NYMPH^A 



THE BULB BOOK 



ORNITHOGALUM 



mottled with brown above and 

 spotted red beneath ; rosea, clear 

 soft pink ; rubra, dark rose ; sid- 

 phurea, sulphur-yellow, 8 ins. across, 

 leaves marbled. 



N. Parkeriana, from British Guiana, 

 resembles N. odorata, and has large 

 pure white fragrant fiowers with 

 yellow stamens. 



N. pygmaea. — This beautiful North 

 Asiatic species is, next to if. Baumi, 

 the smallest of the Water Lilies — 

 hardy or tender. Its heart-shaped 

 leaves are 3 to 4 ins. broad, and the 

 sweet-scented white flowers are about 

 2 ins. across. Quite hardy. {Bot. 

 Mag. t. 1525.) 



N. scutifolla. — A South African 

 species resembling N. stdlata, but 

 having broader and blunter petals 

 to its sweet - scented bright blue 

 flowers. Tender. (Fl. d. Serr. vi. 

 t. 645.) 



N. stellata {N. cmridea). — A native 

 of Tropical Africa, with unspotted 

 leaves and delicately scented sky- 

 blue flowers during the summer 

 months {Bot. Mag. t. 552). 



The variety cyanea is a pale blue 

 Indian form {Bot. Mag. t. 2058); 

 versicolor has white flowers flushed 

 with red {Bot. Mag. t. 1189); and 

 zanzibarensis has rich purple - blue 

 flowers about 7 ins. across {Bot. Mag. 

 t. 6843). 



W. stellata and its varieties may 

 be grown in open sunny tanks during 

 the summer months ; but they are 

 usually regarded as tender. 



N. Sturtevantl is a seedling from 

 JV. devoniensis, with large flowers of 

 a clear pale rosy -red. 



N. tetragona. — A native of N. 

 Asia and parts of N. America, 

 having leaves 4 to 5 ins. across, 

 green above, red beneath. The 

 flowers are pure white with yellow 

 stamens, and measure only Ij to 2 

 ins. across. This little Water Lily 



386 



does not increase freely from root- 

 stocks, but may be easily raised from 

 seeds. The variety Helvola has pale 

 yellow flowers 2 ins. across, while 

 himalayensis has white flowers only 

 1 in. across. 



N. thermalis, — The Hungarian 

 Lotus, found in Hungary in the 

 warm river named Pecze. It has 

 sharply toothed leaves, and pure 

 white flowers with a wine-like odour, 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 797, as N. Lotus.) 



N. tuberosa. — ^A fine free-growing 

 North American species remarkable 

 for its creeping root-stock bearing 

 oblong tubers. The faintly scented 

 white flowers appear in July and 

 August, and are from 4 to 7 ins. 

 across. Hardy. {Bot. Mag. t. 

 6536.) 



The variety rosea has deliciously 

 fragrant pink flowers ; and Riehard- 

 soni has pure white double flowers. 



N. 'Wm. Doogue. — An American 

 seedling with broad-petalled flowers 

 of a clear shell-pink colour. Hardy. 



N. Wm. Falconer. — Another 

 American seedling intermediate 

 between N. Laydeheri and N. 

 Marliacea. The leaves are reddish 

 when young, but turn to olive-green 

 with red veins, and the ruby-crimson 

 flowers with orange-yellow anthers 

 are about 6 ins. across. Hardy. 



N. Zenker!. — A native of the 

 Cameroons, with small conical rhiz- 

 omes, long-stalked, deep heart-shaped, 

 lobed and toothed leaves, and white 

 flowers tinged with red, 2 to 3 ins. 

 across {Gartenfl. 1906, 519). Tender. 



ORNITHOGALUM {ornis, a bird; 

 gala, milk; application mysterious), 

 Stae of Bethlehem. Nat. Ord. 

 Liliaceae.^A large genus of plants 

 with tunicated bulbs, radical leaves, 

 and leafless scapes ending in clusters 

 of starry six-petalled flowers. 



The hardy species flourish in any 



