HYMENOCALLIS 



THE BULB BOOK 



HYMENOCALLIS 



length. The cup in centre is very 

 fiat and shallow, 1^ to 2 ins. across. 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 827 ; Lodd. Bot. Cab. 

 t. 19 ; Saund. Ref. Bot. t. 357.) 



H. llttoralis {H. adnata; Pan- 

 cratium littorale ; P. americanum). — 

 A very old and variable species, 

 native of Tropical America, where it 

 is widely distributed. The bulbs are 

 3 to 4 ins. through, and bear several 

 bright green leaves 2 to 2^ ft. long 

 and \\ ins. broad. From four to eight 

 flowers are borne on top of a two- 

 edged scape \\ to 2 ft. high, the 

 perianth-tube being 6 to 7 ins. long, 

 tinged with green, and the long 

 narrow segments being recurved and 

 attached to the base of the broadly 

 funnel-shaped cup. (Trans. Linn. 

 Soc. ii. 74, t. 13; Jacq. Sort. Vind. 

 iii. t. 750; Journ. Hort. Feb. 1909, 

 165.) 



H. Macleana (Ismene Madeana). — 

 Introduced by Maclean in 1834 from 

 the Andes of Peru. It has very pro- 

 liferous ovoid bulbs about 2 ins. 

 through, and bright green narrow 

 leaves a foot or more long. Flowers 

 with a greenish tube and linear sub- 

 erect segments surrounding a white 

 funnel-shaped cup striped with green. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 3675.) 



H. luacrostephana. — This is prob- 

 ably a hybrid between S. calathina 

 and H. speciosa, as it is not recorded 

 as having been introduced from any 

 part of America. It is a strong- 

 growing plant with ovoid bulbs about 

 2 ins. through, and bright green 

 oblanceolate leaves 2j to 3 ft. long. 

 From six to ten large pure white 

 flowers are borne in March and April, 

 having a greenish tube 3 ins. long, and 

 linear segments surrounding a broadly 

 funnel-shaped cup about 2 ins. across. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 6436.) 



H. ovata (Pancratium ovatum ; P. 

 fragrans ; P. amoenum, Ker). — A 

 West Indian species closely related 



286 



to H. speciosa. Bulbs 3 to 4 ins. 

 through. Leaves oblong acute, 1 ft. 

 or more long, 4 to 6 ins. broadl' 

 From six to ten pure white fragrant 

 flowers are borne on a scape, the 

 linear segments surrounding a regu- 

 larly funnel-shaped cup about a inch 

 deep. (Bot. Reg. t. 43; Bot. Mag. 

 1467.) 



H. qultoensis (Ismene tenuifdia). — 

 A native of the mountains of Ecuador, 

 with tufts of thin narrow bright 

 green leaves a foot long. Flowers 

 solitary, with greenish slender tube, 

 and suberect lance-shaped segments 

 2| to 3 ins. long. The funnel-shaped 

 cup about 2 ins. long and 1^ ins. across 

 is pure white ribbed with green. 

 (Bot. Mag. t. 6397.) 



H. schizosteptaana. — A BrazDian 

 species similar to //. caribcea in 

 appearance, but the filaments are 

 very stout and winged at the base, 

 forming an irregular cup as if torn 

 (Gard. Chron. 1899, xxv. 386). 



H. senegamblca. — This is remark- 

 able as being the only Old World 

 species, being a native of the sandy 

 shores of the Congo. It comes close 

 to H. littorcdis, and has arching strap- 

 shaped leaves about 2 ft. long, and 

 large trusses of flowers on scapes 

 about 2 ft. high. Perianth-tube 

 slender, 5 to 6 ins. long. Segments 

 very narrow, about 4 ins. long, round 

 the funnel-shaped cup over 1 in. 

 across. 



H. speciosa (Pancratium speao- 

 sum). — One of the best-known ^ecies 

 in cultivation. It is a native of the 

 West Indies, and has bulbs 3 to 4 ii^s. 

 through, and numerous oblanceolate, 

 oblong, bright green leaves, Ij tojS 

 ft. long. The sweet-scented piire 

 white flowers have a greenish tulje 

 about 3 ins. long, and shorter seg- 

 ments and funnel-shaped cup. (Bot. 

 Mag. t. 1453 ; Red. Lil. t. 412.) Tie 

 variety angtistifolia has very stiff 



