RANUNCULUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



RICHARDIA 



flower-heads, and should then be 

 sown in cold frames in light, rich, 

 sandy soil ; or in the open ground the 

 following April and May. Seedling 

 plants come into blossom when about 

 three or four years old. 



Amongst other bulbous - rooted 

 Buttercups, mention may be made of 

 B. bulbosus flore pleno, which has 

 beautiful double-yellow flowers; B. 

 bullatus, from N. Africa, has a 

 knotty root-stock and sweet-scented 

 yellow flowers; B. chserophyllus, a 

 tuberous- rooted speciesfrom Portugal, 

 has glistening yellow flowers; B. 

 Ficaria, the Lesser Celandine or 



FIG. 297. Ra 



Pilewort, has clusters of club-like 

 roots, and bright yellow flowers from 

 March till May. Though pretty, it is 

 a weed in many gardens, and is very 

 difficult to eradicate ; B. gramineus, 

 6 to 12 ins. high, with clusters of 

 thickish roots and yellow flowers, 

 which are "doubled" in the variety 



.flare pleno; B. pedatus, from E. 

 Europe, grows about 1 ft. high, and 

 has bright yellow flowers in May and 

 June (Bot. Mag. t. 2229); and a 

 few others not so well known. 



B. carpathicus is a showy species 

 with creeping root-stocks. It grows 

 about a foot high, and has roundish 

 lobed leaves and golden - yellow 

 flowers in May. It is a native of 

 Hungary. (Sot. Mag. t. 7266.) 



BBINBCKIA (after J. EeinecTc, a 

 clever German gardener). Nat. Ord. 

 Liliacese. The only species known 

 is 



B. carnea. A pretty perennial 

 from China and Japan, having creep- 

 ing root-stocks, tufts of narrow, 

 lance-shaped, pointed leaves 6 to 12 

 ins. long, and spikes of sweet-scented 

 flesh-coloured flowers in April and 

 May ; the perianth being tubular, with 

 six oblong acute segments (And. Bot 

 Rep. t. 361 ; Bot. Mag. t. 939). In 

 the variety variegata, the leaves are 

 beautifully striped with green and 

 yellowish-white (III. Hart. t. 323). 



This species and its variety flourish 

 in good garden soil in warm sheltered 

 spots in the border or rock-garden, 

 and may be increased by division of 

 the root-stocks in early autumn. 



BICHABDIA (after L. C. Richard, a 

 French botanist). Nat. Ord. Aroidese. 

 A genus containing about a dozen 

 species of perennial herbaceous plants, 

 having thick, fleshy, and more or less 

 tuberous root-stocks, large sagittate 

 leaves, and male and female flowers 

 borne on an erect cylindrical or club- 

 like spadix enclosed by a large and 

 ornamental funnel - shaped spathe. 

 They are all natives of S. Africa. 

 The name ZANTEDESCHIA is being 

 adopted by continental botanists for 

 Richardia. 



The Richardias or Arum Lilies are 



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