828 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS beodma 



corms are best planted about September, 

 or not later than October, several together, 

 to obtain a fine display. They should 

 not be moved for several years, but may 

 receive a top-dressing of vi^ell-rotted 

 manure every autumn. The plants are 

 easily increased by means of the offsets 

 from the corms, and also more slowly by 

 seeds in the same way as Brevoortia. 



The following are the species chiefly 

 met with in cultivation. They are all 

 natives of California except where other- 

 wise stated. 



B. Bridges! (Triteleia Bridgesi). — A 

 species closely related to B. laxa, but 

 easily distinguished by its longer and 

 broader perianth tube with a decided 

 red tinge. It produces its blue flowers 

 freely during the summer months, as many 

 as 10-20 blossoms being in an umbel. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. californica {B. AusUnai). — A very- 

 fine species from the Sacramento Valley. 

 It comes very near B. grandiflora but 

 has a longer scape 15-18 in. high, bearing 

 a loose umbel of 10-25 flowers of a 

 beautiful rose-purple, each spreading 

 funnel-shaped blossom being 1^-2 in. 

 long, and the same in width. Perfect 

 stamens 3. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. capitata (Milla ca/pitata). — A beau- 

 tiful species with narrow linear leaves 

 and fragile flower-stalks 1-2 ft. high, 

 bearing numerous bright lilac or deep 

 violet blooms about April in a capitate 

 umbel. The oblong perianth tube is 

 ^-| in. long, having oblong segments 

 almost the same length, and the 3 anthers 

 of the inner row have an oblong wing on 

 each side. The variety alba is similar in 

 habit, but has white flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. congesta. — A very free-flowering 

 species vidth roundish slender leaves 

 chaimelled on the inner face. The deep 

 violet flowers, 6-12 in an umbel, are 

 borne in summer on flexuous scapes 3-5 

 ft. long, and last a long time. There are 

 3 fertile stamens alternating with 8 purple 

 cleft staminodes in the throat of the tube. 

 There is a rare white-flowered form, which 

 is pretty. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. Douglasi [Milla and Triteleia 

 grandiflora). — This fine species seems to 

 be intermediate between B. Howelli and 



B, laxa, and is a native of British 

 Columbia eastwards to Missouri. It has 

 linear leaves, and dense umbels of 6-20 

 beautiful bright blue flowers about 1 in, 

 long on the top of a scape 1^2 ft, 

 high. Perfect stamens 6, three of which 

 are seated on the throat of the tube, the 

 other three reaching nearly half-way up 

 the segments with a short winged fila- 

 ment. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. gracilis {Triteleia gracilis). — A 

 rare and pretty dwarf species with sohtary 

 slender leaves, and about a dozen bright 

 yellow flowers, about ^ in. long, in an 

 umbel on the top of a scape less than 6 in. 

 high. The oblong segments, as long as the 

 yellow tube, are keeled with brown, and 

 the 6 perfect stamens reach half-way up. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. grandiflora {HooJcera coronaria). 

 This is the original species upon which 

 the genus Brodisea was founded by Smith 

 in 1808. It is spread throughout CaU- 

 fomia, Oregon, and Washington territory, 

 and has slender linear leaves and bright 

 violet-blue flowers, 3-10 in an umbel, on 

 top of a scape about 18 in. long. The 

 perianth tube is over 1 in. long, with 

 rather longer oblong spreading segments 

 and 3 fertile stamens. B. minor comes 

 near this species but has only 2-6 flowers 

 in an umbel on scapes 3-6 in. high. The 

 variety Warei has lUac-rose flowers about 

 3 in. long borne on a stem 2-2J ft. high. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. Hendersoni. — This very rare species 

 is a native of Oregon and comes near 

 B. Bridgesi and B. laxa. The flowers, 

 however, are salmon-yellow striped with 

 purple, and are ^1 in. long, with bluish 

 anthers to the stamens m the centre. 



Culture dc. as above. 



B. Howelli [Triteleia Howelli). — A 

 native of Oregon and Washington territory 

 closely related to B. Douglasi. It has, 

 however, smaller flowers, which are of 

 a beautiful porcelain - white, delicately 

 streaked with blue. The variety lilacina 

 is a far superior plant, having 20 or more 

 funnel-shaped flowers in an umbel, each 

 1 in. across, and of a soft lavender-blue 

 with white segments. 



Culture dc, as above. 



B. hyacinthina [Hesperocordum hya- 

 cimthinum ; H. Lewisi). — A pretty 

 species having 2-3 linear leaves J-J in. 



