FEKRAEIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



FREESIA 



loam. Increased by offsets before 

 growth starts in spring. 



FERRARIA (after Ferrara, an 

 Italian botanist). Nat. Ord. Iridese. 

 — ^A genus containing about half a 

 dozen species of interesting dwarf- 

 growing herbs with irregular corms, 

 narrow sword-like leaves, and cup- 

 shaped flowers with six spreading seg- 

 ments, which have wavy edges and are 

 often narrowed at the base. The three 

 filaments of the stamens are united 

 into a tube, and the three petal-like, 

 fringed stigmas surmount the narrow 

 ovary. 



These little plants are closely 

 related to the Tigridias or Tiger 

 Flowers, and are natives of S. Africa. 

 They require greenhouse treatment 

 in most parts of the Kingdom, and 

 should be grown in pots of rich sandy 

 loam and peat or leaf-soil. They 

 generally flower about April indoors, 

 but later outside. In autumn the 

 leaves wither, a sign that the bulbs 

 are going to rest, and require to be 

 kept dry until growth starts again in 

 spring. In milder parts of the King- 

 dom Ferrarias may be grown on a 

 warm border, the bulbs being planted 

 from 4 to 6 ins. deep as a protection 

 against frost. The bulbs should be 

 protected from cold winter rains with 

 old lights, as they possibly rot in the 

 wet soil ; otherwise it is safer to lift 

 them in autumn and store until the 

 weather is mild enough for planting 

 the following spring. 



P. antherosa {F. Ferrariola ; F. 

 viridiflora). — This species, introduced 

 from the Cape in 1800, has linear, 

 equitant, ensiform leaves, and solitary 

 flowers, greenish outside, and varie- 

 gated with yellow and green with 

 lines and dots of violet {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 751 ; Bot. Rep. t. 285 ; Red. Lil. t. 

 484). 



P. undulata {F. pvmatata ; Morcea 



undidata). — This is the best-known 

 species, and has been in cultivation 

 since 1775. It has equitant sword- 

 like leaves, and branching flower- 

 stems, sometimes about 1 ft. high. 

 The flowers are of a peculiar greenish- 

 brown or dull plum colour, the 

 spreading segments being very wavy 

 and crisped on the margins, while 

 the surface is spotted and blotched 

 with purple. {Bot. Mag. t. 144 j Red. 

 Lil. t. 28.) 



Other species that have been in 

 cultivation at one time or another, 

 but now appear to be very rare, are — 

 P. atrata, dark purple {Bot. Cab. t. 

 1356) ; P. divaricata, purple-brown 

 {Sw. Brit. Fl. Gard. t. 192); P. 

 obtuslfolla, purple-brown {Sw. Brit. 

 Fl. Gard. t. 148); P. Welwltschl, 

 bright yellow; and P. unclnata, 

 greenish-brown {Sw. Brit. Fl. Gard. 

 1. 161.) 



POOKBA. Nat. Ord. Asclepiadese. 

 — A small genus of South African 

 perennials, having large fleshy root- 

 stocks, thin, twining stems, opposite 

 leaves, and axillary cymes of small 

 flowers. The root-stocks are said to 

 be boiled and eaten by the natives. 



P. capensis has irregular, brown, 

 warty - skinned tubers, sometimes 

 weighing 50 lbs. or more. A plant 

 has been cultivated in the Imperial 

 Gardens at Schonbrunn, near Vienna, 

 oyer one hundred years. {Gard. 

 Chron. 1910, ii. 387, f.) 



Other species are P. ansustlfolia, 

 P. undulata, and P. glabra. AU the 

 species are mere vegetable curiosities 

 of exceedingly slow growth. 



PRBESIA (derivation unknown ; 

 probably after some botanist named 

 Frees). Nat. Ord. Iridese. — A genus 

 containing one or two species of 

 South African plants closely related 

 to the Ixias and Lapeyrousias, having 



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