August 26, 1896.] 



Garden and Forest. 



347 



tings. So far as I know, Kew is the only garden where this 

 Solanum is cultivated. It is a native of Rio and Minas 

 Geraes. „. .„ 



London. W. Watson. 



Cultural Department. 



Funkias. 



■THE genus Funkia is both handsome and useful, and will 

 -*- accommodate itself to almost any soil or situation. From 

 early spring, when the young leaves are first developed above 

 the ground, the plants are ornamental, and in midsummer 

 they give a profusion of beautiful flowers. During the re- 

 maining part of the summer, after the blooming season is 

 past, no plants in the garden have more ornamental foliage. 

 They even vie with the best of tropical plants in this respect. 



A few years ago I tried to induce good showy herbaceous 

 plants to grow under the shade of some large old Hemlock- 

 trees, but failed to establish any of the sorts tried. In another 

 part of the garden I noticed some stray plants of Funkias 

 growing luxuriantly under the shade of Maples, and soon after 

 I planted the ground under the Hemlocks with several species 

 of Funkias. Thev have been there for several years now, and 

 have grown luxuriantly and flowered profusely every summer. 

 The smalbleaved kinds are desirable for edging large beds, 

 while the large-leaved sorts should be grown where they are 

 not crowded by other plants. In such a position a single plant 

 will soon develop into a large handsome specimen fourorfive 

 feet in diameter. AH the species mentioned in these notes are 

 perfectly hardy and need no protection whatever in winter. 

 They are all herbaceous, and the best way to increase the 

 plants is to divide them just before they begin to grow in the 

 spring. I have transplanted plants in early summer when the 

 leaves were full-grown, with success. If they are disturbed 

 during the summer they ought to be taken up with a good 

 ball of earth and plentifully watered. 



The Funkias, or Plaintain Lilies, are liliaceous plants, and 

 come into bloom just as the last of their near relatives, Heme- 

 rocallis, are passing out of flower. The specific names of the 

 plants belonging to this genus are very much confused, per- 

 haps owing to some of the species having so many different 

 forms. After carefully comparing our plants with the speci- 

 mens in the Gray Herbarium, the species in the genus can be 

 reduced to about five, with a number of varieties. 



Funkia lanceolata is the species with the narrowest leaves ; 

 they are green, five inches long, three inches across and 

 lanceolate, tapering at both ends. The petioles are from ten 

 to fourteen inches long and their edges are short and not 

 incurved. The scapes of flowers are undeveloped, and are as 

 yet hidden among the leaves on our plants ; when they are 

 fully grown they rise above the foliage in short racemes of ten 

 or twelve flowers, each flower being in the axil of a bract ; 

 they will be in perfection next month. The perianth is of a 

 lilac tinge and about one inch and a half long and trumpet- 

 shaped. There are several good varieties of this species. The 

 variety albo-marginata, as grown here, is a larger plant in all 

 its parts than the species. Its leaves are seven inches long and 

 three broad, and they are edged with a white line which is 

 constant. Its petioles are more broad than those of the spe- 

 cies and are broadly channeled. It blossoms earlier than the 

 species, and the first flowers are beginning to open on our 

 plants. Undulata is another variety grown here which has 

 crisped variegated leaves, with large blotches of white. This 

 variety is the first one to blossom here, and it has finished 

 flowering. This plant and its varieties are natives of Japan, 

 and the species was introduced from there in 1829. 



Funkia ovata is a desirable plant, with handsome, dark 

 green, shining ovate leaves, which make it pleasing even with- 

 out its blossoms. The size of the leaves varies greatly on 

 different plants. Some of our plants have leaves three inches 

 broad and five inches in length, while others, although they 

 are all grown near one another, have leaves over five inches 

 in breadth and nine inches in length. The petiole of the leaf 

 in this species varies in length from six to twelve inches, and 

 is deeply channeled and the edges are not incurved. This 

 species has been blossoming for the past three weeks. The 

 scape is about a foot and a half in length, and the flowers are 

 produced in racemes of fifteen to eighteen blossoms, which 

 are held well above the foliage. The individual flowers are 

 of good size, blue on the outside, the inside streaked with 

 white. This species is a. native of Japan, northern China and 

 eastern Siberia, and was introduced trom there a little over a 

 century ago. It is figured in The Botanical Magazine under 

 the name Hemerocallis coerulea. 



Another good species in bloom now is Funkia Sieboldiana. 

 Its foliage is more handsome than that of the other species 

 described ; it is as easily grown as any and produces flowers 

 freely. The elegant glaucous leaves are broadly cordate-ovate ; 

 they measure about seven inches in breadth and ten to 

 twelve inches in length, and have petioles about a foot in 

 length. The flowers are of a pleasing pale lilac color, and the 

 racemes begin to open just above the foliage. This Funkia 

 is also a native of Japan and was introduced from there in 

 1836. A variety of this plant grown here has yellow margined 

 leaves and makes a desirable foliage plant. 



Funkia subcordata blossoms a little later here than F. Sie- 

 boldiana. It has not quite as handsome foliage as some of 

 the other Funkias, but what it lacks in foliage it makes up 

 in beautiful flowers. It is a distinct plant ; the leaves are pale 

 green, ovate, with a cordate base ; they are about five inches 

 in breadth and eight inches in length. The petioles differfrom 

 those on any of the other species, their edges .being incurved 

 until they meet. The large white flowers are produced p'en- 

 tifully in good-sized racemes on well-established plants. This 

 plant is quite a favorite in gardens in Cambridge, and is gener- 

 ally known as F. grandiflora. 



Harvard University Botanic Garden. Robert Cameron. 



Autumn-flowering Bulbous Plants. 



T YCORIS SOUAMIGERA is no w finely in bloom here andalso 

 ■*— ' attheplaceof H. H. Hunnewell, Esq. There isnow nodoubt 

 about the hardiness of this beautiful Chinese Amaryllad. In 

 its manner of growth it resembles the well-known Belladonna 

 Lily, Amaryllis Belladonna. Each has a separate season for 

 growth and blooming. The Lycoris makes its growth early in 

 spring, throwing up its leaves before frosty weather leaves us. 

 Its foliage never has been injured. The leaves disappear 

 about the end of June, and the flowers appear during August. 

 The flower-scapes are self-supporting, about two and a half 

 feet in height, each carrying umbels of from seven to eight 

 flowers. It is hard to describe the color exactly ; in fact, there 

 are several — four of them, at least — blending and fading as 

 the flowers open and mature. Yellow and lavender show in 

 the opening flowers ; blue and salmon tints in the mature 

 ones. The perianthic lobes turn upward more than in the 

 true Amaryllis, and there are other minor distinctive charac- 

 ters, but for practical purposes they are alike, and for garden- 

 ing purposes they can hardly be separated. 



Amaryllis Belladonna will be in bloom in a month or so. 

 This species is tender. It commences its leaf-growth as soon 

 as the flowers fade, in the same way as the Nerines. The 

 leaves remain green until June, so that a longer period of rest 

 intervenes between the maturing of the bulbs and blooming. 

 Its handsome rosy pink flowers are larger than those of the 

 Lycoris, but less erect in the umbels. In southern Europe the 

 Belladonna Lily is hardy. With us it requires cool-greenhouse 

 cultivation. The bulbs are best separated when at rest, the 

 smaller bulbs being kept from the blooming ones. Good deep 

 pans are preferable to pots. Rich loam, with a little charcoal, 

 will be a good compost in which to grow the bulbs. Like all 

 the Amaryllis family, they need repotting seldom. They will 

 bloom on for years with only a top-dressingof fresh soil given 

 just before the growing season. 



Vallota purpurea, the Scarborough Lily, is also in bloom. 

 This is another lovely autumn-blooming member of the Ama- 

 ryllis family. It is a native of south Africa, and not unlike 

 some of its allies, the Hippeastrums of the southern hemi- 

 sphere of the New World. It is partly evergreen, and will not 

 bear resting to the extent the deciduous bulbs will, though less 

 water is required for a month or two prior to the blooming 

 season. The flowers are crimson, borne in erect-flowered 

 umbels about a foot high. Nerine Fothergillii anil N. Sarni- 

 ensis, the latter known as the Guernsey Lily, are charming 

 south African members of the same family. The flowers are 

 brilliant scarlet in the first-named ; salmon-colored in the lat- 

 ter. The leaves appear before the flowers fade. They con- 

 tinue all winter, resting during the summer-time. 



All these popular autumn-flowering bulbous plants are 

 easily grown. Ordinary loam suits them well, and they sel- 

 dom require potting. During the growing season abundance 

 of water is required, and less when resting. They will go to 

 rest and resume growth without special treatment. Though 

 all, with the exception of the Lycoris, are tender, inasmuch 

 as they will not bear more than a few de frost, they 



are distinctly cool-house bulbs, and do best in a moderate 

 temperature. 



Montbretiasare among our brightest autumn-blooming bulb- 



