeth), 1 to H ins. 

 long. 



This magnificent and gigantic Bell- 

 flower is quite hardy, and flourishes 

 in any good garden soil that is well 

 and deeply dug and enriched with a 

 little manure. It is obvious that 



388 



