304 



CASSELL'S POPULAR GARDENING. 



flower year after year without further trouhle. 

 Even in the most favoured spots it is always best to 

 protect the roots in winter by a covering of leaves or 

 ashes. These Alstrozmerias may be easily raised fron. 

 seeds, which should be sown in pans and placed in 

 frames. If seed is sown as soon as ripe in autumn, 

 the seedlings will flower the following season. They 

 may be also increased by dividing the fleshy roots. 

 If the plants are left undisturbed for several years 

 they form quite a network of roots, which keeps the 

 border well drained, and renders it warm. A. 

 psittacina, or A. Braziliensis, is as hardy as A. 

 aurantiaca, but is scarcely worth growing, the flowers 

 not being nearly so showy. 



Amorphophallus. — These remarkable plants 

 belong to the order Aracece, and were formerly in- 

 cluded in the genus Arum. Pot in rich loam and 

 sand. They enjoy an abundance of water when 

 growing, but none when at rest. Stove. 



A. canrpanulatus — this gi- 

 gantic Arad produces but 

 a single leaf, which is 

 borne on an erect foot- 

 stalk, upwards of six feet 

 in height, the blade being 

 divided into numerous 

 spreading segments. The 

 flower is borne close to 

 the ground ; the spathe 

 is large and spreading, 

 the spadix thick and 

 fleshy, and clubbed at the 

 top ; it emits an offensive 

 odour, resembling car- 



rion. East Indies and 

 Pacific Islands. 



A. dubius — this species is 

 about' one-fourth the size 

 of the preceding, of which 

 it may be called a minia- 

 ture. Ceylon. 



A. Lacourii — petioles stout, 

 erect, pale green, irregu- 

 larly banded with yellow 

 and grey, resembling the 

 body of a toad ; leaves 

 deep green, spotted and 

 dotted with white. Co- 

 chin China. 



A. concinnum— leaves digi- ] 

 tate, dark green ; spathe 

 tubular at base, the upper 

 portion recurved and } 

 lengthened into a tad- i 

 like point; white in the 

 male plant, longitudinally 

 striped with broad bands j 

 of deep purple ; in the j 

 female white, banded with I 

 green. Spring months. I 

 Sikkim. 



A.curvatum — leaves pedate, 

 deep green, petioles mot- 

 tled with greenish-purple, 

 spathe green and purple. 

 Spring months. Sikkim. 



A. prcecox —leaves trifo- j 

 liate, deep green above, j 

 paler beneath ; spathe tu- i 

 bular, hooded, longitudi- 

 nally streaked with white 

 and green ; mouth deep 

 purplish - black. Spring 

 months. Japan. 



A. speciosum — leaves large, 

 trifoliate, deep green on 

 the upper side, bordered 

 with red ; petiole stout, 

 green, mottled with 

 brown ; spathe upwards 

 of six inches high, deep 

 purple, with a few white 

 stripes inside ; spadix 

 lengthened into a flexuose 

 tail nearly two feet in 

 length, and reddish-brown 

 in colour. Spring months. 

 Sikkim. 



A. Wightii — leaves radiate, 

 leaflets five, elliptical-lan- 

 ceolate, tapering to a very 

 fine point; bright green, 

 paler beneath; spathe yel- 

 lowish - green, streaked 

 with deep green ; spadix 

 same colour, lengthened 

 into an erect awl-like 

 point six inches long. 

 Ceylon. 



Anchomanes. — A small genus of Arads, with 

 tuberous roots. The flowers appear before the leaves, 

 and are enveloped in a very large spathe. Pot in 

 loam and leaf-mould. Stove. 



A. Hookeri pallida. — This form differs from the 

 species in its paler flowers, and in being furnished 

 with a greater quantity of spines ; petioles three to 

 four feet high, blade thrice divided, leaflets large 

 and deep green, spathe large ; dull purple, the in- 

 terior being also tinged with green. Fernando To. 



Anthericum [St Bruno's Lily). — Though this 

 genus of Lilyworts numbers so many species, there 

 are only two or three valuable as garden plants, and 

 one of these, the St. Bruno's Lily (A. liliastrum), is 

 an indispensable hardy plant. This lovely plant in- 

 habits the high alpine meadows of Central Europe. 

 When fully grown it reaches from two to three 

 feet in height. It bears a tuft of narrow foliage, and 

 amidst this the tall, erect flower- spikes rise in early 

 summer. The flowers somewhat resemble the White 

 Lily in miniature, being of snowy whiteness, and 

 clothe the spike for about half its length, opening 

 one after the other in quick succession. There are 



two forms of the plant— the original, and a much 



larger variety known as majus. The latter variety is 

 much the finer plant, and should always be preferred 

 to the original, as it grows nearly twice the size, and 

 all its parts are proportionately larger. The soil that 

 suits the St. Bruno's Lily best is a deep, moist, sandy 

 loam, overlying a cool subsoil, as it is apt to suffer 

 during a spell of dry, hot weather in summer, if 

 the soil is hot and dry. It likes an open, sunny 

 spot, yet sheltered from winds. For a shrubbery 

 border it is an excellent subject, and worth a good 

 deal of attention. In some nurseries it is grown 

 under the names of Paradisca and Czackia. 



There are two other species of Anthericum worth 

 attention. These are St. Bernard's Lily (A.liliago) 

 and A. Hookeri, known also as Chrysobactron Hookeri. 

 The first is a graceful plant, growing from one to 

 two feet high, and bearing numerous small white 

 blossoms. A similar plant is A. ramosum, also called 

 gramini folium, but neither of these plants is first- 

 rate. A. Hookeri is a New Zealand plant, quite dis- 

 tinct from the other species. It has small dense 

 spikes of bright yellow flowers. It is a desirable 

 plant for growing in boggy borders, or by the mar- 

 gins of streams, as it is very partial to moisture. 



Ariscema. — A genus of comparatively small- 

 growing plants, with pedate, digitate, or trifoliate 

 leaves, and in many instances curious and handsome 

 spathes. Pot in loam, leaf -mould, and sand ; when 

 growing, water freely ; when at rest, withhold the 

 supply. Stove. 



Blandfordia. — A group of handsome plants, less 

 frequently seen in our plant - houses than they 

 deserve. They belong to the Lily family, and are 

 plants of very easy culture. Autumn is the best 

 time for re-potting, and good light loamy peat is the 

 soil they thrive best in ; during winter they should 



