THLADIANTHA 



THE BULB BOOK 



TIGEIDIA 



Nat. Ord. Cucurbitacese. — Tlie best 

 known member of the genus is — ■ 



T. dubia. — A native of India and 

 China, having swollen tuberous 

 roots and climbing stems 12 to 20 

 ft. long, furnished with pretty heart- 

 siiaped hairy leaves. The yellow 

 flowers are freely produced during 

 the summer months, and in the case 

 of the female plants are succeeded 

 in autumn by bright red downy 

 fruits about the size and shape of 

 a hen's egg. {Bot. Mar/, t. 5469.) 



Fig. 320. — Tliladiantha dubia^ seedlings. 



This species will grow well in the 

 open air if planted against a south 

 wall in the Midlands, or in any 

 position in the mildest parts of the 

 Kingdom. To secure a good supply 

 of the bright red fruits, it must be 

 remembered that the plant is dioe- 

 cious — that is, the male and female 

 flowers are borne on distinct and 

 separate plants. Of course both 

 kinds should be grown, as it is 

 essential to have the pollen from the 

 stamens of one plant to fertilise the 

 pistils of the other. The plants may 

 be increased by division of the root- 

 stocks in spring, and from seeds 

 sown under glass. 



T. Oliverl. — This is a much finer 

 and more vigorous plant than T. 

 dubia, but has no tubers. The 

 stems are 30 ft. long, the leaves are 

 larger, and the flowers more numerous. 

 {Rev. Hort. 1903, 472, f. 194.) 



THOMSONIA (after Dr A. T. 

 Thomson, 1778-1849). Nat. Ord. 

 Aroidese. — A genus containing only 

 two or three species of tuberous- 

 rooted stove plants, closely related to 

 Amorphophallus and requiring the 

 same treatment. The species known 

 are T. Hookeri, and T. nepalensis, 

 the latter from the Himalayas, hav- 

 ing a large tuberous root-stock, an 

 annual leaf 2 ft. high, with a trisected 

 pinnatifid blade 2 ft. across, and an 

 erect scape 4 ft. high, bearing a 

 greenish-yellow boat-shaped spathe 

 nearly a foot long, and an erect 

 yellow spadix nearly as long as the 

 spathe. {Bot. May. t. 7342.) 



TIGRIDIA {tigris, a tiger ; eidos, 

 like; in reference to the spotted 

 flowers), TiGEE Flower. Nat. Ord. 



Fig. 321. — Tigridia, bulb and section. 



Iridese. — A genus containing about 

 ten species of herbaceous plants, 

 with ovoid bulb-like corms covered 

 with brown and membranous coats, 

 and having plaited leaves, and more 

 or less heavily spotted cup-like flowers, 

 with three broad outer petals and 

 three much smaller inner ones. Fila- 

 ments united to the top in a long 

 cylindrical column. 

 The Tiger ilowers, being mostly 



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