CALLIPSTCHE 



THE BULB BOOK 



CALLIRHOE 



These little-known bulbous plants 

 are not difficult to grow in an 

 ordinary greenhouse or conservatory. 

 They like a compost of sandy loam 

 and leaf-mould, and may be grown 

 in well-drained pots or planted out 

 in the greenhouse border. They 

 require proper attention in regard to 

 watering when growing and flowering, 

 the periods of which are erratic. 

 Propagation by ofisets from older 

 bulbs. 



O. aurantiaca. — Bulbs ovoid, about 

 1 in. through. Leaves oblong, heart- 

 shaped, about 6 ins. long and 4 ins. 

 broad. Flowers bright yellow, with 

 a short green tube, six to eight in an 

 umbel on top of a stalk 1^ to 2 ft. 



Fig. 84. — CtUUpsycJie miraHlis, (^.) 



long, and having the stamens' pro- 

 truding 2j to 3 ins. beyond the 

 perianth segments. Recorded as 

 flowering in February. (Bef. Bot. t. 

 167 ; Bot. Mag. t. 6841.) 



O. euorosioides. — Bulbs round, 2 

 ins. in diameter. Leaves oblong, 

 about a foot long and 4 ins. broad. 

 Flowers greenish-yeUow, eight to 

 ten in an umbel on top of a 



slender scape about 2 ft. high, and 

 having the stamens protruding about 

 3 ins. beyond the tip of the perianth 

 segments. Recorded as flowering in 

 May. {Bot. Reg. 1845, t. 45.) 



C. mlrablUs (Fig. 84).— A very 

 remarkable plant, with oblong brown - 

 coated bulbs 2 ins. in diameter, and 

 thin oblong-acute leaves about 1 ft. 

 long, and 6 ins. or more across in 

 the widest part. The greenish-yellow 

 flowers, often thirty in number, form 

 a dense umbel 8 to 9 ins. across, 

 on top of a grey-green peduncle about 

 3 ft. high, and are remarkable for 

 having the white filaments of the 

 stamens protruding about 4 or 5 ins. 

 beyond the tips of the perianth 

 segments. {Ref. Bot. t. 168 ; Gard. 

 Ghron. March 31, 1900, 202, f.) Re- 

 corded as flowering in July, August, 

 and December. 



CAlililRHOEi (the name of the 

 daughter of the river-god Achelous). 

 Nat. Ord. Malvaceae. — A small genus 

 of N. American herbs, similar in 

 appearance to the Mallows. The fol- 

 lowing have tuberous root-stocks : — 



O. Involucrata. — A hairy-stemmed 

 perennial with i whitish, turnip-shaped 

 roots, and climbing stems 2 to 3 ft. 

 long, furnished with three- to five- 

 lobed leaves. The flowers, about 2 

 ins. across, appear in summer, and 

 are crimson, shading to white at the 

 base, with a cluster of yellow stamens 

 in the centre. 



C. macrorhiza. — This species has 

 purple-carmine flowers; but there 

 are forms with pale rose and white 

 flowers. 



These plants are easily grown in 

 the open air in ordinary garden soil, 

 but like warm, sunny positions. The 

 stems may be allowed to ramble over 

 the ground, or be trained up stakes 

 or trellises. Seeds are produced 

 freely, and fresh plants may be 



125 



