ISOLOMA 



THE BULB BOOK 



IXIA 



finest garden forms .of the Spanish 

 Iris, and all are worth growing : — 



Adelina Patti, deep bronze ; 

 Sappho, splendid bronze ; Agnes, 

 blue, very fine; Alexander V. Hwn- 

 holdt, deep blue ; Formosa, dark 

 blue ; Leonidas, dark violet-blue ; 

 Louise, lilac-blue, very large, extra 

 fine ; Athalia, pure white ; Blanche 

 Superbe, pure white, dwarf; British 

 QM«em., pure white; La Dame Blanche, 

 pure white, dwarf ; La Neige, pure 

 white, large ; Mont Blanc, pure 

 white, dwarf ; Belle Chinoise, very 

 fine yellow; Chrysolora, very fine 

 bright yellow ; Leander, deep yellow, 

 very large, scented ; Ovidius, clear 

 pale yellow; Princess May, yellow 

 with bluish centre ; William the 

 First, golden-yellow. 



iSOliOMA (isos, equal ; loma, a 

 border ; the corolla lobes being equal). 

 Nat. Ord. Gesneraceae. — This genus 

 contains about sixty species of warm- 

 house herbaceous plants closely related 

 to the Achimenes and Gesnera, and 

 resemhiling the first-named in having 

 scaly ior catkin-like rhizomes. The 

 leaves are opposite, and usually 

 densffly clothed with soft velvety 

 hairs/ The flowers are tubular, 

 reseinbling the Achimenes in form 

 and spse. The plants formerly known 

 under the name of TYDiEA now belong 

 to tlais genus. For cultural details 

 see .^LCHiMENES and Gesnera. 



The following species may be noted. 

 They are all natives of Tropical 

 America, ranging from Bolivia and 

 Peru to Mexico : — 



I. amablle. — This grows about 1 ft. 

 high, has greenish-purple stems, and 

 large deep rose flowers {Bot. Mag. t. 

 4999). 



I. bpgotense {Achimenes picta). — 

 This grows 1 to 2 ft. high, and has 

 drooping yellow flowers, red above 



and striped and dotted with red 

 inside (Bat. Mag. t. 4126). 



I. Deppeanxun (Gesnera elongata). — 

 Height 2 to 3 ft., with orange-red 

 flowers in velvety umbels {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 3725). 



I. erianthum. — A handsome erect 

 plant from Colombia, 2 to 4 ft. high, 

 with underground scaly rhizomes, and 

 thick stems and leaves covered with 

 soft brownish hairs. Leaves ovate 

 lance-shaped, with stalks 4 to 6 ins. 

 long. Flowers orange-red or cinnabar, 

 velvety, drooping, borne in clusters 

 in the axils of the upper leaves. 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 7907.) 



I. hondense. — A free - flowering 

 species about 1 ft. high, with yellow 

 flowers {Bot. Mag. t. 4217). 



Other species equally beautiful and 

 interesting, and mostly having red or 

 yellow flowers, are — I. longifolium, 

 orange-red ; I. moUe, red {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 3815); I. ocellatum, bright red 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 4359) ; I. pictum, scarlet 

 {Bot. Mag. tt. 4126, 4431); I. Schle- 

 deanum, scarlet {Bot. Mag. t. 41 52) ; I. 

 Seemanni, bright brick -red {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 4504) ; I. trlflorum, yellow {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 4342); and I. tubiflora, 

 yellow, tinted with red. 



I. hypooyrtiflorum, formerly known 

 as Gloxinia. This species has orange- 

 red almost globular flowers. {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 5655.) 



IXIA {ixia, bird-lime ; in reference 

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

 — A genus of South African herbs 

 with smooth or fibrous-coated bulbs 

 or corms, and erect, strongly-veined, 

 sword-shaped leaves. Flowers with 

 a funnel-shaped or salver-shaped 

 perianth, borne on slender spikes. 



Ixias are closely related to Spar- 

 axis, Babiana, and Tritonia, but difi'er 

 structurally in details. They are 

 elegant plants of fairly easy growth, 

 but unfortunately are not hardy 



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