BULBOUS PLANTS. 



157 



reflex. Another striking feature is that the corona, 

 or crown in the centre of the flower, so conspicuous 

 in the other two kinds, is far less so in this, as it 

 projects hut slightly heyond the tube. Except for a 

 few faint streaks of yellow in the centre, the flower 

 is pure white. E. Mastersiana is a new and similar 

 species. 



Culture. — Being natives of the warm parts of 

 New Grenada, all the Eucharises require the heat of 

 a stove-house to grow them successfully, though 

 they can be grown satisfactorily in a close green- 

 house with attention. The hest soil for them is a 

 mixture composed of good fihry loam, a little sharp 

 sand, and decayed cow-manure. The pots must not 

 he over-large ; six full-sized hulhs, for instance, 

 should occupy a nine and a half inch pot, and more 

 or less in proportionately larger or smaller pots. 

 Good drainage must always he given, for though 

 the plants like an abundant supply of water, a sodden 

 soil soon injures them. Some growers plunge their 

 Eucharises in a brisk bottom heat, so as to get the 

 plants into flower in rapid succession in winter, but 

 such a stimulus tends to weaken the bulbs, and ren- 

 der them subject to what is called the "Eucharis 

 disease." This really appears to be not a functional 

 disorder, but one brought about by a little insect 

 called the Eucharis Mite {{Rhizog typhus echinopwi), 

 which attacks the bulb, sucking its juices, therefore 

 endangering the life of the plant. A sickly growth, 

 pale green or yellow leaves, are indications that this 

 insect pest is infesting the bulbs, although these 

 symptoms are sometimes the result of bad drainage 

 and other causes. The Eucharis, therefore, can 

 easily be over- stimulated by excessive heat and 

 manures, and to both of these evils it has unfortu- 

 nately been subjected in the eagerness, on, the part 

 of cultivators, to produce as large crops of bloom as 

 possible from the plants without giving them a fair 

 period of rest. A moderate heat and a judicious 

 application of highly concentrated manures, whether 

 solid or liquid, is therefore the secret of good Eucharis 

 culture. As all the species are evergreen plants, they 

 must not be dried after blooming, though they should 

 be kept somewhat drier till growth recommences 

 vigorously, but at no period must they be allowed to 

 become quite dry. In the case of imported bulbs 

 that arrive in a dormant state, they should be put in 

 pots as small as possible, and watered only enough 

 to maintain a slight moisture in the soil till the 

 young leaves make their appearance. When the 

 pots are full of roots, arid the plants in vigorous 

 growth, an occasional supply of weak manure-water 

 may be given, and this is preferable to re-pot- 

 ting too often. Propagated by offsets taken off 

 at the time of potting, or by seed— the latter a 

 slow process. 



FJucomis. — The few species of this genus in 

 gardens strongly resemble each other, and as none 

 are showy, they are unimportant, though interesting 

 on account of being unlike any other bulbous plants. 

 They all produce tufts of broad recurving foliage 

 and erect flower-stems, densely set with greenish- 

 white blossoms so as to form a cylindrical spike. 

 They differ chiefly in stature, E. nana and E. regia 

 being the dwarfest, E. untlulata and E. punctata the 

 tallest. All are natives of the Cape of Good Hope, 

 and have proved sufficiently hardy to withstand our 

 ordinary winters in the Southern districts, if their 

 bulbs are slightly protected by a mulching. Any 

 ordinary garden soil suits them, if light and warm. 



Eurycles. — The three plants representing this 

 genus of the Amaryllis family in gardens, bear a good 

 deal of resemblance to the Eucharises both in growth 

 and flowers, and are all very handsome plants. All 

 three are in cultivation, but are rare, though they 

 are such old inhabitants in gardens. Being natives 

 of the warm South Sea Islands and Western Aus- 

 tralia, they require a warm green-house culture, but 

 are not difficult to manage if accorded the same 

 treatment as that recommended for similar plants, 

 such as Eucharis. After the growth is ripened, the 

 bulbs require to be rested by being kept dry until 

 signs of new growth are evident. In the meantime 

 the bulbs should be re-potted. The three species 

 are : — 



E. Amboinensis — the Am- 

 bovna Lily — is the finest 

 of the three species ; hears 

 large heart-shaped, pale 

 green leaves, rihbed on 

 the surface. The flower- 

 stems are stont and erect, 

 and carry a large dense 

 cluster of white flowers 

 some two or three inches 

 across, hut scentless. 



E. Australasica — the Bris- 

 bane Lily — is similar, but 

 smaller, the leaves being 



less heart-shaped, and the 

 flowers fewer. They are 

 pure white as in the Am- 

 boyna Lily. It is the com- 

 monest in cultivation. 

 E. Cunninghamii is different 

 from the others, as the 

 leaves are not heart- 

 shaped. The flower-stems, 

 about a foot high, bear 

 heads of from four to ten 

 white flowers. Native of 

 the Brisbane River. 



Ferraria undulata.— A quaint-looking dwarf- 

 growing plant with Iris-like leaves, and flowers like 

 those of the Tigridia, but small and of a dull plum- 

 colour. It is a native of South Africa, but hardy 

 enough to be grown out of doors in warm locali- 

 ties if the bulbs are protected in winter, but is 

 scarcely worth the trouble of pot-culture. 



Freesia. — The rich flora of the Cape of Good 

 Hope has yielded to us no lovelier or sweeter-scented 

 bulbous plants than the Freesias, which have rapidly 

 risen in public favour within the past few years. 

 The species comprising the genus are very few, 

 probably only two, and are peculiarly distinct from 

 any other members of the Iris family. These two 

 kinds bear such a strong resemblance to each 



