54 



ALSTRCEMERIA 



tion, and at all times during their growth the roots must 

 have an abundance of water. In fact, there is little use 

 in attempting their cultivation out-of-doors where these 

 conditions cannot be given. In colder climates, the Al- 

 stroemerias can be grown very successfully by plauting- 

 out in spring, and, as soon as they die down, lift, and 

 keep over winter in a place from which frost is excluded. 

 An annual lifting, or, when grown in pots, an annual 

 shaking-out, should be given, because they increase to 

 such an extent that the younger and smaller crowns are 

 apt to take the nourishment from the large, flowering 

 crowns. The largest ones ought to be separated from 

 the smaller ones, and either grown in pots or planted 



thii 



.y the 



outside when the proper tin 

 genus will become much ni^i i- |i' 

 either for cutting or for tin- >l' 

 The soil best suited totht-ir k mi 

 posed of vegetable humus; «im i 



Oltl. TVfll .lr,-:,v-d cow or stilljl.- ]ili 



P"r;.iij 1, ith II,.. soil. When lliey 

 ar.. pliiii. .1 ..:i: -i.l(!, the tubers 

 sli..u|.i I., pii ! .|. rp in the ground, 

 anil ihc s.ijl ,|i,itilil be well worked 

 for at least 15 inches. The tubers 

 are slightly egg-shaped, attached 

 to a common stem ; the roots are 

 made from the ends of the tubers, 

 and also from near the growing 

 points of the crowns. 



One of the best for greenhouse 

 work is A. Pele<irina, var. alba. 

 Other kinds which may be con- 

 sidered tender north of Washing- 

 ton are A. hmmantha, A. versicolor (or 

 Peruviana) and its forms, A. Hookerii 

 and A . violacea. Some of the Van Houtte 

 hybrids, raised from Hookerii and hfeman- 

 tha, are extremely pretty, but, with the 

 others, they are rather unsuitable for pot- 

 culture, owing to the peculiar form; 

 of the roots. 



The species are easily raised from seeds, 



which should be sown rather thinly in 



deep pans, and allowed to remain without 



pricking off or shifting for the first season. 



Cult, by G. W. Oliver. 



A. Iivs.of fl.stem (or scape) broad, ob- 

 long or oblong-spatulate. 



pulch^lla, Linn. f. (A. psiitacina, 

 Lehm.). Sterile st. a foot or less long, 

 with aggregated pctioled Irs.: flowering 

 St. 2-3 ft., v.ith s,.;,tf,.,.f.,l lv«.: Us. in a 

 simple uiiii:. I, ..n i..-.h.-. i- l l ' , in. Inns', 

 long-funn..| ^ ■ ; ■ • . t i,n..|u:il. 



dark red ;iii.: : : ■ i ., .| .|...ite.l 



inside witl I l.r. . -. n . ;.-,im.-ii - ;i. :ii-i\- :is luni; 



as limb. Brazil. Kiy;. 7:! is a coi.y of the 



^. p.si7?aci«a, B.M. 3033.— An old garden 73 Alstroen 



plant. (^ 



ChiWnsis, Cree. Stout, 2-4 ft.: Ivs. scat- 

 tered, obovate or spatulate, or the upper becoming lan- 

 ceolate, twisted at the base, fringed, somewhat glaucous : 

 fls. large, rose or red (or varying to whitLsh), the two 

 lower segments longer and straighter : umbel with 5 

 or 6 2-fld. peduncles. Chile. 



AA. Lvs. of n. St. lanceolate {at least the lotoer ones). 

 B. Fli. purplish or red. 



Pelegrina, T,inii. Fl. ' t. stout, afoot or less high: lvs. 



about 3(1. tliin ,- ,.! -1 in. or less long and Hin. or 



lesswicli': M 1. 1. I"ng, lilac, the outer segments 

 broad an. 1 . inner ones spotted red-purple: 



nmbel few 1 :. - . .1. n. i in ,llv simple, but becoming com- 

 pound in cult. Als.) a pure white var. Chile. B.M. 139. 

 Gn. 46, p. 472. L. B.C. 13: 1295. 



haemdntha, Ruiz & Pav. (A. Simsii, Spreng.). Fl. st. 

 2-3 ft. : lvs. crowded and thin, somewhat stalked, 3-4 in. 

 long and %m. or less long, the upper becoming linear, 

 glaucous beneath : fls. 2 in. or less long, bright red 

 tipped green, the inner ones with red-purple spots on a 

 red-yellow ground : umbel very compound, the branches 



ALUM -ROOT 



BB. Fls. yellow or yellowish. 



avirantUca, Don. PI. st. 2-4 ft. high : lvs. nearly 50, 

 thin, somewhat petiolate, slightly glaucous below, 3-4 ft. 

 long and !iSin. wide: fls. 10-30, in a compound umbel, 

 the perianth bright yellow, outer segments tipped green 

 and inner ones spotted brown. There is a form with 

 pale, unspotted fls. Chile. B.M. 3330, as ^.aurea. Gn. 

 26:472. 



Brasilifinsis, Spreng. St. 3-4 ft.: lvs. remote, thickish, 

 oblong-lanceolate, 2 in. long: fl. IJ^ in. long, in a 5-rayed 

 umbel (each ray bearing 1-3 fls.), the segments oblong- 



Lvs. of flower stem tin 

 z & Pav. (A. Peruvidn 



Van Houtte. 



below the caly 



Hibiscus Syrii 



officinalis, \A 



often l.e;u-t-sh 



Rarel; 



iilphiirea and A. tiyrtna, 

 Hort.). Fl. St. short (1 ft. or less 

 high ) ; lvs. many, the lower ones 

 (il.nnt 1 in. long : fls. 1 in. long, in 

 a Hi arly simple umbel, yellow 

 -I. nil, ,1 purple, the segments all 

 ni,i iT,,.(.nlate and acute. A mar- 

 Linii,. \-:ir. Chile. 



Ligtu, Linn. Fl. st. l>^-2 ft.: 



1\~. i.'"-:iO, thin, the lowermost 



li. ...niing lanceolate, 2-3 in. long: 



fls. 1'., in. long, in a nearly or 



quite simple umbel, whitish, lilac 



or pale red, streaked purple, the 



inner segments often obtuse. Var. pMchra, 



Baker (A.piilchra, Sims, B.M. 2421. A. 



Fl6.t-M<irtini, Ker.), has narrower and 



longer lvs., and all the segments acute or 



cusiiidate. Chile. Common and variable 



in cult. A. JTodkeri, Lodd., is a form of 



A. Ligtu. 



The A. Ligtu of B.M. 125 is A. caryo- 

 phyllia, Jacq., with long-clawed, very un- 

 equal segments in two sets or lips, red and 

 red-striped. Brazil. 



violicea, Phill. St. 1-2 ft.: lvs. scattered 

 and spreading, 1 in. or less long, those on 

 sterile shoots larger, ovate-oblong and 5- 

 nerved ; fls. on forked pedicels in a 5-rayed 

 umbel, lK-2 in. long, bright lilac, th& 

 outer segments obovate, truncate and with 

 a short cusp, the inner oblong-acute, 

 spotted. Chile. l. H. B. 



ALTERNANTHfiRA. See Telanthera. 



ALTHaiA (Greek, to cure). MalvAcece. 

 Tall biennial or perennial herbs, of the 

 warm-temperate regions of the Old World, 

 of about a dozen species. Fls. axillary, 

 solitary, or racemose in the axils or at 

 the summit of the stem, with ti-9 bracts 

 frittex and A. coelestis, Hort., are 



. rdsea, Cav. Hollyhock, 

 Mrict and spire -like, haii 

 rounded -heart-shaped, wavy 

 and nearly sessile, in a long 

 in many £01 



t and colo 



vhich see for culture. St. 

 V : lvs. large and rough, 

 angled or lobed: fls. larg© 

 wand-like raceme or spike, 

 iennial. China. B.M. 3198. 



ficif61ia, Cav. Biennial. ;V8 ft.: lvs. 7-lobed, toothed: 

 yellow or orange, large, in terminal spikes, showy, 



u. Int. bv Franceschi, Cal., as A. sidcefolia. 



L. H. B. 



ALUM-EOOT. See Beuchera. 



