GALANTHUS 



THE BULB BOOK 



GALAXIA 



leaves are broader and the flowers without green blotches, knd almost 



larger. The forms called AtkiTid and 

 Melvillei are improvements in size 

 and vigour. There is also a double- 

 flowered form worth growing. 



G. latifolius. — A distinct Caucasian 

 Snowdrop flowering in its native home 

 in May, but in British gardens in 

 February and March. The bright 

 green strap-shaped leaves are f to 1 

 in. broad, and the small white flowers 

 have a delicate beauty, the three 

 inner segments having a green blotch 

 round the sinus both inside and out. 

 {Gartenfl. 1863, t. 578 ; Gard. Chron. 

 18'79, fig. 32 ; 1881, 404, fig. 80.) 



G. Perryi is the name given to a 

 form intermediate between this 

 species and G. caticasicus. 



G. nivalis.— This is the well-known 

 Common Snowdrop found in various 

 parts of the British Islands and 

 throughout Europe. It has a small 

 roundish or ovoid bulb, J to 1 in. 

 thick, from which spring two linear 

 blue-green leaves 6 to 9 ins. long 

 when fully developed. The white 

 solitary drooping flowers appear from 

 January to March on a flattened 

 scape 3 to 12 ins. long, the three 

 inner segments having a green patch 

 round the notch or sinus. 



There are many forms, among 

 which may be mentioned corcyrensis 

 {orpraecox) from Corfu, which flowers 

 in December; foifnosvs, gracilis, 

 macMlatus ; lutescens, which has a 

 yellowish ovary and the inner seg- 

 ments tipped with yellow instead of 

 green ; octobrensis from the Albanian 

 mountains, a rather delicate variety 

 flowering in October ; G. Rachelae is 

 similar but has slightly larger flowers 

 and broader leaves, and flowers later ; 

 gramdijlor'us (or maxkivui) is a large 

 form, the leaves of which are recurved 

 at the edges and very glaucous be- 

 neath ; pondiformis is remarkable for 

 having the inner segments plain white 



as long as the outer ones ; rejiexus, 

 with much smaller flowers than the 

 type, the inner segments being re- 

 flexed at the apex; and Scharlohi, 

 which has two long spatho valves and 

 sometimes two flowers on a stalk, and 

 a green spot at the tip of each outer 

 segment. There is also a double- 

 flowered form of the Common Snow- 

 drop. 



G. Olgas. — A very rare Grecian 

 Snowdrop, having channelled glau- 

 cous leaves 6 to 8 ins. long and i in. 

 broad when fully developed. It 

 flowers in September and October, 

 and is therefore earlier than the 

 octobrensis form of G. nivalis. The 

 inner perianth segments are fre- 

 quently without the green blotches 

 usual in Snowdrops. 



G. plicatus. — This has large bulbs 

 and very glaucous leaves, quite 1 ft. 

 long and 1 in. broad when fully 

 developed. They are channelled 

 down the face and reflexed at the 

 edges. The flowers appear rather 

 later than the other forms, and are 

 I to 1 in. long, the inner segments 

 being green in the upper half with a 

 white edge. There are several forms, 

 including maximus, praecox, and 

 Omega, all from the Caucasus region. 

 {Bat. Mag. t. 2162; Bot. Reg. t. 

 545.) 



GALAXIA {gala, galaktos, galak- 

 tido, abounding in mUk ; referring 

 to the milky juice). Nat. Ord. Iridese. 

 — A small genus of pretty plants with 

 tunicated corms, natives of S. Africa. 

 The funnel-shaped flowers are small, 

 lilac or yellow in colour, and fleeting in 

 character. 



The species mentioned below should 

 be grown in a cool greenhouse, but 

 may possibly be fairly hardy in the 

 most favoured parts of the Kingdom, 

 at least during the summer months. 



237 



