BEODI^A 



THE BULB BOOK 



BEODMA 



March and April, and from May to 

 July :— 



B. Bridg'esi (Triteleia Bridged). — A 

 species closely related to B. laxa, but 

 easily distinguished by its longer 

 and broader blue flowers, with a 

 decided red tinge, as many as ten 

 to twenty blossoms being in an 

 umbel. 



B. oallfornica (B. Atcstince). — A very 

 fine species, 15 to 18 ins. high, bear- 

 ing loose umbels of ten to twenty-five 

 flowers of a beautiful rose-purple, 

 each spreading funnel-shaped blossom 

 being 1 J to 2 ins. long, and the same 

 in width. Perfect stamens three. 



B. Candida. — This is like B. laxa, 

 but is finer, with large heads of white 

 flowers tinted with pale blue, or in 

 Some cases pink, on stout stems. 



B. capltata {Milla capitata). — A 

 beautiful species, with narrow linear 

 leaves and fragile stalks 1 to 2 ft. 

 high, bearing umbels of numerous 

 bright lilac or deep violet blooms 

 about April. The variety alha has 

 white flowers. 



B. congesta. — A free-flowering 

 species, with roundish slender leaves 

 and deep violet flowers, six to twelve 

 in an umbel, borne in summer on 

 flexuous scapes 3 to 5 ft. long. There 

 are three fertile stamens alternating 

 with three purple cleft staminodia in 

 the throat of the tube, lihere is a 

 rare white-flowered form. 



B. erocea. — A small species with 

 very narrow leaves and umbels of 

 yellow flowers borne on slender leaf- 

 less stalks a foot high (Gard. Ghron. 

 1901, 126, f. 39). 



B. Douglas! {Milla and Triteleia 

 grandiflora). — This fine species seems 

 to be intermediate between B. Howelli 

 and B. laxa. It has narrow leaves, and 

 dense umbels of six to twenty beauti- 

 ful bright blue flowers about 1 in. 

 long on the top of a scape \\ to 2 ft. 

 high. Perfect stamens six, three of 



114 



which are seated on the throat of 

 the tube, the other three reaching 

 nearly half-way up the segments. 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 6907.) 



B. gracilis {Triteleia gracilis). — A 

 rare and pretty species, with slender 

 leaves, and about a dozen bright 

 yellow flowers, about ^ in. long, in an 

 umbel on the top of a scape less than 

 6 ins. high. The oblong segments 

 are keeled with brown, and there are 

 six perfect stamens. 



B. grandiflora {Hoohera coronaria). 

 — This is the original species upon 

 which the genus Brodisea was founded 

 by Smith in 1 808. It has linear leaves 

 and bright violet-blue flowers, three 

 to ten in an umbel, on top of a scape 

 about 18 ins. long. The perianth 

 tube is over 1 in. long, with rather 

 longer, oblong, spreading segments 

 and three fertile stamens. B. minor 

 comes near this species, but has fewer 

 fiowers and shorter scapes. The 

 variety Warei has lilac-rose flowers 

 about 3 ins. long on stems 2 to 2| 

 ft. high. {Bot. Beg. t. 1 183.) 



B. Hendersonl. — This very rare 

 species comes near B. Bridgesi and 

 B. laxa. The flowers, however, are 

 salmon-yellow striped with purple, 

 and are i to 1 in. long, with bluish 

 anthers to the stamens in the centre. 



B, HowelU {Triteleia Howelli). — 

 This is closely related to B. Douglasi. , 

 It has, however, smaller flowers of a 

 beautiful porcelain-white, delicately 

 streaked with blue. The variety 

 lilacina is a far superior plant, having 

 twenty or more funnel-shaped flowers 

 each 1 in. across in an umbel, and of 

 a soft lavender-blue with white seg- 

 ments. {Bot. Mag. t. 6989.) 



B. hyacinthlna {Hesperocordvm 

 hyacinthinum ; H. Lewisi). — A pretty 

 species having linear leaves and ten 

 to thirty purple flowers in an umbel 

 on top of a scape 1 to 2 ft. long. 

 The variety lactea (better known m 



