ZEPHYRANTHES 



ZINGIBER 



3543 



thick; nerk short: fls. 1^2 in. long; ovary stalked; 

 stigma 3-fid; spathe 3-fid only at tip. 



8. rdsea, Lindl. Autumn-blooming rosy-fld. species, 

 with much smaller fls. than Z. carinata but, according 

 to American catalogues, the most popular rosy-fld. 

 species: fls. only about 1 in. long and 1^ in. broad: 

 bulb globose, %in. thick; neck scarcely any: spathe 

 2-fid at tip only: ovary stalked: stigma 3-fid. Oct. 



4046. Zephyranthes Candida above and one Z. Atamasco below. 



Cuba. B.M.2537. B.R. 821. Gn. 12:88 Trade plants 

 of Z. rosea should be compared with Z. carinata. 



9. longifdlia, Hemsl. Summer-blooming, yellow-fld. 

 species, distinguished from the next by characters of 

 pedicel and spathe: bulb ovoid; neck 1^-2 in. long: 

 spathe tubular in the lower half: pedicel much shorter 

 than spathe: fls. yellow, coppery outside, %-l in. long. 

 New Mex. Intro. 1889, and probably lost to cult. 



10. texana, Herb. Yellow-fld. Texan species: bulb 

 globose; neck 1-1 H in. long: spathe bifid only at the 

 tip: pedicel much longer than the spathe: fls. yellow, 

 coppery outside, 1 in. long, 1J^ in. across. B.M. 3596 

 (as Habranthus Andersoni var. texanus). Var. aurea, 

 Hort., with bright yellow fls., is offered in the trade. 



11. verecunda, Herb. (Z. striata, Herb.). Rarespring- 

 and summer-blooming species, distinguished from other 

 white-fld. species cult, by the sessile ovary and long- 

 necked bulb: bulb 1 in. or less thick; neck 1-2 in. long: 

 fls. 1^-2 in. long, greenish white, more or less tinged 

 outside or keeled with rose. Highlands of Cent. Mex. 

 B.M. 2583; 2593. Offered by Dutch dealers. 



12. Candida, Herb. Figs. 4045, 4046. Most popular of 

 white-fld. zephyr lilies, being distinguished from the 

 others by its autumn-blooming habit and capitate 

 stigma: Ivs. appearing in autumn with the fls. and last- 

 ing through the winter in favored localities, over 1 ft. 

 long: fls. pure white or slightly tinged rose outside, 

 \Yr-1 in. long. Marshes of La Plata. Gn. 37:154; 59, 

 p. 115; 76, p. 551. B.M. 2607. B.R. 724. L.B.C.15:1419. 

 J.H. III. 43:232. Var. mijor, Hort., has fls. 4 in. long, 

 borne on long stout sts. Uruguay. 



Subgenus ZEPHTRITES. 



13. Andersonii, Baker. Yellow-fld. S. American spe- 

 cies of uncertain blooming-time: fls. usually flushed and 



veined with red outside and there is a variety with 

 copper-colored fls., inside and out: bulb ovoid, short- 

 necked: fls. 1-1 J^ in. long, 2 in. across. Montevideo, 

 Buenos Ayres. L.B.C. 17:1677 and B.R. 1345 (both 

 as Habranthus Andersoni). Apparently the only repre- 

 sentative in cult, of its subgenus, which is characterized 

 by strongly declinate stamens. 



14. cardmalis, C. H. Wright. Lvs. ligulate, acumi- 

 nate, about 6 in. long, above shining green, slightly 

 canaliculate, below keeled: scape cylindrical, rose below, 

 green above; spathe rose: perianth cardinal-red, tube 

 funnel-shaped about 1 in. long, green, segms. broadly 

 oblong-oblanceolate, subobtuse. Amer. B.M. 8553. 



Subgenus PYKOLIRION. 



15. aurea, Baker. Bulb globose, 1H in. diam.: Ivs. 

 about 5, linear, 1 ft. long, ^in. broad: peduncle 6-12 

 in. long: spathe membranous, 1% in. long, cylindrical 

 below: perianth-limb erect, bright yellow, tube funnel- 

 shaped, suddenly dilated at the middle, segms. acute, 

 l^x^iin. Peru. G.C. III. 43:405. G. 34:35. G.M. 

 54:937. Gn. 72, p. 326. 



Z. dlba, Hort., with pure white fls. is offered in the trade. Z. 

 floribunda, Hort., is a trade name. Z. sulphured, Hort., is offered in 



thetrade - WILHELM MILLER. 



F. TRACY HuBBARD.f 

 ZfCHYA: Kennedya. 



ZINGIBER (name ultimately derived from a Sanskrit 

 word meaning horn-shaped; probably referring to the 

 ginger root). Zingiberacex. GINGER. Perennial herbs 

 sometimes grown as warmhouse plants, and also for 

 summer bedding in the southern United States for 

 their decorative value; source of ginger. 



Rhizomes horizontal, tuberous: sts. leafy, the flower- 

 ing and sterile differing: Ivs. oblong-lanceolate, clasping 

 the st. by their long sheaths: infl. thyrsoid-spike-like, 

 dense cone-like or rather long, terminal or lateral; 

 bracts usually 1-fld.: calyx cylindrical, shortly 3-lobed; 

 corolla-tube cylindrical, segms. lanceolate, upper con- 

 cave; later staminodes none or adnate to the obovate- 

 cuneate lip; anther-cells contiguous, crest narrow, as 

 long as the cells; ovary 3-celled, ovules many, super- 

 posed: caps, oblong, finally dehiscing. About 70 

 species, natives of the tropics of the Old World. 

 Monographed by K. Schumann in Engler's Pflanzen- 

 reich, hft. 20 (IV. 46). It is said by gardeners that in 

 Zingiber the leaves tend to roll up or inward and in 

 Hedychium downward. 



The ginger plant is a small reed-like plant 2 feet or 

 more high, as cultivated in greenhouses, with tuberous 

 rhizomes, aromatic leaves and dense cone-like clusters 

 of bracts. The flowers, however, are very rarely pro- 

 duced in cultivation, and Roxburgh wrote that he never 

 saw the seeds. The plant is supposed to be native to 

 India and China, but, like many other tropical plants 

 of economic importance, its exact nativity is uncer- 

 tain. Some idea of the importance of ginger to the 

 world may be gained by the fact that as- early as 

 1884 Great Britain imported 5,600,000 pounds valued at 

 $620,000. Medicinal ginger is prepared from the dried 

 "root;" condimental ginger from the green. Candied 

 ginger is made from carefully selected succulent young 

 rhizomes which are washed and peeled and then pre- 

 served in jars of sirup. Housewives often preserve 

 their own ginger; it is important to have the hands pro- 

 tected while scraping the roots or they will "burn" for 

 days. Ginger probably could be cultivated commercially 

 in southern Florida and California. In Florida it 

 thrives in rich soil and partial shade, and the roots can 

 be dug and used at any time. The plant is cultivated 

 commercially even in localities where it is necessary to 

 lift the roots and store them over the cool season, as in 

 the lower Himalayas. In the West Indies ginger may be 

 cultivated up to an altitude of 3,500 feet. 



Zingibers are occasionally cultivated as warmhouse 



