BILLBERGIA 



BIRTHWORT 



163 



can withstand an abundance of moisture, at the roots 

 as well as at the top, most of the time holding water in 

 the funnel-like center or body of the plant. They gener- 

 ally bring their conspicuous, showy flowers in the spring, 

 when moisture overhead or sprinkling should be with- 

 held in order to prolong the beauty of the flowers. They 

 require at night a temperature of from 50-75, but, of 

 course, can stand any amount of heat in summer. Bill- 

 bergias, like all other Bromeliads, make very good house 

 plants, and they will thrive exceedingly well in a living- 

 room temperature. They love plenty of light and sun. 

 All first-class private garden establishments should 

 have at least a few of this class of plants. They are 

 propagated best from suckers or sprouts, which arise 

 from the base of the old plant, generally after it has 

 bloomed and performed its functions. The old plant 

 then gradually deteriorates, sending out from two to five 

 young plants from its base. These can be taken off as 

 soon as they are hardy and substantial enough, and can 

 be mounted or potted into the same kind of material. 

 Then, suspended in the greenhouse, conservatory, or 

 window for an exhibition, they thrive best. Besides 

 their beautiful and attractive flowers, they have very 

 handsome foliage, which is of a tough and leathery 

 texture. Billbergias, ^Echmeas, and the like, are na- 

 tives of the tropics, and, therefore, require a warm tem- 

 perature. ^Echmeas are usually larger than Billbergias 

 and Tillandsias. Cult ; by H . A> SIEBRECHT. 



A. Fls. greenish or yellowish, often tipped with blue. 



B. Petals curling spirally after fl. expands. 

 (Helicddea.) 



zebrina, Lindl. (Bromelia zebrina, Herb. ^Echmea 

 zebrina, Hort.). St. very short, or none : Ivs. sheath- 

 ing, deep green, with blotches and zones of gray-white, 

 strongly spine-margined : fl. -cluster loose, long and 

 drooping : fls. green or yellow-green, the stamens be- 

 coming long-exserted : bracts salmon or rose, long-lan- 

 ceolate. S. Amer. L.B.C. 20: 1912. B.M. 2686. 



decora, Poepp. & Endl. (Helicbdea Baraquinidna, 

 Lem.). Differs from the last in having longer petals, 

 denser spike and longer bracts : Ivs. 8-10, from 1-2 ft. 

 long, mealy, white-blotched and banded. Brazil. I.H. 

 11:421. B.M. 6937. 



BB. Petals not spirally twisting. 



specidsa, Thunb. ( B. amoena, Lindl. B. pdllida, Ker- 

 Gawl). Lvs. strap-shaped, connivent, and forming a 

 tube at the base, 1-2 ft. long, somewhat spine-margined, 

 green above and lepidote and somewhat striped on the 

 back : fl. -cluster large and loose, erect or drooping ; 

 bracts rose : fls. pale green or whitish, tipped with blue. 

 Brazil. B.R. 1068. An old and well known species. 



nutans, Wendl. Stemless, stoloniferous : Ivs. linear 

 and long-pointed, 1-2 ft., distantly small toothed, finely 

 striate on the back : fls. 4-8, in a loose, drooping spike ; 

 petals green, blue-edged ; bracts lanceolate, red. Brazil. 

 B.M. 6423. Gn. 32, p. 107. 



AA. Fls. markedly red or purple. 

 B. Essentially red. 



thyrsoidea, Mart. Lvs. 1-2 ft., broad-ligulate, spine- 

 margined, concave on upper surface, green above and 

 paler beneath, abruptly acuminate : fl. -cluster shorter 

 than Ivs., farinaceous, densely red-bracted : fls. numer- 

 ous, bright red, petals reflexing. Brazil. B.M. 4756. 

 Showy. Runs into several varieties, some of them with 

 purple-tipped fls. (as vars. sp!6ndida -and fastudsa, 

 Andre, R. H. 1883:300). B. spUndens, Hort., is evi- 

 dently one of the forms. Species too near the next. 



pyramidalis, Lindl. (Bromelia pyramiddlis, Sims. 



B. Croyidna, DeJonghe). Afoot high : differs from the 

 last in having more gradually acuminate Ivs., which are 

 more strongly and distantly toothed and whitish, or even 

 banded on the back : fl. -cluster less farinaceous, broader 

 and looser, the fls. less numerous. Peru. B.M. 1732. 



BB. Essentially purple. 



Morelii, Brongn. ( B. Morelidna, Hort. B. We'therellii, 

 Hook.). Lvs. short (1-1% ft.), with few weak spines, 

 wide, glabrous and green : fl. -cluster exserted and 



drooping, with showy, pointed red bracts, the rachis 

 woolly : fls. with red sepals and purple-limbed petals. 

 Brazil. B.M. 4835. Very showy. 



vexillaria, Andr6. Fig. 236. Hybrid of B. thyrso- 

 idea and B. Morelii. Fls. purple : lower bracts long- 

 pointed and red ; spike-erect, exceeding 

 the Ivs. R.H. 1889:468. 



vittata, Brongn. (B. Leopoldi, Hort., 

 not Morr. ). Vigorous, 2-3 ft.: Ivs. long 

 and large, concave above, recurved at the 

 summit, obtuse or 

 abruptly pointed, 

 red - spined, cross- 

 banded on the back : 

 fl.- cluster loose and 

 nodding, shorter than 

 the Ivs., red-bracted: 

 fls. deep blue, with 

 recurving limbs. 

 Brazil. Gn. 32 : 608. 

 R.H. 1869, p. 87. 



Liboniana, De 

 Jonghe. Small, 1-1% 

 ft., producing run- 

 ners : Ivs. long-linear 

 or strap - shaped, 

 spiny, very sharp- 

 pointed, concave and 

 green above and 

 whitish-mealy below: 

 fl.- cluster erect or 

 nearly so, rather slen- 

 der, the bracts not 

 prominent : fls. with 

 red sepals and erect 

 blue petals. Brazil. 

 B.M. 5090. F.S. 10: 

 1048. 



Quesneliana, 

 Brongn. ( Quesntlia 

 Cayenntnsis , Baker ). 

 Lvs. numerous, aris- 

 ing from a trunk or 

 stem, rigid and 



spreading or recurved, concave above, very sharp- 

 spined, more or less white-marked on the back, long- 

 acuminate : fl.-cluster a dense, erect spike, with red and 

 white-blotched obtuse bracts : fls. deep purple. Guiana. 

 F.S. 10:1028. 



In the American trade the following names have been used: 

 B. clavdta longifblia, once offered by Pitcher & Manda, is proba- 

 bly uEchmea bromeliaefolia. B. fasddta = ^Echmea fasciata. 

 B. maxima =? B. orndta=1B. r hodocydnea = ^Echmea 

 fasciata. B. 8tricta=1 



Any of the following may be expected to appear in the Amer. 

 trade at any time : B. Andegavensis , Hort., is B. thyrsoidea X 

 Morelii ; fls. red and blue. B. Bdkeri, Morr. (B. pallescens, 

 Baker). Fls. greenish, tipped purple. B.M. 6342. .B. Breaute- 

 dna, Andre. B. pallescens X vittata, has reddish, purple- 

 limbed fls. R.H. 1885:300. B. Bruanti, Hort. B. BakeriX 

 decora; fls. greenish, bracts red. B. Enderi, Regel. Small : flg. 

 very deep blue ; bracts coral-red. Brazil. .B. iridifblia, Lindl. 

 Pis. red and yellow, blue-tipped. Brazil. B.R. 1068. .#. Lietzei, 

 Morr. Fls. and bracts rose. Brazil. .B. Portedna, Brongn. 

 Fls. green, the petals rolling spirally. Brazil. B.M. 6670. .B. 

 Sanderidna, Morr. Fls. green, tipped blue. Brazil. B. Saun- 

 dersi, Bull. Fls. greenish, tipped blue : Ivs. striking, green 

 above, reddish beneath, white-blotched and red-spined. Brazil. 

 Gt. 39:1316. L H fi 



BILSTED. See Liquidambar. 



BINDWEED. Name applied to various twining,weedy 

 plants, particularly to various kinds of Convolvulus. 



BIOTA. See Thuya. 



BIKCH. See Betula. 



BIRD-OF-PARADISE FLOWER. See Strelitzia. 



BIRD'S-NEST FERN. See Thamnopteris. 



BIRD'S-TONGUE FLOWER. See Strelitzia. 



BIRTHWORT. See Aristolochia ; also Trillium. 



236. Billbergia vexillaria. 



