200 



THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 



Bomarea continued. 



raised in a warm house without difficulty. They germi- 



nate in a few weeks ; and when the young plants are 2in. 



or Sin. high, they should be placed separately in small 



pots, shifting them on as necessary, or planting them out. 



In favoured southern localities, several species have proved 



hardy, but they are much the best when grown in a green- 



house. 



B. acutifolia Ehrenberglona (Ehrenberg's acute-leaved), fl. 

 undulate, outer segments deep orange, the inner ones paler 

 and spotted. Spring. I. lanceolate acute, smooth. Mexico, 1878. 

 (B. C 6444). 



B. Caldoslana (Caldas's).* fl. orange yellow, spotted crimson. 

 /. ovate-lanceolate, acute. Peruvian Andes, 1863. 



B. Carderl (Carder's).* JL 2iin. long by liin. in breadth at the 

 widest part, regularly bell-shaped, with six segments, the three 

 outer rose-coloured, the three inner nearly equal in length, crenu- 

 late, and spotted with purplish-brown ; inflorescence pendulous, 

 and consisting of a large terminal umbellate cyme, surrounded 

 at the base by a series of crowded leaves. I. oblong lanceolate, 

 acuminate, about 7m. by 2}in. Columbia, 1876. See Fig. 262, for 

 which we are indebted to Mr. Bull. 



B. chontalcnsis (Chontalese). fl. liin. long, sub-campanulate, 

 obtusely trigonous ; outer segments thick, fleshy, wavy, rose-red, 

 with a few brown spots round the margin at the tip, very convex ; 

 inner segments a little shorter, pale yellow blotched with brown ; 

 umbels surrounded by a whorl of leaves, and composed of several 



peduncles, each bearing four to six nodding flowers. August. 

 I. lanceolate or ovate oblong, acuminate. Nicaragua, 1871. 

 (B. M. 5927). 



B. conferta (dense-flowered). A synonym of B. patococensis. 



B. edulis (edible), il., outer segments rose, green tipped ; inner 

 spotted with rose. St. Domingo, &c. One of the oldest species 

 in cultivation. The tubers are said by Tussac to be eaten in St. 

 Domingo, like those of the Jerusalem Artichoke. See Fig. 263. 



B. frondca (leafy), fl. 2in. long, tubulate-campanulate ; outer 

 segments narrow, oblong, yellow ; inner segments iin. longer than 

 the outer ones, canary yellow, spotted with red ; cymes umbel- 

 late, many-flowered, about Sin. across, base leafy. I. lanceolate, 

 acuminate. Bogota, 1881. (G. C. n. s. 17, p. 669.) 



B. ollgantha (few-flowered).* fl. regularly funnel - shaped, 

 about Iin. long; outer segments slightly shorter than the 

 inner, oblanceolate, under Iin. abroad, obtuse, unspotted, 

 reddish on the outside, yellow within ; one or two to an 

 umbel, on simple, flexuous, glabrous pedicels, about Iin. 

 long. I. long, acute, about 2in. long, bright green on the 

 upper surface, ciliated on the ribs beneath. Peru, 1877. See 

 Fig. 264. 



B. patococensis (Patococha).* fl. 2in. to 2Jin. long, elongate- 

 funnel-shaped ; the three outer segments ovate lanceolate, about 

 one-fourth shorter than the inner segments, both of a rich crimson 

 colour ; numerously borne in drooping, contracted tufts at the 



Bomarea continued. 



ends of the shoots; peduncles about 2in. to 2J!n. long, intermixed 

 at tne base with broadly ovate-acute, leafy bracts. August and 



~" 



FJG 263. FLOWERING BRANCH OF BOMAREA EDULIS. 



FIG. 264. FLOWERING BRANCH OP BOMAREA OLIGANTHA. 

 September. I. scattered, shortly stalked, broadly lanceolate, tail 

 pointed. Bogota, 1881. (G. C. n. s. 17, p. 187.) Svx. E. cnnferta. 

 B. salsilla (Salsilla). /. purple, about Jin. long, the two inner 

 segments having a darker spot at the base, and all of them tinged 

 with green towards the points ; collected 

 into a terminal umbel. June. I. few, 

 lanceolate. South America, 1306. This 

 has proved quite hardy under various 

 conditions. 



B. Shuttle worth!! (Shuttle worth's).* 

 fl., perianth about 2in. long, funnel- 

 shaped or elongate bell-shaped; seg. 

 merits nearly equal, oblong acute, outer 

 ones orange vermilion, slightly tinged 

 with green and dotted with small dark 

 spots at the tips; inner ones more 

 acutely pointed, canary yellow, with a 

 red midrib, and green with dark spots 

 at the tips ; cymes umbellate, pendu- 

 lous. I. ovate lanceolate, 5in. to 6in. by 

 2in., glabrous. Bogota, 1881. (G. C. 

 n. s. 17, p. 77.) 



B. Williams!! (Williams's).* /. rose- 

 coloured, about 2in. long, elongate fun- 

 nel shape ; disposed in a compound 

 umbellate cyme. I. lanceolate, very 

 acute, and tapering to a very short 

 twisted petiole. New Grenada, 1882. 



BOMBACBJE. A sub-order of 



Mdlvaceai. 



BOMBAX (from bombax, one of 

 the Greek names for cotton; the 

 pods are filled with a fine silky sub- 

 stance like cotton, but which it is 

 impossible to spin into thread, in 

 consequence of the edges being per- 

 fectly smooth). Silk Cotton Tree. 

 ORD. Malvaceae. A. genus of large 

 soft-wooded stove trees. Flowers 



