OXALIS 



THE BULB BOOK 



P^ONIA 



O. elesans. — A pretty Peruvian 

 species about 6 ins. high, witli broad 

 three-lobed leaves, purple or violet 

 underneath, and large purple flowers 

 in summer {Bot. Mag. t. 4490). 



O. enneaphylla. — A distinct Wood- 

 Sorrel from the Falkland Islands, 

 with top-shaped tuberous root-stocks 

 sometimes 2 ins. long, and leaves 

 divided into from nine to twenty 

 grey-green leaflets. The white or 

 pale rose flowers, nearly 1^ ins. 

 across, appear in June (but often 

 earlier and later in the year), and 

 are sometimes faintly veined with 

 purple. {Bot. Mag. t. 6256.) 



This is an excellent plant for moist 

 and shady nooks in the rock-garden. 

 It grows well in rich and well-drained 

 sandy loam. 



O. imbricata. — ^A South African 

 species with three-lobed velvety 

 leaves and rosy flowers. The double- 

 flowered variety {flore pleno) is pretty. 



O. tncamata. — A South African 

 plant about 6 ins. high, with spindle- 

 shaped root-stocks, and pale rosy 

 flowers. Quite hardy. 



O. lasiopetala. — A native of Buenos 

 Ayres, with knotted tuberous root- 

 stocks, and many-flowered clusters 

 of deep rosy flowers (Bot. Mag. 

 t. 3932). Frame or greenhouse. 



O. lobata. — A tuberous - rooted 

 species from Chili. Leaves grey- 

 green, and flowers yellow spotted 

 with red, produced at various times 

 {Bot. Mag. t. 2386). Hardy. 



O. luteola. — A South African 

 species with bulb-like root-stocks and 

 yellow flowers nearly all the year 

 round. Hardy. 



O. monophylla. — Koot-stocks tuber- 

 ous. Leaves entire lance-shaped and 

 not divided into leaflets. Flowers 

 pale purple with a yellowish base, 

 borne singly on the stems. 



O. tetraphylla. — A Mexican species 

 with top-shaped root-stocks. Leaves 



composed of four leaflets, and clear 

 violet or lilac-purple flowers. {Lodd. 

 Bot. Cab. t. 790.) Hardy. 0. 

 Deppei is closely related, and is 

 probably only a variety. 



o. variabilis. — This South African 

 plant has large bulbous root-stocks, 

 three-lobed dark green hairy leaves, 

 and cup-like flowers 2 ins. across, 

 varying in colour from purple to rosy- 

 lilac, white, and yellow — hence the 

 specific name {Bot. Beg. t. 1505 ; 

 Bot. Mag. t. 1683, as 0. grandiflora ; 

 id. t. 1712, var. rubra). Hardy. 



O. vlolaoea. — A North American 

 species about 3 ins. high, having 

 blackish, spindle-shaped root-stocks, 

 three-lobed leaves reddish beneath, 

 and three to nine pink or rose 

 flowers on a stem {Bot. Mag. t. 

 2215). Hardy. 



PACHYRHIZUS {pochys, thick ; 

 rhiza, a root). Nat. Ord. Legum- 

 inossB. — The only species of note is 

 P. an^ulatus, a native of the West 

 Indies, with long fleshy tuberous 

 roots, climbing stems 3 to 6 ft. long, 

 furnished with three-lobed sharp- 

 toothed leaves, and bearing spikes 

 of violet pea-like flowers in July and 

 August. P. tuberosus, with white 

 flowers, appears to be a variety. 



This plant may be grown in the 

 open air in summer, but requires the 

 protection of a greenhouse in winter. 

 It may be increased by seeds, cuttings, 

 or division of the root-stocks. In 

 the West Indies the green seed-pods 

 and the fleshy roots are eaten by 

 the natives. 



P.ffiONlA (after Pceon, a physician, 

 who, according to legend, was the 

 first to employ the plant medicinally), 

 P^ONY, Peony, or Piony. Nat. Ord. 

 Eanunculacese. — A genus consisting 

 chiefly of herbaceous plants, having, 

 spindle-shaped, Dahlia-like roots, 



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