17114 



LABYRINTHS 



LACHENALIA 



sixUvnth and sevontiviUh ci-ntiirios. Fig. 2054 is the 

 pltui of ;m Knslisli labyrintli tif two coiitiirit-s apo. It 

 woull bi> vaiulalisiu to ilosti-oy so lino an cxainplc of a 

 style of panlcniiis; no lonjior fashionalilc, l)iil folly to 

 «ipy it ii> a nuxlcru jiardon. Mjizes are niadi' of cliiipwl 

 cversjr - mis of vjirious kinds. 





i.V>^. 





-"J 



2053. Laburnum anagyroides. ( X H) 



LACUNA (ono of the names of Ilolon, which Ijindley 

 states may be applied to this ])lant on account of its 

 beauty; but he adds it may also he derived from LakiK, a 

 rlcft, alluding to the divisions of the lip). Orchiddci-^'. 

 A little-known group of epiphytic orchids inhabiting 

 Central America and Mexico. 



Pseudobulbs rather long, ovoid, smooth at first: Ivs. 

 large, elliptic-pointed and contrat^ted into a petiole, pli- 

 cate vonosc: raceme pendent from the bxse of the pseu- 

 dobulbs, loose, bearing up to 10 me(lium-sized fis.; 

 sepals and petals nearly equal, (elliptical, half-spread- 

 ing; labellum equaling the petals, articulated to tli(e 

 bast; of the coluirm, clawed, with the lateral lobes 

 incurved, terminal larger, spreading and narrowed at 

 the base to a broafl claw; column rather long, winged, 

 hooded at the top; r)ollinia 2 on a simple stipe. — Only 2 

 species. 



The plants should be grown in baskets or on blocks 

 of woofl like sfanhopeas: if pottefl the raccanes are 

 likely to bury them.selves in the soil. At the end of 

 October, water should be almost (entirely withheld for a 

 few weeks. The flower-stalks appear in spring. 



bicolor, Lindl. ( lyW-rliUim/innui Sarulmrina, Krilnzl.). 

 Racemes drwjping, about 18 in. long, bearing (( or 10 

 fls.; fls. grc<!niHh yellow, covered externally with short 

 hairs; petals with 3 purple streaks; lal)(41um hairy, 

 gpfittefl with purple. Discovenid about 184:5 in Guate- 

 mala, at an elevation of 7,000 ft. B.R. :50:.50. Var. 

 glabr^ta, I>em. I'ls. everywhere nearly glabrous, 

 creamy white. Not in the Am(rrican trade. 1. 1 1. 1 :.':?. 



Var. filba, Ilort. KIs. yellowish wliit(e, without purple 

 markings. 



spectabilis, R(>ichb. f. Fls. about 1 in. diain., whitish, 

 sulTused with pink and speckled with jiurple; sepals 

 concave orbicular; ])elals sni.'illcr, C(inni\'ent. Costa 

 Rica. M(-x. (?). li.M. ti.")U). — Kar more handsome than 

 the former, but not- advertised in Auier. 



HEiNitu'ii Hasselbrinq. 



LACE-BARK: Lagella; hIho Gaya iind lloherui. 

 LACE-LEAF, LATTICE-LEAF: A-ponogelon. 



LACHENALU (Werner de L.achcmd, 17:«i-lS00, pro- 

 fessor of botany id. Basel). Including Scitloims. 

 Lilian :i. (' \vv. ('owsi.ie. Small Cape bulbs tluit are 

 easily Howered in a cool greenhouse in early si)ring or 

 even in winter; some of them ai-e useful also for the 

 window-garden. 



Plant eonijn-i.sed of a tunicated bulb, a leafless 

 pedimcle or scape bearing a raceme or sjjike of fls. in 

 shades of red and yellow, sometimes white, and 

 usuall>' 2 Ivs. at the base of the sca])e: perianth tubular, 

 persistent, the :j outer segms. ohicmg ;ind slightly 

 swollen ncai- the ajiex, the 3 inner segms. commonly 

 longer :m(l obtuse-spatulate; stamens 6, attached in 

 the ]X'ri;mtli-tube; style hmg and slender, with capitate 

 stigma: cajjs. loculicichdly :3-valved, with turgid black 

 seeds. — Species about .30, in S. Afr. They have a 

 remarkable range of color, and with good management 

 may be kept in an attractive condition for 2 months or 

 more. There jirc species with bell-shaped fls. and some 

 in whiteh the fls. are all more or less erect, but the 

 favorite types arc the long, cylindrical, pendulous fls. 

 with the brilliant red and yellow colors. But few 

 species are cult., the most popular being L. tricolor, 

 particularly its var. Nclsonii and some of the recent 

 forms with personal names. L. pendula is perhaps 

 second in popularity, the others being known chiefly 

 to bulb fanciers. LachenaUas arc very distinct in 

 coloring and general aiipearaiKee. They usually have 

 2 Ivs. (sometimes .') in. cult.), rarely 1, and the bulbs 

 are globose, tunicated, and about ' 2~1 in- thick. An 

 exceptionally strong bulb, under the most favorable 

 conditions sends up 3 or 4 erect fl. -stalks 9 in. high, 

 with as many as 40 fls., each 1-1 '-2 in. long. Under 

 careless treatment the Ivs. and fl.-stalks are weaker, and 

 bear perhaps 6-12 fls. Lachenalias are good subjects 

 for hanging-baskets. 



It is well to make one job of it, planting freesias and 

 lachenalias tfjgether. Six are jilanted in a 6-inch pot, 

 in good rich loam. They probably do as well without 

 leaf-soil, if the drainage is good. They are stored in a 

 well-protected coldframe until late in November, but 

 might be kept longer, as a pinch of frost will not hurt 

 them. After they are brought into the gi'eenhouse, and 

 make good growth, plenty of water may be given, and, 

 occasionally, liciuid manure. A night temperature of 

 50° F. will be found about right, but they scarcely 

 bear forcing mitil the flowering scapes show. If forced 

 before the bulbs show, the flowers are often malformed. 

 They last in bloom from six to eight weeks, after which 

 follows the .same routine. — After blooming, the plants 

 should lie set on a shelf in a light position and watered 

 as carefully as before the blooming sca.son, less water 

 being given as .signs of maturity appear; viz., discolored 

 leaves and withered flower-stems. When thoroughly 

 ripened, they are stored in the pots they have grown 

 in and kept quite dry imtil the month of August. 

 They must be rejiotted then. If by chance drip should 

 strike the soil, the plants may he found starting into 

 growth. The bulbs multiply rapidly, more than doub- 

 ling in a season. Fully one-third of the extra bulbs will 

 be .servic(!able, and still more would make bloom of 

 less decorative vahu;. There ane many more — bulblets 

 — which can be sown on the borders of carnation or 

 violet benches, a large number making good-sized 



