iGAPANTHUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



ALBUCA 



Liliacese.— A small genus of half- 

 bardy plants from S. Africa, having 

 shortish rhizomes with thick fleshy- 

 roots, strap-shaped leaves, and um- 

 bels of funnel-shaped flowers on top 

 jf a stoutish scape. Each flower 

 las almost equal segments, and 

 six stamens attached to the base 

 jf the tube. Seed-pods are usually 

 produced in our climate, but seeds 

 ire rarely ripened. 



A. umbellatus. — This fine plant, 

 Dopularly known as the African Lily, 

 s an evergreen with fine masses of 

 eathery strap-shaped leaves 1|- to 2 

 't. long, and erect stout scapes 2 to 3 

 't. high, on top of which are borne 

 lumerous bright blue flowers during 

 ;he summer and autumn months, 

 n umbels 6 to 12 ins. in diameter 

 Bot. Mag. t. 500). There are several 

 /■arieties, the best being : — albidus 

 with white flowers, smaller than 

 ;he type ; Leichtlini, deep hyacinth- 

 Dlue ; maximus, large, bright blue ; 

 lureus, with yellow-striped leaves, 

 md flore plena, a double-flowered 

 'orm, and argenteus, with silvery- 

 itriped leaves, are rarely seen. Other 

 varieties are minor and Mooreanus, 

 joth with smaller flowers than the 

 ;ype, but decidedly compact and 

 landsome in growth, and with deep 

 olue colour. A plant called inter- 

 nedius seems to be one of the larger 

 'orms, with flower-stems about 5 ft. 

 ligh, having large heads of bright 

 Dlue flowers. A variety with blue 

 md white flowers, called iicolor, is 

 ilso attractive. St Pauli has pure 

 srhite flowers, and Weillighi has 

 [avender flowers, the petals of which 

 ire centred and edged with indigo. 

 9-lohosus is a deciduous form with 

 globular heads of flower. 



The plant known as A. indgnis is 

 ao doubt a variety of A. wnbellafus, 

 Dut is distinguished by the creamy 

 bint at the base of the leaves in the 



60 



centre, by the longer flower-stems, 

 and the more numerous but paler 

 flowers, each with longer pedicels 

 than in the type (Gard. 1903, Ixiii. 

 67, f.). 



A. caulescens is closely related to 

 A. umhellatiis, but has dark violet-blue 

 flowers {Gartenfl. t. 1487). 



A. umbellatus and its varieties are 

 easily grown plants, and are very use- 

 ful for the decoration of the cool green- 

 house or conservatory either as pot 

 plants or when planted in borders. 

 They are not quite hardy, but in the 

 most favoured parts of the Kingdom 

 often pass an ordinary winter in the 

 open unscathed. In such places they 

 are easily protected in severe winters 

 by covering the crowns vdth straw, 

 litter, etc., and if grovra by the 

 margins of lakes, streams, ponds, 

 etc., in such localities, make very 

 attractive masses of colour during 

 the "summer months. They flourish 

 in any garden soil, but naturally do 

 best in a light one, having plenty 

 of well-decayed manure. When 

 grown in pots or tubs, as is often 

 the case, they like a compost of 

 sandy loam and leaf-soil made flrm 

 round the fleshy roots. During 

 growth an abundance of water may 

 be given, and when danger from 

 frost is over the plants may be grown 

 in the open air till the approach of 

 winter. They may then be taken 

 into a cool greenhouse, or failing this 

 even into a cellar free from frost 

 until the following spring. The 

 easiest \vay to propagate the plants 

 is by dividing the clumps in spring 

 when repotting. It takes flve or 

 six years to raise good flowering 

 plants from seed. 



ALBTJOA {albicans or albus, white). 

 Nat. Ord. Liliaces. — A genus closely 

 related to the Galtonias and Hya- 

 cinths, with about thirty species 



