HYMENOCALLIS 



THE BULB BOOK 



HYMENOCALLIS 



the membranous cup or corona in 

 centre of the flower). Nat. Ord. 

 Amaryllidese. — A genus containing 

 over thirty species of tunicated 

 bulbous plants having strap-shaped 

 leaves and (in most cases) umbels 

 of pure white sweet-scented flowers 

 borne on top of a solid compressed 

 scape or peduncle. Perianth more or 

 less funnel-shaped, with a cylindrical 

 tube and six narrow or lance-shaped 

 segments. Stamens six, with long 

 protruding filaments bearing linear 

 versatile anthers. Style slender, 

 long, with a capitate stigma. 



The Hymenocallis are closely re- 

 lated to the Pancratiums, and are 

 easily grown in a compost of rich 

 sandy loam and leaf-mould. Most 

 of the species require to be cultivated 

 in a warm greenhouse or even in 

 a stove, as they are natives of Tropi- 

 cal and subtropical S. America and 

 Mexico. H. littoralis and H. Aman- 

 caes, however, are often grown out 

 of doors in the warmest parts of the 

 British Islands, but they must be 

 protected from the frost in winter, 

 and the bulbs should be covered with 

 about three times their own diameter 

 of soil. Propagation is effected by sow- 

 ing the large green-coated seeds when 

 fully ripe; or by means of offsets when 

 repotting the plants. If grown in 

 pots the bulbs should be buried up 

 to the top in the soil, and sizes too 

 large should be avoided. The plants 

 may also be grovm in beds or borders 

 in the greenhouse or stove, and should 

 be well supplied with water when 

 growing freely. 



H. Amanoaes {Narcissus, Pan- 

 cratium, and Ismene Amcmcaes). — 

 A beautiful species from the Hill of 

 Amancaes, near Lima in Peru, with 

 bulbs 1| to 2 ins. through, having 

 a cylindrical neck about 6 ins. long. 

 Leaves bright green, about 18 ins. 

 long and Ij to 2 ins. broad. Flowers 



greenish-yellow with bright yellow 

 narrow segments, borne in summer 

 on a two-edged scape 1 to 2 ft. high. 

 The staminal cup is also bright yellow 

 striped with green. {Bot. Mag. t. 

 1224 j Bot. Reg. t. 660.) 



Fig. 186. — Hymenocallis Amancaes. (J.) 



H. Andreana {Ismene Andreama). — 

 This grows wild on the Andes of 

 Ecuador at an altitude of 8000 ft. 

 The bulbs are " as large as an apple," 

 and the narrow pale green leaves are 

 from 12 to 15 ins. long. One flower 

 only is borne on the slender scape. 

 It has a green perianth-tube, white 

 linear segments 3^ to 4 ins. long, and 

 a white funnel-shaped cup 3 to 4 ins. 

 broad, striped with green. {Rev. 

 Sort. 1884, t. 468; Garden, May, 

 1884.) Cool greenhouse or half- 

 hardy. 



H. calathina {Ismene and Ran- 

 cratiwm, calathinum; P. calathiforTne). 

 —Introduced from the Andes of Peru 

 and Bolivia in 1794. Bulbs roundish, 

 with a cylindrical neck. Leaves al- 

 most in two rows, 1|^ to 2 ft. long. 

 Flowers two to five in an umbel. 



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