ALSTECEMEEIA 



NABCISSUS OBDEB 



POLIANTHES 915 



loots as warm and dry as possible during 

 that period. 



Mr. Baker has described 44 species, 

 but the following are the best for the out- 

 door garden : — 



A. aurantiaca {A. aurea). — A fine 

 vigorous Chilian species 2-4 ft. high, with 

 thin lance-shaped leaves rather glaucous 

 beneath, the lower ones 3-4 in. long. 

 During the summer and autumn months 

 masses of orange flowers streaked with 

 red or carmine, the outer segments being 

 tipped with green. The variety concolor 

 has pale unspotted flowers. 



Culture Ac. as above. 



A. brasiliensis. — A Brazilian species 

 S-4 ft. high with oblong lance-shaped 

 non-inverted leaves about 2 in. long, and 

 reddish-yeUow flowers, the inner seg- 

 ments being spotted with deep brown. 



Culture <£c. as above. 



A. chilensis. — A beautiful Chilian 

 species 2-3 ft. high with more or less 

 obovate spoon-shaped rather glaucous 

 twisted leaves minutely fringed at the 

 edges. The blood-red or pink flowers 

 have the 2 upper inner segments lined 

 with yellow. There are many seedling 

 forms of this plant in gardens, having a 

 great variety of colour from blush-white 

 to deep orange or red. 



Culture do. as above. 



A. Errembaulti is a garden hybrid 

 from A. pulchella, about 2 ft. high, having 

 white flowers spotted with crimson. It 

 is rather tender and requires winter pro- 

 tection. 



Culture dc. as above. 



A. hsmantha. — This is a plant figured 

 in the ' Botanical Magazine,' t. 2354, as 

 A. pulchella, and as A. Simsi in Sweet's 

 ' British Flower Garden,' t. 267. It is a 

 native of ChiH and grows 2-3 ft. high, and 

 has crowded, thin, lanee-shaped leaves 

 3-4 in. long, glaucous beneath, the upper 

 ones being linear. The outer segments 

 ■of the flower are bright red tipped with 

 green, the narrower inner ones having 

 red-purple spots on an orange ground. 

 The variety albida has whitish flowers. 



Culture dc. as above. 



A. pelegrina {Lily of the Incas). — 

 A. beautiful Chihan species about 1 ft. 

 high, cultivated in Messrs. Lee's nursery 

 at Hammersmith as long ago as 1774. The 

 leaves are thin lance-shaped and about 2 

 in. long, and the outer segments of the 



lilac flowers are 1 in. broad, while the 

 inner ones are heavily spotted with red- 

 dish-purple. The variety alba is a beauti- 

 ful form with white unspotted flowers. It 

 is, however, rather tender and requires the 

 protection of a cold frame or cool green- 

 house, where it makes afine subject in pots. 

 Culture dc. as above. 



A. pulchella (4. hanksiana; A.psitta- 

 ■ cina). — A Brazilian species 2-3 ft. high, 

 with scattered more or less lanoe-shaped 

 leaves and clusters of dark red flowers 

 tipped with green, all the segments, which 

 are very unequal, being spotted inside 

 with brown. Kather tender. 



Cultu/re dc. as above. 



A. pulchra (4. fiicoZor; A. Flos-Mar- 

 tini). — St. Martin's Flower. — According 

 to Mr. Baker this pretty plant is a variety 

 of a Chilian species called A. Ligtu, and 

 grows about 2 ft. high, with linear or 

 narrow lance-shaped leaves 2-3 in. long, 

 and flowers variously coloured with 

 purple, yellowish-white, and deep yellow, 

 dotted with red and flushed with pink. 

 Bather tender. 



Culture dc. as above. 



A. versicolor {A.peruviana). — A pretty 

 Peruvian plant 2-4 ft. high, with obliquely 

 lance-shaped stalkless leaves, and yellow 

 flowers spotted and striped with purple or 

 maroon, and tipped with green. This is 

 a strong-grovidng species with several 

 beautiful garden forms. 



Other kinds sometimes met with are 

 revoluta, with bright yellow spotted 

 flowers ; sulphurea tigrina, yellow spotted 

 with brown ; Hookeri, yellow streaked 

 with red ; and tenuifolia, rosy-violet. 



Culture dc. as above. 



POLIANTHES (Ttjberose).— This 

 genus consists of one species only : — 



P. tuberosa. — A charming Mexican 

 plant, with a tuberous rootstock and thin 

 linear bright green leaves 12-18 in. or 

 more long, deeply channelled in the lower 

 half, and more or less spotted with brown 

 behind. The flower spikes on plants 

 grown in the open ah appear about August, 

 and are 2-3 ft. high, bearing near the 

 end several pure waxy white funnel- 

 shaped flowers which emit a strong scent 

 considered dehcious by many, but rather 

 heavy and sickly by some. There is a 

 variety called gracilis having a more 

 slender habit and narrower leaves. The 

 double -flowered variety is that most gene- 



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