LACHBNALIA 



THE BULB BOOK 



LACHBNALIA 



the soil dropping out. After potting 

 or basketing, the soil may receive a 

 good watering to settle it, and the 

 plants should be placed in a cold 

 frame or in the greenhouse. Until 

 growth has fairly started the soil 

 should be kept just moist, the supply 

 of water increasing or decreasing 

 afterwards, 'according to growth and 

 the state of the weather. As the 

 plants are tender they must be 

 sheltered in a greenhouse in winter, 

 and should have a minimum tempera- 

 ture of about 45° F. When the 

 flower-stems are showing, a little weak 

 liquid manure two or three times a 

 week will be beneficial. When 

 flowering is quite over and the leaves 

 begin to wither, the plants may be 

 transferred to the frame again, and 

 kept dry untU the period for repotting 

 comes round. Then the stock may be 

 increased by separating the offsets, 

 and growing them on separately from 

 the mother bulbs. The blackish 

 shining seeds may also be sown, when 

 thoroughly ripe in rich gritty soil in 

 pots or pans, and in a temperature of 

 60° to 65° F. When large enough to 

 handle easily, the seedlings should be 

 pricked out into other pots, pans, or 

 boxes, and grown on in a sunny place 

 near the glass when established. In 

 about three years flowering bulbs are 

 produced from seeds. The following 

 are a few of the best Lachenalias : — 



L. aurea. — Leaves broad, fleshy, 

 channelled, spotted with dark purple. 

 Flowers golden - yellow fading to 

 purple, borne on purple spotted scapes 

 a foot or more high. The variety 

 gigantea is a much finer plant than 

 the type. (Bot. Mag. t. 5992.) 



L. aureo-reflexa. — As the name 

 indicates, this is a hybrid between L. 

 aurea and L. reflexa. It has bright 

 yellow flowers, the outer segments 

 being tipped with green, and fading 

 to reddish-brown. The fleshy lance- 



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shaped recurved leaves are not 

 spotted. 



L. Cami. — A fine seedling form, 

 having shining green leaves about 9 

 ins. long mottled with dull brown. 

 From twelve to twenty flowers are 

 borne on a heavily blotched scape 

 about 1 ft. high, the colour being 

 orange-yellow tinted with green, 

 with bright red buds. 



L. contaminata. — Leaves roundish 

 spotted. Flowers white, often tinted 

 with pink. {Bot. Mag. t. 1401.) 



L. convallai'loides. — This species 

 has solitary tapering leaves 6 to 12 

 ins. long and 1 in. broad, and bell- 

 shaped flowers purple-pink in bud, 

 but afterwards white with a heather- 

 like scent. The colour and shape 

 remind one of Lily of the Valley. 

 {Gard. 1904, Ixv. 213, 264.) 



L. flstulosa. — This species is 

 distinct in growth, the two fleshy 

 leaves being nearly as broad as long. 

 The sweet-scented flowers are tinged 

 with pale blue at the base and tipped 

 with purple. 



L. glaucina. — Leaves, usually two, 

 lance-shaped, spotted, about 1 ft. long. 

 Flowers white, more or less tinted 

 with yeUow and red. {Bot. Mag. t. 

 3552.) 



L. isopetala. — A rare species 4 to 

 8 ins. high, with two long pointed 

 leaves, and pale flowers tinged with 

 pale rose or red. 



L. lilacina. — ^A rare species, having 

 short and very narrow leaves, and 

 pretty flowers of bright lilac shaded 

 blue, borne on stems densely mottled 

 with reddish-brown. 



D. Nelsonl. — A fine hybrid between 

 L. aurea and L. tricolor, and named 

 after the Eev. John Nelson, who raised 

 the first hybrid Lachenalia. It is a 

 free grower, and has stout scapes over 

 a foot high of rich yellow flowers. A 

 fine plant for growing in bold masses. 



L. orcbioid.es. — Closely related to 



