XANTHOSOMA 



THE BULB BOOK 



ZEPHYRANTHES 



large yellow stigma). Nat. Ord. 

 Aroidese. — ^A genus containing about 

 twenty species of hottouse herbaceous 

 plants, closely related to the Cala- 

 diums, and having milky juice, tuber- 

 ous or thickened root-stocks, and 

 large hastate or sagittate leaves 

 with long stalks. The flowers are 

 monoecious, and borne on a spadix 

 which stands in the centre of a 

 convolute spathe. 



These plants being natives of 

 Tropical America (W. Indies, Brazil, 

 Venezuela, Guiana, etc.), flourish in 

 a hot moist atmosphere, with a 

 minimum winter temperature of 60° 

 to 65° F. During growth the foliage 

 should be syringed two or three times 

 a day, generally in the morning and 

 late afternoon, and plenty of water 

 should be given to the roots. The 

 most suitable compost seems to be 

 a rich sandy loam, to which leaf- 

 mould and weU-rotted manure may 

 be added. Suckers are prodixced 

 from the base of the plants, especially 

 if the main stem has been cut or 

 injured in any way, and by this 

 means the stock may be increased. 

 The suckers should be inserted in a 

 hot-bed in a close case or under a 

 bell-glass, and wiU soon root. The 

 plants are valued chiefly for the 

 ornamental appearance of the 

 foliage. 



X. aurlciiiatum. — Leaves three- 

 lobed, heart-shaped, suddenly taper- 

 ing at the tip, having reddish or 

 green stalks, striped with brown 

 {Gartmjl. 1869, t. 603). 



X. Barllleti. — ^A handsome plant 

 with bright green leaf-stalks a yard 

 long, the blades being deeply cut 

 into three to five large strongly- 

 veined lobes {Eev. Hort. 1882, p. 

 260). 



X eordatum. — This species has 

 heart-shaped leaves 1| ft. long and 

 over 1 ft. broad, with stems 2 ft. or 



more long. The yellow-green spathe, 

 over 6 ins. long, is rose-tinted at the 

 base and whitish inside. {Kew Bidl. 

 1906, 7.) 



X. Hoffmanni. — A Mexican plant, 

 having leaves deeply cut into five to 

 seven lobes, dark green with a bluish 

 metallic sheen, the stalks being 

 whitish blotched with dark purple. 

 The spathe has a green tube, purple 

 within, the limb being white. 



X. iiindenl. — ^A pretty plant, is well 

 known under the name of Phyllotae- 

 nium Lindeni. It has oblong-hastate 

 leaves about 1 ft. long, deep green, 

 with the midrib and side veins of 

 ivory white. {III. Hort. 1872, t. 88.) 

 The variety magnificum has larger 

 and finer leaves than the type. 



X. mirabiie. — This distinct species 

 has green leaves about 1 ft. long, 

 spotted with yellow and divided into 

 three oval, lance - shaped, pointed 

 segments, the leaf -stalks being about 

 a yard long. The flower-spathe is of 

 a primrose - yellow colour. (Gard. 

 Chron. 1874, ii. p. 258.) 



X. saglttlfollum. — ^Leaves 12 to 18 

 ins. long, broadly oval, sagittate, 

 pointed, borne on stalks a yard or 

 more high. Flower-spathe greenish 

 and white. (Bot. Mag. t. 4989.) 



X. violaceum. — ^A very ornamental 

 species with sagittate, oval oblong 

 blades 9 to 18 ins. long, on brownish- 

 violet stalks 2 to 3 ft. long. Spathe 

 pale violet outside, yellowish-white 

 within; enclosing a violet and white 

 spadiz. 



ZBPHYKANTHES (zepJiyros, west 

 wind ; cmthos, a flower ; reference to 

 the New World— the West), Zephyk 

 Flowee. Nat. Ord. Amaryllidese. — 

 A genus containing about three dozen 

 species of herbaceous plants with 

 tunicated bulbs, narrow strap-shaped 

 leaves, and more or less erect funnel- 

 shaped flowers borne on slender hollow 



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