908 



PB ACTIO AL GUIDE TO GARDEN PLANTS steenbeegia 



Perianth broadly bell-ehaped, with equal 

 ovate or oblong segments. Stamens 6, 

 epigynous. 



Culture and Propagation. — Snow- 

 flakes are easily cultivated and prefer to 

 grow in a rich sandy, loamy soil enriched 

 ■with the addition of a little leaf mould 

 but not too much farmyard manure — at 

 least not in direct contact with the bulbs. 

 They may be increased by separating the 

 young offsets from the bulbs after the 

 foliage has completely withered. Their 

 use in the garden is the same as the 

 Snowdrop, and grown in similar situations 

 in large numbers they are very effective. 



L. sestivum (Summer Snowflake). — A 

 beautiful plant, native of Central and S. 

 Europe, and also found in wet meadows 

 and Osier holes in the south-eastern parts 

 of England. The ovoid bulbs are 1-li in. 

 through, producing linear obtuse bluntly 

 keeled leaves 12-18 in. long. The droop- 

 ing flowers appear in May 2-6 on a 2- 

 edged scape, pure white, about 1 in. 

 long, each segment being tipped with 

 green. 



Culture do. as above. This grows 

 freely and increases rapidly. 



L. autumnale {Acis autumnalis). — A 

 charming Portuguese species with round- 

 ish bulbs about ^ in. through and very 

 slender leaves developed after the flowers. 

 The drooping flowers appear in autumn, 

 1-3 on a slender stalk 3-9 in. high, and 

 are white delicately flushed with pink at 

 the base. The variety cephaloniciivi has 

 a 2-valved spathe ; and i^ulchellurti from 

 Algeria has large drooping flowers pro- 

 duced at the same time as the leaves. 



Culture i(c. as above. 



L. hyemale {Acis hiemalis). — A 

 native of S. France having brown-coated 

 bulbs i. in. thick, and 1-A narrow linear 

 leaves appearing at the same time as the 

 flowers, and about 1 ft. long when fully 

 developed. The white flowers tinged 

 with green outside are usually borne 

 singly on scapes 4-6 in. high in April, 

 and not in winter as the name hyemale 

 would lead one to expect. 



Culture Sc, as above. 



L. pulchellum {h. Hernandexi). — This 

 native of Sardinia and the Balearic 

 Islands is closely related to the Summer 

 Snowflake (L. a-stivum), from which it 

 differs in having narrower leaves and 



smaller flowers appearing a fortnight or 

 so earlier. 



Culture dc, as above. 



L. trichophylluin {Acis tricophylla). 

 A pretty Snowflake from Spain, Por- 

 tugal, and N. Africa, with brown ovoid 

 bulbs about | in. through, bearing about 

 3 very slender leaves at the same time 

 as the white flowers. The latter are 

 borne 2-4 together on a very slender 

 stalk 6-12 in. long in April, and have 

 oblong lance-shaped segments, loosely 

 7-nerved. The variety grandifiorum 

 {Acis grandifiora) has somewhat larger 

 flowers. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



L. vernum {Spring Snowflake). — A 

 beautiful species, native of Central 

 Europe from Prance to Bosnia and the 

 Tyrol, but naturalised in parts of Dorset. 

 It has round, pale green-coated bulbs 

 about 1 in. through, and bearing 3-4 

 strap-shaped leaves 6-9 in. long when full 

 grown. The sweet-scented flowers appear 

 in March and April on 2-edged hollow 

 scapes 6-12 in. long, drooping, white 

 tipped with green. The flowers are 

 usually solitary, but occasionally a 2- 

 flowered form (biflorum or Vagneri) is 

 seen. The variety carpaticum has the 

 segments tipped with yellow instead of 

 green. 



Another species rarely met with is 

 L. roseum {Acis rosea) from Corsica. It 

 produces beautiful drooping rosy - red 

 flowers in September and October on 

 short slender stalks 2-4 in. long. 



Culture dc. as above. 



STERNBERGIA (Mount Etna 

 Lily; Lily of the Field). — A small 

 genus of charming little plants with long- 

 necked bulbs and strap-shaped leaves 

 produced later than, or at the same time 

 as, the flowers, which are usually solitary, 

 erect, funnel-shaped, and bright yellow, 

 having lance-shaped or oblong, more or 

 less erect or spreading segments. Sta- 

 mens inserted at the throat of the tube. 



Culture and Propagation. — Stern- 

 bergias flourish in good sandy loam and 

 leaf soil in smmy situations, and are 

 charming flowers for brightening up the 

 edges of borders, shrubberies, rock gardens 

 &o. Unlike the Snowdrops and Snow- 

 flakes the flowers stand erect, and nestle 

 among the foliage, and look extremely 

 pretty when grown in masses. The bulbs 

 should never be lifted until well ripened and 



