776 



NOTES ON SOME OF THE PLANTS INTRODUCED 



INTO THE VICTORIA GARDENS, BOMBAY, 



DURING THE PAST 8 YEARS. 



By Cavasji D. Mahaluxmivala. 



Part III. 



{Read before the Bombay NatxiTal History Society on 



23rd September, 1902.) 



32. Tkadescantia vikginiana, L. (Commelinace^).* Flower of a Day ; 

 Common Spider-wort ; or Virginian Spider-wort. It is a perennial herb of 

 North America f rom 1 to 2 feet high, and is considered the best of all the 

 tradescantias grown in gardens. While the two plants commonly grown in 

 our gardens under the name of T. discolor and T. zebrina are grown for their 

 foliage, their flowers being insignificant, this one is remarkable for its very 

 showy flowers. There are said to be several varieties of it with violet, pur- 

 plish whitish and rose-coloured flowers, but all the plants now in the garden 

 have only purple flowers. They are about 2 inches in diameter closely packed 

 in terminal cymes in two opposite, long, leafy bracts, opening one after the 

 other with 3 light purple petals, the filaments and style being of the same 

 colour, the former densely bearded, and the ovary and stigma being white. It 

 has begun flowering from July and is still flowering. The leaves are long 

 linear 20" X f. The plants were raised from seeds purchased from Mr. Ernst 

 Benary, Germany, under the name of T. Virginica, in 1896, but the seeds 

 germinated very badly, and a few plants that came up died afterwards. Seeds 

 were a^ain obtained this year from the same place which germinated freely, 

 and the plants are doing very well up to now. It can be propagated by 

 division, and is suitable for growingi n borders or on rockeries 



33. Zephyranthes citrina. Baker (AMARYLLiDEiR).t Yellow Zephyr 

 Flower. A bulbous plant from Tropical America, similar to the white and 

 rose-coloured species (Z. Candida and rosea) commonly grown in our gardens, 

 except that the flowers are of a bright yellow colour. This species also, like 

 the others, flowers several times during the rains. It was purchased from 

 the Agri-Horticultural Society of India, Calcutta, in 1898. A similar plant 

 was received in exchange from the Agri-Horticultural Society of Madras 

 under the name of Z. sulphurea, in 1901. 



34. Zephyranthes carinata, i7er&. (AMARYLLiDEiE).| This species from 

 the West Indies has flowers of a pink colour, much larger than those of the 

 other species mentioned above. Bulbs were presented by Maj, A Hildebrand 

 of Calcutta in December 1900. 



* The gen as is named after John Tradescant, gardener to Charles I., and the specific name 

 after its native habitat. 



t The generic name from Zephyi-os, the west wind, and Anthe, a flower, a fanciful name 

 given by Herbert, and the specitic name from the citron yellow colonr of the flowers. 



t The specific name means «' 1 eeled " from the leaves being channelled and keeled. 



